February 4Spot

February 2023

District 4 Officers

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Contact your District 4 board members.

PRESIDENT

Jeanne Gehret

jeannegehret@comcast.net

VICE PRESIDENT

Betsy Cutler

betsy2955@gmail.com

SECRETARY

Bill Bauer

william.baueriii@verizon.net

TREASURER

Pat Civale

pat@csa-accounting.com

DISTRICT DIRECTOR

Joann Glasson

joannglasson@msn.com

U141 Members - Learn About The 2023 Board Election Process HERE!

President's Message

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2023!

Rehoboth Beach Regional – May 1-5, 2023

Last year’s first-ever Rehoboth Beach Regional was a blast, and the 2023 tournament has been on my mind since then. In fact, I’ve already tried making reservations at some of the fabulous and walkable restaurants – but Open Table only allows reservations to be made within 90 days. Undeterred, I’ll be back on Open Table in early February to be sure to get reservations at my favorites.

If you’re planning to attend the Rehoboth Beach Regional and want to stay at the “parking lot adjacent” hotel (The Breakers), be sure to make your reservation soon – it sells out quickly. CLICK HERE to view the schedule and hotel information.

District 4 Education Committee Chair

After more than a few years as our Education Committee Chair, Mary Miller (Unit 112) has stepped down from that position to have sufficient time to focus on teaching bridge as well as running her bridge club. Her energy and enthusiasm (and great laugh) will be missed.

Volunteering for the role is Unit 112’s Jerry Manioci, who will primarily focus on two things: 1) teacher development with the goal of growing District membership, and, 2) increasing tournament attendance for Gold Rush/Mid-Flight events. Feedback on these topics (avoiding any COVID commentary) can be shared with Jerry at siconolfi8@gmail.com

I hope you’ll join me in thanking Mary for her years of service to District 4 (which she continues to do as a member of our Executive Committee), and Jerry for his willingness to step into the role for the benefit of us all.

Also – if you’re already a bridge teacher and would like to have your information available on the District Website, send Jerry your name, contact information, a brief bio, and a headshot photo. Also include information about your classes. To see the current listing on the District 4 Website, CLICK HERE.

Grand National Teams (GNT) District 4 Finals

Before you know it, the GNT District 4 Finals will be history! Don’t miss out, get your team together and make plans to play today. Pre-registration is REQUIRED – click THIS LINK to register for the C, A, or Open Flights (sorry, Flight B registration has closed).

Dates each Flight will compete are as follows:

· Open (Unlimited MPs)............................... March 25-26

· Flight A (Under 6000 MPs*)......................... March 4-5

· Flight B (Under 2500 MPs*)......................... February 4-5

· Flight C (Non-Life Master & Under 500 MPs*)... March 25-26

*Masterpoints for Flight qualification are “as of” August 7, 2022

Additional information will be published via email to the District 4 mailing list subscribers (subscribe here), and also on the District 4 website (www.4acbl.org).

Until next month,

I welcome your comments or suggestions (jeannegehret@comcast.net)

From the District Director

As you have probably heard, Joe Jones resigned as Executive Director of the ACBL in November. As President of ACBL, I have appointed a search committee to find a replacement for his position. There is a detailed job description on the ACBL website. If you know anyone who might be interested in the job, there is also contact information.

I have asked Margot Hennings from Region 4 to chair the search committee. Other committee members are Dennis Carman (Region 5), Mark Aquino (Region 2), David Lodge (Region 11) and Robert Todd, President of the ACBL Educational Foundation.

Paul Cuneo, Region 9 Director, is commuting from his home in Texas to Horn Lake weekly to serve in a volunteer capacity as interim executive director until the search committee finds a suitable replacement.

The board is using this transition to make some fundamental structural changes in the ACBL organization chart. The ACBL has experienced a membership decline during the pandemic and although we are working on several membership initiatives this year, we are unlikely to return to former membership numbers, so efforts to control costs are necessary.

The previous executive director operated with a management team. The new organizational structure eliminates middle management and has department heads reporting directly to the executive director. This streamlining of operations will result in savings of more than $500,000 annually in salaries and benefits. Promotions of ACBL employees from within have filled any gaps and the operation is running smoothly under Paul’s direction.

Paul has been continually speaking with employees to look for other cost-savings opportunities as we work on finalizing the 2023 budget. The 2023 budget was rejected by the board in November because of the bottom-line loss of $1M. Cost-savings initiatives that have been put into place have produced a 2023 budget that projects a small profit.

