| VOLUME LXVIII Number 3 FRESNO WINTER SECTIONAL Jay Roll Wins President’s Award Kathryn Miller wins 99er Award Attendance at the winter sectional improved over last year, but it was still less than previous years. Scott Campbell from southern California did his usual fine job as director in charge. He frequently gives a lesson at tournaments, and this was no exception. We thank Scott and we’ll enjoy his return. Some of our members helped with hospitality by bringing refreshments to the tournament. We wish a few more members could help. . Apparently many members waited until Sunday – the refreshments and attendance on Sunday were the best we’ve had in several years. Our thanks go to Jackie Finn who did the Sunday lunch, organized hospitality, and acted as tournament chairman. Congratulations to Jay Roll, who won the President’s Award for the second tournament in a row, by winning three events and finishing second in another and third in two others. Congratulations to 99er Award winner Kathryn Miller, who took first place, second place, and third place in three events. PLACES AND FACES Jay Roll was second in bracket two of the knockout teams and 13th in the IMP pairs at the Riverside Regional. He was second, third, an fifth in the side games at the Los Angeles Regional. We left off many new rank changes last month. Also becoming new Ruby Life Masters (1,500 master points) are Bill Glass, Vic Greener, Carolyn Lofton, Jim McKoane, Skip Miller, Kim Morris, Avis Morse, Laura Neville, Curt Reeves, Steve Sharp, and Mun Takeda. Bev Daniels is a new Bronze Life Master; Nancy Kyle and Tom Upton are new club masters; Judy Shuster is a new NABC master; and Frances M Beazley is a new Junior master, Welcome to new members Sandi Owyoung-Chu and Judy Pierre. Two of our former players passed away recently. Our condolences go to the families of Jerry Hixson and Henderson Yeung. Henderson was a professor at CSUF, and made Life Master long ago. He was one of Fresno’s best players. Jerry was a regular player at the Reedley Bridge Club until it closed. He often hosted their Christmas party at his ranch. My best memory of him is from Bridge Week at the Ambassador Hotel years ago. He was driving Syd Levey and me home from the tournament in his 50’s T-bird, leaving from the hotel. Syd said that Jerry was going the wrong direction, so Jerry made a U-turn in the middle of Wilshire Boulevard. He quickly got a ticket. UNIT NEWS Appointments for 2016: Membership Sally Eatherly Sunshine Gay Berry Business Manager Kay Chrisman NAP/GNT Richard Meffley Computer Graphics Deb Peterson Publicity Laura Da Costa Clubhouse Supplies Kay Chrisman Recorder John Schnell Judiciary Bob Durbrow Newsletter Richard Meffley Newsletter Backup Anthony Toto Mentoring DickPowell & Laura Da Costa Facebook Anthony Toto Hospitality Jackie Finn Parliamentarian Gay Berry Charities Mary Lou Pease Marketing ML Pease/Don Austin & Recruitment Bob Durbrow Novice Laura Da Costa & Education Bob Durbrow District 21 Rep Richard Meffley District 21 Rep Anthony Toto ANNIVERSARY PARTY April 10 Join us as we celebrate our seventh anniversary at our Shaw Avenue address. We’re planning some fun things to go with the party, including of course a free lunch and plenty of bridge. We may even have prizes and party hats. Come find out on Sunday, April 10. Party at noon; bridge at 1 pm. LESSONS EasyBridge lessons are in their fourth week, with many more fun weeks in store. Let your friends know they can still join and learn to play. Bob Durbrow is the presentor. Laura Da Costa will start lessons on Defense on Saturday, April 2. Both EasyBridge and Defense lessons are on Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. | MARY LOU DA COSTA Our condolences go to Laura Da Costa, and her brothers, sisters, and family. Mary Lou Da Costa passed away on February 14, 2016. Mary Lou may have directed more sessions at the Fresno bridge club than anyone else. She started directing more than thirty five years ago with Pearl Lowell on Thursday morning. Soon she was directing with Keiko Collins on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights. On Friday nights she gave beginning lessons and ran the bridge club. In 1988, Mary Lou and Keiko Collins were awarded the Fresno Unit’s Distinguished Service Award for their service to our members. She added Monday and Friday afternoon games and eventually retired from the evening games. She served on the unit board of directors for several years. Her serving on the unit board, directing games, and teaching has helped keep bridge alive in Fresno. Now Laura is carrying on, directing the Monday and Friday afternoon games. We are grateful for all that Mary Lou has given to the Fresno unit. MARY and DAVE FLIPPIN We are saddened to hear that Mary and Dave Flippin passed away recently. Mary passed away on December 29, 2015. Dave passed away a few years earlier. They were very active members of the Fresno Unit until they retired many years ago and moved away, settling in Vancouver, Washington. Few of our members know that the President’s award, bestowed on the Unit member who wins the most master points at our sectional, was initiated by Mary, when she was president of the Fresno Unit. She is the “President” of the President’s Award. Long ago, 8 by 11 pictures of all our Life Masters graced the walls of the Fresno