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> *If you've never been an ACBL member*, and you're playing in games at the club, it's free and easy to become a member and get your own player number. Much like joining the USGA as a golfer, and having them track your handicap, the ACBL will keep track of your progress in bridge as you climb the ranks. (They also have a great monthly magazine and lots of activities!) To get your free guest membership, visit our web site pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>, find the menu and select Resources, then look for the "ACBL Guest Membership" link. Or never mind all that, and just click on this link <http://my.acbl.org/membership/join?guest=X&club=277210&teacher=8202249> to get your free ACBL Guest Membership. Of course you can just buy a full membership, but I recommend this path. It comes with a massive discount ($29 instead of $59) on your first year of full membership! When you get your new player number, drop me a note so I can add it to the database at the club! Stardust week This one snuck up on me and I didn't get it on the calendar! But after asking, I learn that everyone wants gold points, no matter what. So all open games this week (M-F 11:00, Sat 1:00) will be Stardust games, paying regular club masterpoints, but converted to 25% gold when the game is uploaded to ACBL. Card fees for the Stardust games will be $13. Thursday afternoon novice 0-100 Effective immediately the Thursday 3:00 PM Novice Pairs is open to all players with fewer than 100 masterpoints. We'd love to have a few more folks come to play! The Thursday afternoon game is typically 12 hands, and should always be complete by 5:00 PM. It's a great place to start experiencing real duplicate bridge with other students and novice players. Come earn your first (or twenty-first, or 99th) masterpoint! Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ will be starting on Thursday evenings on May 15. This is the second of the Bridge Basics course series. If you're already playing games at the club, /this is the course/ that will probably have the most impact on how well you do in the results. If you're new to bridge, this is the course that starts to show how fascinating the game can be, with strategy and close decisions on every side. You'll add vocabulary to your bidding language, and tools to get to the best score. * Six Thursday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting May 15 * $120 includes textbook * Full lesson plan here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding> * Click here to save your seat <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> (pay at the club) 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: Wednesday evening, practice two over one game force auctions. It's a treat to get to practice only hands involving 2/1GF or the one notrump forcing bid! This week's classes: * Wednesday, May 7, 3:00 PM /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/ "Handling the Opponents" * Wednesday, May 7, 7:00 PM /Two Over One Game Force/ "Practice Hands" * Wednesday, May 8, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "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. Coming up ... For those of you in our eastern realms, nearer Ontario, or willing to travel, *Tom Lill has a game on Saturday, May 10,* starting at 10:00. He's having a full day of bridge, with two sessions! He had a cancellation and is looking for a player to fill out the last table. If you'd like to play, drop me a note and I'll forward it along. Later in May we have more "Go local!" glitter points: Monday through Wednesday, May 19-21 all regular open club games will award 25% silver points. Thursday through Saturday, May 29-31 all regular open club games will award 25% gold points. No extra charge! Just a little "glitter" from the ACBL for the local clubs. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary