Page 8 OF 8 The Bridge Gazette

The Bridge Gazette

November, 2012 Kim Howard, Editor

1520 14th Avenue, Vero Beach, FL. 32960

772-562-3008

www.verobridge.com

From the Bridge Coordinator’s desk By Jamie Portell

It is great to see many of our members back at the VBBC after spending the summer months in cooler regions. So that you’ll have a chance to catch up with one another, we have a wonderful new event scheduled for November 1. We’re calling it our Season Kick-off Event. Marge is preparing a fabulous lunch which will be followed by an Upgraded Club Championship game for both Open players and 0-499ers. Game directors Betty Wiese and Jane Garr are donating their salaries that day to the Salvation Army in memory of Wes Tillis, one of VBBC’s past presidents. We will have a small red kettle available for those of you who would like to donate also. These donations will help the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving and Christmas efforts in our community. This season, we are scheduling two Swiss team games for 0-299ers each month. Holly Thomas, partnership chairman for this group, will help put teams together. STaC week will be held November 12 – 18. This is a wonderful opportunity to receive silver points at our club. November 18 is a Swiss Team game and we will have a section for Open players and 0-299ers. One change we are making this season concerning Swiss Team games is that we will begin handicapping the Open section. We hope this will encourage newer players and those who are less experienced to feel they have a better chance to compete in these games. The 0-20 Student Game resumes November 13 at the Indian River Shores Community Building at 9 a.m. The format is the same as the Friday morning 0-20 game at the VBBC, which begins with a short lesson followed by duplicate play until noon. No partner or reservation required. The Tuesday evening lesson, dinner and game also resumes November 13. Pick up one of the flyers for more information.

Continued on page 4

Phone extensions 201 Manager’s office

202 Director’s desk

203 Courtesy phone by the bookcase

204 Cashier’s desk

205 Jamie’s desk

206 Larry’s desk

The Bridge Gazette Editor: Kim Howard Contributors for this issue: Toril Liapis, Leslie Phelps, Merle Hauser, Larry Griffey, Kim Howard ,

Jamie Portell, and Melody Gabriel

www.verobridge.com • for daily game results • for tournament schedules • for education events • to locate a member’s e-mail address

From the president’s desk By Merle Hauser

The good news is, with the season coming up, the table count is improving. The bad news is that there is a lot more mess left on and around the tables after the game. As the north/south players remain at the table for the entire game, I suggest they take over the responsibility for making sure the table they play at is cleaned at the end of the session. Candy wrappers, coffee cups, etc. should be thrown into trash containers. Pencils should be returned to tables at either end of the room. Put any seat cush-ions left at the table on top of the table so they will be easier to find prior to the next game. In other words, clean the table as you would clean it in your own home after entertaining. A couple of years ago, some members were quite upset with me for introducing political humor into this letter. I’m not going to do that now, but I do sug-gest that you exercise your right to vote.

Page 8 OF 8 The Bridge Gazette

November 1 Richard Crannell, Robin Dunlap, Gini Koehler

November 2 Gloria Anderson, Nancy McMahon, Carole Miller November 3

William Baum November 4 Este Brashears, Pat Brinkerhoff, Ginger Winkler

November 5 Robert Byrd, Paul Donaghy, Robert McBride, Barry Rowles

November 6 Jill Benedict, Elly Manov, Trevor Smith, Norm Thomas

November 7 Anne Bailey, Perk Moseley November 8 Ceb Benisch, Jean Clinton, Karen Lind, Gerry Nogelo

November 9 Edie Brundage, Hazel Lacks November 10

Don Riefler November 11 Carol Critchell, Christine Gibbs, Phyllis Thompson,

Judith Zern November 13 Monka Munte

November 14 Lillian Horton November 15

Donald Houpt, Fred Taylor

November 16

Cheryl Falb, Mary Rianhard, Helen A. White November 17 Jim Greene, Louann Yates November 18

Frances Ingraham, Douglas Johnston November 19 Ellie Lloyd, Susie Woody

November 20 Richard Hunter, Judith Melchiorre, Betty Wiese November 21

Sandra Gross, Louise Kappus, Janice Lunn November 22 Gerry Browning, Mimi Burke, Honey Lee Richless,

