From the President
The "Rose Bowl" was a great success. In case you’re not aware of the "Rose Bowl," we had a unit game on November 5 honoring Rose Meltzer (aka Johnson-Meltzer or Meltzer-Johnson) and her team for winning the Spingold Trophy! We had 18 tables! Congratulations to Lynn Yokel and Annette Powers for a 1st place East/West. A couple of very nice ladies from Palo Alto won the honors for 1st North/South. I had several players actually come up to me and state this was the nicest unit game they had ever been to. (All you school teachers, please don’t give me a bad time for ending that sentence with a preposition.)
Some bad news: Donna Munday passed away on November 9th. She was really a special person who was always laughing and either had a great joke or was eager to hear a new one, not to mention a very capable bridge player. She will be truly missed.
Better news: Florence Golden is out of the hospital and out of rehab and is back at home recuperating from a broken hip. Please give her a call or stop by and see her at the Atrium (near the corner of Blossom Hill and Almaden Expressway). Florence, hurry up and heal, we miss you at the tables.
Best News: You can win some silver points at our next unit game which is going to be on December 10th, our holiday potluck bridge game with turkey, ham, or who knows what . . . last year it was quite delicious. Thanks to Jim Hayashi for making the poster for this event, so sign up on the sign-up sheet and bring your favorite dish. This is going to be a great party, likely to fill up the club again.
Our mentoring program is becoming a success, and we still need more life masters willing to share a little of their knowledge with a newer player. A lot of these newer players are getting brave and venturing out into the tougher games. Also, look for a Pro/Am unit game after the first of the year. more on this later.
Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Our next Unit Board meeting is December 6 at 5:30 PM. Please feel free to stop by a have a slice of pizza and share some of your ideas or feelings about bridge.
See ya at the tables.
October Winners
Monday 11 a.m. San Jose Bridge Center (SJBC)
10/2 Dolores Clinch - Jack Clinch (A)
Bill Langlois - Charlie Dorn (A)
George Pledger - Bert Hsu (B/C)
Philippe Simenel - Victor Rivkin (B)
10/9 Candy Wentworth - Earl Wentworth (A/B/C)
Dolores Clinch - Jack Clinch (A)
Dan Turkus - Art Fonda (B)
10/16 Bonnie Beardsley - Judy Fisher 67.79% (A)
Malcolm Stewart - Louis Martin, Jr (A/B/C)
10/23 Bill Yetter - Robert Jonesi (A)
Dolores Clinch - Jack Clinch (A)
Barbara Marleau - Sally McLane (B/C)
Gigi Spinazze - George Pledger (B/C)
10/30 Phyllis Vierra - Richard Jacobs (A/B/C) (tie)
Alan Becker - Bev Rennie (A) (tie)
Gigi Spinazze - George Pledger (A/B/C)
Monday 7:30 p.m. SJBC
10/2 Stan Batiste - Bruce Bajema
Graham Burrows - Susan Dinga
10/9 Irv Wentzien - Marion Wentzien
Ray Crist - Robin Velte
10/16 Julia Novy-Hildesley - Keith McMahan
Bruce Bajema - Bob Elliott
10/23 Earl Wentworth - Bruce Bajema 70.2%
Robin Velte - Ray Crist
10/30 Judy Namanny - R Randolph
Susan Dinga - Graham Burrows
Tuesday 10:30 a.m. SJBC
10/3 Charlie Dorn - Jyme Schmieder (A)
N Hatfield - Tania Moalem (A)
Harry Cuzner - Doris Oelberg (B)
Ruth Sporer - Gigi Spinazze (B)
10/10 Billee Giansiracusa - Jean Power 66.37% (A/B)
Bill Yetter - Robert Jonesi (A/B)
10/17 Diane Shannon - Charlie Dorn (A)
Art Fonda - Josephine Cooley (B)
10/24 Diane Shannon - Rose Meltzer 70.46%
Jyme Schmieder - Frances Dickman
10/31 Rose Meltzer - Diane Shannon (A)
Jyme Schmieder - Frances Dickman (A)
Mostafa Hafezi - Timothy White (B)
Ruth Sporer - Keith McMahan (B/C)
Tuesday 7:30 p.m. SJBC
10/3 Don Nemiro - Jeanne Becht (A)
Bassam Baroudi - Walid Baroudi (A/B/C)
Paul Nelson - Josephine Cooley (B)
10/10 Robert Ritz - Mike Cailean (A)
John Oswalt - Cindy Gilbert (A/B)
Pamela Drew - Irene Shibuya (B)
10/17 Joan Rouse - Robert Rouse (A/B/C)
Sabina Siem - Rita Tingley (A/B)
Stan Batiste - Mike Sullivan (C)
10/24 Gary Porter - Judy Fisher (A)
Boris Ginzburg - Victor Rivkin (A/B/C)
John Oswalt - Cindy Gilbert (B)
10/31 Gary Porter - Judy Fisher (A)
Keith McMahan - Douglas Hong (A/B)
Gigi Spinazze - Vandana Vidwans (B/C)
Wednesday 10:30 a.m. SJBC
10/4 Sidney Safir - Jack Clinch
10/11 Louis Martin, Jr - Malcolm Stewart
10/18 Barbara Dorf - Norma Black
10/25 Barbara Dorf - Florence Switzer
Wednesday 2:30 a.m. Easybridge SJBC
10/11 Lillian Hutchins - Donna Lynch
10/18 Audrey Zampedri - Duane Zampedri
Wednesday 7:00 p.m. SJBC
10/4 Stuart Goodgold - Ray Yuenger (A/B)
Robert Ritz - Edward Lee (A)
10/11 Robert Madalena - John Schoenbrun (A)
Stephen Kanzee - Richard Reitman
10/18 Bob Bates - E Hansen (A/B)
