aces, places, and faces

Volume LXVIII No. 8

NON-LM SECTIONAL
August 13-14
It’s time for our 15th annual NonLM sectional. Many who played in this tournament in the past are now Life Masters. Players must have fewer than 500 master points and not be a Life Master. You can win silver points at the tournament without playing against any Life Masters. We’ll have pair games at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with our traditional Lunch and Learn between sessions, starting about 1:30 pm. Lunch and Learn means free lunch and free bridge lesson. If you need a partner, call Partnership Chair Jackie Finn at 559-435-0858 or e-mail at jackiefinn@comcast.net. Laura Da Costa is tournament chair. Richard Meffley will direct the tournament. Come and have a good time!
 
PLACES AND FACES
At the Long Beach Regional, Jay Roll was seventh in the Charity pairs, fifth in one open pairs event and sixteenth in another, and third in the fast pairs. At the Washington DC NABC, Richard Meffley was 81st in Life Master Pairs, 18th in the Truscott Senior Swiss, and 37th in the Wernher Open Pairs. Congratulations!
 
We have several rank advancements.
Bob Durbrow is now a Sapphire LM.
Rhonda Hampton is an Advanced NABC master.
Jackie Finn is now a regional master.
Kathryn Miller just became a sectional master.
James Cosby is a club master.
Gary Pigg is a junior master.
Congratulations to all who moved up in rank.
 
Welcome to new member William Vanderveer.
 
We’re sorry to say good-bye to Sophie Iwatsubo, who is moving to Las Vegas. We wish her well. Maybe we’ll see her at one of the regionals in Las Vegas, usually in June. Or we might see her at the Nationals in Las Vegas in summer 2019.
 
Our condolences go to the family of Dorothy Soles, who recently passed away. She played bridge at our club for nearly fifty years, usually with Lorraine Elia.
 
Our condolences to Maxine Leonard, whose husband Jack Leonard passed away recently. He and Maxine were married for 71 years and spent many hours of that time playing bridge with us.

NEW RULES FOR OPENING 1 NT
Effective now, there is a new definition of a natural 1 NT opening bid. A notrump opening or overcall is natural if by agreement, it contains no void, at most one singleton (which must be the A, K, or Q) and no more than two doubletons. If a hand contains a singleton, it may not include a doubleton.
 

 










WINNERS
THE LONGEST DAY MORNING
1A           Belva Quattrin - Mark Stern
2A1B     Victor Greener - Naguib Abdallah
3A           Robert Durbrow - Fresno CA
2B           Skip Miller - Jackie Finn
3B          Mun Takeda - Ray April
 
THE LONGEST DAY AFTERNOON  
1A           Belva Quattrin - Robert Durbrow
2A           Mun Takeda - Ray April
3A           Howard Arquette - Margaret Mahaffey
1BC        Annie Chiljian - Olivia Stockton
2BC        Jackie Finn - George Efthemon
3BC        Gloria Fitzgerald - Angelina Heisdorf
 
THE LONGEST DAY FAST PAIRS   
1AB        Mark Stern - Sally Anne Eatherly
2AB1C  Don Austin - Marion Austin
3AB        Robert Durbrow - Bob Cross
2C          James Sweet - Mary Lou Pease
 
THE LONGEST DAY EVENING 
1A               Jay Roll - Belva Quattrin
2A               Robert Durbrow - Bob Cross
3A1B         Al Crane - William Glass
2B1C         Jason Mcalexander - James Sweet
2C               Mary Lou Pease - Judy Nibler

NAP
1A           Mark Stern - Victor Greener
2/3A        Richard Meffley - Robert Durbrow
2/3A1B    Laura Da Costa - Ray April
2B           Al Crane - Laura Neville
 
1              George Dalition - Jay Shapiro
2              Patricia Creede - Laura Neville
 
UNIT CHAMPIONSHIP
1A           Steve Sharp - Margaret Mahaffey
2A           Mark Stern - Victor Greener
3A1BC    John Oakshott - Peggy Oakshott
2/3B        Ruth Christensen - Laura Neville
2/3B        Andrew Graves - James Sweet
2C           Mary Lou Pease - Jane Bragg
 
1AB        Mun Takeda - Anthony Toto
2AB1C    Jane Willson - Laura Da Costa
3A           Naguib Abdallah - Victor Greener
3A2BAl Crane - Alex C. Sherriffs
 
 
PRO AM CHAMPIONSHIP
1ABC      Karin Blanchard - Carol Kaufman
2A           Richard Meffley - Judy Shuster
3A           Mark Stern - Jason Mcalexander
2BC         Patrick Carroll - Bob Cross
3B           Al Crane - Deb Petersen
 
 
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
1AB        Pat Simpson - Angelina Heisdorf
2/3A        Ray April - Lowell Gist
2/3A        Jim Mckoane - Margaret Mahaffey
2B1C       Gerry Jones - Pat Huston
3A2B      Sally Anne Eatherly - Judy Shuster
3C           Jackie Finn - George Efthemon

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
1AB        Mark Stern - Victor Greener
2A           Jay Roll - Richard Meffley
3A2B1C  Don Austin - Marion Austin
3B           Ray April - Howard Arquette
2C           Robert Cherry - Tay Cherry

 LESSONS
 Beginning lessons just started on Saturday morning. If you know someone who wants to start, call Mary Lou Pease at 288-2340 or Laura Da Costa at 999-2825.

