Post Office: Time Value Please deliver by 1st of month

The Southern California

BridgeNews January 2006 Volume 41, #1

Post Office: Time Value Deliver By 1st of Month

Published by ALACBU, Inc. Single Copy Price: $1.00

District Director Report: Denver ‘delightful’ by Alan LeBendig If you missed Denver, you missed one of the more delightful NABCs in recent history. Attendance topped 10,000 tables and was right on target with predictions. All of the bridge was played on the concourse level of the Adam’s Mark Hotel, the host hotel. One never had to go outside if you were staying in the Adam’s Mark. Even if you weren’t, the weather was very cooperative throughout the NABC. I saw snow flurries one day and experienced very little rain.

The temperatures were not much cooler than here. Many days I did not find it necessary to wear a coat. The hotel was on 16th St. and for several blocks there was the 16th Street Mall (entirely outside) with an abundance of restaurants and stores. There were FREE shuttle busses that ran the length of the mall and I never had to wait more than five minutes to catch one. All the busses were equipped with a power ramp and could easily handle my wheelchair. As a result, my choices for restaurants were unending. They ran the gamut from cheap to moderate. I have certainly spent more for meals in the past. I’ll start with some highlights of our meetings and then begin a discussion of a crucial matter our district REPORT continued on page 12

Local Teen Bridges the Generations With Cards This article originally appeared in the requirement that he perform some Forward, and is reprinted with per - kind of community service. After a mission. failed attempt at an old-age home — the people “were a bit senile,” he said By Elissa Strauss — Koegel, per his mother’s suggestion, proposed the class to the Every Wednesday after school, Workmen’s Circle, a left-of-center Jeremy Koegel’s mother drops him off organization that focuses on Yiddish at the Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring culture. in Los Angeles for his 3:30 bridge Eric Gordon, director of the class. The teenage card whiz drops Workmen’s Circle, was at first skeptihis backpack to the floor and takes cal about hiring a high school sophohis place among a roomful of fellow more to teach bridge, but “as soon as bridge enthusiasts — all significantly you start with the game and the his senior. teaching and the blackboard — the But age is not the only factor that age factor just disappears,” he said. sets Jeremy apart in these surround- “It just evaporates.” ings: He’s the teacher. Indeed, having a teenager teach A slight 15-year-old with a tower- old-timers even has some advaning Jewfro and an easy smile, Koegel tages. came up with the idea of teaching Bridge students Judy Waxman bridge as way to fulfill his parents’ and Joan Grossman, both in their

Jeremy Koegel teaching

60s, told the Forward that older teachers often lack the patience necessary for the task. Koegel, on the other hand, is a natural teacher, they said. Waxman called the class TEEN continued on page 12

ANNOUNCEMENTS Grand National Teams by Howard Einberg Every year The Grand National Teams take place at the Summer Nationals.

Grand National Team Trials Flight Open Flight Flight A Flight B Flight C

Date April 29-30 March 25-26 April 29-30 March 25-26

Masterpoint Limit unlimited 0-5000 0-2000 Non life masters with 0-500

A few features distinguish the GNT from many other events. First of all, each of the participating teams at the Nationals won a chance to compete by placing in the trials in its local district. In addition, there are four flights, meaning teams compete against their peers for a chance to play in the Nationals. Because District 23 is the smallest by area of the 26 districts in the ACBL, our members have the ability to travel a short distance to play in an event that awards lots of masterpoints and more gold points than any other local event. In addition,

the district pays a portion of the winners’ travel expenses to the Summer Nationals. These are some of the reasons the GNT are so exciting. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the local trials -- even those who want a chance to compete against their peers for a lot of masterpoints, but don’t plan on attending the Summer Nationals. District 23 trials for this summer’s GNT take place in March and April. Each event is a team game consisting of both swiss teams and knockouts. Players eligible for more than one flight can enter events on each weekend of competition. All of the events will take place at the Bridge Academy in Canoga Park. This year the flights A and C trials will take place during the District 23 Swiss Team Sectional. On Saturday March 25, the teams will enter the sectional swiss team event in different flights. At the conclusion of the swiss event, teams entered in each flight of the GNT will be ranked among themselves to determine which teams advance to the KO rounds on Sunday. Anyone with questions can call Howard Einberg at 310-474-6966 or Bill Wickham at 310234-3238. If you have not played the GNT before, this year is a great time to try it. ANNOUNCEMENTS continued on page 12

Around the Units . . . . . . . . . . page 6 LA Winter Regional . . . . . . . . page 9 Board a Match . . . . . . . . . . . . page 1 Long Beach Bridge Club . . . . . page 5

Inside This Issue

Bridge Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 5 NAOP Finals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 12 Bridge Club Directory. . . . . . page 11 Problem Solver’s Pa nel . . . . . page 3 Glitter Gulch . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 10 So California Regional . . . . . . page 8 GNT Conditions of Contest . . page 2 Swiss Team Sectional . . . . . . page 7 Kibitz with Karraine. . . . . . . page 2 Tournaments in the West. . page 11

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

District 23 in The New Year by John Killian Happy new year District 23. There are some great upcoming events for you in the beginning of 2006: The NAOP Finals on January 15, the Los Angeles Winter Regional February 20-26, the Grand National Team Trials in March and April, and a new Swiss Team Sectional on March 2426. Good luck to everyone playing in these great events and thank you to all the people who work hard to organize them. A belated congratulations to Geoff Hampson who was on the winning Spingold team at the Atlanta NABC and also garnered enough additional points to become the #1 master point winner at Atlanta with 308.09 points. Fifty years ago he could have become a platinum Life Master. I remember Don Oakie from San Francisco actually becoming a Red Point Life Master. He was a former rubber bridge player.

