MARYLAND BRIDGE ASSOCIATION

ACBL UNIT 135 NEWSLETTER

For info on Maryland Bridge Association go to the Unit Website at http://www.districtsix.org/Unit135/MBA.aspx

MBA Newsletter, Issue 2016-02 June 2016

Dear Friends,

L ast month’s MBA Awards Gala had the largest attendance in years. I re-

ceived numerous compliments and thanks to our Chair Ellen Mendelson and her as-sistant Suellen Poland for a job well done. Thanks also to Mitch Edelman who pre-pared all of the certificates for the award-

ees. Congratulations to all those who received awards!!

T he current MBA Directory is already three years old. I am pleased to announce that we are finally in a position to pub-

lish an updated, secure, on-line Directory within the next few weeks in addition to a printed copy. Mike Teague has taken over as chair of this effort and has done a remarkable job in a short time. Ron Geagley reluctantly resigned from the Board of Direc-tors due to personal reasons but will continue to support the Unit as his time allows. Thank you, Ron, for your help with both the MBA Directory and the multi-site Unit Game. Also, thanks to El-len Mendelson for returning to the Board to finish Ron’s term. Personal issues also forced the early departure of two other Board members. Renate Conlon was appointed to replace Diane Wolf and Doug Golden was appointed to replace Phyllis Shank-man’s final four months in office. Thank you, Diane and Phyllis, for your dedicated service to Unit 135.

T he MBA apologizes to all those who planned to attend the Cambridge Sectional in May at the Legion facility. However,

two weeks before the tournament the building was sadly struck by lightning and declared unusable. If you are a novice or inter-mediate player with less than 750 pts, plan to attend the inaugu-ral Eastern Shore I/N tournament in Salisbury October 14 and 15th. There is a lot of other tournament activity over the next few months. In addition to our MBA sectionals in June and Septem-ber/October and our annual Hunt Valley regional in August, I en-courage you to attend the Summer Nationals in Washington DC from July 21 to 31st. Several Clubs have special games during the week of June 13th to raise funds to support these Nation-als. /Continued over

In This Issue

The President's Message Page1/2

GNT Winners Page 2

MBA Calendar Page 3

Mini-McKenney and Ace of Clubs Races Page 4

MBA Master Point Composition Page 4

New Rank Holders Page 5

The New MBA Directory Page 6

The MBA Gala Page 7

I/N Tournament Eastern Shore Page 7

Hunt Valley is Coming Page 7

The Multi-site Unit Page 8/9

Baltimore Sectionals Page 9

Think First - Play Next Allan Mazer Page 10

Director Please Sandy Cerato Page 11/12

MBA Top Point Winners Page 12

MBA Election An-nouncement Page 13

The I/N Corner Ron Kral Part 2 Page 14/15

Editorial Page 16

2

In the Open Bracket, the number one seed was knocked out early, leaving a wide open field for

the rest of the teams. There were many close matches and the winning margin in the final

match was only 9 victory points. Congratulations to all winning teams:

Open Bracket:

1.Mark Chen, Noble Shore, Mike Gill, Ai Tai Lo, Alan Schwartz

2.Donna Rogall, Clyde Kruskall, Summer Steinfeld, Hal Hindman

¾ Marty Graf, Mark Shaw, Alan Tannenbaum, David Ruderman

¾ Marc Warner, Dewayne Jones, Brad Theurer, Lyle Poe, Mark Dahl, David Butler

5/8 Adam Gann, Fred King, Dick Wegman, Robert gookin

5/8 Robert Hopkins, Kent Golding, Rusty Krauss, Barry Falgout, Bob Bell, Lou Reich

5/8 Richard Ferrin, Gene Kales, Ellen Cherniasky, Robin Taylor

In the B Bracket, the winner is from the Southern site, Charlottesville. One match was decided

by 1 victory point.

B Bracket (0-2500pts)

1.Bob Burgess, Jian.Pian Chen, Leah Shaw, Owen Byer

2. Walter Smith, Albert Lauber, Jay Cherlow, Ned Griffith, Hadi Abushakra, James Beller

¾ Mel Yudkin, Kiyoma Shiba, Debnarayan Dhar, Eugene Fisher, Jeffrey Kosnett

¾ Witold Palosz, Jeff Halle, Dale Sanders, Terry Klein

In the C Bracket we had a very close match between the Northern and the Southern teams:

C Bracket (-500pts NLM)

1.Rick Bingham, Jim Metzgen, Mike Corrigan, Jeff Yutzler

2. Foorrest Swope, Chris McCrae, Morgan McLeod, Alice Faintich

Lynn Jones, District 6 GNT Coordinator

Meanwhile, at the local level, our multi-site Unit Game, held on the second Monday each month is

growing and can now be played at five to six clubs throughout the year. For newer members, if you

have not played in a unit game or a sectional tournament before, you are entitled to a free

play – just let the director know. I invite you all to attend our annual meeting with elections

and bridge on Sunday, 9/18/16 at 12:30 p.m. at the Bridge Club of Baltimore in Pikesville. See

Lynn Jones’ article on Page 14. I extend my gratitude to Marie Burgess-Strauss and Zeke Letellier

for their enormous contributions for several years on the Board of Directors. I am sure they will

continue to help us.