CLUB NEWS
STAC games August 22-28
 Many of our clubs will be holding Sectional Tournament at Club games the week of August 22 to August 28. The games play silver points and are held through the western states. If you get a big game and finish high in the overalls over all the game sites, it’s possible to win over twenty silver points in one open game. Please check with the director; several clubs will not be holding STaC games.
North American Pairs games continue in August Players may qualify for the Unit finals on Sunday November 13, which leads to District 21 finals next year and the national finals in Kansas City in March,
     Top winners for June from the Fresno Bridge Center are Maggie Mahaffey, followed by Bob Durbrow, Ray April, Mark Stern, and Steve Sharp. Mark leads for 2016, followed by Steve, Ray, and Maggie. Top 99ers for June are Don and Doris Myers, followed by Kathryn Miller and Beverly Little. Don and Doris lead for 2016, followed by Beverly and Kathryn.
     Top winners in Oakhurst for July are Ken Doig, followed by Jim Luther, Claire Molnar, Karen McCartin, and Paul Mertens. Gary Nelson was the top winner in Madera in July, followed by a second place tie of Paula Baraldi, Virginia Hailey, and Richard Meffley. Gary leads for 2016, followed by Mary Gullo and Carol Kaufman.


A FEW SPECIAL DOUBLES
The convention card lists the most common doubles, but there are even more than those listed. Negative doubles are the most common. We wrote about them in the March issue. Support doubles tell your partner whether you have three or four card trump support. Usually the responder bids, the next player makes a call, and then opener can make a support double or redouble. For example: You open 1 club, partner bids 1 heart, and the next player bids 1 spade. Bidding 2 hearts shows four hearts; doubling shows only three hearts. If the next player doubles instead of bidding 1 spade, bidding 2 hearts shows four hearts, a support redouble shows three hearts. It’s generally only used if you could raise your partner to the two level, but not if you’d have to raise to a higher level.
            The maximal double is used by those who use game tries. For example, you open 1 spade, your partner bids 2 spades, and you invite game by bidding a new suit. Partnerships use various treatments as to which suit they should use as a game try. If the opponent bids 3 clubs after your partner bids 2 spades, you can use 3 diamonds or 3 hearts as a game try. If the opponent bids the suit under your suit, in this case 3 hearts, you cannot bid a suit at the 3 level. So the maximal double was born. If you play the maximal double here, it is a try for game. If you bid 3 spades, it is competitive and not a try for game. It doesn’t come up too often, but when it does, it can be helpful

4TH OF JULY CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
1A           Naguib Abdallah - Richard Meffley
2A1B      John Simpson - Pat Simpson
3A           Lowell Gist - Victor Greener
2B           David Haberstich - Mun Takeda
3B           Avis Morse - Howard Arquette
1C           Nancy Holley - Donny Graham
2C           Carol Rodder - Mary Lou Pease
3C           Stephen Blumberg - Bob Cross 
 
750 CHAMPIONSHIP
1              Don Myers - Doris Myers
2              Jerry F. Noga - John Hempel
3              Cathleen Burden - Denny Tweed
 
750 SPECIAL 
Pearl McGinnis - Barbara Brock
Edward Grootendorst - Therese Grootendorst
Martha Waller - Virginia Johnson
Judy Geary - Ann Sadler[B]
Denny Tweed - Cathleen Burden
Sue Comporato - Marilyn J. Kendall[B]
Patricia Biddy - Mona Omar[C]
Don Myers - Doris Myers[C] 
 
99ER INDIVIVIDUAL
1              Laurie Harrington
2              Patricia Alviso
3              Karen Matthews
4              Barbara Gaudin
5              Vera Bryan
 
OAKHURST WINNERS
Grant Sturm- Tom Upton
Al Ellis- Joni Roberts
Claire Molnar - Ken Doig (2)
Karen McCartin - Paul Mertens (2)
Ira Estin - Hal Mendoza
Joe Fox - Corey Cole (2)
Gary & Judy Smith
Burke Zane - T. Srinivasan
 
INDIVIDUAL
1              Don Austin
2              Richard Meffley
3              Robert Durbrow
2/4 C       Jane Bragg
2/4 C       Anthony Toto
2/4 C       Gloria Fitzgerald
 
SPECIAL
Skip Miller - Barbara Thacker
Mark Stern - David Haberstich
Naguib Abdallah - Victor Greener
Monique Irion - Irene Whelchel
Irene Whelchel - Judy Zimmerer
Patricia Creede - Paul Messner
John McGregor - Lowell Gist
Barbara Thacker - Skip Miller
Margaret Mahaffey - Jay Shapiro
William Glass - Monique Irion
Kent Billeter - Judy Nicholson[B]
Charlotte Maschke - Ruth Christensen[B]
William Glass - Al Crane[B]
Stephen Blumberg - George Dalition[B]
Mary Lou Pease - Jane Bragg[B]
Carol Miller - Laura Da Costa[B]
Jason Mcalexander - Gloria Fitzgerald[C]
Gwen Davey - George Dalition[C]
 
99er SPECIAL  
Fred Schellack - Joyce Furnas
Carol Fiorentino - Susan Shaver
 
99er
Ruby Buttereck - Ann Keag
Walt Kelso - Brenda Ward
Joyce Furnas - Fred Schellack