Publica on of Chicago Contract Bridge Associa on March/April 2015 Engle receives prestigious award at CCBA Annual Meeting/Dinner Howard Engle (far right) is the proud bearer of the Chicago Contract Bridge Association’s top award, the Harmon Wilkes. The award was presented to him at the CCBA’s Annual Meeting and Dinner on January 24 at the Chevy Chase Country Club in Wheeling. Hakim takes home CCBA Gran Award Steve Brown (right) presents Amin Hakim the Gran Sportsmanship Award at the CCBA Annual Meeting and Dinner. Steve gave several examples of Amin showing patience, understanding, and good sportsmanship at the bridge table, especially when playing against beginning players. One of the requirements for winning is that the candidate play at a high level. Howard and his team members won the Mini-Spingold I (0-5,000) KO Team event at the 2014 North American Bridge Championship (NABC) in Las Vegas. He and his partner won the Bruce Life Master Pairs at a 2011 NABC. Howard thanked the board for the award, saying, “I am delighted and flattered. I’ve been very fortunate to have had very good partners.” Howard serves as treasurer of the ACBL Education Board of Directors. New CCBA directors elected; Kent named president, Churchwell VP The CCBA membership at the annual meeting elected to retain Craig Allen, Tom Dressing, Jim Dressler, Carl Sharp and Joe Stokes on the board of directors. The 15 directors are elected to three-year terms, with one-third of the terms expiring annually. Shown, left to right, are 2015 Treasurer Craig Gardner, 2015 Secretary Tom Dressing, 2014 President Bob Young, 2015 Vice President Jan Churchwell, 2015 President Les Kent, Carl Sharp, 2015 ACBL President Suzi Subeck, John Goldstein, and Joe Stokes. The other board members (not shown) are Angie Clark, Mike Cochran, Adrienne Cohen, and Sharon Pobloske. Pres. Young declares 2014 “a successful year” in State of the Unit Message The following is the content of 2014 Pres. Bob Young’s State of the Unit Message: Good evening! Thanks for being here with us at the Chicago Contract Bridge Association Annual General Meeting. Organizationally, we have added a new member to the board. We are very happy that Craig Gardner has joined us last year. Besides being an accomplished bridge player, Craig brings to CCBA a solid business background in finance, adding important capabilities to our organization. Craig, glad to have you with us. Suzi Subeck, our current board member and past president, has become the new ACBL President. Congratulations, Suzi, we are very proud and excited. On the business side, I would like to report that we had a relatively successful 2014. Our tournament bridge activities, as measured by the total table count in the year, was up about 3% from the year before. The main contributions to this growth are from the Summerfest Regional in Northbrook, the Labor Day Sectional in Skokie, and the 299er Sectionals in Darien and Glenview. We were particularly encouraged by the attendance level 2014 CCBA of the Summerfest Pres. Bob Young Regional at the new Hilton Northbrook site. We chose this new site as a means to reverse the stagnant and likely declining attendance at the previous St. Charles location. The Hilton site is situated near the center of the geographic density of our Unit 123’s members. It has great facilities and it is very attractive. It is also much more convenient for our players to get to. We broke the attendance record since 2005, despite the conventional wisdom that attendance Continued on page 4) 2015 president urges kindness at table To CCBA Members: I'd like to thank the CCBA Board for electing me to the job of president for 2015. I am honored. I believe that the position entrusted to me involves simply continuing the good work that has 2015 CCBA been done by my prePres. Les Kent decessors. Bob Young is our past president, and I will be happy to do as fine a job as he did. My success, and the success of any president, depends on the efforts and cooperation of each board member. And the fact that we have such a splendid board will reduce the stress involved with my part of the whole picture. Also, we are proud of our own Suzi Subeck, who was recently elected to be the president of the ACBL, our national organization. It's difficult to imagine the amount of time that is freely given by your board. Being treasurer, secretary, web master, communications person, tournament sites person, editor of the Kibitzer, the I/N chair and the chairpersons of the eight sectional and regional tournaments that we run, all require enormous time and effort. There are a number of more "minor" jobs that also need hours of attention. The people who do these jobs are the heart and soul of what makes the CCBA work and work well. I think that they would appreciate being thanked whenever you have the chance to do so. As you all know, the game we love is declining. In this electronic and mobile age it has become more difficult to attract young players. Your board is dedicated to attracting players of any age to this game. To do this, I think the steps are to interest them, teach them, encourage them and reward them. Each of you can be part of this process. Tom Dressing said it well at the WinterFest dinner, when he indicated that among things we need to do is to be kind and helpful at the table and to occasionally look around and offer to play with a beginner. Imagine how that would make that person feel. We, the board, will do all we can to help this