ROOKIE OF THE YEAR NABC MASTER OF THE YEAR
Robert Victor 45.21 Michael Gellar 123.61
Vivian Grossman 27.63 Kurt Lang 88.44
Kenneth Miles 27.48 Doris Sabo 63.47
JUNIOR MASTER OF THE YEAR LIFE MASTER OF THE YEAR
Michel Cheny 99.91 Martin Weiss 130.03
Keiko Yamada 42.39 Melvin Baranoff 100.85
James Porges 27.92 Lisa Insolera 85.59
CLUB MASTER OF THE YEAR BRONZE LIFE MASTER OF THE YEAR
Adele Holman 74.50 Cheryl Porter 154.95
Noriko Kobe 68.04 Joan McGowan 103.49
Robert Wengert 43.76 Muriel Lewis 83.95
SECTIONAL MASTER OF THE YEAR SILVER LIFE MASTER OF THE YEAR
Miyoko Boswell 83.66 Jeffrey Lewis 154.16
Gabriel Weingarten 79.89 Shirley Ladin 127.48
Hugh Durlach 76.66 Richard Rosner 125.52
REGIONAL MASTER OF THE YEAR GOLD LIFE MASTER OF THE YEAR
Stuart Tarken 77.77 Julian Katz 153.90
Bob Zehm 71.58 Tod Thorgersen 149.27
Myron Rimer 71.42 Robert Garofalo 126.02
DIAMOND LIFE MASTER OF THE YEAR
Rosalind Elk 175.07
Leonard Karp 68.15
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NEW YORK REGIONAL (December)
6-C Sat Aft Cont Prs Henry Stadelmann-Paul Rau
5-B Sat Aft Newcomer Prs Sheila Schuman
2-A Sat Eve Cont Prs Rhoda Paul
5-B Henry Stadelmann-Paul Rau
1-A Sat Eve Newcomer Prs Lila Pollinger
4-B Lewis Howard
12-A Sun Flt A Swiss Robert Heitzman Jr
1-B Sun Flt B/C Swiss Martin Weiss
2-B Andy Muenz-Bob Zehm-
Martha Troxell-Betty Price
5-B Nick France-Michael Smalline-
Stanley Fink-Patricia Kent
6-A Sun Seniors Swiss Paul Haberman
6-B Neale & Jo Ann Van Delft
2-A Sun Eve Cont Prs Beverly Tuck Sherman-Tod Thorgersen
4-C Mon Eve Cont Prs Paul Rau-Henry Stadelmann
4-A Mon Strat Senior Prs Kay & Wayne Roelke
RYE TOWN REGIONAL (January)
6-A Fri Open Pairs Judith Weisman
7/8-A David Weisman
9-A Robert Heitzman
2 Fri Eve Newcmr Prs Madeleine Herbert
5-B Fri Eve Cont Prs Edward Wilson-Janice Migliorato
6-B Sat Open Pairs Albert Brenkert-Sheila Calfayan
3-C Sat Senior Pairs Kay & Wayne Roelke
4-C Paul Rau-Henry Stadelmann
1-A Sun Senr Swiss Teams Frank Grunebaum-Fred Weidmann-
Rosalind Elk-Hans Neuberg
CROMWELL REGIONAL (February)
5-B Wed Aft Cont Pairs Sari Lipkin
1-BR3 Wed-Thu KO Sari Lipkin
3-A Fri Open Pairs Fred Paul
2-C Edward Wilson-Paul Fagan
7-A Sat Flt A Pairs Fred Paul
HAUPPAUGE REGIONAL (February)
4-A Fri A/X Pairs Rolf Paul
3-B Fri B/C Pairs Edward Wilson-Paul Fagan
3-B Sat Open Pairs Spiridon Tomsa-Nelu Helgiu
4-A Sat Eve Cont Pairs Nicholas France
6-A Sat Aft Cont Pairs Nicholas France
2-X Sun A/X Swiss Teams Julian & Richard Lighton
4-B Sun Senr Swiss Teams Neale & Jo Ann Van Delft-
Kay & Wayne Roelke
6/7-A Robert & Elizabeth King-
Edward Gaines-Frederick Cohen
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ROOKIE OF THE YEAR LIFE MASTER OF THE YEAR Robert Victor 47.02 Craig Ganzer 315.49 Edward Yuhas 38.04 Melvin Baranoff 208.63 Ralph Meyer 31.05 Martin Weiss 181.21 JUNIOR MASTER OF THE YEAR BRONZE LIFE MASTER OF THE YEAR Michel Cheny 139.23 Alan Osofsky 236.24 Keiko Yamada 67.50 Rolf Paul 166.42 Paul Fagan 56.57 Cheryl Porter 159.16 CLUB MASTER OF THE YEAR SILVER LIFE MASTER OF THE YEAR Noriko Kobe 113.48 Irina Levitina 314.80 Adele Holman 79.39 Elizabeth King 192.15 Henry Stadelmann 70.14 Sarah Weiner 187.70 SECTIONAL MASTER OF THE YEAR GOLD LIFE MASTER OF THE YEAR Seng Tjoa 155.44 Tod Thorgersen 323.87 Miyoko Boswell 124.37 Joseph Adamo 276.86 Saeko Hisayama 96.43 Paul Silver 216.48 REGIONAL MASTER OF THE YEAR DIAMOND LIFE MASTER OF THE YEAR Bob Zehm 148.75 Rosalind Elk 301.56 Andy Muenz 131.11 Howard Hertzberg 162.55 Myron Rimer 125.49 Leonard Karp 89.65 NABC MASTER OF THE YEAR GRAND LIFE MASTER OF THE YEAR Michael Gellar 133.21 Kerri Sanborn 53.13 Saundra Arons 123.17 Kurt Lang 109.05Back to newsletter index