President’s Message continued

3

June 2016 – December 2016 (Includes select District Six and District Four events)

Maryland Bridge Association (MBA, Unit 135) holds multi-site Unit Games on the sec-ond Monday of every month except when there is a conflict with a STAC game or a tournament, when the Unit Game will be on the third Monday. Multi-site games are held at the following locations: 10:00 A.M. Severna Park Bridge Club 11:00 A.M. Choptank Bridge Club (Cambridge) 12 Noon Grand Slam Bridge Club (Berlin) & Westminster Duplicate Bridge Club 12:30 P.M. Bridge Club of Baltimore (Pikesville) & Valley Bridge Club (Towson)

3-5 June Virginia Beach Sectional

10-12 June MBA Baltimore Sectional (BWI Comfort Inn)

20-June Multi-Site Unit Game

24-26 June Richmond Sectional

7-10 July WBL Silver Spring Sectional

8-10 July Charlottesville Sectional

11-July Multi-Site Unit Game

21-31 July NABC Washington DC

8-August Multi-Site Unit Game

15-21 August Hunt Valley Regional

27-28 August Virginia Beach Sectional

8-11 September NVBA Fairfax Sectional

12-Sepyember Multi-Site Unit Game

15-18 September Virginia Beach Sectional

18-September Unit Game and Annual MBA Elections (Pikesville 12:30 P.M.)

30-Sep to2-Oct MBA Baltimore Sectional (BWI Comfort Inn)

6-9 October Silver Spring Sectional

10-October Multi-Site Unit Game

14-16 October Richmond Sectional

14-15 October MBA Eastern Shore I/N Sectional

20-23 October Fairfax Sectional

7-13 November STAC

14-November Multi-Site Unit Game

24-Nov to 4-Dec NABC Orlando

12-18 December District 6 STAC

18-December MBA Unit Game/STAC and Holiday Party

19-December Multi-Site Unit Game

4

The Maryland Bridge Association Mini-McKenney race is for the most points won in any form

of competition throughout a calender year. The Helen Shanbrom Ace of Clubs race is for the

most points won in club games only. The awards are made by the Board at the annual Gala in

May (see article in this Newsletter). Congratulations to the leaders as of May1, 2016:

Point Range Mini-McKenney Points Ace of Clubs Points

0-5 Mary Meyer 9.57 Mary Meyer 8.07

5-20 Ersie Farley 13.22 Ersie Farley 13.22

20-50 Ethel Cronshaw 16.11 Ethel Cronshaw 8.62

50-100 Robert Lee 18.89 Mustafa Gulda 16.83

100-200 Deborah Cobb 33.61 Janice Tucker 14.4

200-300 Richard McMillan 32.11 Richard McMillan 19.78

300-500 Robert Gray 38.54 Odessa Morton 21.39

500-1000 Henry Wilson 45.12 Mitchell Edelman 23.9

1000-1500 Joel Mashbaum 94.4 Joel Mashbaum 39.44

1500-2500 John Becker 75.3 Larry Brafman 47.67

2500-3500 Elaine Jacobson 70.08 Robert Levin 46.8

3500-5000 Gregory Bright 110.38 Donald Wand 44.03

5000-7500 Lois Miliman 49.8 Tom Cogan 33.49

7500-10,000 Lyle Poe 112.12 Warren Kaufman 51.41

10,000+ Marty Nelson 147.42 Zeke Letellier 39.74

Rookie 0-5 223

Junior Master 5-20 142

Club Master 20-50 175

Sectional Master 50-100 187

Regional Master 100-200 219

NABC Master 200-300 96

Adv NABC Master 300-500 7

Life Master 300-500 85

Bronze Life Master 500-1000 203

Silver Life Master 1000-1500 107

Ruby Life Master 1500-2500 86

Gold Master 2500-3500 32

Sapphire Life Master 3500-5000 22

Diamond Life Master 5000-7500 10

Emerald Life Master 7500-10,000 5

Platinum Life Master 10,000+ 1

Grand Life Master 10,000+ and 3

National Title

5

Congratulations to the following members who have attained new masterpoint ranks since January 1 this year.

As mentioned in the last newsletter, the ACBL has introduced two new ranks: Ruby Life Master (>1500 pts)

and Sapphire Life Master (>3500 pts). I had intended to list all the players who simply transferred into these

categories by virtue of existing points but I decided against it since there were so many. Therefore, am includ-

ing only those people who have just attained that rank since January 1 - Editor.

