September 2022 - 16

It turned out this was the last time I
spoke to John. We sort of started and
ended our friendship the same way. "
National Tournament Director
Sol Weinstein has been a senior
member of the ACBL's directing staff
for decades. Weinstein, of Yonkers
NY, is the recipient of the Blackwood
Award, given to individuals who
have contributed greatly to the game
of bridge without necessarily being
events, " Grove said.
But Weinstein was equally engaged
with helping newer players - and
newer tournament directors - understand
the rules of the game.
" The best thing a TD can do
is to get expert advice. "
" For those who want to learn, Sol is
here to teach. "
Closing with a line borrowed from
the musical " Wicked, " Grove ended
with, " Sol changed us for the better,
and he changed us for good. "
Weinstein's remarks were modest
and brief.
" I was totally shocked but pleasRetired
National TD Doug Grove (left) presents
the Blackwood Award to Sol Weinstein
during the Hall of Fame induction
ceremony.
world-class players. Weinstein's
expertise in the Laws, tournament
organization and director training
have made him an indispensable
part of the tournament experience in
North America.
Weinstein was presented by retired
National Tournament Director Doug
Grove, who began with a list of Weinstein's
qualities provided by those
who had worked with Weinstein over
the years.
" Relentless in trying to get things
right. Competent. Reliable. The
tournament chair never had to worry
about things getting done right when
Sol was in charge, " said Grove.
Acknowledging Weinstein's role
in the advancement of tournament
technology, Grove said, " Sol is proud
of his work on the earliest forms of
electronic scoring in the ACBL. "
The respect Weinstein is accorded
among expert players was also noted
by Grove.
" Solly was up to the challenge of
getting rulings right in high-level
16 | Bridge Bulletin | September 2022
antly surprised by the Hall of Fame
Committee's selection, " he said, but
added that he had been helped in his
career by his association with the top
players and tournament directors in
the game.
" The best thing a TD can do is to get
expert advice. "
Weinstein closed with a heartfelt
thanks to his wife, Ann.
" You have put up with my directing
schedule for so many years. I love
you. "
This year's recipient of the Sidney
H. Lazard Jr. Sportsmanship Award
was the national open team of Scotland
in recognition of their refusal
to seat a team against a squad with a
convicted cheater on its roster in the
2021 European Championship qualifiers.
Team Scotland's principled objection
initiated a cascade of refusals
by other countries in the event to play
against the offending squad.
Representing Team Scotland in
Providence were squad members Samantha
Punch and Stephen Peterkin.
The award was presented by Sabine
Auken.
Without directly referring to the
offending member of the Italian
squad that caused the boycott, Auken
described the act of civil disobediSabine
Auken (center) presents the Lazard
Sportsmanship Award to Samantha Punch
and Stephen Peterkin.
" Voldemort was not welcome at the
European Championships, but organizers
could do nothing about it, " said
Auken, setting the stage for Team
Scotland's plan to simply forfeit their
first-round match against Italy rather
than dignify the competition by
sitting against a known cheater.
" News of the boycott spread like
wildfire, and soon, all teams were
refusing to play against the offenders,
but it would never have happened if
Scotland had not shown us the way. "
In accepting the award, Punch noted
that the boycott was not without
risk, as it exposed the Scots to possible
sanctions from the European
Bridge League as well as their own
federation. But many players from
around the world wrote to the Scottish
squad during the competition to
express their support.
" We were less worried about the
consequences, and more concerned
with doing the right thing, " said
Punch. " We were at the right place at
the right time. Although refusing to
play can be a serious offense, the particular
nature of this situation made
it clear what we had to do. "
ence by Team Scotland by way of a
literary reference to the Harry Potter
novels.
" His black magic and dark spells
were foiled by the Ministry of
Bridge, " said Auken, who doubled
down on the analogy by comparing
the convicted cheater to the arch-villain
of the Potter universe, Lord
Voldemort.
September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2022