Please contact me with any comments or questions: joannglasson@msn.com

Joann

District 4 Schedule

Regionals

Rehoboth, DE

May 1-5

Sectionals

February 24-26

March 17-19

March 31-April 2

April 15-16

April 28-30

STaCs

D4; U135 (D6)

February 13-19

GNT

· Open (Unlimited MPs)............................... March 25-26

· Flight A (Under 6000 MPs*)......................... March 4-5

· Flight B (Under 2500 MPs*)......................... February 4-5

· Flight C (Non-Life Master & Under 500 MPs*)... March 25-26

For a full year D4 calendar, click here.

For the D4 virtual club calendar, click here

For a 2023 event schedule, click here

Our Monthly Feature

The 4Spot features fantastic contributors, on a regular rotation:

Larry's Learning Center by Larry Cohen:

January, April, July, October

For Novices Only by Marti Ronemus:

February, May, August, November

The ABC of Bridge by Dave Wachsman:

March, June, September, December

Part-Score Bash

by Marti Ronemus

I love part-score hands. As Faithful Readers know, I contend that they are what separates top scoring games from merely GOOD games. They can go so many ways; so many options in the bidding. A one trick difference, gained or lost, make for excitement.

Here’s one from a Faithful Reader who asked for anonymity that shows just what I mean. AND! We’re going to see another use for our friend the Cuebid. Here are the hands:

North: ♠️Q976 ♥️AJ3 ♦️KJ643 ♣️5

South: ♠️AJ32 ♥️KT84 ♦️52 ♣️Q97

And now the bidding:

W N E S

1♣️ Dbl P 2♣️*

P 2♦️ P 2♥️

P P P

*Cuebid means “I have 4-4 in the majors. Pick your own darn suit.”

And now, here’s what Faithful Reader had to say.

I was playing today with my favorite partner. We had a bidding misunderstanding/mistake today so of course I thought to reach out to you and get your feedback. Here’s what happened:

Partner doubled with the North hand. Since I had ten HCP and two four-card majors I responded 2♣️ expecting him to bid a major suit. He responded 2♦️. Since I only had two of them and I thought he MUST have a four-card major suit since he doubled, I decided to bid 2♥️ and he then passed. Can you help us out?

Let’s deal w/the way you started the bidding. Your 2♣️ bid over the double sez “Pick your own darn suit,” and should be interpreted by the doubler as referring to majors.

That bid is designed to help avoid seven-card fits, since the double of a minor can be 4-3 in the majors. (The double of a major however promises four of the other major, no equivocating. But I digress.)

Over the 2♣️, your Pard could have bid 2♠️. Then you might show your 10-12 pts by bidding 3♠️ and the auction is over. Not sure why he bid hearts, but he’s a great guy and we forgive him. (As surely he’s forgiven you - repeatedly!)

Another possible auction: Over the 1♣️ opener, Pard could have bid 1♦️ promising five. You then would bid your lowest four-card major, hearts. He could then 1♠️, and you’ve got your best suit again.

Personally tho’, I like the double better. It to me is more descriptive and lets the South hand show his stuff at a lower level.

Master Solvers Club

Moderator: Nick Straguzzi

There really are hands where you can tell everyone's distribution by the auction if you just take the time. Read all about this one here.

Then visit the MSC website to read next month's problem and submit your answers online here.

News from Around the Units

Unit 112: Central New York

www.acblunit112.org

Betty Youmans

readsausten@yahoo.com

I have always been thankful for the many bridge friends I have met. While renting a condo in Florida in January, a fire broke out three floors above me. With water streaming through my ceilings, I needed a new place to stay and it was after 11 pm. When I rang the doorbell of a local bridge friend, Cecilia Trusler, I was welcomed with open arms and stayed with her for 6 days while the condo dried out. I hope that 2023 is an opportunity to treasure bridge friends and make new ones.

Unit 112 salutes our advancing players:

· Gary Gottermeier (Fairport) - Ruby Life Master

· Mike Mihevc (Little Falls) - Ruby Life Master

· Roger Newell (Fairport) - Ruby Life Master

· James Austin (Tully) - NABC Master

· Marcie Robinson (Ithaca) - Club Master

Link to the unit website

Unit 120: Northeastern Pennsylvania

www.unit120.org

Doreese Torrey

doreeset@gmail.com

Hello Unit 120!! Let's get to the Unit accomplishments for January.

New Life Masters:

Beverly Bright

Janet A Morganthau

New Bronze Life Masters:

Beverly Bright

Fran W Hofherr

WOW ladies!! Great achievements and congratulations to each of you!!

Well, as of this writing, we sure have had a mild winter this year, so far! (hope it's not snowing right now).

I'm sure you've all heard of Punxsutawney Phil. Did you know he's been on the job over 130 years? The first known record of Groundhog Day was in a local paper in 1886 in Punxsutawney, PA. When Phil sees his shadow, it's a signal of 6 more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, there will be an early Spring.