Title Points Names Title Points Names

Junior Master 5 Lorris Holzman Sectional Master 50 Susan Bellis

Carol Carty R. Coates

Joanne Frakenfeld Ethel Cronshaw

Barry Hoffman George Hawkins

Gay Kahle Carolyn McMorran

Warren Kahle Audrey Raunig

Annette Polonsky Joan Grim

Sandra Meyer Bruce Young

Mary Meyer Regional Master 100 Robert Lee

Thomas Nystrom Diana Roberts

Corinne Onnen Robin Kavall

David Testa Ellen Thomas

Bruce Glatt George Anzalone

Benjamin Hildebrand Lorraine Claggett

Bill McIntosh Jennifer Fahnestock

Club Master 20 Penny Jacocks NABC Master 200 Deborah Cobb

Charles Stewart Noreen Hickey-Schiappa

Barbara Gould Joyce Kronthal

Barbara Heller Adv NABC Master 300 Richard McMillan

Ersie Farley Phyllis Morgan

Elaine Feinberg Bronze Life Master 500 Jane Culver

Emanuel Greber Charlene Abele

Patrick Alspaugh Silver Life Master 1000 John Turner

Herve Franceschi Ruby Life Master 1500 Joel Mashbaum

Marie Greber Ferne Walpert

Violet Malley Patricia Teague

Michael O'Maller Barack Peled

Sylvia Rice Sapphire Life Master 3500 Renate Conlon

Sarah Paul Terry Dutton

Paul Rhodes Grand Life Master 10,000+ Marty Nelson

Harlet Sagenkahn National Title

6

T he MBA Directory containing a list of member’s names, addresses, and telephone numbers was last issued in May 2013 – the so-called Blue Book. Clearly, a lot of this information is

now out of date together with the club information on the front and back covers. After an exten-sive update process, we are about to issue a new Directory. This version will be available in both hardcopy and on-line. It will include the same set of information as the 2013 version except that e-mail addresses have been added. We have these for 75% of the approximately 1700 mem-bers who are presently active in the MBA.

On-Line Version:

T his version will be available through the MBA website. (Click on MBA OnLine Directory ). It is in testing at the present time and will be open for user access on June 14th. Two pass-

words are required to access the data. The first is a Unit-wide password given in this Newsletter – 13Spades. Note, this is case sensitive. A new password will be given in the next Newsletter in September/October this year. The second password is your ACBL number – the first character should be the numbers 1-9. You will need to be registered with the ACBL as a member of Unit 135. There are two ways of accessing the Directory:

By Specific Name. You may enter a specific name and the system will return all of the infor-mation contained in the Directory. There are many “imprecise” situations in which you may not be sure how to spell the surname, or may not know the first name, or even may not know the surname. The system will do its best to find possible matches one of which will, hopefully, match your “specific” name.

By Alphabetic Letter. You may elect to use the on-line system rather like a printed Directory and you may choose a letter and information for all members with surnames beginning with that letter will be displayed.

You cannot modify your information in the Directory on an on-line basis. If you have any up-

dates or want to make any deletions, you will need to contact Mike Teague at

bridgemjt@aol.com or 301-385-8398. It is expected that these changes will be made to

the Directory within 48-72 hours. In addition, once a month the ACBL sends a so-called

In-Out Report identifying new members and existing ACBL members who have moved in

or out of the Unit. This information will be used to update the Directory late each month.

The Directory you will see on June 14th has been updated with all the information availa-

ble to me through June 1.

Hard Copy Version:

T his version will include a list of all the clubs in the MBA together with their locations and their game times. We plan to print 500 hard copies of the Directory that will be available

through the individual bridge clubs in the Unit. We plan to have the on-line Directory available for a period of two weeks before we send the hard copy version to the printers to provide our mem-bership with a further opportunity to update their information and correct any errors. Conse-quently, the hard copy version should be available in mid-July.

Mike Teague, Don Berman, Ron Geagley

7

The MBA Gala on Sunday May 15,

2016 at the Suburban Country Club was

quite a success. Members came from

all over the state and we had more at-

tendees than last year. It was great to

meet and greet bridge players from

Ocean City, Easton, Belair, Towson,

Phoenix, Westminster, Cockeysville,

Catonsville and Pikesville. After a won-

derful brunch, awards were given for

people who achieved new rankings dur-

ing the 2015 calendar year. Members in

each category were also recognized for

winning the Mini McKenney Award and

the Ace of Clubs Award. In the photo-

graph, on the left are Ron Conlon (MBA President), Suellen Poland (Past President), Shirley

and Duke Clark, Life Master awardees, and Ellen Mendelson (Gala Chair).

After the presentation everyone moved into the card rooms. Players were in a festive mood

when the game began. Doug Golden from Severna Park, assisted by Ron Conlon from Co-

lumbia organized and directed 22 tables of bridge. The game ended a little before 4pm.

Wes Goldberg and Larry Brafman from Pikesville were the overall winners with a 71.25%

game. They have won the Gala trophy three out of the past four years. Runners up with a

67% game were Tom Stagnaro from Severna Park and Dave Hall from Westminster playing

together for the first time!

On October 14-15, 2016 there will be an I/N Sectional Tournament which will be held in the MAC Senior Center in Salisbury, MD. There will be pairs events on both days and we will have three stratified levels, and expect participation from Maryland and Delaware. There will be Eastern Shore hospitality with snacks, and a light lunch between sessions on both days. For information call Dee Hunter at 410-749-0497 or Kim Kvalnes 410-228-7061.

