[News] Spring forward

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 the time of year when the evening games and classes almost start in some twilight, and soon full daylight. Sunset this evening is at 6:58 PM. Soon the sun will be moving further north, and I'll have to start making use of the blinds on the big windows to block the direct sunlight. Our new sign will have fewer hours of visibility, but I'm still delighted with its presence in the early evening hours. Grand National Teams The district final for the Grand National Teams will be held on April 13-14 at the Long Beach Bridge Club. This is your chance to earn a seat at the GNT national finals in July in Toronto! There are four flights: * Championship: Open to anyone * Flight A: Limited to 6000 masterpoints * Flight B: Limited to 2500 masterpoints * Flight C: Limited to non-Life Masters with fewer than 500 masterpoints No club qualifier is required! Get your team together and make plans to compete. Drop me a note if you'd like more information, or help putting together a team for the event. Oh, snap! True or false: A card is not considered "played" until it has been snapped against the table. Well clearly, that's a false statement, because it's not necessary to snap a card on the table at all! It's actually much more pleasant to simply drop or place a card (including the bidding cards) on the table. Our lovely green felt tables give the card a nice gentle fall. I think snapping the cards on the table may provide some satisfaction, a little like popping bubble wrap. But there's no reason to do it otherwise, and it's really pleasant to not hear card snaps around the room. If it's something you never thought about, try taking up the challenge of not snapping. By the way, when /is/ a card considered "played?" The answer is different for declarer and defenders! Have a look at the /Laws of Duplicate Bridge <http://web2.acbl.org/documentlibrary/play/Laws-of-Duplicate-Bridge.pdf>/ and check Law 45 C. (The whole short book is worth a read!) Classes this week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course. *Mojo's pick for this week*: "The Competitive Auction" on Wednesday evening. Pick up some more tips on using the Law of Total Tricks and Negative Doubles. Here are the topics this week: * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "The competitive auction" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Biddin/g "Strong opening bids" * Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "Practice hands" For this week's Saturday Afternoon "Workshop and Game" we'll talk about "Defensive Carding: Count Signals." Note that next Saturday afternoon's game (March 23) will be a 0-750 silver point game. Coming up ... *Silver point games*: Districts 22 and 23 are sponsoring a Sectional Tournament at Clubs during the week of March 18-24. We'll hold games at the bridge club on Wednesday and Thursday, plus a limited 0-750 game on Saturday of that week. 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&int_class_id=66999&int_category_id=0&int_sub_category_id=0&int_catalog_id=0> web site now and available for registrations. (16 students already enrolled!) *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