Leila Sink - Charley James (A)
Marolyn Imaoka-Yancey - Mike Roney (B)
Bob Nuckolls - Eric Anderson (C)
10/25 Tania Moalem - Edward Lee (A/B)
W Riester Jr - Harriel Shea (A)
Wednesday 7:30 p.m. Oakwood
10/4 David Gambelin - Bill Traver
Anne Struthers - Elaine Erickson
10/11 David Gambelin - Bill Traver
George Humphrey - Susan Zimmerman
10/18 Don Hayden - Keith McMahan
Abby Aldecoa - Larry Miller
10/25 David Gambelin - Helen Mitchell
Anne Struthers - Elaine Erickson
Thursday 10:30 a.m. SJBC
10/5 Frank Warzek - Diane Shannon (A)
Cackalani Krishnamurthi - Vasanth Krishnamurthi (A/B/C)
Tania Moalem - Jeanne Becht (B)
10/12 Dolores Clinch - Jack Clinch
Gary Yang - David Chang
10/19 Jyme Schmieder - N Hatfield
Art Fonda - Olive Tangney
10/26 Carole Dietz - Judy Fisher 69.76%
Jyme Schmieder - Diane Shannon
Thursday 7:30 p.m. SJBC
10/5 Joan Rouse - Robert Rouse (A/B)
10/12 Robert Rouse - Carl Meyer (A/B)
Julie Joyce - Judy Moak (A/B)
10/19 Hiram Shen - Phyllis Vierra 66.25%
Mike Ravera - Yiping Song 65%
10/26 Edward Lin - Jack Uppal (A)
Mike Ravera - Yiping Song (A)
Judy Moak - Julie Joyce (B)
Friday 11 a.m. SJBC
10/6 Maureen Ellenberg - Ruth Sporer
H Zoellner - Ron Laffen
10/13 Dorothy Shannahan - Martia (Sue) Fikes 65.83%
Mike Ravera - Richard Jacobs
10/20 Phyllis Vierra - Richard Jacobs
C.H. Wang - S.Y Wang
10/27 Malcolm Stewart - Louis Martin, Jr
Friday 7:30 p.m. SJBC
10/6 Andrea James - Charley James (A)
Hiram Shen - John Prior (B/C)
10/13 Barbara Barlow - Edward Barlow (A)
Kato Yeung- Victor Rivkin (B)
10/20 Srinivasan Ravindran - Dana Brown (A/B)
Mark Robichek - Gary Porter (A)
Rajan Jeyakumar - Manian Rvs (B/C)
10/27 Kou-Ping Cheng - Daren Kuo (A)
Ray Yuenger - Lynn Yokel (A/B)
Derek Fiero - Teddi Fiero (B)
Saturday 12:45 p.m. SJBC
10/7 Hiram Shen - Ray Crist
Melinda Foos - George Pledger
10/14 Donald Perry - Glenn Hudson
Keith McMahan - Bill Traver
10/21 David Gambelin - Robert Ujifusa 67.5%
Irv Wentzien - Marion Wentzien
10/28 Jewel Schimke - Malcolm Stewart
Raja Smadi - Ileen Delaplane
Improper Questions by Al Becker
A small but growing number of players -- both experienced and not-so-experienced -- routinely ask opponents about the meaning of one or more of the bids. These bids were, in fact, not alerted, so one would assume that there is nothing special about the bid, yet questions are asked.
I suggest that these queries are, for the most part, improper. And some are downright unethical. It would be unethical, for example, if, holding xx Axx KQ98xx xx and hearing RHO open 1D, you picked up their convention card, or asked LHO what the 1D meant, or "how many are promised" etc. Remember, there was no alert, so you are expected to assume that there is nothing special about the bid. If your system permits you to bid 3D here, go right ahead; you are describing your hand by your call, not by your body language or by inappropriate questions.
Another example: N-1D S-1S N-1NT S-3H N-3S S-4S. There were no alerts during the auction. The opening leader (West) asks North (the dummy-to-be) what the 3H bid meant. This is an improper question, bordering on the unethical. 3H was not alerted, so it is assumed to be a normal second-suit bid by a strong responder who is either 5-5 or 5-4 in the majors (five spades). Is it dummy’s (or declarer’s) job to give bridge instruction to this defender? North should reply, "The bid you ask about was not alerted, so why are you asking?" When the lead is made, and the dummy is spread, North should quietly go to the director and mention what has occurred.
An opening bid of 1NT is assumed to be normal range (15-17 or 15-18); if a pair is playing weak no trumps (12-14 or 11-14), they are obliged to tell that to the opponents when the bid is made. How many times do you see a 1NT card on the table, followed by an opponent’s question to the responder about their NT range? This occurs in ever-increasing numbers; it is not only not appropriate but is a silly waste of everybody’s time.
The key to all this: if the bid in question is in fact an alertable bid and was not alerted, then the injured side has big-time recourse to tell their story to the director, who will be on their side, and if they’ve been damaged they will be duly compensated. In the case of the 1N opener, when I say "I don’t recall alerting this bid; why do you ask?" they reply: "Oh, you know people play all kinds of NT ranges" etc. etc.
The only bids that are legitimately asked about when there has been no alert are the 4-level and 5-level ace-asking bids and responses. (Blackwood and Gerber bidders should not alert anything including KeyCard or Roman responses, until the auction is over. An explanation given during the auction tends to help the bidders!)