Our Hunt Valley Regional (August 15-21, 2016) is filled with many opportunities for players to capture those needed gold points. The hotel is entirely renovated and the playing areas are all well-lit. We hope you will join us for free expert lectures twice a day Tuesday through Satur-day, a great hospitality suite, five days of GOLD RUSH, an outstanding partnership desk, and the many treats distributed throughout the week. We will be providing lunch on the last day (Sunday, August 21st) to all players. This year promises to be even better than the last two years, so we hope you will make time to attend for at least a couple days. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to e-mail dianejaw@verizon.net or call Diane at 703-395-7796. Remember: Special hotel rates of $115/day are guaranteed through July 15th.

8

When we wrote about this in the last Newsletter, the Unit Game was held at three sites with the

expectation that a fourth would join; the Bridge Club of Baltimore, the Severna Park Bridge

Club, the Choptank Bridge Club in Cambridge, and the new member, the Grand Slam Club in

Berlin. Since then two new clubs have joined the roster and we are very glad to welcome Pat

Wilson’s Valley Bridge Club in Towson and Sandra Blaustein’s Carroll County DC Bridge Club

in Westminster. Both games start at noon.

When we started, Ron and I were the co-coordinators. Ron has resigned from the Board and

from this coordination position. Doug Golden, the owner/manager of the Severna Park Bridge

Club, is taking over as the other co-coordinator. I would like to thank Ron for his substantial ef-

forts in setting up the multi-site game from the very beginning. Without his efforts, we would not

have one.

The games continue to be held the second Monday of each month except when there is conflict

with a public holiday, a STAC game, a local tournament etc., when the game is moved to the

third Monday. The dates are shown in the Calendar of Events in this Newsletter and on the

MBA website (http://www.districtsix.org/Unit135/MBA.aspx).

We have had one problem for which I apologize and I have received several quite reasonable

complaints. Namely, we have failed to make the overall results directly available to the partici-

pants. The best we have been able to do is get the results to the club managers. The ACBL

has had some software problems but then so have we. The intent is to post the overall results

on the MBA website within 48 hours of receiving the individual club results. We expect to do

this following the June Unit game !!

In the Feb-May games we had a total of 201 tables and we awarded over 141 master points.

For the February 22th game the Berlin club participated and we had 46 tables. The game was

successively delayed by STAC week and a heavy snow storm! Congratulations to the winners:

Flight A 1. Larry Brafman and Joseph Trapani from Baltimore with a 73.2% game. 7.73pts

Flight A 2. Mary Jo Chiesa and Leslie Goldman from Baltimore with a 68.1% game. 5.8pts

Flight B 1. Also 2nd in Flight A

Flight B 2. Mike Teague and Larry Nimmo from Cambridge with a 62.5% game. 2.1pts

Flight C 1. Allen Tustin and David Stein from Cambridge with a 58.2% game. 1.53pts

Flight C 2. Larry Schram and J. Phillips from Cambridge with a 54.3% game. 1.15pts

Mike Teague, Doug Golden, Ron Geagley Co-Coordinators

9

Continued from previous page

For the March 14th game all six clubs participated and we had 61 tables. Again congratulations to the

winners:

Flight A 1. Paul Benedict and Gregory Bright from Baltimore with a 70.2% game. 10.88pts

Flight A 2. Dolores and Ron Daringer from Cambridge with a 65% game. 8.16pts

Flight B 1. Diana Hunter and Rosalie Evans from Cambridge with a 62.8% game. 3.5pts

Flight B 2. Ruby Eisenbach and Thomas Kelly from Westminster with a 61.6% game 2.63pts

Flight C 1. Leonard Gordon and Morris Glick from Westminster with a 60.7% game. 1.97pts

Flight C 2. Nat Haskell and Dorothy Green from Westminster with a 60% game. 1.48pts

For the April 11th game we dropped back to 5 clubs, since the hand records were not delivered to Berlin

on time. We had 53 tables. Well done to the winners:

Flight A 1. Dolores and Ron Daringer from Cambridge with a 64.3% game. 9.19pts

Flight A 2. Bob Grudberg and Yvonne Jones from Westminster with a 62.5% game. 6.89pts

Flight B 1. Also 2nd

in Flight A

Flight B 2. Susan Feldman and Carol Kaufman from Baltimore with a 60.4% game. 2.91pts

Flight C 1. Rosemary Hanger and Pat Lichtfuss from Westminster with a 57.3% game. 1.46pts

Flight C 2. Janice Tucker and Diana Roberts from Westminster with a 55.7% game. 1.1pts

For the May 9th game we only had four sites; Cambridge dropped out due to the sad fire at the Legion

reported elsewhere in this Newsletter and we missed the connection with Westminster. We still had 41

tables. Again congratulations to the winners:

Flight A 1. Jeffrey Lukas and Michael Outerson from Towson with a 72.9% game. 8.9pts

Flight A 2. Charlotte Hahn and Deborah Blake from Berlin with a 68.75% game. 6.68pts