But how accurate is Phil and the celebration of a tradition attended by more than 40,000 people each year? Well, his predictions had been at about 36% since 1969. Out of the 15 times he predicted an early Spring, he was correct less than half of the time. (If you flipped a coin, chances are you'd be correct almost 50%! OUCH!!) However, with climate change etc, his accuracy is more likely to improve in the future. Yet, one thing to consider: Weather people are accurate about 60% of the time.

So there you go. Statistics suggest you shouldn't delay spring cleaning based on any predictions, especially Phil's forecast. After all, he's only a groundhog!!

Predictions are favorable to see you at the virtual and/or face to face bridge games.

Link to the unit website

Unit 121: Berks Montgomery

www.unit121bridge.com

Carl Ziegler

crzig@hometownu.com

Our unit continues with Tuesday and Thursday bridge at 12:15pm at Good Shepherd UCC Church, 170 Tuckerton Rd, Reading, PA. Unit 121 members collected over $600 for Good Shepherd UCC to show our appreciation for the use of their facilities for our weekly games.

Mark your calendar for Friday, April 14, 2023. Our club will host a two session sectional, 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. The tournament is limited to Non Life Masters with less than 500 master points. Game fee is $9 per person per session or $25.00 for both sessions and lunch. Reservations required for lunch. For partnerships or questions contact Brian Snyder 4spadesdoubled@gmail.com or (484) 838-0977

Link to the unit website

Unit 133: Lehigh Valley

www.lvbabridge.org

Lois Fuini

lafuini@yahoo.com

Happy Valentine’s Day

Congratulations! New Rank Achievements

New Club Masters

Curtis McDowall

David Mehrtana

New NABC Master

Karen Myers

New Advanced NABC Master

Grace Sutherland

New Bronze Life Master

Lee J. Stanley

New Silver Life Master

Betty Abrams

“Souper” Bowl Sunday Charity Game

WHERE: Lehigh Valley Active Life

WHEN: February 12, 2023 at 1 PM

WHO: 0-200, 0750, and Open Games

WHY: Enjoy a game of bridge to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank. All cash donations and proceeds from the games will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. Please bring a can of soup or other non-perishable food item for the Second Harvest Food Bank and your favorite snack to share at our tailgating party. Cash donations may be mailed to Paul Irvine, 5431 Truth Place, Allentown PA 18106. Please make checks payable to LVBA. Thank you!

COST: $8 per person.

Junior Fund Game

A Special Junior Fund Game,Thursday, January 12, was held at Lehigh Valley Active Life to raise funds for junior bridge initiatives. This game awarded double black points. Thanks to everyone who supported this fundraising event.

Unit 133 Winners:

Thomas Kriz and James George

Grace Sutherland and James Waters

District 4 STaC Games

All club games are eligible to participate in the District 4 STaC games (Sectional Tournaments at Clubs). At this time, Lehigh Valley Active Life will host a STaC game on Monday, February 13 and Friday February 17. The fee for these special games is $8. Please check with your local club manager for information about participation. Silver points will be awarded. Vaccinations required; masks optional.

Educational Foundation Month

Join us for our regular scheduled games Monday, February 6 and Friday, February 10 at Lehigh Valley Active Life during Educational Foundation Month to earn double black masterpoint awards while also supporting bridge education and growth.

During both of these games, part of each $8 entry fee will be given to the ACBL Educational Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to learning and spreading the game of bridge far and wide.

All games will pay DOUBLE regular club points, 100% black.You do not need to do anything special to participate in these games.

Vaccinations required, masks optional.

New Game

There is a new game in town! Starting February 8 there will be a face-to-face open game at 7pm. This new game will run the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month and rotate between homes in Allentown and Bethlehem. We will play 18 boards and the cost will be $6. For more information contact Betsy Cutler at betsy2955@gmail.com. Partners are guaranteed.

Link to Unit Website

Unit 141: Philadelphia

www.philadelphiabridge.info

Jay Apfelbaum

japfel1@comcast.net

Our Next Sectional Tournament - March 31 to April 2, 2023. Face-to-face bridge is back!

The Philadelphia Contract Bridge Association will hold its next tournament at the King of Prussia Bridge Club. This will be the second time we've held a tournament at this location. The tournament last year was a true success. We look forward to another great weekend of bridge. Because space is limited, we encourage everyone to pre-register. Look for more information on this tournament next month.

The January Sectional Tournament was a success! Players from all over our Unit (and beyond) converged on the Bala Golf Club for a fun and exciting weekend of bridge January 4-6, 2023. We had 49 tables in play on Friday, 53½ tables on Saturday and 25 teams playing two sessions on Sunday. Randee Braslow did a terrific job getting plenty of food for everyone. It was great food, too! Kudos to our TD, Bob Cole, and to our own Marc Labovitz (who pitched in), for handling all the technical stuff. Each session started roughly on time and scores were out within minutes once everyone had finished. And a big thank you to everyone else who did all the little things that made it a weekend to fondly remember.