process and hope we can count on you to do the same. Here's to a great year of bridge! Les Kent 2 2015 CCBA Officers/ Board Members President Les Kent Vice President Jan Churchwell Treasurer Craig Gardner Secretary Tom Dressing District 13 Director Suzi Subeck Board of Directors Craig Allen Angie Clark Mike Cochran Adrienne Cohen Jim Dressler John Goldstein Sharon Pobloske Carl Sharp Joe Stokes Suzi Subeck Bob Young Kibitzer Editor DeMaris Johnson Recorder Craig Gardner The Kibitzer is published six times per year by the Chicago Contract Bridge Association (CCBA). KIBITZER DEADLINE FOR THE MAY/JUNE ISSUE IS APRIL 1 . Send information to demaris_j@hotmail.com. Opinions of columnists are their own and may not represent those of the CCBA. For more information, go to www.bridgeinchicago.com or call the CCBA at 630-235-4718. Make Plans to Attend EXCITING SUMMER NABC August 6-16 Chicago Hilton 720 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago Ace Of Clubs The Helen Shanbrom Ace of Clubs Awards are given to the person in each category who won the most points in unit games during the previous calendar year. The following indicates the winners, and the category in which they earned their points: Fred Princehorn 0-5, Patrice Princehorn 520, Wayne Hall 20-50, Bill Davis 50-100, John Miller 100-200, Susan Eggebrecht 200-300, Caryl Brown 300-500, Bruce Ladin 500-1,000, Judy Zhu 1,000-2,500, Stephen Cheston 2,500-5,000, Ruth Westberg 5,000-7,500, Jack Snyder 7,500-10,000, and Jim Phillips 10,000+. Pictured above, left to right, Pat Princehorn, Snyder, Zhu, Fred Princehorn, Jim Phillips, and Brown. Mini-McKenney winners The MiniMcKenney winners are those players who earned the most masterpoints in the category in which they started the year. The following indicates the winners, and the category in which they earned their points: Lee Schillinger 0-5, Patrice Princehorn 5-20, Rosemary McCarthy 20-50, Neil Kazaross 50-100, Barry Berk 100-200, Susan Eggebrecht 200-300, Caryl Brown 300-500, Oren Kriegel 5001000, Judy Zhu 1,000-2,500, Dan Zagorin 2,500-5,000, Lynne Rosenbaum 5,0007,500, Jack Snyder 7,500-10,000 and Robert Gardner 10,000+. Shown above, left to right, Schillinger, Zhu, Princehorn, Snyder, Brown, and Kriegel. Invitational Pairs Winners at WinterFest Hal Stern and Barbara Lehman (above) placed first overall in the Chicago Invitational Pairs competition held during WinterFest. The event was held over two days, with half the field being eliminated the first day. Ralph Katz and Nikolay Demirev placed second, Jim Dressler and Dan Levin, third, and Howard Engle and Mark Friedlander, fourth. Glatt, Glenn Awards go to Dick Bruno, Bob Gardner CCBA Dinner Those attending the CCBA Annual Meeting/Dinner enjoyed a yummy all-youcan-eat buffet for only $15. It featured various meats, pastas, salads and assorted desserts. Dick Bruno (left) was presented the Art Glatt Award at the CCBA Annual Meeting. The award is presented to the unit player who wins the most points at CCBA sponsored Regionals in the previous year. Bob Gardner (right) was presented the Bob Glenn Award, which is given to the player in Unit 123 who wins the most points at CCBA sectionals in a year. He also won the prize in 2011, 2013 and 2014. The award is given in memory of Bob Glenn, a bridge player, who exemplified the ideal partner in that he did not give lessons at the table. Eggebrecht wins Jan Ivory Award Susan Eggebrecht won the Jan Ivory award, which is given to the non-life master who earned the most points in the previous year. 3 Partner’s defensive signals give important information Count Signals Count Signals (about 20% of signals show count) By Ginny and Jeff Schuett To defend a bridge hand well, you need to be alert to -- and be able to process -all the clues that are available. Some clues come from the bidding, which often gives you a general picture of who holds the length and strength in each suit. Your best source of information, though, is your partner, who can give you various defensive signals, based on the order in which they play their cards. These signals are used by both defenders to exchange information about their length and honor holding in each suit. Attitude Signals Attitude Signals (this is the most important and most frequently used signal, maybe 70% of the time) You can tell partner whether or not you "like" a suit by the size of the card you play when following suit to a trick you are not winning or when discarding another suit. A high card is encouraging or a "comeon" signal -- it asks partner to continue, because you have a possible trick in the suit (you have a high honor, or will be able to trump the third round). A low card is discouraging and tells him you have no potential tricks in the suit (no honors, no shortness) and that he should consider leading a different suit. If you play an honor as an attitude card or discard, it is the only card you have left, or you show the honor immediately below that one. For example, your partner leads the A which shows the K and you have the QJxx. It is often right to play the Q so partner knows you have the J. Attitude signals apply in the three following common situations: When following to partner’s lead (whether they will hold the lead or not) When discarding on a trick partner is winning and you are out of that suit When discarding on a trick declarer or dummy is winning and you are out of that suit When following suit to a trick where declarer or dummy is leading, playing