July 2020 - 7

➺ InBox
Prophetic advice

I'm spending my COVID-19 downtime rereading back issues of the
Bridge Bulletin.
I thank Marisa Silverman, Aspen CO,
for penning her Letter to the Editor
that appeared in the March 2013 edition.
She tells the sad tale of her and her
partner getting a bad cold while playing at a sectional tournament because
an uncouth player coughed without
covering her mouth. When confronted,
the offender had the audacity to reply,
"If you want to protect yourself from
me, you should play at the other table."
Marisa asks us to consider, "What
could be worse than a contagious
person playing cards with hundreds
of other people in an enclosed space
and expecting opponents to deal with
it? There are also many elderly players
and folks with compromised health.
It's the nature of our demographics."
Seven years later, in the midst of the
coronavirus pandemic, follow Marisa's
advice: "Let's spread the news, not the
flu." It's so simple, yet life-saving. "Stay
home!"
BRIAN R. GRAY
Mississauga ON

Woke

I find the "Ruling the Game" column
in the November 2019 issue (regarding the non-Alert of 2♦ bid to a strong
2♣) to be contrary to the spirit of the
Alert process. The excuse given is that
the Alert could awaken partner. Yet the
advice given is to ask what 2♦ means,
which will awaken the partnership
anyway, but shifts any onus to the nonoffending side. Not to mention that
asking for the meaning of the bid could
produce unauthorized information
and/or hard feelings, unless it is done
after every 2♣ opening, in which case
it becomes a time-waster.

Letters to the Editor

Not Alerting 2♦ seems to be in direct contradiction to the ACBL's Alert
Procedures, which use the term "highly
unusual and unexpected." To me, using a 2♦ response to a strong 2♣ as
a transfer to hearts is highly unusual.
The fact that an Alert of 2♦ might
wake up responder can be adjudicated
by the existing laws. The Alerting side
is not allowed to use unauthorized
information.
If the goal is full disclosure, then not
Alerting "highly unusual and unexpected" bids is contrary to the spirit of
the laws. And the argument of awakening partner with an Alert is specious
considering that all Alerts run the risk
of waking up partner.
Yes, I know that Alert Procedures
specifically exempt 2♦ from being
Alerted. I am saying that this is wrong.
RICHARD COMSTOCK
Centerburg OH

Community

When my son was stationed at Fort
Carson, he lived in Colorado Springs.
He checked out the Colorado Springs
Bridge Center shortly after he got
there. They were extremely nice to
him and he started going on a fairly
regularly basis when he could. One of
the players who was particularly kind
to him was Joe Luk. Joe is an excellent bridge player with a fascinating
background, which includes years in
the restaurant business. Joe took my
son under his wings, taught him a lot of
bridge, and treated him to many gourmet meals. It certainly was a shock to
see how the coronavirus devastated the
club. (Editor's note: Many members of
the Colorado Springs club became seriously ill from the virus in March, and
several died.) Thankfully, Joe survived
the ordeal.
This story is a reminder to me that
we don't just play bridge; we belong

to a bridge community with all of the
support (and foibles) that entails. One
of the most insidious effects of this
pandemic is the disruption of our community. Kudos to the ACBL for doing
its best to keep us in touch with each
other as we deal with the impact that
this virus has had on our lives.
KEN LEOPOLD
Avon CT

Role model

I was pleased to see that Larry Cohen
was chosen for induction into the
ACBL Hall of Fame. I have not met
Larry. His books, articles and online
sites are always my go-to places for
answers to my bridge questions (which
are many).
I knew of his fine reputation as a
teacher. There was indication of his
kindness and sense of humor in his
style of answering questions and
explaining some of the gray areas of
bridge.
When I lived in the Boston area, my
partner and I played in many tournaments. I love bridge and decided to
attempt to teach the game to friends
who were beginners. Many of them
joined duplicate clubs. I relied heavily on Cohen's teaching methods. I did
not charge anything for the classes,
just enough to cover snacks and some
teaching tools. I really just wanted to
share the game of bridge with as many
people as I could.
Congratulations, Larry, on a welldeserved honor.
MARY BETH BOYD
Chardon OH
Letters to the editor are welcome by regular mail and email.
Brevity is considered a virtue, as is subject matter with relevance
to a majority of ACBL members. Unsigned letters are not
considered for publication, so please include your name and
hometown. Letters may be edited. All letters will receive a
response. Send emails to editor@acbl.org.

July 2020 Bridge Bulletin

7
July 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2020