Flight B 1. Dennis Faber and John Bower from Berlin with a 60.4% game. 2.82pts

Flight B 2. Mitch Edelman and Michael Perlman from Baltimore with a 59% game. 2.11pts

Flight C 1. Doug Golden and Herb Lichenstein from Severna Park with a 56.2% game. 1.46pts

Flight C 2. Robert Camplell and Monica Kelly from Towson with a 48.7% game. 0.82pts

For the first time in years, the venue for Baltimore Sectionals returned to the newly renovated BWI Comfort Inn in February. The tournament was a success and garnered several compli-ments. We are also contracted for the next two Sectionals, June 10 – 12 and September 30 – October 2. For more information on the June Sectional click on the following: http://tournaments.acbl.org/schedule.php?tourid=23864 Winners are on Page 12. The MBA is cur-rently considering the Comfort Inn as well as other venues starting in 2017. Suggestions are welcome. Contact Sectional Chair Renate Conlon (rjconlon@hotmail.com) with any comments or suggestions.

10

Most of us see the Dummy, find a line of play that “looks good”, and start playing… only to meet a painful de-mise. A little extra thought can pay a lot of dividends. Try this hand from an online IMP pairs game. You bid your way to 6 Clubs and see:

♠ 8 4

♥ A K J 9 3

♦ A

♣ K Q J 9 2

♠A lead, then switch to ♦6

♠ K J 7

♥ 6 4

♦ K J 10 8

♣ A 8 5 3

You’re on the board at trick two, needing all the remaining tricks. What do you do?

If you noticed that Dummy has only three losing cards (♥J 9 3), that’s a good start. In fact, you already have a discard coming on the ♦K, so you’re down to two losers. Thinking of Dummy as the “master” hand and playing to establish it (as opposed to Declarer’s hand) is called a Dummy Reversal. Seeing hands from either side is a good flexible approach, and means you’re thinking like a bridge player!

So – what to do with those two losers? Well, if the trumps are 2-2, you can draw trumps and ruff both Heart los-ers. Simple enough, but it’s only a 40% chance.

If the trumps are 3-1 or 4-0, can we still ruff both Hearts? If the Hearts are 3-3 (36%), we can ruff low first and high the second time. But if the Hearts are worse than 3-3 (64%), we may be over-ruffed with the ♣10 the first time.

This is difficult. We may need some luck to make this contract. Or maybe not? What did we miss?

How about the ♠Q? Where is the ♠Q? Lefty led the ♠A. Does he have the Q too? Would you lead the A from AQ empty? Against a slam contract? Of course not! The ♠Q must be on your right!

Now the hand is simple. Since you can take the Spade finesse to establish another discard, you only need one Heart ruff. If the Clubs are 2-2 or 3-1, you can draw trumps (keeping 1 trump in Declarer’s hand), finesse the Spade, discard two Hearts on the ¨K and ªK, cash the two top Hearts, and ruff the last Heart.

What about Clubs breaking 4-0? One more piece of good technique and then we’re done (I promise). Cash the ♣K immediately. This way you retain one top club (the Ace) in Declarer’s hand just in case you need to over-ruff that §10. If both Defenders follow to the §K, then the Clubs are no worse than 3-1 and the hand is over. If Righty shows out, then Lefty has all four trumps. Cash the top Hearts, then ruff the 3

rd round with the Ace. Now, you

can draw the remaining trumps by leading toward the QJ9 in the Dummy and finessing against the 10. If Lefty shows out, cash the top Hearts and ruff the 3

rd round, over-ruffing if necessary. Bridge is an easy game, right?

By the way – Clubs were 4-0 (Righty had all 4), and Hearts were 4-2. And if you decided to ruff Diamonds to set up your hand instead of Dummy – you didn’t make this contract. Diamonds were 7-1 (3% !). Righty got to over-ruff the first attempt.

Think first, play next works better than play first, think next . Give it a try !

© 2002, 2016 by

Allan Mazer.

All Rights Reserved

By Allan Mazer

11

There seems to be some confusion about the difference between a mistaken bid and a mistaken explana-tion. Assume that North makes a bid and South tells East/West that it shows a certain hand. It later becomes evident that North's hand bears no resemblance to the one described by South. East/West summon the Director and claim damage. "I would never have done what I did if he had told me what he really had!" says East, and all agree with him. Did North made a bid that was not in accordance with his partnership agreement (a mistaken bid)? Or did South tell the opponents of an agreement which did not exist (a mistaken explanation)? The legalities of the two are totally different. MISTAKEN BID

It is NOT illegal to make the wrong bid because you have forgotten your partnership agreement. Usually in such cases, you will reach a bad contract and get a terrible score. In other words, justice will be served. Sometimes, however, you will stumble into a lucky spot or the opponents will err because they have been given the wrong idea about your hand. Such situations are simply viewed as the "rub of the green." While East may be correct in saying he would have done better had he known what North actually had, we must remember that North's bid fooled South as well. South did all that is required by law: he told East/West what North's bid promised by agree-ment. Therefore, there is NO ADJUSTMENT. Of course, it is understood that North is not allowed to take advantage of partner's proper explanation. (There’s more on this point later.) MISTAKEN EXPLANATION

In the above example, if North had bid correctly according to their agreements and it was South who was in error with his explanation, then East/West would be entitled to protection. While South can never be positive about what North actually holds, he can, and should, know what North is supposed to have. When the opponents ask you about a call for which you have a partnership understanding, you are re-quired by law to accurately describe your agreement. When South fails to live up to this responsibility, the Director should give redress for any apparent or probable damage.