high, then low in the same suit tells partner you have an even number of cards in that suit. Playing low, then high shows an odd number of cards in that suit. It you are defending a suit contract, this signal tells partner whether or not you can trump the third round of a suit. In suit contracts and no trump contracts, your count signal also helps partner determine how many cards declarer holds in that suit. This can be very valuable information if partner needs to know how long to hold up winning an ace, for example. It also helps to tell partner if they can cash a winning trick. For example, if you have supported partner’s opening major suit and he leads the A showing the K, if dummy has Qxx and if you play low, partner knows the K will cash; if you play high, showing four, partner knows declarer has no more, so the K will not cash. Suit Preference Signals Suit Preference Signals (about 10% of signals show suit preference) Suit preference signals are used by defenders in situations when normal attitude and count signals have no useful value. The prerequisites for obvious suit preference signals are the following: When partner is anticipated to win the suit led (usually by ruffing) and upon analysis of the rank (high/low magnitude) of the leader's card, a high/low suit switch is likely to allow the leader to win tricks by ruffing, high card winners (e.g, aces and kings), onside finesses, etc. The relative size of card led never relates to the suit led. The relative size of card led always relates to side suits, never to the trump suit. known (or suspected) of being able to ruff. When following to a trick that partner led and will hold the lead, and dummy will be able to ruff any continuation (e.g., partner leads the A and dummy has a singleton in a trump contract). State of the Unit (Continued from page 2) level would initially suffer with a new site. The Summerfest Regional, normally held in July, will not be conducted this year, as it would be too close to the Chicago National Tournament in early August. In its place, we will have a 7-day regional at the fine Wyndham Hotel in Glenview, beginning on Valentine’s Day of February 14 next month. CCBA’s mission is to grow, promote, and sustain the game of bridge. A major strategy of ours is to focus on the Intermediate and Newcomer segment, which is key to our future growth. We have increased our 299er sectional tournament from one per year to two per year in the Western suburb of Darien, and in the Northern suburb of Glenview. We have continued to emphasize a variety of IN programs in our tournaments, especially during our Summerfest Regional. Our signature Pro-Am event last year at the Northbrook site had drawn the most active participation since its inception 5 years ago. The 299ers who played the game overwhelmingly endorsed it as a fun and exciting learning experience. The Pro-Am game would not have been successful were it not for the generosity and active participation of our advanced players as pros in the game. Many of the pros are among us tonight. On behalf of the CCBA board, I would like to thank all the pros for your generous time and patience, and for your coaching and encouragement to our 299er players. Thanks to the contributions of all the CCBA board members and other volunteers, we had a successful year in 2014. Suit preference signals apply in two common situations: Thank You, When leading a card that partner is Bob Young 2014 CCBA President 4 District 13 Spring Regional April 27-May 3, 2015 Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, Lake Geneva, WI on Route 50, 1/2 mile East of Route 12 Call 262-248-8811/800-558-3417 on or before March 30 to insure the bridge rate Monday, April 27 2:30, 7:30 Stratified Pairs to benefit the ACBL Grass Roots Fund 7:30 KO Teams I: Session 1 7:30 Single Session Stratified Pairs Side Game Tournament Chair: Marilynn Charlson 262-490-2644 email: mcharlson@wi.rr.com Newsletter Editor Suzi Subeck stansubeck@prodigy.net I/N Chair Lynette Koski lkoski81@81@gmail.com Hospitality Chair Carl Sharp ibsharp2@sbcglobal.net Tuesday, April 28 9:30, 2:00, 7:30 Side Game Series I: Sessions 1, 2, 3 (single sessions) 9:30, 2:00, 7:30 Player’s Choice* Pairs (Stratified) 9:30, 2:00 299er Pairs (single sessions) 9:30, 2:00, 7:30 KO Teams I: Sessions 2, 3, 4 2:00, 7:30 KO II: Sessions 1 & 2 7:30 Evening Swiss Teams Wednesday, April 29 9:30 Compact KO: Sessions 1 & 2 (to conclude on Thursday morning) 9:30, 2:00, 7:30 Side Game Series I: Sessions 4, 5, 6 (single sessions) 9:30, 2:00, 7:30 Player’s Choice* Pairs (Stratified) 9:30, 2:00 299er Pairs (single sessions) 2:00, 7:30 KO II: Sessions 3 & 4 2:00, 7:30 KO III: Sessions 1 & 2 7:30 Evening Swiss Teams Thursday, April 30 9:30 Compact KO: Sessions 3 & 4 9:30, 2:00 299er Pairs (single sessions) 9:30, 2:00, 7:30 Side Game Series II: Sessions 1, 2, 3 (single sessions) 9:30 & 2:00 Stratified Daylight Senior Pairs 2:00 & 7:30 KO III: Sessions 3 & 4 2:00 & 7:30 Stratified Swiss Team 7:30 Evening Swiss Teams Intermediate & Newcomer Events 0-299 Masterpoints 0-5 ACBL members play FREE all week I/N events...ONLY $7 per session Friday, May 1 9:30 Swiss Teams: Session 1 (to conclude on Saturday morning) 9:30, 2:00, 7:30 Side Game Series II: Sessions 4, 5, 6 (single sessions) 2:00 & 7:30 KO IV: Session 1 & 2 9:30, 2:00 & 7:30 Player’s Choice Stratiflighted Pairs* (0-1500, 1500-3000, 3000+) 9:30, 2:00 & 7:30 Player’s Choice Gold Rush Pairs* (0-100, 100-300, 300-750) 7:30 Evening Swiss Teams