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Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Contact your District 4 board members.
PRESIDENT
Betsy Cutler
betsy2955@gmail.com
VICE PRESIDENT
Ala Hamilton-Day
alabridge@gmail.com
SECRETARY
Bill Bauer
william.baueriii@verizon.net
TREASURER
Pat Civale
patcivale@gmail.com
REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Joann Glasson
joannglasson@msn.com
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2024 is now half over and District 4 should be very pleased with all our accomplishments! We had a very successful Bridge at the Beach Regional in Rehoboth Beach – what an amazing atmosphere to enjoy the sun, sand and cards! We are winding down from a fantastic Philadelphia Regional at King of Prussia – lots of shopping, eating and cards! We completed six monthly online games which seem to have caught on with our members despite the small glitch of somehow not blocking a few non-district members from joining our fun – ACBL is working on this issue and we really hope it will be fixed sooner than later. Finally, we are gearing up for the NABC in Philadelphia next July!
The district’s third regional of the year is at the Finger Lakes. This event in Rochester is a small but mighty tournament filled with friendly people from the northern reaches of our district. I had a wonderful time last year - enjoyed the beautiful scenery that New York state is known for. I know it is all about eating: be assured, I found great restaurants both in the city of Rochester and outside of it with truly luscious chocolate desserts on at least two of my nights out. The bridge was wonderful as well. I hope to see many of you at this great event!
Congratulations to our 2023 District Race Winners. Lou Glasthal topped all players in our district in the Dave Treadwell Race. The Jeanne Fisher race for those with fewer than 2500 masterpoints was won by Bharat Rao. Marc Topaz captured the Jane Segal Race open to players with fewer than 500 masterpoints. The Franni Stutman Youth Award was won by Katie Sullivan. Please take a moment to congratulate these four deserving players the next time you see them at a bridge game.
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Mark your calendar for the North American Pairs district finals this fall. Flight C will be held at various sites on Sunday, September 15. Flight A will be at Cherry Hill, NJ on Saturday-Sunday September 14-15. Flight B will be at Camp Hill, PA, North Wales, PA and West Elmira, NY on Sunday, October 6. This event requires pre-qualification at any local club or online during June, July and August. The winners of the district finals will receive a stipend to attend the Memphis NABC in March 2025.
I enjoy all your questions and concerns and will continue to respond in a timely fashion assuming I have Wi-Fi while I travel this summer. I plan to play a few days at the Fairfield Regional early this month as well as the Toronto NABC a little later. It is so much fun participating in tournaments, especially those at the national level. They reinvigorate me to move forward in my bridge career.
Stay cool in this blistering heat and enjoy the great bridge that District 4 has to offer!
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Betsy
betsy2955@gmail.com
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From the Regional Director | |
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It’s not too late to make plans to join us at the North American Bridge Championship in Toronto from July 18 to July 28. There are events for every level of play and our Executive Director, Bronia Jenkins, has added a couple of popular fun events to the NABC tournament schedule to make bridge competition more enjoyable for all.
“Beyond Bridge”, a night of playing all kinds of games with bridge players and bridge celebrities, will be held on Sunday, July 21 and “Bridge Mania”, held on Wednesday, July 24, includes more after-the-game fun with players participating in games like Jeopardy and Family Feud.
The highlight of the summer NABC in Toronto is the ACBL Hall of Fame banquet on Thursday, July 18. At this year’s event, District 4 player Bonnie Brier’s mother will be the recipient of the ultimate bridge honor. Barbara Brier will receive the von Zedtwitz award and be inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame.
Barbara Brier, who was born in Philadelphia, was a fabulous bridge player who passed away in 1996. She was the favorite partner of Waldemar von Zedtwitz for whom the award is named. Together Barbara and Waldy won the World Bridge Championships Mixed Pairs in Stockholm in 1970 when von Zedtwitz was 74 years old and legally blind.
Barbara Brier won multiple major championships and played bridge with all the great players of her era including Tobias Stone, Johnny Crawford, Kyle Larson, Sidney Lazard, Marshall Miles, Vic and Jacqui Mitchell, Bobby Nail, Richard Pavlicek, George Rapee, Al Roth, Ira Rubin, Howard Schenken and Paul Soloway.
Toronto will be a very special NABC and I hope to see you there!!