Les Riordan November 23 Pat Pritchard, Bob Shrauger, Morris Stein

November 25 Peggy Bradt, Robert Cronenwett, Sharon Sklansky November 26

Toni Brower, Rick Helfand, Bill Rose, Deanna Sammon November 28

Anita Stafford, Marshall Wolf November 29 Griff McClellan, Sarah Price

November 30 Lise Hounsell, Sarita Johnston, Paul Mita

9 A.M. FRIDAY STUDENT GAME

A brief lesson and at a somewhat slower pace makes this a great game for students or those who want to give duplicate bridge a try. The session begins at 9 a.m. with a brief lesson before the game. The fee is $6 for members and $8 for nonmembers.

RETURNING ON NOVEMBER

13TH!!

9 A.M. TUESDAY STUDENT GAME A brief lesson and at a somewhat slower pace makes this a great game for students or those who want to give duplicate bridge a try. The session begins at 9 a.m. with a brief lesson before the game. The fee is $8 AND WILL BE HELD AT AND WILL BE HELD AT AND WILL BE HELD AT AND WILL BE HELD AT INDIAN RIVER SHORES COMMUNITY INDIAN RIVER SHORES COMMUNITY INDIAN RIVER SHORES COMMUNITY INDIAN RIVER SHORES COMMUNITY

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS

OCTOBER BIRTHDAY PICTURE

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Bridge Education by Larry Griffey

NOVEMBER BRIDGE CLASSES

Learn to play bridge with Gail Reams

• Bridge for Beginners - November 1 - 29 • Mondays and Thursdays; 9:30– 11:30 AM • $120.00 including a book.

Modern Standard Bidding with Jay Prillaman

• Mondays - starting November 5th • 9:30 - 11:30 AM • $60.00 including a book.

Four Special Bidding Topics with Lyn Giuffrida

• Thursdays - starting November 1st • 9:30 - 11:30 AM • $50.00 for all 4 topics or $15.00 per class Tuesday Night is returning on November 13th. There will be a one hour lesson with hands to play starting at 4:30 p.m. The topics will be announced each week. You can then stay to eat and play bridge. If you have No partner we have a standby player available. All who attend are guaranteed a partner. The fee for the whole night will be $15.00 per person. If you prefer to do one or two, the fee will be as follows: Lesson only $6.00; Dinner only $4.00; Game only $6.00; lesson and dinner/dinner and game $10.00. Please come learn, eat and play bridge.

Playing by the Rules By Jamie Portell

Welcome back to all our returning snowbirds! And welcome to visitors from other parts of North America and the World. We are very proud of our excellent club, one of the 10 largest in North Amer-ica. We are also proud to have at least 10 world-class players who are members or frequent visitors. Add to that the internationally known bridge pros and teachers who, after their lectures, honor us with their presence at the table, and you can really ap-preciate what it is like playing against the best of the best. When you play against the best, there will be an increased emphasis in playing by the rules. This is a challenge to beginner and intermediate players who do not know the rules very well, to experienced players who think they know the rules but may not be aware of recent changes, and especially to

directors, who have to make rulings at tables of all of the above! As directors we try to be knowledgeable, impartial and objective. But we need the support of our players. If an irregularity occurs at your table – a lead from the wrong hand, a failure to alert a conventional bid, a pass out of turn, a revoke – please call us. We will try to sort it out, and see that the non-offenders are pro-tected. We will also try to protect the offenders by explaining their options and helping them choose the least severe remedy. Remember, even if you are sit-ting at the table with 3 directors, only the director on duty can issue a ruling, and only that director has no stake in the result! So when the game director is called to your table please bear in mind that we are there to protect all involved, to restore equity, and to keep the game run-ning smoothly and fairly for all. We look forward to seeing you at the tables!