Bridge Clubhouse. Their pictures were there. CLUB NEWS The February leaders from Oakhurst were Ken Doig, T. Srinivasan, Burke Zane, Claire Molnar, Jim Luther, and Paul Mertens. Top master point winners for February in Madera were Gary Nelson, Mary Gullo, Richard Meffley, Jan Armbruster, and Jackie Reichard. Gary leads for 2016, followed by Carol Kaufman, and Mary Gullo. The January leaders for the Fresno Bridge Center were Steve Sharp, Maggie Mahaffey, Ray April, and Skip Miller. The 99er leaders were Don and Doris Myers, Andrea Wheeless, and Ann Sadler. The February leaders will be posted on our website. LEARN YOUR CONVENTIONS RKC & 1430 Roman Key Card Blackwood is a common convention to ask about Key Cards. Aces and the king of trumps are Key Cards. Players have learned over the years that if you ask for Aces and you are missing one Ace and the king of trumps, your chance of making a slam is less than even money. So RKC was born. After 4NT, 5 clubs shows zero or three key cards; 5 diamonds shows one or four; 5 hearts shows 2 without the queen of trumps; and 5 spades shows two with the queen of trumps. If you want to ask about the queen of trumps, bid the next suit. One problem is that if hearts are trumps, you can’t ask about the queen of trumps if partner bids 5 diamonds. The next suit is 5 hearts, which is a signoff. Expert players thought you’d want to know about the queen of trumps more often if you have one or four key cards than if you had zero or three key cards. Actually, neither occurs too often. So modified RKC was born. They reversed 5 clubs and 5 diamonds so that you can ask for the queen of trumps when partner has 1 or 4 key cards (but not if 0 or 3). The modified RKC is known as “1430.” NEGATIVE DOUBLE The negative double was invented by Alvin Roth in the late 50’s and first called “Sputnik” after the Russian space vehicle then in the news. It’s used after your partner opens and the next player bids. There are two reasons to use it. First, because you don’t have enough high cards or suit length to bid your suit at the next level; second, to describe your suit length. It’s handy when the opponent pre-empts. An example of the first case is when your partner opens a minor, the next player overcalls 1 spade, and you want to bid hearts but you only have 8 points. You should have at least 10 points and a five card suit to bid two hearts. So double to tell your partner you have hearts, but not enough to bid. The second example is when your partner opens a minor and the next player bids one heart. You can bid one spade with 4 spades. But if you are playing negative doubles, you can double with 4 spades and bid with more than 4 spades. (For some reason, some experts bid with 4 and double with 3. I haven’t figured that out). A similar case is when your partner bids 1 club and the next player bids 1 diamond. This is similar but NOT THE SAME. In the previous example, a negative double shows exactly four cards in the unbid major. In this case, a negative double shows exactly FOUR CARDS IN BOTH MAJORS. If you have a five card major, bid it. If you have one four card major and the other is shorter, bid the four card major. |
| WINNERS FRESNO WINTER SECTIONAL UNIT CHAMPIONSHIP 1A Robert Durbrow - Bob Cross 2A1B Anthony Toto - Andrea Wheeless 3A David Haberstich - Mark Stern 2B Mary Lou Pease - Sally Anne Eatherly 3B Patrick Carroll - John McGregor 1C Madeline Lynes - Debbie Kemp 2C Don Austin - Marion Austin 1A John Schnell - Della Schnell 2A1B Margaret Mahaffey - Steve Sharp 3A2B1C Gloria Durbrow - Al Crane 3B Laura Da Costa - Ray April 2C Don Austin - Marion Austin UNIT GAME Monique Irion - Margaret Mahaffey Laura Da Costa - Ray April[B] MEMBERSHIP CHAMPIONSHIP 1A Ray April - Sheila Smith 2A Jim McKoane - Laura Neville 3A1B Peter Weber - Susan Vildosola 2B Delia Green - Paul Messner 3B John Barrere - Patricia Creede CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP 1A Jay Roll - Victor Greener 2A1B Margaret Mahaffey - Steve Sharp 2B Gerry Jones - Ray April 99ER CHAMPIONSHIP 1A Gary Pigg - Pamela Pigg 2A1B Carol Fiorentino - Susan Shaver 2B Fred Schellack - Joyce Furnas INDIVIDUAL 1 Andrew Graves 2 Paul Messner ¾ William Glass ¾ Mary Lou Pease | OAKHURST WINNERS Claire Molnar-Karen McCartin Ken Doig - Jim Luther (2) Bette and Paul Mertens (2) Joe Fox - Corey Cole (3) Ken Doig - Terri Anderson Burke Zane - T. Srinivasan Karen McCartin - Paul Mertens Annette Calhoun - Jim Luther Terri Anderson - T Srinivasan Blake and Cathy Fuessenich Gary and Judy Smith Claire Molnar - Ken Doig SPECIAL Steve Sharp - George Dalition Kent Billeter - Sydney Bluestone Jay Roll - Victor Greener Judy Shuster - Carol Miller Judy Jessick - Virginia Johnson Bob Cross - Robert Durbrow Gary Nelson – Carol Kaufman Jay Shapiro - George Dalition Patricia Creede - Laura Neville Jay Shapiro - Irene Whelchel Skip Miller - Byron Steinert Julie Wilson - Gerry Jones[B] Ruth Christensen - Laura Neville[B] Virginia Hailey – Paula Baraldi[C] Susan Vildosola - Peter Weber[C] 750 SPECIALS Mary Ann Clark - Beverly Little Robert Cherry - Tay Cherry[B] Denny Tweed - Cathleen Burden Don Myers - Doris Myers[C] Lois Layne - Kathryn Miller Renee Laquerriere - Rhonda Hampton 99 SPECIAL Walt Kelso - Fred Schellack Cheryl Ryder - Ann Keag Gary Pigg - Pamela Pigg |
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