Saturday, May 2 9:30 Swiss Teams: Session 2 9:30, 2:00, 7:30 Side Game Series III: Sessions 1, 2, 3 (single sessions) 2:00 & 7:30 KO IV: Session 3 & 4 9:30, 2:00 & 7:30 Player’s Choice Stratiflighted Pairs* (0-1500, 1500-3000, 3000+) 9:30, 2:00 & 7:30 Player’s Choice Gold Rush Pairs* 0-100, 100-300, 300-750) 7:30 Evening Swiss Teams Tuesday-Thursday Single Session Games at 9:30, 2:00 Stra fied 299er Pairs Fresh Fruit Nightly Hospitality Suite Daily Bulletins Students play for half price with valid student ID card! Sunday, May 3 10:00 Stratiflighted Swiss Teams (7 rounds) Flight A and AX B/C/D Stratified Kibitzers: Golf, Tennis, Spa *Player specifies which two sessions when purchasing entry. Mid-Chart for Flight A Events & Top Bracket of the KO’s We adhere to ACBL default handicapping. We handicap KO’s when there is only a single bracket. Stratified Games: A: 2000+; B: 750-2000; C: 0-750 Stratiflighted Pairs and Teams: A: 3000+, AX: 0-3000, B: 750-1500, C: 300-750, D: 0-300 Newcomer Events: 0-5/20/50/100/200/300 5 When is a singleton a good/bad opening lead? Winning with Wimpy By Jim Diebel When faced with an opening lead against a suit contract, few defenders can resist leading a singleton in a side suit. At times it can be very effective, but not always, especially at matchpoints. When trying to determine whether or not to lead a singleton, there are two very important factors to consider: 1. Can I get partner on lead to give me the ruff? 2. Will I have any trumps in my hand by the time partner gets the lead? Of course, if partner holds the ace of your short suit, neither issue will be a problem. When the opponents hold that card however, you will have a lot of work to do. With that in mind, if you have a singleton in a suit partner has opened or overcalled, it stands out as a strong candidate for your opening lead. The lead is so popular, that if you decide to lead an Ace in a different suit, (even if it is from Ace-King), and then shift to your singleton, you run the risk that partner will return your first suit, even though you wanted a ruff in the second. Many experienced players follow the ancient rule: “If you don’t lead it at trick one, it’s not a singleton”. For obvious reasons, this is not always true, but our goal as a good defender is to make life as easy as possible for partner, and partner is far more likely recognize a singleton led at trick one than one led at trick two. nents will eventually want to develop, and your lead will help them to place the unseen spots and honors. 1. ♠ 865 For example, if you lead an 8, declarer will almost certainly assume the 9 is held by partner if it is in neither his hand nor dummy’s. 3. ♠ A86 If declarer is able to draw trumps, your short suit lead will not only help him play that suit to its maximum advantage, but it may also give up a key tempo in establishing tricks in the defense’s best suit(s). Therefore, holding a control (an ace or a king) in the trump suit should be a key component in deciding whether or not the short suit lead will be effective. Another major thing to consider is whether or not the defender with the short suit may be giving up a natural trump trick with the ruff. Also, if the defender has four or more trumps, it is usually more effective to play a forcing defense (forcing declarer to ruff YOUR long suit), and eventually lose control of the hand, than to attempt to get a ruff or two yourself. ♥K875 ♦KJ973 ♣4 2. ♠ J865 ♥K85 ♦KJ973 ♣4 ♥K875 ♦J9763 ♣4 1) Lead the ♥5. Nothing suggests that declarer won’t be able to draw trumps, then run clubs. Don’t make it easier for him. Try to establish a possible heart winner before it goes away. 2) Lead the ♥5. You are hoping dummy comes down with three or four hearts, in which case you may be able to weaken declarer’s trump holding enough to make your red cards winners in the end. 3) Lead the ♣4. You have a trump control, and a reasonable chance that you can get partner on lead with a heart later. This is the perfect time to lead a short suit. 4. ♠8764 ♥KQ7 ♦AQJ97 ♣J West 2♣ 4♥ North East Pass 1NT Pass 2♥ All Pass South (you) Pass Pass (Continued on page 12) Let’s look at a few examples: West North East South (you) 1♣ 1♥ 1♠ 2♥ 2♠ 3♥ 4♠ All Pass District 13 GNT winners strike gold Winners in the Championship Flight of the District 13 Grand National Team (GNT) knockout finals proved they were truly champions by repeating last year’s win. Taking home first prize was the team of Jeffrey Wolfson, Steve Garner, and Eldad Ginossar, all of Chicago, plus Nikolay Demirev of Arlington Heights, Harold Mouser, Jr. of Evanston, and Greg Defotis of Lincolnwood. They won 36 gold masterpoints at the event, which was played February 21 and 22 at the Northbrook Hilton. The winning team plays in the summer NABC, which will be held in Chicago. Okay, so we agree that leading a singleton in partner’s suit is generally a good idea. But what about when it is NOT partner’s suit? What about when it is one of the suits bid by the opponents? Now it is far less clear. Placing second and winning 27 gold points was the team consisting of Jon Sorkin of Deerfield, Jeff Mandell of Northfield, Dick Melson of Chicago and David Lehman of Glenview. When you lead a singleton in a suit NOT bid by partner, it is quite likely that the opponents will hold several cards in that suit. It is probably a suit that the oppo- Winning 30 gold points in Flight A, which has a 6,000 masterpoint limit, was the team of Bob Marheine of Waukesha, WI, Mark Kinzer