Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
We finally have iced tea back in the break room! Parks Coffee found a
few bibs and I collected about a three-month supply.
If Parks can't provide them, I'm going to look around for another
provider. I do love my Arnold Palmers. :)
I'm also working on finding smaller cups for coffee and cold drinks. I'd
rather not have styrofoam, though those tend to be the least expensive.
The paper cups don't do well with cold beverages. I'll keep looking for
solutions for our solutions. :)
LA Chess Social
Chess playing at the bridge clubWe did something really different this week.
Zachary connected with a group called "LA Chess Social" that holds
monthly chess tournaments, and a large tournament twice a year. We made
arrangements to host the group at the bridge club this past Saturday night.
I was traveling and didn't get to be there (Zachary was), and it sounds
like they had about 90 folks present for an evening of chess and
socializing. Maybe it's something we'll do regularly!
Their events rotate to different venues every month, and I'd love having
the Pasadena Bridge Club in the rotation. You can read about LA Chess
Social at this link <https://www.chesssocial.org/home>. Their Pasadena
Bridge Club event may be online for a little while here
<https://www.chesssocial.org/schedule/upcoming-events>.
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "Simple
Overcalls and Advances"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Biddin/g
"One-level openings, 3rd and 4th position"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "Rebids by Opener and
Responder"
For this week's Saturday Afternoon "Workshop and Game" we'll talk about
"Simple Overcalls By Level."
Coming up ...
Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday
mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
web site now and available for registrations.
*Save the date!* Robert Todd is returning to the Pasadena Bridge Club on
*Sunday, April 14*, for a one-day seminar. Robert is one of my idols as
a bridge teacher and player.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
It's been a record-setting couple of weeks at the bridge club! We've had
our largest ever Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday games.
We put in a new water dispenser this week. It looks a little different
because the water bottle sits underneath instead of resting on top.
It still produces chilled, hot, and room temperature water, but the
controls take a little getting used to. The big white circle above the
spout is where you press to dispense water. And to get HOT water, you
have to rest your cup on the shelf and use both hands to press the "hot"
and "dispense" buttons at the same time. (It's a safety feature.)
Improving Your Judgment
In the catalog of available courses
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>, there are two with
the words "Improving Your Judgment" in the title, one for making opening
bids, and one for doubles.
These courses are wonderful, because they bring up how you bend the
"rules" for taking action at the table. They help you to start /thinking
like a bridge player/ when deciding when and what to do.
When teaching new bridge players, we substitute "rules" for judgment.
The rules serve to provide a scaffolding for developing judgment. With
more experience (and some help from these courses) you will start
recognizing when it might be a good time to break the "rules."
It doesn't mean that your bridge game will instantly get better! It
might mean that you start experimenting, and get some terrible results
for a while. (That's when it's helpful to have (and be) a partner with a
great sense of humor!)
IYJ - Opening the Bidding
Let's talk about how the guidelines for opening the bidding change with
the situation. In this course we'll exercise your judgment and provide
new guidelines that can help you with decisions about opening.
We'll talk about how your seat position affects opening, when to make
obstructive (preemptive) opening bids, and when to consider making a
strong forcing opening.
Of course it wouldn't be an Audrey Grant course without having great
declarer play and defensive play tips as well!
* Six Thursday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting Feb. 22
* $115 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* See the complete lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_opening>
* Click here to reserve your seat
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding
Also starting on Wednesdays this week is the dynamite Bridge Basics 2 -
Competitive Bidding course. It's the follow-on to Bridge Basics 1, of
course, but bridge players of all levels will get new tools and insights
to improve your outcomes during the auction.
* Six Wednesday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting Feb. 21
* $115 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding>
* Reserve your seat
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
*Mojo's pick*: This is the first week for two courses. Not sure you'd
like to take the whole course? Try one of these classes! If you decide
to stay, pay the difference (and keep the textbook).
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
"Preemptive Opening Bids"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Bidding
/"Opening at the One Level in First and Second Position"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "The Forcing 1NT"
Also on tap for Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Competitive
Bidding: Unusual Notrump"
Coming up ...
Sunday, March 3 is the *Pasadena Unit Game*, held at the Pasadena Bridge
Club, and it will include the annual membership meeting for ACBL Unit
559 (Pasadena San Gabriel). We'll be electing board members, awarding
players in the Ace of Clubs and Mini-McKinney races, and hosting a pizza
and salad lunch!
Be sure you have reservations! Space is limited to 16 tables for the
bridge game. Contact Miriam Harrington to reserve your seat: (626)
232-0558, or miratpf(a)aol.com. Card fees still only $10.
There's a *Sectional Tournament at Clubs* (STaC) week coming up March
18-24. The club will be hosting silver point games on Wednesday,
Thursday, and Saturday.
Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday
mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
web site now and available for registrations.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Our friend Amy Muscoplat often makes the trek from Santa Monica to play
in one of our social or novice games. She started learning to play
bridge during pandemic by taking classes online, trying out different
teachers and curricula.
For the Sorry, Partner <https://sorrypartner.com/> podcast, she recorded
a "Club Kvell" segment about the Pasadena Bridge Club, and I'm told that
the episode will drop this Thursday. I don't know what will be in it, so
I'm looking forward to hearing it as well! It's the episode featuring
Romanian champion Mihaela Balint.
Happy Lunar New Year
新年快乐
A few weeks ago our good friend and supporter Margie Lee asked if she
and friends could host a bridge party on February 7 for Chinese New
Year, and of course I was delighted!
In honor of the event, we're having club championship games all week.
It's something we get to do once a quarter -- triple the masterpoints,
and no extra card fee.
The party will be the Wednesday 11:00 AM game. We'll be serving great
chinese food for lunch (or brunch!), and can expect the game to go a
little bit beyond the usual 2:15 ending time.
Come celebrate! Drop me a note to reserve a seat, or log in to RSVP and
claim your spot. Championship games will be Tuesday evening novices,
Wednesday and Thursday morning open pairs, and Saturday afternoon
novice/intermediate.
Southern California Bridge News
I always post the monthly Bridge News on our bulletin board, but you can
always get your own copy from the District 23 web site
<https://d23acbl.org/>.
The February issue of the Bridge News is available (or will be soon!) at
this link <https://d23acbl.org/2023/12/05/current-newsletter/>.
Earlier issues are available here
<https://d23acbl.org/2023/12/02/southern-california-bridge-news/>.
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Practice Hands"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Introduction to Declarer Play/ "Creating extra
winners, and long-suit establishment"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Introduction to Defense/, "Second hand play"
* Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Opening Lead Basics: When
to lead partner's suit"
Coming up ...
*Two Over One Game Force* is the bidding system favored by a huge
majority of tournament players these days. Your opportunity to study
2/1GF is coming on Saturday mornings starting February 17. (Not only is
this a great bidding course, it has some of the best "play of the hand"
problem solving you'll see!) Save your seat here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>.
Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday
mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
web site now and available for registrations.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