If South has given a mistaken explanation, then North must inform the opponents at the proper time: After the auction is over if he is the declarer or the dummy; after the play is complete if he is a defender. If South wakes up later on in the auction and realizes that he has misinformed the opponents, he should call the director immediately. EXAMPLES: North opens 1NT; and South, holding a weak hand with long diamonds, bids 2D, intending to sign off. When asked, North explains that their agreement is that South’s bid is strong and artificial, asking for ma-jor suits.

Mistaken Bid - Mistaken Explanation

Sandy Cerato, ACBL Tournament Director

12

Continued from previous page

Mistaken explanation: South makes a bid in agreement with the partnership understanding, but partner misinforms the opponents of the meaning of the bid. North/South’s actual partnership agreement, as verified by their convention cards, is that 2D is a natural sign-off. The mistake was in North’s explanation. This explanation is an infraction of Law since East/West are entitled to an accurate description of the North/ South agreement. When this infraction results in dam-age to East/West, an adjusted score may be awarded.f North subsequently becomes aware of his mistake, he must immediately notify the Director. South must do nothing to correct the mis-taken explanation while the auction continues. After the final pass, South, if he is to be declarer or dummy, should call the Director and must give the opponents a correct explanation. If South becomes a defender, he should call the Director when play is over and give a correct explana-tion.

Mistaken bid: North/South’s agreement is as explained - 2D is strong and artificial; the mistake was in South’s bid. South made a bid that is not the partnership agreement but the opponents are informed of the agreement. Here there is no infraction of law, since East/West received an accurate description of North/South’s agreement. They have no claim to an accurate description of the North/South hands. South is not obligated to inform the table that he miss-bid. Regard-less of the outcome, the Director shall allow the result to stand. South must not correct North’s explanation (or notify the Director) immediately, and he has no responsibility to do so later.

Unauthorized information: In both examples, South, having heard North’s explanation, knows that his own 2D bid has been misinterpreted. This knowledge is unauthorized information. Con-sequently, South must be careful not to base further actions on this information. For instance, if North rebids 2NT, South has the unauthorized information that this bid merely denies a four-card holding in either major. South’s responsibility, however, is to bid as though North had made a strong game try opposite a weak response, showing maximum values.

If you have any director questions or ideas for director columns for this newsletter, please contact me at: stitchwitch@comcast.net And remember to make time for bridge every day.

Mistaken Bid - Mistaken Explanation

1 John Christensen 13.09

2 Jo Trapani 12.5

3 Zeke Letellier 12.3

4 Nancy Kramer 9.47

5 Mark Laken 9.4

6 David Grabiner 8.38

1 Renate Conlon 36.27

2 Ron Conlon 32.26

3/4 Paul Benedict 30.3

3/4 Lynn Jones 30.3

5 Mike Teague 27.33

6/7 Linda Smith 26.38

6/7 Gerry Marcovsky 26.38

8 Patti Teague 24.11

Williamsburg February 2016 Regional Comfort Inn 2016 Sectional

13

The Annual elections of the Maryland Bridge Association (MBA) will be held at 12.30 P.M.on September 18th

at the Bridge Club of Baltimore in Pikesville. All members in attendance will vote on candidates to fill three

vacancies on the MBA Board. This is an important meeting to attend, as the election will choose these Board

Members who will serve for two year terms. Any member, in good standing, of Unit 135, the MBA, may peti-

tion the chairman of the nominating committee, Lynn Jones at 410-560-3244, to have their name included on

the list of candidates. The potential candidate must secure 25 signatures from members of Unit 135.

Three well-qualified candidates have already been selected by the MBA Board to stand for election in Sep-

tember of this year. Following are the short biographies of the three candidates.

Lawrence Nimmo

Larry has been a resident of the Eastern Shore (ES) for more than 30 years and is co-owner of his own suc-

cessful contracting business established in 1990; he is the Chairman of the Board. He also has prior experi-

ence serving as President of his local Condominium Association and a local Fastpitch Association.

Larry has been playing duplicate regularly on the ES and at the Severna Park Bridge Club for the last six

years and also plays and volunteers at local sectional and regional tournaments. He is well-known throughout

the Unit. He is a qualified director and supports his local clubs in this capacity. He is a Silver Life Master.

Larry is a member of the newly-established MBA Mentor Committee and, if elected, would plan to be a com-

mitted, enthusiastic, and engaged member of the MBA Board. His particular interest is supporting the growth

of our game throughout the Unit but particularly on the ES through integrated teaching and I/N programs.