A big welcome to our newest PCBA members!

Lauren M Amoroso

Diane Basile

Patrice Chan

Sharla Feldscher

Alexander Friedlander

Jane Hileman

Suzanne Hope

Matthew McAlpin

Jenica L McHugh

Mary M McNamara

Scott S Payne

Jean S Rachoin

William M Uffner

William D Warren

Congratulations to our members who achieved a new rank!

Junior Masters

Tianyang Chen

Martha Leva

Richard E O Brien

Nancy D Sharp

Elinor K Wapner

Club Masters

Jerry Block

Art Ford

Tim M Headley

Joanne Heller

Jay R Jaffe

Philitsa Kontos

Bruce L Neff

Mary Ellen Pernice

Sectional Masters

Richard T Abell

Harry C Hoff

Franklin Lucard

Regional Master

Richard M Greenberg

NABC Masters

Carl Chan

Katharine Link

Eileen W Vass

Advanced NABC Masters

Maribeth E Fryman

John F O'Rourke

Ann Sinatra

Life Masters

Janet Chaiken

Anne M Cheney

Charles S Goldman

Bronze Life Masters

Janet Chaiken

Anne M Cheney

Charles S Goldman

Silver Life Master

None this Month

Ruby Life Master

Butch Livingston

Gold Life Master

Janet A Line

Link to the unit website

Unit 168: Central Pennsylvania

Russell Poppleton

rpoppleton@comcast.net

Congratulations to the following for progressing up the ACBL ladder:

JUNIOR MASTERS

Judith Lippe

Janie McKnight

Russell McKnight

David Weaver

CLUB MASTERS

Timothy Anstine

Cheryl Callahan

Joseph Demuro

Stephanie Demuro

Melynda Holmes

SECTIONAL MASTERS

Jim Edwards

Sandra McCarver

David Schuster

REGIONAL MASTERS

Thomas Anderson

Elizabeth Louie

NABC MASTERS

Robert Davenport Jr

DariusKapadia

NADVANCED NABC MASTERS

Georgi Hess

Karen Pagano

LIFE MASTERS

Barbara Droz

Patricia Grimek-Stover

Patricia Latshaw

Marcia Strittmatter

BRONZE LIFE MASTERS

Robert Felix

Bobette Hayden Thorsen

Jean Pryzbylkowski

Ruey Rodman

SILVER LIFE MASTER

Jinan Bahia

Unit 168 will be hosting a special silver point event on Feb 19th at the Harrisburg Bridge Club (HBC). Two sessions of bridge at 11:00 and 2:00 and food. Cost to Unit 168 members ...ZERO. Cost to non-Unit 168 members is $25. Between sessions of bridge, Unit 168 will hold its annual meeting, including election of board members.

Central PA continues to host virtual games, see bridgeboardroom.com for a complete virtual schedule. Games are held on a daily basis. Educational Foundation week is Feb 13-19 with double black points during that timeframe.

A quick reminder, District 4 STAC week is Feb 13-19. F-2-F Clubs throughout Unit 168 will be participating in this silver point event.

Congratulations to Unit 168 member Todd Thorsen for being appointed to the District 4 Goodwill Committee. Todd was recognized for his outstanding efforts in revamping the District 4 website. His efforts help provide benefits to every member of District 4.

A special congrats to Buddy Hano who led all Unit 168 Mini-McKenney players with over 700 points won in 2022. Second in Unit 168 as you may have guessed, Joann Hano. Well done to both.

What about online points, you ask? Another special congrats to Bob Miller who led all Unit 168 members, District 4 and the state of PA with over 1050 on line points. Well done as well.

District 4 Flight A (0-6000 masterpoints) Grand National Teams will be held online Mar 04-05. Preregistration is required by Feb 27th. Get your team together and compete for gold points and a chance to win a stipend to Nationals. Open and Flight C (NLM and under 500 masterpoints) will compete later in March, also online.

HBC will be hosting its monthly Swiss Team game on Wednesday, Feb 15. Both a 0-750 and an open game are scheduled. Game time is at 6:30 P.M. with food available at 5:45. This is STaC week; silver points will be awarded. Advance registration is requested to plan for sufficient food. See the HBC website, www.bridgewebs.com/harrisburg/ for full details and COVID protocols.

Point to ponder:

If you play responsive doubles and the auction goes 1H-Dbl-2H-Dbl, does the responsive doubler have spades? Make sure you and your partner are in agreement.