of New Berlin, WI, Daniel Levin of Deerfield, Paul Karas of 6 Elm Grove, WI and Eric Mane of Milwaukee, WI. Two teams tied for first place in Flight B, which has a 2,500 masterpoint limit. The members of one team were James Hudson of Elmhurst, Elizabeth Wachowicz and Zenon Wachowicz, both of Buffalo Grove, and Stanislaw Kolesnik of Elmwood Park, and the other team members were Charles Alexander of Northbrook, Robert Block of Deerfield, William Anspach of Chicago and Donald Joseph of Glencoe, and Jeff Cianci, Nic Hristea, and Mark Pinkowski, all of Chicago. Flight C, which has a 500 masterpoint limit, was won by the team of Ryan Daniels of Vernon Hills, Matt Fleischman of Antioch, Scott Baker of Gurnee and Bill Mehilos of Des Plaines, who placed first with a score of 90.98. They received 2.5 gold and 7.5 red. Placing a close second with a score of 89.85 was the team of Alexander Okamoto of Wyndmoor, PA, Julian Manasse-Boetani, Kelly Mao, Ruth Ng, and Jihong Song, all of Chicago. 70 % GAMES 87% Benging Shen and Curtiss Cohen, U of C Bridge 78% Julie Decock and Mary Franke, New Eazy Bridge 72.3% Lynne Rosenbaum and Toddy Leavitt, Queen of Clubs 74.5% Ronald Miller and Robert Hayes, New Lenox-Joliet DBC 72.2% Ronald Miller and Robert Hayes, New LenoxJoliet DBC 73.8% William Berkman and James O’Neil, Chicago DB 72.0% Carol Osgerby and Michael Howards, S. Suburban Bridge Center 72.9% Susan Schaumberger and Carol Caplan, New Eazy Bridge 72.9% Susan Rodgers and Bruce Rogers, New Eazy Bridge 72.4% Marlene Konik and M Miller, Queen of Clubs 71.1% Judith Freeman and Jacqueline Rapp, Deerfield Bridge Club 72.3% Wendy Shea and Iliana Rozemberg, New Eazy Bridge 72.2% Laura Werner and Claude Vogel, Chicago Duplicate Bridge 73.2% Michael Saltzman and Bob Meixner, NaperDBC 71.1% Jim Humphrey and Marc Passman, Ace of Clubs 72.3% Cindy Henderson and Jay Henderson, New Eazy Bridge 76.0% Michael Cochran and Jack Eilrich, Oak Park Partners 73.8% Bobbie Carrick and Simon Sellers, Olympia DBC George Clark, Tree Towns 70.9% John Shelton and Colette Novich, Lawson Bridge Studio CLUB MASTERS Kathleen Allen William Anderson Susan Belgrad Deanna Brandt Sue Dickes 70.5% Bruce Ladin and Sharon Solwitz, Chicago DB 70.5% Joseph Chin and Dave Bigler, S. Suburban Bridge Center 70.4% Roger Hendrick and Kevin O’Malley, All Bridge Saints 71.7% Stephen Furuta and Gerry Yegge, Arlington Bridge B’s 70.4% Jack Snyder and Judy Zhu, Hinsdale 71.5% Sarah Walker and Ruth Markus, Cultural Bridge Club 70.4% Dolores Baumgart and Jan Soule, American Bridge and Social Club 71.4% Nancy Frank and Jeff Schuett, Ace of Clubs 70.2% Bonnie Katzenstein and Ann Neumann, Hinsdale 71.1% Brian Blackmore and NABC MASTERS James Bloedorn Marianne Ludwick ADVANCED NABC MASTERS Beryl Block LIFE MASTERS Charles Butler SECTIONAL MASTERS Lois Bartels Wendy Brawar Richard Conyers Ronald Haidinger Kathleen Morrissey Paul Schiff Jeri Sebo REGIONAL MASTERS Lea Bazelon Gianni Hsieh Mary Lou Mellon Sara Siegel 70.0% Jerry Palm and Constance Stevens, S. Suburban Bridge Center 70.5% Jack Snyder and Judy Zhu, Naper No Trumpers 72.0% Guy Franklin and Jack Hurst, Chicago DB Susan Keeley Ann Lawrence Richard Lehn Henry Nadler James Parker Jayne Parpovich Suman Sabnis Noah Weiss 70.0% Mark Ginsburg and Marlene Konik, American Bridge and Social Club 70.7% James Diebel and Wayne Eggers, Tree Towns Congratula ons to rank advancers JUNIOR MASTERS Scott Bates Rosemary Bellion Laurence Dunford Margaret Geittmann Karen Loeb Mary Lou Mauro Donna McKeown Joseph McKeown Mill Niswander Clare Phelan Judith Shane Paula Slesar Diane St. Aubin Casey Szulc Sandra Thomas Sue Wellman Barbara Werner 70.1 Sally Levering and Al Levering, Bridge in Orland 299er Silver Point Sec onal Midwest Care Center, 2050 Claire Court, Glenview, IL 847-467-7423 Saturday, May 16, 2015 9:30 Stra fied 299er Pairs (0-100, 100-200, 200-300) 2:00 Stra fied 299er Pairs (0-100, 100-200, 200-300) (probable finish: 5:30pm) Sunday, May 17, 2015 10:00 Stra fied Swiss Teams Call ahead to arrange Sunday teammates please! (0-100, 100-200, 200-300) Playthrough (probable finish: 5 pm) BRONZE LIFE MASTERS Holly Rozner Ques ons? Call or write: Chair: Mike Cochran at 847.846.8025 cochram1@yahoo.com www.bridgeinchicago.com SILVER LIFE MASTERS P M Smaby Janet Stone Open to the first 60 tables each day. GOLD LIFE MASTER Don Solomon 7 Stars of Tomorrow Looking forward to seeing your smiles! WinterFest and Annual Meeting Snapshots Emcee George Jacobs ACBL Pres. Suzi Subeck CCBA good financially 2015 Tournaments CCBA Spring STaC, At the Clubs, April 6-12 District 13 Regional, Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, April 27-May 3 District 13 STac, At the Clubs, May 4-10 Stars of Tomorrow 299er Tournament, Glenview, May 16, 17 CCBA/ABA Sectional, Chicago, June 67 Summer STac, At the Clubs, July 6-12 Summer North America Bridge Championships (NABC), Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Aug. 6-16 Milwaukee Regional, Eau Clair, WI, Aug. 24-30 Labor Day Silver Point Sectional, 9300 Weber Park Place, Skokie, Sept. 4 -7 Stars of Tomorrow 299er Tournament, Darien, September 19, 20 NAP Dist. Finals, West Allis, Oct. 3 Central States Regional, Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Oct. 26-Nov.1 GNT District Final, Northbrook, Nov.13-15 STaC, at the Clubs, Nov. 16-22 STaC, At the Clubs, December 7-13 8 CCBA is in good financial shape, but there is some concern because the total number of tables at tournaments was down