Page 8 OF 8 The Bridge Gazette

From the Bridge Coordinator’s desk Continued from page 1

I have been asked recently to address a common situation which occurs much too frequently at the table and that is the problem with hesitations. Your hesitation is not in and of itself, illegal or improper, however, your partner’s response may be. Partner is not allowed to take advantage of any information that you may have conveyed to him. All partner can do is make a call as if the hesitation had not happened. If the complaining side has been damaged, your score will be adjusted and you will receive the least favorable result probable. Also, it would be improper for partner to automatically pass just because of your hesitation and it’s a much more serious offense if he passed in order to subtly punish you for taking too much time! Both of these actions are improper because they introduce unnatural scores, thus, damaging the field. Bidding too quickly, especially after a stop card or skip-bid warning has been used by your right-hand opponent, is also a no-no. Tempo must be maintained.

Many of our members are telling me how much they’re enjoying using the hand analyses available at thecommongame.com. Since we have just begun to participate, I’m interested in any feedback you may have so I can pass it along to the folks in District 9 who are anxious to hear comments from participating clubs so they may improve and expand the service. The VBBC is participating on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoons. As one of the top bridge clubs in North America, we have a lot to be thankful for here at our club. Many people contribute their time and talents to help the VBBC run smoothly: cashiers, kitchen volunteers, hospitality chairman, partnership chairpersons, teachers, game directors, volunteer players, the finance, maintenance, conduct & ethics, and appeals committee members, education chairman, Merle and the board members and officers and others behind the scenes like Sally, Priscilla, and Ron whose talents contribute to our enjoyment of the club. While she is not a volunteer, Kim, our office manager, keeps a handle on it all, preparing our boards, answering the phone, registering students for classes and special events, maintaining the club’s data base, taking care of the accounting and financials, and just being there when she’s needed to trouble shoot a problem or answer a question. I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving! See you at the club.

Congratulations to the following members!

October Rank Changes

Junior Master – Joan Henderson, Kathy Tracy

Club Master – Rob Middleman, Tami Tillman

Sectional Master – David Bardes

Regional Master – Richard Haverland

National Master – Ken Waul

Bronze Life Master – Helga Woodard

Gold Life Master – Sid Stein

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY By Jamie Portell

According to the ACBL, the ultimate purpose of the Zero Tolerance policy is to create a much more pleasant atmosphere in our games. We are attempting to eradicate unacceptable behavior in order to make the game of bridge more enjoyable for all. The sign displayed on the south wall in the main playing area and printed below lists some examples of commendable behavior, which, while not required, will significantly contribute to the improved atmosphere: • Being a good 'host' or 'guest' at the table.

• Greeting others in a friendly manner.

• Praising the bidding and/or play of the opponents

• Having two clearly completed convention cards

readily available to the opponents (This one is a

regulation) The following are some examples of behavior which will not be tolerated: • Badgering, rudeness, insinuations, intimidation,

profanity, threats, or violence.

• Negative comments concerning opponents' or

partner's play or bidding.

• Constant and gratuitous lessons and analyses at

the table.

• Loud and disruptive arguing with a director's

ruling.

If a player at the table behaves in an unacceptable manner, the director should be called immediately. Annoying behavior, embarrassing remarks, or any other conduct which might interfere with the enjoyment of the game is specifically prohibited by Law 74A. Law 91A gives the director the authority to assess disciplinary penalties.

Page 8 OF 8 The Bridge Gazette

Eleanor has four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. The whole family gathers for a cruise once a year around the holidays. Members may notice the plaque in our kitchen in honor of Ed and Eleanor Baum. About the Baums’ donations to fund our old kitchen and to remodel the more recent one, Eleanor says, “The ironic thing is I hate to cook.” Eleanor suffered a bad fall last year breaking her knee cap, nose and a couple of vertebrae but, today she zooms around with the aid of a walker getting from point A to point B quicker than most of us. A few years ago she was honored by our club with a specially upholstered chair, a perfect throne for our Queen of the Vero Beach Bridge Club to sit on as she plays our favorite game.

MP

Level

ACBL

-Wide Rank

Ace of Clubs VBBC Member

MP thru

Oct 2012

100-200

9th

Jeffrey Jones 86

300-500

26th Helga Woodard 102

1000-2500

26th Judy Kane 163

2500-5000

23rd Ron Andrews 213

5000-7500

16th 28th

Debbie Drury Rob Colton

213 226

Ace of Clubs and Mini-McKenney Leslie Phelps

Here are the Ace of Clubs ACBL nationwide (not Unit)

standings of our members for points earned at the club

level through October 2012 for the top 30 in each

division. Our club should be proud of the fine

accomplishments of these members.