What have I learned in the time I have been playing bridge? The game has its ups and downs. Perhaps you start poorly but keep your cool, treating your partner with respect. You never know.
In January Roz Elk, Hans Neuberg, Fred Weidmann and I entered the Rye Town Regional senior Swiss team event. After one round we had one victory point, but not a word of criticism was exchanged. There was plenty to share. At the end of the event we had 110 VPs.
The last round was against the second place team for the overall victory. It was decided by this hand:
S-Qx H-Axx D-Axx C-Qxxxx S-xxxx S-AKx H-Jxxxx H-KQxx D-Kx D-QJTx C-xx C-xx S-JTxx H-x D-xxxx C-AKTx
At the other table our partners succeeded in a 2H contract. At our location the situation differed. We had a bad contract that resulted in 12.5 karate gold points. This is what happened:
N E S W
1C a D 1S b P
P c P
a A rag, but opponents are playing Precision. Why not interfere?
b Not forcing
c 1NT seemed correct. Oh well, I have 2 spades including the Q.
Let's see what happens.
West opened a heart, taken by Fred's ace. A small spade to the jack was successful. This was followed by a club to the queen, heart ruff, diamond to the ace, heart ruff and finally the AC. Are you counting? I just listed seven tricks. The swing was enough for the overall victory. Well done, Fred!
To start poorly one thing we know
Up is indeed the only place to go.
So play your cards and "lo and behold"
There you are, embracing your gold.
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There is one problem in the play of the hand which comes up more often than you would expect, and which hasn't been adequately covered by the good bridge writers. How would you play this suit combination to make three tricks? QJ42 A3 Your grandmother can make two tricks, but what is the best play for three, assuming no entry problems? To succeed, you need more than a little luck, but very little skill. First you must decide which opponent has the king based on the bidding and/or play up to the point you are ready to tackle the suit.
Suppose you decide East has the monarch. Your best bet is to hope that it is a singleton or doubleton. Play your ace. If the king falls, you are home. If it doesn't, lead toward dummy and play low! Your best chance, barring defensive error, is that it is a doubleton and falls. Obviously your chances were never very good, but playing the suit in this manner is your best shot. I calculate that your chances of success are 9%.
If you devine that West has the king, your chances are a lot better. Again, lay down the ace. If the king falls, you have your three tricks. If it doesn't, lead toward dummy and play an honor. Presumably, it wins. Now play a low card from dummy!