Joann
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Regionals
Rochester, NY
August 5-10
Manheim, PA
October 28-November 3
Sectionals
Camp Hill, PA I/N
July 5
Rochester, NY
July 6-7
D4/Unit 135 STaC
July 8-14
Wilmington, DE
September 6-8
Oswego, NY
September 21-22
Cherry Hill, NJ
September 27-29
King of Prussia, PA I/N
October 14
Rochester, NY
October 19-20
Allentown, PA
October 25-27
Seneca Falls, NY
November 9-10
D4 STaC
November 11-17
Camp Hill, PA I/N
November 22-24
Wilmington, DE
December 13-15
Camp Hill, PA I/N
December 27
District 4 NAP Finals
Flight A: September 14-15
Cherry Hill, NJ
Flight C: September 15
at various clubs
Flight B: October 6
North Wales, PA, Camp Hill PA, and West Elmira, NY
For the complete 2024 D4 calendar, click here.
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The 4Spot features fantastic contributors on a regular rotation: | |
January, April, July, October:
Larry's Learning Center by Larry Cohen
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February, May, August, November:
For Novices Only
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March, June, September, December:
Schwaidelson's Fractured Four-Hand Tales
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For a good basic lesson on when to be passive or aggressive on defense and why, click here.
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Moderator: Nick Straguzzi
Last month Schwaidelson was our Old MacDonald, and now Straguzzi has to get into the act. Farming is so charming, they all say... and to see what they actually did say, click here.
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Visit the MSC website to read next month's problem and submit your answers online here. | |
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Hey you! What are you waiting for? Don't miss this summer's Golden Opportunity: a chance for a subsidized trip to Memphis Nationals in March, 2025! Get off your you-know-what, get out there and qualify for the District 4 North American Pairs finals.
This is a snap for players of all levels. You just need to exceed a 50% score in any qualifying game, or even less if you finish in the top half of the pairs in your flight. If you are the only pair in your flight in your direction that day, you are automatically qualified!
What you need to keep an eye out for is NAP Qualifier games. They pay extra points, red and black. Play as often and with as many partners as you please - you don't even have to play inside your district. Try a qualifier at a nearby club while on vacation. Play at a qualifying club pairs game online. ACBL is running qualifiers at virtual clubs the first week of every summer month. You can find these VACB games in the ACBL Virtual Clubs Section under the Competitive tab on BBO. Under 500 and 2500 games will also be NAP Qualifiers. Check the ACBL calendar of all special online games here. Play as often and with as many partners as your heart desires, just go get that Q!
Then, once you have qualified, grab any D4 partner who's also made the cut and sign up for this fall's D4 finals. Flight C players can play in any category they Q'd in, including their own. Higher ranked players cannot play down. If you manage to do extremely well in two flights, you'll have to choose which one you'll play in at the NABC, and of course, you'll get an extra-large helping of red and gold points for your trouble. If you do well enough, you'll get that Golden Opportunity: a generous subsidy to go to the Memphis NABC, where you'll represent D4 against your flight's winners from all over the ACBL.
For D4 Finals locations and times, and other details, click here.
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News from Around the Units | |
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A Non-Life Master Sectional was held on June 14-15 in the Rochester area. Congratulations to winners including Richard Goldman & Michael Kirschen, Laura Lorio & James Austin, Barbara Shapiro & Thea Steinberger, Kathleen Bankey & Nandini Joshi, Toby Cook & Dorothy Lamkin, Ann Marie Lipari & David Miller, Nancy Bircher & Maryann McCabe. Thank you to Bruce Toder and Doug Bradley, Tournament Chairs.
The Rochester Summer Sectional will be held on July 6-7. Roger Woodin will share his bridge knowledge during a lesson on Saturday morning. Pair games will be held on Saturday, and Swiss Teams on Sunday. A new feature on Sunday will be Stratified Non-Life Master pairs. Liz Meacham will chair this sectional. Please come and play!
The Finger Lakes Regional will be held on August 5-10 in Rochester. Face-to-face Pairs and Team events will occur on Monday – Friday. Saturday will be an on-line game for all District 4 players. We look forward to welcoming all players. A free lunch will be available daily.
