August 2024 - 7

IN Box
Not a good look
It appears to me that the United
States Bridge Federation acted irresponsibly
in the process of determining
the teams to represent the U.S. in
this year's world championships.
There have been comments concerning
the five-person team that
won the Mixed team trials. The team
included Sylvia Shi, who admitted to
self-kibitzing in 2020. She was suspended
by the ACBL for three years
and is now on probation until 2026.
Ms. Shi is currently an ACBL " member
not in good standing. " I had been
concerned enough to inquire to the
USBF about the admission of admitted
cheaters into the team trials. I
received a reply, which I appreciated.
The reply noted that the USBF
Bylaws allows players to petition the
USBF board for readmission following
a suspension. Ms. Shi did this,
and the board granted her request.
ACBL members not in good standing
can play in most ACBL events but
can't do much else. There is a list of
things they are forbidden to do, such
as serve as an elected ACBL official
or write an article for the Bridge
Bulletin. But it appears that this status
is no longer a prohibition on representing
an ACBL member-country
in a World Bridge Federation event.
Perhaps the people who wrote the
regulations considered that too obvious
to mention, or perhaps the prohibition
was removed when the ACBL
exited the business of team selection
for the world championships. (In
some national bridge organizations,
the ban on international representation
for cheaters is 10 years.)
It seems that the USBF board of
directors rather blithely granted Ms.
Shi's request. In doing so, the board
forgot, or ignored, two issues:
First, though the USBF and ACBL
are separate bodies, both represent
the interests of the U.S. bridgeplaying
population. It is desirable for
them to maintain a respectful and
mutually beneficial relationship. By
readmitting Ms. Shi, the USBF effectively
thumbed its nose at her ACBL
probation. It risked causing - and did
cause - embarrassment and friction
between the two organizations. That
might have been an inadvertent oversight,
but it is still problematic.
Second, the board forgot that its
obligation is to the bridge players of
the United States, not just to the elite
players who constitute most of the
USBF membership. If the entirety of
U.S. players were polled, including
non-ACBL members and casual, social
players, what percentage would
approve of someone fresh off a cheating-related
suspension playing for the
U.S. in a world championship?
The appropriate disposition of
cheating cases is a contentious issue.
There is room for disagreement as to
cheating in club games, but sending
someone to the World Mixed Teams
soon after a three-year suspension is
a different kettle of smelly fish. What
message does it send to young players
we want to cultivate when they see an
admitted cheater playing in a world
championship?
As I write this in late June, no
explanation or justification for the
board's action has been forthcoming.
(One board member proceeded to resign
following the vote to readmit Ms.
Shi.) I would hope that the ACBL and
USBF are cooperating to see that this
regrettable episode does not recur.
Still, to avoid exacerbating a situation
that is, at the least, awkward and
controversial, Ms. Shi might reflect
that giving up a payday and withdrawing
from the team would be a
step toward her rehabilitation and regaining
some measure of the respect
of her fellow players.
That may not happen. But the
final say will rest with the WBF's
Credentials Committee, which has
a history of zealously guarding the
integrity of its competitions. It will be
interesting to see whether the committee
takes note of Ms. Shi's " member
not in good standing " status with
the ACBL or regards the USBF actions
as definitive.
FRANK STEWART
Fayette AL
Thank you, Brad
This is just a short note of my appreciation
for ACBL support person
Brad Bartol. As a director of three
clubs in Cleveland, I ran into several
situations where I needed help in
posting my game files online, especially
during some recent STaC tournaments.
Brad has been such a gentleman
and so very patient in helping
me resolve my issues. The ACBL is
fortunate to have such a courteous
and knowledgeable person to resolve
member issues!
ANDY HALPERN
Chagrin Falls OH
Birthday present
On my birthday this year, I received
a wonderful present: I was notified
by the ACBL that I had attained
the `rank` of Emerald Life Master.
Reaching this milestone brought
back memories of learning the game.
I am an actress. One day at the
theater, a group of actors and directors
who were interested in learning
bridge were lucky enough to find a
great teacher named Shirley Rice.
She came to the theater and gave us
lessons. I fell in love with the game.
The local club had a novice game
that I and a friend began to play in.
But the room next to ours was the
" big game " with experienced players.
I was so fortunate that a good player
took me under his wing and played
with me. Even though I barely knew
standard bidding, he began to teach
me Precision. We played together
for over 10 years and went to many
tournaments together, including a
August 2024 | Bridge Bulletin |
7
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August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2024