in 2014, according to Treasurer Tom Dressing (right), who gave the financial report at the association’s annual meeting. He noted that attendance at club night games is also decreasing. “Those games are important because they give people who are still working an opportunity to play. Support your night games,” he said. He reported total assets at $173,723, with current liabilities at $1,006 and total equity at $178,717. For a full copy of the treasurer’s report, email him at tom@dressing.org. Special Club Games Day/Date Time Club Loca on Sun - Mar 1 1:00 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Club Championship Mon - Mar 2 11:00 am Olympia DBC Countryside Church Senior Pairs Mon - Mar 2 10:30 am Queen Of Clubs DBC North Shore Congregation ACBL-Wide Senior Pairs Tue - Mar 3 11:00 am NaperDBC Wesley United Methodist Stratified Open Pairs Tue - Mar 3 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Unit Game-Earn Extra Points Tue - Mar 3 7:00 pm Tree Towns DBC First Congregational Unit Game Wed - Mar 4 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Wed - Mar 4 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Game-Earn Extra Points Thu - Mar 5 6:30 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Swiss Teams Thu - Mar 5 10:45 am Jeremiah Thursday Duplicate Temple Jeremiah Club Championship-Extra Points Thu - Mar 5 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Club Championship-Extra Points Thu - Mar 5 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Team Game Fri - Mar 6 11:00 am Naper No Trumpers Wesley United Methodist Charity Club Championship Fri - Mar 6 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Game-Earn Extra Points Fri - Mar 6 7:15 pm West Suburban DB First Congregational Charity Club Championship Sat - Mar 7 1:00 pm All Bridge Saints Emmanuel Episcopal Swiss Teams with Noon Lunch Sat - Mar 7 11:00 am Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast I/N Game Mon - Mar 9 1:00 pm Carol Cohn MS Landcruise Country Club League Club Championship Mon - Mar 9 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Mon - Mar 9 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant Grass Roots Fund Mon - Mar 9 7:00 pm South Suburban Bridge S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Pair Game-Extra Points Tue - Mar 10 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Tue - Mar 10 11:00 am NaperDBC Wesley United Methodist D13 Silver Point STaC Tue - Mar 10 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Club Championship Wed - Mar 11 10:30 am Bridge In Orland White Mountain Golf Course Charity Game-Earn Extra Points Wed - Mar 11 11:00 am Community Bridge Club Calumet Township Center ACBL Charity Pairs Wed - Mar 11 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant Grass Roots Fund Wed - Mar 11 7:00 pm Reluctant Redoubler DBC Temple Judea Mizpah Inter-Club Championship Game Thu - Mar 12 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Thu - Mar 12 6:30 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Club Championship Thu - Mar 12 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Game-Earn Extra Points Thu - Mar 12 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Team Game Fri - Mar 13 11:00 am Naper No Trumpers Wesley United Methodist Silver Point STAC Fri - Mar 13 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Club Championship-Extra Points Fri - Mar 13 7:15 pm West Suburban DB First Congregational Church Silver Point STAC Sat - Mar 14 11:00 am Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast I/N Charity Game Sun - Mar 15 1:00 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Mon - Mar 16 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant Inter-Club Championship Tue - Mar 17 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Club Championship Tue - Mar 17 11:00 am NaperDBC Wesley United Methodist Charity Club Championship Tue - Mar 17 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Game Tue - Mar 17 7:00 pm Tree Towns DBC First Congregational Church Gass Roots Fund Wed - Mar 18 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Club Championship-Extra Points Thu - Mar 19 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Team Game-Extra Points Fri - Mar 20 11:00 am Naper No Trumpers Wesley United Methodist Stratified Open Pairs 9 Event Special Club Games Day/Date Time Club Loca on Event Fri - Mar 20 7:15 pm West Suburban DB First Congregational Church Club Championship Stratified Pairs Sat - Mar 21 1:00 pm All Bridge Saints Emmanuel Episcopal Church Swiss Teams with Noon Lunch Sat - Mar 21 11:00 am Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast I/N Game Mon - Mar 23 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Open Pairs Mon - Mar 23 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant StaC Tue - Mar 24 11:00 am NaperDBC Wesley United Methodist Stratified Open Pairs Tue - Mar 24 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center STaC-Earn Silver Points Tue - Mar 24 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center STaC-Earn Silver Points Wed - Mar 25 10:30 am Bridge In Orland White Mountain Golf Course STaC-Earn Silver Points Wed - Mar 25 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant STaC Wed - Mar 25 12:00 pm New Eazy/Wednesday Temple Jeremiah Club Championship Game Wed - Mar 25 7:00 pm Reluctant Redoubler DBC Temple Judea Mizpah Junior Fund Game Thu - Mar 26 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Club Championship Thu - Mar 