Your only chance is that West started with three cards in the suit, including the king. As you can see, the odds a lot better if West has the king, since a mere 4/3 break is needed, instead of 5/2. The chance that you will win three tricks jumps to about 27% if West has the king.
Back to newsletter indexMarianne Aronovich Maureen Holloren Ginny Noe Serge Aronovich Barbara Hughes Sydelle Ostberg Alex Baladin James Jensen Raymond Persaud Andrea Berlent Eva Kimel Anita Petak Susan Blattner Bernice Klose Ellena Pinetti Belle Bukiet Anna Lesberg Paul Rau Marlene Case Danielle Levitt Ann Rothstein Eileen Cassidy Stephen Levitt Marilyn Schor Monique Copeland Doris Levy Joseph Shair Dora D'Amerio Barbara Mackenzie Roman Shapiro Agnes Ereki Martin Marks Roland Silter Katheryn Filor Dave McInnis Charles Silverstein Steve Gallo Alan Messer Sally Sonne Anne Goll Lois Midler Harriet Stein Jean Goll Sheila Namiot Harriet Stempel Sheila Greck Miriam Nathan Cassie Wentworth Joan Haring Richard Nathan Carol ZielinskiBack to newsletter index
If your four card suit is a rag or your hand lacks entries, it is frequently better to help partner's suit. Worse, the opponents have bid your best suit. How does one know what to lead?
The experts seem to agree that you should tend toward an unbid major suit if you are selecting a short-suit lead. This example clarifies the question. It's your chance to get the partnership off to a good start:
S-843 W N E S H-AJ642 P 1H D-952 P 2C P 2NT C-A2 P 3NT All Pass
A heart lead would have been first choice, but South bid them. Clubs are out, so which unbid suit do you select?
According to Ron Klinger in his 100 Winning Bridge Tips, spades are the better choice. The opponents are likely to bid any major held, so the absence of a spade call may indicate that partner holds the suit. Opponents are less concerned about concealing a minor suit, so the absence of a diamond bid does not preclude their having length in that suit.
S-AJ42 W N E S H-JT3 P P 1NT D-JT3 P P P C-J42
It is not appealing to lead from a four card suit with broken honors such as A-Q-x-x or A-J-x-x, especially against a low level no-trump contract or where declarer opened 2NT and was passed out. Such leads are more likely to lose than gain, so the lead from a decent three card holding works out better. Here, the JH is the best start. It is an unbid major suit where partner is likely to hold length.
Back to newsletter indexThis article is paraphrased from Odd Bridge by Ken Lebensold in The Bridge World, December 1975, with permission.
The other night I went to bed thinking that bridge had become boring. I had seen it all and there were no new territories to cover -- concepts such as 'Restricted Choice,' and others, were old hat. Some time later I was whisked away by an impish old man to a land where everything was exaggerated.
Seated at the bridge table was a three foot tall, forty pound dwarf and his partner, a seven foot giant weighing well over six hundred pounds. After exchanging pleasantries, the dwarf opened 4NT, and his partner immediately explained "that shows 5-6 or 5-7 in the minors with 12-15 HCP. It's really the only weak point in our system, you see..."
Play proceeded and I managed to barely hold my own in their strong company. I erred in an analysis of a "Restricted Choice" position and was lectured on the subject -- an unusual experience for me!
On the next hand, with all vulnerable, I was dealt S-4 H- D-JT98 C-KQJT9876 and opened 5C. DIRECTOR!! Alas, the dwarf on my left was the dealer and I had bid out of turn.
He opened 2H (strong), partner passed (being barred) and the giant bid 3C (ace-showing). I bid 5C but the dwarf ended the auction with a 7H call. He barred a club lead and my partner did well to lead the 6H. The dummy came down with:
S-32 H-5432 D-65432 C-A4
On the second trump, partner pitched the AS (!). For the dwarf, known to be a sound bidder, to be justified for his grand slam bid, he must be void in spades. In addition to his eight known hearts he must also have the AKQ7 of diamonds and a club.
