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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>
"The Longest Day" fundraiser event on June 21 was a great success! The
tip jar for additional contributions was very full at the end of the day.
We collected about $380 in the tip jar, and the bridge club is rounding
up for a $500 contribution to Alzheimer's, in addition to the extra card
fee contributed by the ACBL.
We have some great course sessions starting up for the summer! I know
it's a time when folks might plan vacations or other travel, but if
you're around, it's a great time to level-up your bridge game!
Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction
Our introductory bridge class is offered through PCC's Extension
program. The students register through PCC Extension (Pasadena City
College), but attend the class at the Pasadena Bridge Club.
We have another great turnout for the course! There's still room if you
have friends or family interested in learning to play our favorite game.
* Wednesday evenings 7-9 PM, starting July 2
* Six classes, skipping July 23
* Course fee $85, plus $15 for the textbook
* Register with PCC Extension at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions
Learn the bidding tools and language most useful for playing games in
the club or anywhere: Stayman, Jacoby Transfer Bids, strong 2-club
openings, and slam bidding.
* Thursday evenings, 7-9 PM, starting July 10
* Six classes, skipping July 24
* Course fee $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Register at this link
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Improving Your Judgment - Doubles
This course is all about takeout doubles - making them, responding to
them, and figuring out where to go from there.
The takeout double is easily the most flexible and powerful call you can
make at the table. New players need to hunt for them and use them more!
This course will help you do that.
* Wednesday afternoons, 3-5 PM, starting July 9
* Six classes, skipping July 23
* Course fee $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Register at this link
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Classes This Week
There's only one class being held this week, but it's a doozy!
On *Wednesday July 2 at 3:00 PM*, I'll be hosting the final class in
Introduction to Defense. The class is on *"second hand play,"* how to
think about the card you play immediately after declarer leads from
their hand or the dummy. Aside from opening leads, it's probably the
easiest place to make the wrong choice!
Join the class on Wednesday for $25 and improve your defense in two hours!
STaC games July 7-12
For all Open Pairs games Monday through Saturday we'll be participating
in the District 23 "Royal STaC." This is an event where the masterpoint
awards are converted to 25% each black, silver, red, and gold points.
Our open games will be combined with other open games in the district
for big overall awards. All of the clubs will be playing the same hands
at each session. Card fee will be $13 for that week.
Closure for regional
In honor of the July 4th holiday, and the Bridge Week Regional in Long
Beach, the bridge club will be *closed Thursday July 3 through Sunday
July 6*. Zachary, Lisa, and I will be in Long Beach playing in the
tournament. Hope to see you there!
Coming up ...
We have a very special game on *Wednesday July 16*, the Summer Instant
Matchpoint Game. Get assigned your matchpoints at the table with each
hand. I think there is a full gold point available for winners in that game!
This month I'll be traveling to Philadelphia from July 19 through 29.
I'll be presiding over the annual convention of the American Bridge
Teacher's Association (ABTA) and playing for a few days at the North
American Bridge Championships. I usually grab some of the teachers to
play in sessions at the tournament.
July 21-26 will be our second NAP Qualifier week. Come play for 50%
black 50% red masterpoints, and get your "Q" qualifier to compete in the
district final for the North American Pairs!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa
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>
All the feedback I've received so far has been positive on the addition
of "Opening Lead" to the game results. While we can't capture the
auction and play of the hand in club games currently, being able to see
the opening lead chosen is a pretty big deal.
NAP Qualifying
The first stage of the North American Pairs begins at local clubs, with
games that qualify players to the district final. These are also great
games for masterpoint awards and competition.
This week is the first of three weeks of NAP qualifier games at the
Pasadena Bridge Club. (There will also be games in the third week of
July and August.)
I'm expecting players from around Los Angeles to make the trip to
Pasadena to get their "Q" for the district final, hoping to move on to
the nationals! Card fees for the open games will be $13 during NAP
Qualifiers.