Congratulations to players achieving new ranks:
Junior Master
Michele Cutri-Bynoe
Club Master
Catherine Pastore
Silver Life Masters
R M Clark
Marilyn Smith
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Unit 120: Northeastern Pennsylvania
Doreese Torrey
doreeset@gmail.com
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Hello Unit 120!! Happy July!
In the United States, National Ice Cream Month is celebrated every July 1. It was designated as such by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, and he also declared the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day, which this year will be July 21.
In 2024, ice cream enthusiasts can expect a delightful array of flavors. While traditional favorites like chocolate and vanilla remain popular, adventurous consumers are seeking out unique and exotic options. Some of the anticipated flavors include charcoal, lavender-honey, and blueberry-lavender. So, whether you’re a classic vanilla lover or an adventurous flavor explorer, there’s something for everyone! So, go ahead and indulge in your favorite frozen treat this summer!
Please congratulate our newest Club Master, James Spencer of Athens, PA.
Stay cool and enjoy your dog days of summer, PLAY BRIDGE!!
See you at the virtual and/or face to face bridge tables.
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Tune in next month for Unit 121 news. | |
Unit 133: Lehigh Valley
Lois Fuini
lafuini@yahoo.com
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New Rank Advancements
Congratulations!
New Junior Master
Joseph Frueh
New Sectional Masters
Susan Weidner
New NABC Masters
Patty Fosselman
Bryan Snapp
New Ruby Master
Naim Rizk
Pro Am Game
The Pro-Am Game was held at Lehigh Valley Active Life on Friday, June 14.This first ever event was enjoyed by all our players. People came with their favorite partners and were matched with a “Pro”pair or an “Am” pair. We will certainly try this team game again. It was a new experience for most of our players, who learned a lot about the strategies of team games, and had fun.
Winners:
Jeanne Kuebler
Nancy Olson
Frank Haig
Jim Waters
The Longest Day
Thanks to everyone who played in the Longest Day Game, everyone who volunteered for the event, and especially those who donated to the Alzheimer’s Association. Many of us know someone who is suffering from this disease, so we must join the fight for a cure. To date, Unit 133 has raised $1725. We are still collecting donations, so if you haven’t donated and still want to, please send a check to:
Betsy Cutler
1383 Deerfield Drive
Allentown PA 18104
Winners:
Open - Karen and Stan Yellin
0-750 - Martha Phelps
Bill Halstead
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Unit 141: Philadelphia
John Dickenson
dickenjb@gmail.com
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When you read this, we will have just concluded the Regional in King of Prussia. Of course this is a District 4 event, but held in Unit 141 with the aid of many volunteers from our Unit and surrounding units. Hope everyone had a good time and won lots of points.
It is not too soon to begin making plans to attend our next Sectional, which will be held at Game Friendzy in Cherry Hill the weekend of Sep 27-29. Plenty of parking, terrific playing area and hospitality – I know I will be there!
A warm welcome to our newest PCBA members!
Jan Case
Scott Case
David Frank
Sophia Geyfetsman
Felicia Gonzales
Seulky McInneshin
Shawn McLaughlin
Michael McLelland
Andrea Selbst
Janice Simon
Congratulations to our members who achieved a new rank!
Junior Masters
Stacy Cannon
Scott Case
Pascale Davidson
Joan Dommel
Catherine Gately
Seulky McInneshin
Mary Ann Walter
Nan Ward
Patricia Welsh
Robb Yasenka
Club Masters
Karen Dever
Arlene Fiorilli
Paul Guinzburg
Jay Rose
Cissy Thompson
Leigh Wood
Bruce Zucker
Regional Masters
Mitchell Corson
Susan Feldman
Sharon Harris
Harold Katz
NABC Masters
Virginia Chappell
Chris Holroyde
Mary Marino
Ginger Sabia
Walt Woerheide
Advanced NABC Masters
Rene McMenamin
Life Master
Judy Cohen
Anne-Marie Corner
Larry Gash
Katharine Link
Bronze Life Master
Larry Gash
Silver Life Master
Robert Shenkin
Ruby Life Master
Joseph Aronson
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Unit 168: Central Pennsylvania
Ben Hawn
bwhawn@bellsouth.net
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So I’ve been thinking about the spade suit lately. Who doesn’t like the boss suit? But I’m seeing people run into trouble with spade one-suiters.