Doug Golden

Doug Golden was born in San Francisco, CA in 1949. He was a member of the Air Force for 22 years. Doug

is the assistant minister of his church. He has always enjoyed bridge and began to play at the age of 8 under

the tutelage of his mother. He rediscovered bridge in 2012, and represented District 7 with Ruth Shilkret in

the National Pairs competition in St. Louis. Doug is the owner and Chief Director of the Severna Park Bridge

Club. One of his goals is to become a Tournament Director. He is also training to become a Bridge Instruc-

tor. He wants to establish a solid mentoring program in the District.

Doug believes that “New players need nurturing and guidance. Without a solid foundation, newbies will lose

their fascination of bridge quickly, and they will be lost. We need to have a core of experienced players who

are willing to mentor novices, and enable them to grow into capable, strong players, who love bridge and

want to excel and succeed in it.”

Ed Rothenberger

Ed is a Silver Life Master who has been playing bridge off and on for thirty six years. He learned bridge in college at Lehigh University and played locally in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Professionally, he is still working for Booz Allen Hamilton supporting clients in the Government. He is looking forward to retirement in the near future. Besides bridge, he enjoys scuba diving and traveling. He hopes to travel to Australia and dive at the Great Barrier Reef.

Lynn Jones, Nominating Chairperson

14

The Director: If there’s any irregularity at the table, call the director immediately. It’s much simpler for them

to solve problems when they occur rather than trying to clear up a big mess later. Do not make your own

rulings at the table. Don’t refrain from calling because you did not want to upset the opposition and do not

get upset when the opposition calls the director. Remember, “Director, please”!!

Dummy’s Rights: Once the auction is over, dummy cannot say or ask anything about the bidding. The sin-

gle EXCEPTION is that if declarer gave the opponents an incorrect explanation of a bid made by dummy

during the auction, dummy MUST correct this before the opening lead is made. Dummy may stop a lead

from the wrong hand. Dummy cannot ask for a review or ask what a bid meant. During the play, dummy

must NOT play or touch a card until it is called by declarer even if the card is a singleton. Dummy cannot

call attention to a defender’s revoke until the hand is over and cannot call the director until the hand is

over. Dummy can ask declarer if he/she is out of a suit.

Bridge is a Timed Event: You normally have about 7 minutes a board to complete a round. You should do

everything under your control to keep pace. This includes getting to the table on time, being ready to bid

when it is your turn, making your opening lead BEFORE writing in your personal scorecard (or Bridgemate

if North), laying down dummy as soon as the opening lead is made and before writing in your personal

scorecard (or Bridgemate if North). You’d be amazed at how much these simple things speed up the play.

If the pair in front of you is consistently slow, call the director. He will issue a verbal warning if necessary.

Do NOT start another board if the round has been called without the permission of the director – the board

may be a No Play or a Late Play but many clubs have eliminated the latter.

Bid and Play in Tempo: Bridge isn’t like Poker. Sitting and “thinking” when you have nothing to think about

to intentionally fool the opponents is considered unethical. This behavior, derisively called “coffee hous-

ing” (named after the Eastern European coffee houses where it is normal) is only too common. While eve-

ryone must take time to think occasionally, “thinking” before playing a singleton is considered to be very

unethical. Thinking when declarer is taking an obvious finesse or fumbling your cards when you don’t hold

the key card, is unacceptable behavior too. If you fumble cards inadvertently, it is best to make a statement

such as “Sorry, I have no problem”. Bidding to quickly or slowly for effect is poor form. However, some-

times it is necessary to think. Be aware that if you think much longer than the normal tempo period and

then pass you have communicated information to your partner. In this situation, the director may be called

and any subsequent bid by partner may be called into question.

Mistakes: When you inadvertently pull the wrong card out of the bidding box and you realize before your

partner makes his/her next bid, the director can back the bidding back to you and you will be allowed to

correct your bid without penalty. Since the bid was accidental, there’s no unauthorized information given to

partner. However, you are NOT allowed to change your bid simply because you changed your mind. There

are many situations in which a declarer calls for the “wrong” card from dummy. Have you ever said “play,

no play the ten”. Some of these situations can be reversed, some cannot. Call the director.

In 2011 Ron Kral (RonKral@gmail.com, 703-478-0077) wrote a copyrighted pamphlet on Bridge Etiquette. We

greatly appreciate that he has allowed us to include, in abbreviated and paraphrased form, this material in our news-

letter. Part 1 of his pamphlet appeared in Volume 1 of the Newsletter in January 2016. The second part of his pam-

phlet appears here.

Bridge Etiquette . Part 2

Ron Kral

15

Zero Tolerance, Gloating etc: A lot of clubs have adopted the ACBL’s “Zero Tolerance” rules.