The Longest Day
ACBL clubs support the Alzheimer's Association every year with games and
activities for The Longest Day benefit. We're planning to hold our games
on June 21, very close to the actual longest day of the year.
The Saturday morning and afternoon games will both be Alzheimer's
benefit games. Card fees will be $13, and our charity games always come
with enhanced masterpoint awards!
Closure for regional
In honor of the July 4th holiday, and the Bridge Week Regional in Long
Beach, the bridge club will be *closed Thursday July 3 through Sunday
July 6*. Zachary, Lisa, and I will be in Long Beach playing in the
tournament. Hope to see you there!
Classes This Week
If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop
in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course.
This week's classes:
* Wednesday, June 18, 3:00 PM /Introduction to Defense/ "Signals
against notrump contracts"
* Thursday, June 19, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
"Practice Hands"
Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand
from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand
teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense.
Our next classes will be /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ on
Wednesday afternoon, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introductio/n on Wednesday
evening, and /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ on Thursday
evenings. More about those next week!
This fall in October we'll be offering /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/
during the Wednesday 3:00 PM class session. Our first daylight offering
of the class! It could turn out to be popular.
Coming up ...
/Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will start up again on Wednesday
evening, July 2. The course is open for registration now, through PCC
Extension. You or your friends can register online at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>.
Next week: Club championship games! All of the open games will pay extra
masterpoints, and no additional card fee.
And finally, believe it or not, there will be a bridge tournament right
next door in the community room by the bridge club! Our good friends at
the ABA are holding a "Grade A" Tournament on July 18-20, Friday through
Sunday. I'm really looking forward to having their event nearby and
pledged any assistance I can in terms of supplies and help. Welcome them
to the neighborhood! I'll post their flier on the bulletin board.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa
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>
Liza Billington brings an interesting story from playing bridge in Santa
Cruz, CA, this past month.
She reported that the club turns on a feature in the Bridgemates that
lets you *record the opening lead* for every contract. The opening leads
appear in the game results for each hand. For an example see the game
results from one of their games at this link
<https://my.acbl.org/club-results/details/1243431>.
I'm going to try it at a game this week, and see what you all think. I
think it'll be fun. Choosing an effective opening lead is one of the
most important factors in improving your game results. Let me know if
you have an opinion!
Zachary is taking a family vacation next week June 8, so Lisa and I will
be covering the games and workshops on the schedule.
Special games coming in June
*North American Pairs Qualifying games*: We'll be holding games for one
week each in June, July, and August. This month the games will be Monday
through Friday, the 11:00 AM Open Pairs, June 16-20. NAP games pay big
points as well as qualify players to the NAP District Final. Card fees $13.
*The Longest Day Benefit for Alzheimer's*: Saturday, June 21, our novice
game and Open Pairs games will be part of the annual "Longest Day"
benefit held in June every year. Games pay big masterpoint awards, and
the extra card fee goes to benefit Alzheimer's Association.
*Club Championship games*: All games the week of June 23-28 will be Club
Championship games. These come with no extra card fee, but pay lots of
extra points, almost equivalent to a Unit Game, with overalls awarded.
Classes This Week
If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop
in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course.
*Mojo's pick* for this week: Thursday evening's class in Competitive
Bidding can have a dramatic effect on your game results. We'll introduce
negative doubles (also called responder's doubles), and talk about how
things change when the auction becomes competitive.
This week's classes:
* Wednesday, June 4, 3:00 PM /Introduction to Defense/ "Opening Leads
against Trump Contracts"
* Thursday, June 5, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
"The Competitive Auction"
Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand
from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand
teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense.
Coming up ...
The big Bridge Week regional in Long Beach starts on Monday, June 30. At
this time we're planning to close the bridge club on Thursday and
Friday, July 3 and 4. We may also close on Saturday July 5. (I'm not
sure if the Unit Game will be held on July 6.)
/Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will start up again on Wednesday
evening, July 2. The course is open for registration now, through PCC
Extension. You or your friends can register online at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