If so, then partner has a 10-1-0-2 pattern and a basic double squeeze will easily culminate with West being squeezed in spades and clubs, and myself in diamonds and clubs. Declarer simply runs all the hearts, squeezing me, then plays the diamonds, squeezing West.
BUT WAIT! West's good judgement in not leading a high spade means I can foil this by keeping a spade threat over dummy's 3, namely my S4. I pitch all but one of my clubs to reach this four card ending:
S-3 H- D-6 C-A4 S-65 S-4 H- H- D- D-JT C-53 C-K S- H-T D-Q7 C-2
On the last heart West discards his idle 6S, North his idle diamond and I, as planned, pitched my KC. This prevents the QD from squeezing West. Now South simply cashed his diamond, with West pitching his 5S and finessed the 4C to score his grand slam.
My partner immediately chimed: "Not only did your bid out of turn prevent me from sacrificing profitable, at favorable vulnerability, with 10 solid in the ranking suit, but you barred me from making the lead (a club) that would have defeated the grand slam!"
My opponents quickly added: "Now here's a Restricted Choice position worth of consideration. Declarer's line to finesse the 4C succeeds whenever you hold 1=0=4=8 distribution with no 3C. There are ninety-nine such hands (eleven possible spades and nine possible eight-card club holdings). The actual line would fail, and the alternative line of playing the AC to drop the 5C would succeed only if you had held the alternative hand: --=--=JT98 =KQJT98765 (0=0=4=9) a single holding.
To view it another way, if you held the alternative hand you would presumably have preserved your 5C only 1/9th of the time AND, if your partner held the corresponding AKQJT987654 2 -- 3 (11=1=0=1) he would presumably preserve his 4S only 1/11th of the time. With the actual hands you both held, being one unique possibility from the 99 potential holding with 1=0=4=8 distribution, your choices as to which cards to keep (the 4S for you and the 5C for partner were entirely restricted.
Either way you look at it, this gives the finesse about 99-to-1 odds in its favor -- As good a Restricted Choice position as you're likely to see for some time! You should play in a weaker game!" I couldn't agree more, but I was no longer bored with bridge.
[A subscription to The Bridge World is highly recommended and can be obtained for $52. per year. Contact: The Bridge World, 717 White Plains Rd, Suite 106, Scarsdale, NY 10583-5009. Check their award-winning website: www.bridgeworld.com]
Back to newsletter indexIt appears that our parent ACBL is also putting forth a major effort to attract new members. They are promoting a new educational program and giving financial incentives to those units who enlist new members or lose fewer members than previously. Conversely, the imposition of a penalty of a lesser rebate will occur for those units who continue to lose more members than they recruit.
Since Unit 106 is in an area where we are constantly losing members who move to a warmer climate, your Board feels that this is an unjust policy. I believe that we are already actively pursuing methods of enticing new players into our game and are doing much of what the ACBL suggests. What we are not doing is the additional paper work and reporting that the ACBL might be advocating. Your Board is presenting their concerns to the National Board.
On a more positive note, I was privileged to join your web page committee at their last committee meeting. It was rewarding to see their joint effort in making our Unit's web page, www.bridge- njba.org more interesting and useful to our members. They are asking everybody to become an active participant by submitting their thoughts and suggestions to add to the current page.
Our upcoming events include our Sectional the weekend of April 23-25, which will again include a charity game Saturday night. This is a NEW DATE! Our non-master games will continue to give trophies to the winners. We encourage our new players to come out and compete.
Please check the club calendars for the dates of our Unit-Wides and In-Club Sectional (STaC) with silver point awards. Your Unit will subsidize this event with a reduction of fifty cents per person in entry fees to encourage you to play more often. We continue to actively work for you, and welcome your participation.
For those of you who remember Sam and Minerva Lee's game in Glen Rock, our condolences go out to Sam.
Back to newsletter indexJanet Packer Sorkin passed away in February. She had been President of the NJBA from 1992-1993. She served the bridge community with joy and grace as a unit official, as manager of the Passaic Club in Clifton and as a regular rubber bridge player with her girlfriends. Her last major bridge championship was the Flight A Swiss Teams at the Winter 1993 Sectional at Allendale.