26 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center STaC-Earn Silver Points Thu - Mar 26 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center STaC Pair Game-Earn Silver Points Fri - Mar 27 11:00 am Naper No Trumpers Wesley United Methodist Club Championship Stratified Pairs Fri - Mar 27 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center STaC-Earn Silver Points Fri - Mar 27 7:15 pm West Suburban DB First Congregational Stratified Open Pairs Sat - Mar 28 11:00 am Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast I/N Game Mon - Mar 30 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Unit Game Mon - Mar 30 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant Unit game Tue - Mar 31 11:00 am NaperDBC Wesley United Methodist Club Championship Swiss Teams Tue - Mar 31 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Game-Earn Extra Points Wed - Apr 1 10:30 am Bridge In Orland White Mountain Golf Course Charity Club Championship Wed - Apr 1 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Wed - Apr 1 11:00 am Community Bridge Club Calumet Township Center ACBL Charity Pairs Wed - Apr 1 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant ACBL Charity Month Wed - Apr 1 Wed - Apr 1 7:00 pm 7:00 pm Reluctant Redoubler DBC S. Suburban Bridge Center Temple Judea Mizpah S. Suburban Bridge Center Team Game Charity Club Championship Wed - Apr 1 7:30 pm U of C Bridge Reynolds Club First game of term Thu - Apr 2 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast STaC Thu - Apr 2 Thu - Apr 2 6:30 pm 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge S. Suburban Bridge Center Gino' s East - Gold Coast S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity SWISS TEAMS Charity Club Championship Thu - Apr 2 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Team Charity Club Championship Fri - Apr 3 11:00 am Naper No Trumpers Wesley United Methodist Charity Club Championship Fri - Apr 3 Fri - Apr 3 12:15 pm 7:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center West Suburban DB S. Suburban Bridge Center First Congregational Church Charity Club Championship Charity Club Championship Sat - Apr 4 1:00 pm All Bridge Saints Emmanuel Episcopal Church Swiss Teams with Noon Lunch Sat - Apr 4 11:00 am Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast I/N Charity Game Sun - Apr 5 1:00 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Mon - Apr 6 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast STaC Silver Points Mon - Apr 6 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant ACBL Charity Month Mon - Apr 6 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Tue - Apr 7 Tue - Apr 7 Tue - Apr 7 12:15 pm 11:00 am 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge NaperDBC S. Suburban Bridge Center Gino' s East - Gold Coast Wesley United Methodist S. Suburban Bridge Center STaC Silver Points Charity Club Championship STaC-Earn Silver Points! 10 Special Club Games Day/Date Time Club Loca on Event Tue - Apr 7 7:00 pm South Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center STaC-Earn Silver Points Tue - Apr 7 7:00 pm Tree Towns DBC First Congregational STaC Wed - Apr 8 10:30 am Bridge In Orland White Mountain Golf Course Charity Club Championship Wed - Apr 8 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast STaC Silver Points Wed - Apr 8 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant ACBL Charity Month Wed - Apr 8 7:00 pm Reluctant Redoubler DBC Temple Judea Mizpah STaC Open Pairs Thu - Apr 9 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Thu - Apr 9 6:30 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast STaC Silver Points Thu - Apr 9 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center STaC Silver Points Thu - Apr 9 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center STaC Pairs Silver Points Fri - Apr 10 11:00 am Naper No Trumpers Wesley United Methodist Charity Club Championship Fri - Apr 10 12:15 pm South Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center STaC Silver Points Fri - Apr 10 7:15 pm West Suburban DB First Congregational Church STaC Sat - Apr 11 11:00 am Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast I/N STaC Silver Points Sun - Apr 12 1:00 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast STaC Silver Points Mon - Apr 13 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Mon - Apr 13 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant ACBL Charity Month Mon - Apr 13 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Tue - Apr 14 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Tue - Apr 14 11:00 am NaperDBC Wesley United Methodist Charity Club Championship Tue - Apr 14 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Game Extra Points Tue - Apr 14 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Tue - Apr 14 7:00 pm Tree Towns DBC First Congregational Church Charity Pairs Wed - Apr 15 10:30 am Bridge In Orland White Mountain Golf Course Charity Club Championship Wed - Apr 15 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Wed - Apr 15 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant ACBL Charity Month Wed - Apr 15 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Thu - Apr 16 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Thu - Apr 16 6:30 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Thu - Apr 16 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Thu - Apr 16 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Team