ACBL-wide Master Point

MP Level ACBL-Wide Rank

Mini-McKenney

VBBC Member

MP thru Oct 2012

100-200

15th Jeffrey Jones 178

Eleanor Baum is our Queen of

Bridge By Melody Gabriel

Eleanor Baum holds two wonderful distinctions at our club. Not only is she our oldest member at age 97, but she is also our longest-standing member, having joined the club in its infancy when players met at a church. She has seen the club grow and move to the Community Center, the Senior Center and finally to our present location. Eleanor, who is a silver life master, eventually became a game director at our club and also directed games on many cruises where she also taught classes accompanied by her husband Ed. A native of Illinois, Eleanor taught math for 30 years, both at the junior high and high school levels. She met her late husband Ed in college when they were seated alphabetically in the classroom. His name was Baum and her name was Baka. Eleanor said she wrote in her diary about Ed, “Pretty good waltzer.” Ed, who was trained and worked as a chemist, also had a successful career in real estate before moving to Vero in 1962. After Ed passed, Eleanor moved to Indian River Estates where she has a cozy three-bedroom apartment decorated with many, many pictures of her family. One room is her office and, yes, this nonagenarian uses a computer and email. Sons Rob and Richard are familiar faces at our club because they take turns traveling once a month to visit their mother and, while here, they play bridge. They were both here along with other family members for her birthday celebration at the club in October.

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CARD SHARKS FOR SEPTEMBER

Jamie Portell

0000––––5 5 5 5 Morris Stein Morris Stein Morris Stein Morris Stein 6666––––20202020 Lettie Hurst Lettie Hurst Lettie Hurst Lettie Hurst 21212121––––50 Pat Forsdick50 Pat Forsdick50 Pat Forsdick50 Pat Forsdick 51515151––––100 Holly Thomas100 Holly Thomas100 Holly Thomas100 Holly Thomas 101101101101––––200 Susan Hansel 200 Susan Hansel 200 Susan Hansel 200 Susan Hansel 201201201201––––300 Kim Andrews300 Kim Andrews300 Kim Andrews300 Kim Andrews 301301301301––––400 Joanne Matchette400 Joanne Matchette400 Joanne Matchette400 Joanne Matchette 401401401401––––500 Beverly Mogensen500 Beverly Mogensen500 Beverly Mogensen500 Beverly Mogensen 501501501501----750 Hazel Lacks750 Hazel Lacks750 Hazel Lacks750 Hazel Lacks 751751751751––––1000 Jim Andre1000 Jim Andre1000 Jim Andre1000 Jim Andre 1001100110011001----2500 Jamie Portell2500 Jamie Portell2500 Jamie Portell2500 Jamie Portell 2501+ Ron Andrews2501+ Ron Andrews2501+ Ron Andrews2501+ Ron Andrews CLUB STATS FOR SEPTEMBER TOTAL TABLES TOTAL TABLES TOTAL TABLES TOTAL TABLES ---- 859.0 859.0 859.0 859.0 Black Masterpoints Black Masterpoints Black Masterpoints Black Masterpoints ---- 1653.521653.521653.521653.52 Red Masterpoints Red Masterpoints Red Masterpoints Red Masterpoints ---- 83.9683.9683.9683.96 Gold Masterpoints Gold Masterpoints Gold Masterpoints Gold Masterpoints ---- 9.049.049.049.04 TOTAL MASTERPOINTS TOTAL MASTERPOINTS TOTAL MASTERPOINTS TOTAL MASTERPOINTS ---- 1746.521746.521746.521746.52 ABC CLUB Kim Howard Congratulations to the following C players who came in first in all strata (C, B, A) in an open game during October:

10/210/210/210/2 Mari Malloy & Gloria PappalardoMari Malloy & Gloria PappalardoMari Malloy & Gloria PappalardoMari Malloy & Gloria Pappalardo 10/510/510/510/5 Hazel & Sam LacksHazel & Sam LacksHazel & Sam LacksHazel & Sam Lacks 10/710/710/710/7 Paul Hatten & Martha GlassmeyerPaul Hatten & Martha GlassmeyerPaul Hatten & Martha GlassmeyerPaul Hatten & Martha Glassmeyer

10/8 Sandra Gross & Linda Conner10/8 Sandra Gross & Linda Conner10/8 Sandra Gross & Linda Conner10/8 Sandra Gross & Linda Conner 10/10 Barbara Bromberger & Cathi Kester10/10 Barbara Bromberger & Cathi Kester10/10 Barbara Bromberger & Cathi Kester10/10 Barbara Bromberger & Cathi Kester 10/11 Holly & Norm Thomas10/11 Holly & Norm Thomas10/11 Holly & Norm Thomas10/11 Holly & Norm Thomas

Beverly Mogensen & Geri EssigBeverly Mogensen & Geri EssigBeverly Mogensen & Geri EssigBeverly Mogensen & Geri Essig 10/17 Marty Hunter & Susan Mehiel10/17 Marty Hunter & Susan Mehiel10/17 Marty Hunter & Susan Mehiel10/17 Marty Hunter & Susan Mehiel 10/1810/1810/1810/18 William & Jane ColemanWilliam & Jane ColemanWilliam & Jane ColemanWilliam & Jane Coleman

10/2210/2210/2210/22 Carol Koontz & Maureen HendricksCarol Koontz & Maureen HendricksCarol Koontz & Maureen HendricksCarol Koontz & Maureen Hendricks 10/2310/2310/2310/23 Maria Malloy & Gloria PapplardoMaria Malloy & Gloria PapplardoMaria Malloy & Gloria PapplardoMaria Malloy & Gloria Papplardo 10/24 Gloria Papplardo & Ellen Gelberg10/24 Gloria Papplardo & Ellen Gelberg10/24 Gloria Papplardo & Ellen Gelberg10/24 Gloria Papplardo & Ellen Gelberg

10/26 Tom Cadden & Don Tribus10/26 Tom Cadden & Don Tribus10/26 Tom Cadden & Don Tribus10/26 Tom Cadden & Don Tribus Susanne Redmond & Lynn PreschlackSusanne Redmond & Lynn PreschlackSusanne Redmond & Lynn PreschlackSusanne Redmond & Lynn Preschlack

70 percenters for October Compiled by Toril Liapis

Congratulations to the following who achieved 70 percent or more games in October: 10/2 Connie Sackville & Mariangela Risso 76.25%10/2 Connie Sackville & Mariangela Risso 76.25%10/2 Connie Sackville & Mariangela Risso 76.25%10/2 Connie Sackville & Mariangela Risso 76.25% 10/23 Candace Griffey & Bronia Jenkins 71.41% 10/23 Candace Griffey & Bronia Jenkins 71.41% 10/23 Candace Griffey & Bronia Jenkins 71.41% 10/23 Candace Griffey & Bronia Jenkins 71.41%

Henry Meyer is our newest

Diamond Life Master By Melody Gabriel Congratulations to Henry Meyer who recently attained Diamond Life Master (5,000 points). Soon to be 86 years old in February, Henry started playing bridge with his mother at 19. He continued playing rubber bridge while in the Navy, but, when he moved to Vero in 1990, like so many of us, he transitioned to duplicate bridge and never looked back. Henry grew up in New York City and after his stint in the Navy he graduated from Princeton in 1950. He then “fussed around Wall Street,” as he explained his career. Today, Henry keeps active by playing golf six or seven times a week and, of course, playing bridge. His advice to up-and-coming bridge players is to seek out a mentor, someone other than your partner, to go over the hands of the day. He suggests keeping a notebook to write down bids and opening leads of various hands that might be discussed soon after the game is over. Our club honored Henry’s achievement with a cake in October.

When you see Gail Partenheimer give her a Great BIG Thank you for all the wonderful Halloween decorations she lent to VBBC for our October Festivities!!!!!!

Page 8 OF 8 The Bridge Gazette

Page 8 OF 8 The Bridge Gazette