Janet was a member of the NJBA Board of Directors from 1981 to 1996, serving as Recording Secretary, Administrative Secretary, Special Events Chair and Vice President. She was awarded the Alex Gruder Award for service to the unit in 1990.
As a regular at the Passaic Club in Passaic, she took over the reins of managing the club when it moved to the YM & YWHA in Clifton in 1974. She worked at the Y as special events coordinator. While there, she taught bridge and hired directors to run the game three or four sessions each week until she retired in 1997.
Then she married her second husband, Herb Sorkin, a colleague of Janet's late husband Harold. She taught Herb to play social bridge and they traveled frequently. She had more time to spend with her triplet daughters and with Herb's children who are the same age as hers. She was a regular participant in all the events sponsored by the unit. She was always a friendly opponent and determined competitor. Her steady nature translated as sound bidding and consistent play as much as leadership and administrative skills.
Janet had an easy sense of humor and, in contrast to the common view of bridge players, she made the bridge game a comfortable place to be with people.
Back to newsletter indexTwo unit-wide events are coming up in June. Will you be the bride or groom?
At the afternoon clubs on Wednesday, June 2 the unit will sponsor a charity game. The recipient will be the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation. Unit 155 is also having this event at the same time.
Our annual Sectional Tournament at the Clubs (STaC) will run for the week of June 14-20. Silver points abound, and there will be unit-wide overall awards. This is always a major happening in Unit 106. Plan to tie the knot with some big-time points this week.
One of the most respected members of our District 3 board and a member of your unit, has resigned. Paul Nickerson was a member of the District board for many, many years. He was instrumental in helping formulate new ideas and was always anxious to promote newplicate activities and marketing programs. Paul was in charge of our 299er Regional for two years and had been in charge of advertising. Most recently he had been elected Secretary for the District. Paul is going to be missed and we would all like to thank him for the dedicated service. Glenda Calkins will become the third member of the board from your unit.
Many things are going on in ACBL-land -- things many of you know about and certainly things that all of you should be aware of. CEO David Silber's main focus has been to position the ACBL on the Internet appropriately and to work out a cooperative advertising program. Also, a Marketing Director has been hired, and you may have read about him in the March Bulletin.
The cooperative advertising program endeavors to work with the volunteers in our units to achieve a better membership retention record. Currently, we seem to attract a reasonable number of new people but we don't seem to be able to keep them interested in duplicate.
Those units who fulfill the new retention goals will receive additional financial reimbursements. Those who don't stand to lose their membership rebates. Hopefully, unit boards will not think of this as a job just for board members. Some part of the obligation should be borne by the players who want to see duplicate bridge stay alive and well. You may be asked to make some phone calls or write a few letters to our players who seem to have lost interest; or you might even volunteer. I sincerely hope that everyone will cooperate to promote membership growth.
To this end I am proud to report that District 3 will be supporting a new program called Easybridge. It is a program to interest new players in duplicate and the ACBL. It has proven successful in the Mid-Atlantic, Florida and Poughkeepsie. Unit 106 has agreed to participate and will be financially supporting two sites. Accreditation courses will be offered during the Westchester Sectional and at Somerset. Check www.bridge-district 3.org for more information.
The World Junior Championships are being held in Fort Lauderdale starting August 9. About eighteen teams will enter from all over the world, including two from the US and one from Canada. Bobby Wolff, Jade Barrett and Ann Hoffman will coach the US teams. You can follow this ten day event on the Internet.
The first May weekend brings the Grand National Team finals at Woodbridge. There is no qualification needed to join in the Swiss followed by a knockout. The Summer Regional is at the Somerset (NJ) Marriott, followed by the Nevele Grande for the Fall Regional. Along with the District NAOP finals, I expect that I will see you soon and often at the tables.
Back to newsletter indexIN MEMORIAM NEW LIFE MASTERS Fred Kassner Andy Muenz Minerva Lee Ann Muldoon Janet Packer Sorkin Bob Zehm