Matchpoints. All red. You deal with:
♠️ AQJ98763
♥️ A
♦️ A92
♣️ 2
15 HCP; 4 losers.
Teams: All red again. You deal with:
♠️ KJ9xxxx
♥️ Kx
♦️ Qxx
♣️ K
12 HCP; 7 losers.
I’m never opening 1S on either of these. On the first I like 4S. (Yes, I know it’s “too good.”) Second choice is 2C. On the second, and this hand is much worse than the first, I’m opening 3S or 4S.
Not opening 1S on either is out of the mainstream for sure. I put the first hand on Bridgewinners. It was 2:1 in favor of 1S over 2C. Nobody thought that opening 4S was right. My opponent had this hand and chose 1S. We got in the auction and of course bid 5H over her eventual 4S. She faced an unpleasant guess of pass, double, or 5S and got it wrong.
A good friend and opponent chose to open the second hand at the one level. We got in the auction and bid to 4H, which was cold. We doubled his eventual 4S and collected +500. If he open 3S or 4S he plays it there, undoubled.
One hand proves nothing, but I’m opening these spade one-suiters at a high level most of the time.
Congratulations to the following Unit 168 players as they move up the ACBL rankings ladder:
New Sectional Masters
Harold Cramer
Gordon Myers
New Regional Masters
Frank Kempf
John Maynard
New NABC Masters
Jimmie Groves
Barbara Vander Jagt
New Advanced NABC Masters
Kurt Meyer
Patti Worrall
Scott Worrall
New Life Master
Nancy Hershey
New Bronze Life Master
Nancy Hershey
New Silver Life Masters
Gail Bishop
Tim Sumner
New Gold Life Masters
Vernon Hester
Lewis Maddock
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Delaware Clubs
The Bridge Studio of Delaware, Wilmington
Harold Jordon
302-479-5431
club@bridge-studio.org
MOT, Middletown
Cheryl Shields
302-602-1638
c.shields@mehrs.com
Monday Morning Bridge Club
Friday Nooners
Dover
Clare O’Brien
410-310-0549
Clare758@outlook.com
Shore Bridge
Lewes
Monday @ 12:30
Wednesday @ 9:30
Anna DeLapo
302-236-0346
Anna7nt@gmail.com
Shuffles2
Ocean View Presbyterian Church
Thursday @ 12:30
Donna Heckscher
215-817-2465
Shuffles2023@gmail.com
BRIDGE CLUBS SPONSOR RACE:
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Ocean Downs Winners' Circle (May 26, 2024) Race #3
THE WELCOME MAT
(New to our Unit: T=transfer, N=new member)
Eileen Giardina-N
Virginia Hartmuller-N
MOVIN’ ON UP
Junior Master
Jessica Julian
Alex Koriakin
Patrick Quinn
Club Master
Rich Leplely
Regional Master
Jeanmarie Leonard
NABC Master
Jonathan Lawlor
Kurt Weidner
Life Master
Silicia Debellis
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Congratulations to these members for their new ranks: Lee Boy to Junior Master, Joanne Johnston to Silver Life Master, and Sophie Field to Ruby Life Master.
We held our sectional from May 31 to June 2 in Boalsburg, PA. We were pleased to continue the strong attendance from last year. Tournament chair Jan Lindsay did a great job of organizing the tournament and “encouraging” attendance. We appreciated support from players from outside our Unit.
Neil Wallace and Jim McKeown won the Friday morning pairs with Marilyn Goldfarb and Sue Fletcher first in B and Michelle and Jay Ezray first in C. Roger Christman and Sophie Field won the Friday afternoon pairs for A and B with Ted Pruss and Marian Garcia first in C. David Rosnick and Judy Stein were first in A on Saturday morning with Roger Christman and Sue Fletcher first in B and C. Mary Lisko and Ed Bissell won the Saturday afternoon pairs with Don Hollinger and Jess Goodman first in B and William Even and Bobbie Goodyear first in C. Neil Wallace, Mike Anesko, Don Hollinger and Jim McKeown won the Sunday Swiss with Michelle and Jay Ezray, Sophie Field, and Marilyn Goldfarb first in B, and Judy Barrile, Jill Anderson, Marguerite Swope, and Jim Bloom first in C.
Jim McKeown won the total master point race.
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