This essentially means that all players must remain courteous to their opponents and their part-

ner, and avoid all offensive behavior at all times. Adhere to this approach – be kind, gracious

and helpful to all. Do not argue with your partner and do not raise your voice. Do not give unso-

licited bridge lessons to your partner or the opponents. Do NOT argue with the director at the

table. It’s great to get a good result and even better when you are pretty sure you have close to

a top when you get into a 10% slam and make, or you double them and they go for a telephone

number. The opponents may have a serious bidding misunderstanding. The opponents feel

terrible already and rubbing it in with some kind of gleeful behavior is definitely not Zero Toler-

ance. Save the high-fiving until you are away from the table. On the other hand, if the oppo-

nents make a really good bid, defensive move, or declarer play, it’s polite to congratulate them.

Report all Zero Tolerance misconduct to the director in private. Multiple complaints of Zero Tol-

erance violations by one individual will lead to penalties.

Claiming: You should claim as soon as you realize how the hand is going to play out. It’s con-

sidered rude to make your opponents agonize over discard after discard only to find out that

you knew you had the last eight tricks and did not claim. In addition to saving time, you can’t

revoke during a claim. You should state a line of play as clearly as possible when claiming,

something like “I’ll pull the last trump and then I have 3 club tricks and 4 diamond tricks and I

will give you the last spade”. Even if declarer doesn’t state the line of play, accept the claim if it

is reasonable. Don’t expect or ask declarer to play like a complete idiot. This is an insult to eve-

ryone’s intelligence. Occasionally, someone does make a bad claim. In that case you will need

the director. When you claim be sure that you know how many trump are outstanding !!

Cheating: Of course, you should strenuously avoid any action that could be construed as

cheating. If you suspect a player of questionable conduct, it is considered TOTALLY out of

bounds to confront them or make any accusatory statements to them OR to anyone else. Noti-

fy the director IN PRIVATE of your suspicions and the behavior that led you to your conclusion.

The director will take it from there.

Play your cards right: Do NOT detach a card form you hand until 1) it’s your turn to play and 2)

you’ve decided which card you are going to play. Detaching a card prematurely is uncalled for,

unethical and rude. Pulling a card and then putting it back and selecting another one tells your

partner you had more than one choice and is unauthorized information. Some players uncon-

sciously “snap” the corner of the card on the table as they play it. Many people find this habit to

be annoying, and you should try to avoid it. Make sure that your played card is completely visi-

ble to all parties and generally do not turn your card until declarer turns his/her card. Once all

four cards are face down the trick is quitted and you no longer have a right to see the cards.

I’m personally not a stickler for this rule, at least not in a club game.

Continued from previous

Bridge Etiquette . Part 2

16

W ell, I have my bridge peeves and I plan to express my views here and you can write to

me with your views !! In fact, please do and maybe we will improve matters. I don’t

mind being wrong – ask my wife. I’m always admitting my errors at the bridge table! That

should ensure at least one response! Keep in mind the following is my opinion and does not

reflect that of the MBA or the Board.

My subject is the mentor game and mentoring at large, and I think it is in a sad state in our

Unit. At the broadest level, the ACBL has a well-documented view on how we should have a

“pipeline” starting with early educational programs to attract new players, through I/N games

and mentoring processes that will eventually allow players to move into the open games. This

is how the game grows – which it is not in MD. The Reston Regional has the “Learn Bridge in

A Day” program. The Williamsburg Regional is followed by a Junior Tournament. How well do

you think we do in our Unit on these issues? Easy to throw rocks, I know….read on.

As I said I just want to look at a small part of this “pipeline” – mentoring. What is going on

now? Not much. First, there are a few laudable and dedicated mentors with 2000+ points who

play quite often with non-LM mentees in regular open games. There is a dubious annual men-

tor game at the Bridge Club of Baltimore. The intent is that this is a unit-wide game except, to

my knowledge, no other clubs, participate. Why? I have talked to potential mentees and club

managers from a number of clubs – maybe not enough. A common reason is that the

mentees feel that they do not learn anything from the game. As a mentee, what do you think?

OK, I think that a) mentoring is an important process and b) our Unit is in bad shape on men-toring. What can we do? The ACBL has issued a “Bridge Mentoring Program” Handbook that I think is most helpful. While it does see a place for a mentor game as we presently understand it, more importantly it sees mentoring as an ongoing process in which there are mentor/mentee pairs playing in all open pair games. The handbook gives guidelines to assist mentors in working with mentees to improve their games – there are elements of this before, after, and during the game. I see the onus to be on the mentors in several senses. First, to learn how to work with the mentees and to meet their needs. Second, to commit their time. The Handbook calls for a Committee to work with the clubs and members and set up a detailed program

based around the Handbook plans. The Board has agreed to set up this committee and we have identified a chairperson and two mentor and two mentee members. A good start would be to hear from you.

Editor: Michael Teague bridgemjt@aol.com or 301-385-8398 Email Distribution: Patti Teague tmp21617@aol.com or 410-206-2229 If you need to update your email address or want to remove your address from the distri-

bution list, please contact either of the individuals given above.

For Volume 3 2016 Newsletter…...hopefully:

More Mazer, Cerato on “Alerts”, Hank Meyer and Bill Michael on “Playing the Wrong Card”, and

Lynn Berg from the ACBL Bulletin for the I/N readers, Election Results.

THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO GAVE ME MATERIAL FOR THIS VOLUME - Editor