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649 N Fair Oaks Ave
#201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com
Some of you know that my other hobby is
astronomy, and I'm always gazing out our club
windows at the Mt. Wilson observatory.
Months ago I noticed a bright glint of sunlight
from the 150-ft solar telescope tower that's
always visible (the tower, not the glint!). I
thought it was a reflection from the observatory
itself, but it turns out to be an art project
called Sunstar.
Whenever you're in the club, take a glance out
to the ridge of Mt. Wilson. Look for the white
solar tower to the right of the TV antennas, and
see if it's glowing brightly in different
colors! https://www.mtwilson.edu/sunstar/
Extend your Bridgemate App
This past week I opened the Bridgemate App on
my phone to check on a game's progress, and
discovered that it was time to extend the app
with a subscription. That means it's been one
year since I first put it into service!
Those of you who also signed up for it at about
the same time will find that it will soon be
time to send Bridgemate a little money. I added
two years to my subscription for about $7.
That's not a typo! It's pretty inexpensive, and
well worth supporting their work.
For those who haven't discovered it yet, this
is an app for your phone that will show you
scores and results from games played at the
Pasadena Bridge Club. You can actually see how
you're doing in the midst of a game — it updates
your scores between each round. But it's much
more useful after the game, for seeing how you
did as a partnership. (Whenever I've glanced at
it during a game, I always wish I hadn't!)
Search for Bridgemate in the app store of your
phone, make an account with your ACBL player
number, and join "Pasadena Bridge Club." It's
free for the first year. There's a little
more information here.
Royal STaC Nov 18-23
All of the Open Pairs games next week will be
Royal STaC games. Clubs in several western
states are participating in the Sectional
Tournament at Clubs (STaC) for the possibility
of some big masterpoint awards if you have a
good game.
During the week, your masterpoint wins show up
as silver, but at the end of the week they'll be
converted to 25% black, red, silver, and gold.
Get a little of all the "pigmented" masterpoints
this week! Card fees for these games will be $13
to cover some of the extra sanction fee.
Single-topic classes in December
December is always a little awkward for class
scheduling with the holidays. It always seems
best to start new courses in January.
So with two weeks between the end of the most
recent courses and the Christmas holiday, I've
scheduled four single-topic classes on Wednesday
and Thursday evenings.
These will all be focused on "play of the hand"
topics, taken from an enormous library of
lessons from the late great Eddie Kantar. Here
is the schedule:
- Wed Dec 11: Entries
- Thu Dec 12: Loser on loser plays
- Wed Dec 18: The avoidance play
- Thu Dec 19: Ducking plays at suit contracts
All classes will start at 7:00 PM. They're $25
each, or $85 for all four.
Classes this coming week
Individual classes are available to join for
$25. No need to sign up for a full course!
- Wednesday, 7:00 PM, Bridge Basics 1 -
Introduction, class 4 of 6 "Minor suit
openings and responses"
- Thursday, 7:00 PM, Bridge Basics 3 -
Popular Conventions "Slam bidding"
Jane Winer will be hosting practice at the club
for Bridge Basics 3 on Sunday morning at 9:00
AM. It's really great to get together and review
the material with other classmates, and anyone
else who'd like to practice!
Coming up ...
Sunday November 17 is the next unit game. The
Pasadena San Gabriel Unit hosts the game and
provides a pizza lunch at 12:00 noon, followed
by great bridge competition at 12:30. Still $10
cash! Make your reservations for the game.
Yes, we're holding a game on the Wednesday
before Thanksgiving, as well as the Friday
after! The parking lot will be busy — consider
arriving earlier than usual!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
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