Deciphering Board a Match’s mystery by Steve Mager Board A Match (BAM) Teams is for players who like to stick their necks out. Do you feel constrained by IMP strategies and would like to play in a game where going for an occasional number and eating an occasional part score double isn’t so bad? Then BAM Teams may be your kind of team game. The Event At the upcoming Los Angeles Winter Regional in February there will be two single session Board A Match Team events. You might think this is a new event for a District 23 regional but you would be wrong. Once upon a time back in the 60s when Bridge Week was 10 days long and drew upwards of 10,000 tables, the two premier team events at the tournament were one big IMP scored KO (Drawing close to 100 teams, no bracketed KOs then) and a 2 session BAM Team event. These days you rarely see a BAM Team event except the three nationally rated events at the Fall NABC, one at the Summer NABC and in an occasional NABC singlesession side event. BAM Team Scoring BAM Team scoring is completely different than IMP scored KO Teams. You can get one of only three scores on a Board, One if your team wins the board, a half if you tie the board and zero if you lose the board. Let’s say, for example, the opponents at your table play and make 4 spades for a score of 420. Your teammates make 5 spades for plus 450. You win the board and receive a score of one for the board. If your teammates make 4 for plus 420 you would receive one-half for a tie on the board. If they go down a trick in 4 Spades for a BAM continued on page 12

PAGE 2

THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BRIDGE NEWS

GNT 2006 Conditions of Contest All aspects of the National Conditions of Contest apply to each of these events, including but not limited to any and all residency requirements for participation. A participant who is a full-time student at an educational institution within the District’s geographic boundaries or a member of the Armed Services based within our geographic boundaries will be allowed to participate in this District where they temporarily reside provided that the tournament chairmen are so notified in writing on or before March 1, 2006. In no case may a player compete in the District 23 GNT if they have competed previously in another 2006 GNT event in any other District. Any player who does participate in any session of the District 23 GNT will not be allowed to compete in a 2006 GNT event in any other District. In accordance with ACBL regulations, each participant in the GNT must be an ACBL member in good standing (The membership requirements are deemed to have been met if payment of Dues accompanies the corresponding game report) The GNT is divided into four flights as defined below. Players will be allowed to participate in as many flights as they desire, provided that they are eligible to play based upon their masterpoint holdings as of September 1, 2005. 1. Definition of Flights: Super Flight: unlimited Flight A: 0-5000 masterpoints Flight B: 0-2000 masterpoints Flight C: Non-life masters with fewer than 500 MPs 2. Entry Fees: Entry fees will be $48 per team per session. All of these entry fees plus an amount budgeted by the District less all operating expenses will be divided evenly between each of the teams representing our district at the Summer Nationals. 3. Registration: Entries must be received no later than fifteen (15) minutes before the announced starting time for the event. Late entries will be accepted only at the discretion of the Tournament Director in consultation with the Tournament Chairmen. Advance registration will not be required. 4. Captaincy: Each team must designate the team Captain from amongst its own playing members on its registration entry, and said Captain will be responsible for all representation of the team. 5. Team Composition and Play Requirements: Teams may consist of four, five or six players. Players may be added at any time before actual competition begins. Each player must play at least 50% of the boards or one full session during the first stage and at least 50% of the final and semi-final knockout match thereafter. Exceptions to this rule may be made by request to the Tournament Chairmen, but will be entertained only with good cause. No exceptions will be made for the final match. 6. Appeals Committee Requirements: Each team that participates in either the Super Flight or Flight A must designate prior to play on the entry form one (or more) of its players to serve as a committee member if necessary. Those designated players must be available after each session to serve if so requested. The Tournament Director(s) should assemble any committees from amongst these players designated. Designated players must not leave the premises without verifying with the Tournament Chairmen that their services will not be required. 7. Schedule: Competition in each flight will begin on Saturday and conclude on Sunday of the same weekend unless sixteen (16) or more teams have entered a single flight, in which case the event will be finished at the next available local sectional. Flight Competition Dates Super Flight April 29-30, 2006 Flight A March 25-26, 2006 Flight B April 29-30, 2006 Flight C March 25-26, 2006 8. Sites and Starting Times: Both stages of all flights will be played at the San Fernando Valley Bridge Academy. The address of the new location for this club is 21116 Vanowen St. in Canoga Park 91303 (near the intersection with DeSoto Ave.). The phone number at the game site is (818) 999-9131. Session starting times will be 11:00 AM and TBA. The location and times will be advertised prior to the events in the Southern California Bridge News. 9. Format for Superflight and Flight B: Qualifying for Sunday’s KO final will take place on Saturday April 29, 2006. If the number of original entries received is 12 or less a full Round Robin movement will be used. If the original number of entries is 13 or more a Swiss movement consisting of eight (8) seven (7) board matches will be used. The number of teams advancing to the KO round is based on the number of entries in each flight. All players must reside in District 23 and meet the masterpoint requirements. 10. Format for Flight A and Flight C: Qualifying for Sunday’s KO final will take place at the District 23 Swiss Team Sectional on Saturday March 25th. Flight A teams must enter and qualify from the top flight. Flight C teams must enter and qualify from the lowest flight. To reach the KO round starting Sunday March 26th each team must, 1) enter the proper qualifying event, 2) note on the entry they wish to play in the Grand National Teams, 3) meet masterpoint and residence requirements, and 4) finish in a qualifying spot based on the number of teams entered in their flight of the Grand National Teams. The ranking of GNT eligible teams in each flight will determine the teams advancing to the KO round. 11. Advancement to Knockout Stage: The number of original entries received will determine the number of teams that advance to the knockout stage on the second day of play. # Teams Entered # Teams Advancing