Charity Club Championship! Fri - Apr 17 11:00 am Naper No Trumpers Wesley United Methodist Fri - Apr 17 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Charity Club Championship-Earn Extra Points Fri - Apr 17 7:15 pm West Suburban DB First Congregational Church Charity Club Championship Sat - Apr 18 11:00 am Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast I/N Charity Game Sat - Apr 18 11:00 am Community Bridge Club Calumet Township Center ACBL Charity Pairs Sun - Apr 19 1:00 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Mon - Apr 20 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Mon - Apr 20 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant ACBL Charity Month Mon - Apr 20 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Tue - Apr 21 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Tue - Apr 21 11:00 am NaperDBC Wesley United Methodist Charity Club Championship Tue - Apr 21 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Game Extra Points Tue - Apr 21 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Tue - Apr 21 7:00 pm Tree Towns DBC First Congregational Church Charity Pairs 11 Special Club Games Day/Date Time Club Loca on Event Wed - Apr 22 10:30 am Bridge In Orland White Mountain Golf Course Charity Club Championship Wed - Apr 22 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Wed - Apr 22 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant ACBL Charity Month Wed - Apr 22 7:00 pm Reluctant Redoubler DBC Temple Judea Mizpah ACBL Charity Game Wed - Apr 22 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Thu - Apr 23 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Thu - Apr 23 6:30 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Thu - Apr 23 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship- Thu - Apr 23 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Team Charity Club Championship Fri - Apr 24 11:00 am Naper No Trumpers Wesley United Methodist Memorial Handicapped Swiss Teams Fri - Apr 24 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Extra Points Fri - Apr 24 7:15 pm West Suburban DB First Congregational Church Charity Club Championship Sat - Apr 25 11:00 am Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast I/N Charity Game Sat - Apr 25 11:00 am Community Bridge Club Calumet Township Center ACBL Charity Pairs Sun - Apr 26 1:00 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Mon - Apr 27 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Mon - Apr 27 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant ACBL Charity Month Mon - Apr 27 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Tue - Apr 28 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Tue - Apr 28 11:00 am NaperDBC Wesley United Methodist ACBL Inter-Club Championship Tue - Apr 28 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Game Extra Points Tue - Apr 28 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Extra Points Tue - Apr 28 7:00 pm Tree Towns DBC First Congregational Church Charity pairs Wed - Apr 29 10:30 am Bridge In Orland White Mountain Golf Course Charity Club Championship Extra Points! Wed - Apr 29 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Wed - Apr 29 6:20 pm Lawson Bridge Studio Ann Sathers Restaurant ACBL Charity Month Wed - Apr 29 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Extra Points Thu - Apr 30 12:15 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Thu - Apr 30 6:30 pm Chicago Duplicate Bridge Gino' s East - Gold Coast Charity Game Thu - Apr 30 12:15 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Charity Club Championship Extra Points Thu - Apr 30 7:00 pm S. Suburban Bridge Center S. Suburban Bridge Center Team Charity Club Championship Winning with Wimpy (Continued from page 6) 4) Lead the ♠8. You have a trump entry and club shortness. The problem is that you also have 13 high card points. Assuming the opponents have at least 25, you can’t hope that partner has as much as the ♦K. Make a passive lead and try not to give anything away. West 1♠ 3♥ North 2♦ Pass East 2♥ 4♥ South (you) 3♦ All Pass 5. ♠6 ♥875 ♦KQ973 ♣Q964 5) Lead the ♦K. You can’t hope for more than one diamond trick, and it could vanish quickly. Spade tricks aren’t going away. If dummy comes down with a sin- gleton or doubleton diamond, switch to a club unless you see strong clubs and weak spades in dummy. Leading the spade is for dreamers. 6. ♠6 ♥A75 ♦9873 ♣KT964 6) This one is tricky. At IMPs, I would lead the spade and hope to get a diamond, a heart, a spade ruff, and another trick somewhere. On a great day, you might even catch partner with both pointed aces. At Matchpoints, I’d lean toward leading the ♦9, hoping to bank a diamond trick before it goes away on spades. In other words, a spade is your best chance to beat the contract, but a diamond might be your best shot at cutting down on overtricks. 12 STaCs in April Win silver points during the Sectional Tournament at Clubs (STaC), which runs from April 6-12. Huge overall masterpoint awards. The more tables throughout the Chicago area, the greater the awards. All Open Pairs are stratified 0-750, 0 -1500, and unlimited masterpoints. Intermediate/Newcomer games are also offered - ask your local club. Call any club owner or manager for details. The names of the clubs and the owner/manager can be found at bridgeinchicago.com. Special games can be found at the same site and in this issue of the Kibitzer.
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