THE FRIENDSHIP CLUB

July/August Newsletter

Friendship Bridge Club wishes everyone a wonderful, warm, storm free summer! Our website is pretty popular! So far on June 9, we have had over five thousand hits! That’s a lot for a small club!

July and August are chock full of extra point games for you to earn points towards your next level. These two months we offer extra points every playing day. July features ELEVEN qualifying games, FIVE Junior Fund Games, ONE Unit Championship, and SIX Quarterly Club Championship games. August is the month for those of you looking to earn SILVER Matchpoints! We have a Sectional Tournament at Clubs the beginning Monday, August 13. The rest of August features SIX International Fund games, TWELVE North American Pairs games, and ONE Unit Championship game. Unlike most clubs, Friendship does not charge extra for these extra point games. So join in the fun, and come play bridge!

Also, we want to congratulate Ronnie Burman on advancing to Regional Master! Great going, Ronnie! As well, Phyllis Levy earned the level of Bronze Life Master. Congratulations!

Once again, this newsletter features an article on someone we all know but don’t really know all that well. Many thanks to Donna Blythe for taking the time to interview Richard Criswell. And, we are so lucky that Kim Hall has allowed us to share some basic rules that he has written about. Thank you, Kim! There is also a summary of our finances thanks to Steve Tiktin. As President, Ben Feinswog shares a few thoughts, and we have more Feinswog Funnies for you. PLEASE, if you have any ideas for our newsletter, let us know. And feedback is always welcome. We want to include things YOU want to know. We hope you enjoy it!

Treasurer’s Report by Steve Tiktin

With the year half over, this would be a good time to provide our club’s financial information. During the past six months, we have increased our cash position and find that in each month our cash intake exceeded our expenses.

Our average table count for the period was about eight and a half tables. We, of course, slow down during the summer months, but for the month of June 2018, we averaged over seven tables per game which exceeded our average table count in June 2017 and June 2016.

One of the reasons our attendance is holding up is because of the loyalty of our Members and our friendly atmosphere which makes it a great place to play for everyone.

Our food, beverage and special event cost is about 50% higher than last year, but it is manageable and is one of the inviting aspects of Friendship. It is nice to see the teamwork that goes into buying and presenting the food.

Let's keep working together. Meet Richard Criswell!

Happy 92nd Birthday to our own Richard Bingham Criswell on August 10th! Although Richard has a very British name, his DNA includes a Hungarian "Grossman" and a Norman "Croixville aka Crestwell aka Criswell. Perhaps this is why we all find him so charming or is it his baby blues?

Richard was born and raised in New York City. He is the son of a sailor, and as such, he and his family loved to travel, enjoying journeys to many countries including Malta, Australia and Nicaragua. He attended Rutgers University before he was called to duty during WWII. He honorably served America as a Radioman aboard LST 49 in the Pacific Theatre and earned a Battle Star for his participation in the perilous invasion of Okinawa! After his tour of duty, Richard co-founded a Latin American advertising chain that spread to seven countries. His advertising career had him in Latin America some twenty years, starting in Caracas in 1956 with periodic stints in Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Mexico. After two years in Mexico, he retired to Escondido, CA where he purchased an avocado farm! He spent three years in Escondido until his old company, Leo Burnett, asked him to return and take charge of the creative side of the business for Latin America. In 1980, Richard and his company chose to have their regional headquarters relocate to Miami, which is how we got so lucky as to have him in Florida!

He lived in the Gables where he first discovered the Friendship Bridge Club at the Youth Center, and he played his first Miami duplicate game there as a walk-in. New to but having played a lot of social bridge in his younger years, Richard says he got a lot of help from very patient friends like Karl Perkins, Jody Ledford, Richard DeQuattro and others. In addition to learning more about bridge, Richard is also very proud of having finally earned his remaining six credits to attain his Bachelor of Arts degree from Barry University in 1990. Way to go, Richard!

Eventually, after thirty years in all, Richard retired from the advertising business once more and moved to the Silver course of Doral CC where he became a low handicap player, enjoying golf almost daily. Never one to really take it easy, when a Nevada Bob's Discount Golf store opened near to the country club, a golfing friend offered him the opportunity to purchase fifty percent of the franchise, and he went for it! After two years of working the franchise, he decided he really wanted to retire. He sold his half back to his partner and moved up to a golf community (Mariner Sands) in Stuart, FL. Still, his wife, Mirta, who is Uruguayan, missed the Miami Latin connection up north, so they returned south to Miami Shores in 2005. Richard continued playing occasional golf until back problems caused him to stop. That meant good things for all of us. With less time on the course, Richard returned to duplicate bridge while in Miami Shores and more so when he moved back to the Gables about three years ago. He is a loyal and steady partner with over one thousand master points!

Richard has five children and nine grandkids. One of his boys, Thomas, lives very close to him, so he enjoys breakfast with him and his family every Sunday morning. His son has two children, a girl almost sixteen and a son twelve. It is a wonderful family that fills the air with happiness. His eldest child is Christine who will be 68 in July. His other two boys are John 60 and Mark 57.

Most of all, Richard is a true gentleman with an easy smile in his ever youthful baby face and a sparkle in his baby blues. Happy Birthday to our delightful friend and cherished partner at the Friendship Club!

Kim’s Pointers

COMMON RULES AND BASIC ETIQUETTE (that all bridge players should know)

Rules

1. What Constitutes a Played Card?

Whether a card is considered played is different for declarer and for the defenders. For declarer if the card is “on or near the table or in a manner as if to be played,” it is considered played. For defenders, a card is considered played “if the card is played in a manner that, if his partner were looking, he could have seen the card.” When the director is called, he often asks for a visual representation of the playing of the card.

2. When to Announce a Failure to Alert Again, it is different for offense and defense. Defenders should not announce a failure to alert until the play of the hand is over lest she give unauthorized information to partner. When the hand is over, the defender should announce that there has been a failure to alert. She should then explain the alert that should have been made. Declarer should announce his side's failure to alert after the bidding is ended and before the . Any player should call the director as soon as he realizes that he, himself, has failed to alert. This includes mistaken and missing explanations.

3. The Explanation of an Alert

When someone says "alert" and you want to know the meaning, the proper statement is "Please explain." Don’t ask unless you need useful information at that time; otherwise, wait until the bidding has ended and partner has led face-down. If you already know the meaning of the alert, it is illegal to ask for an explanation to help your partner. When explaining an alert, you should tell the actual meaning of the bid -- not the name of the convention. Don’t say “Drury” – instead, say, “limit raise.” If you are not sure what it means, do not guess. Just say you are not sure.

4. Convention Cards

All players should have but are not necessarily required to have a completed bridge for the opponents to view. While the convention card is required for tournament play, it is up to individual clubs to determine whether a card is required or not. Regardless, The Laws of Duplicate Bridge specify that "Each partnership has a duty to make available its partnership understandings to opponents before commencing play against them.” Each pair should know what a particular bid means and should be able to explain it when asked. Also, remember that the convention card is for your opponents, not you, and it is illegal to look at your convention card once play has begun. 5.. What to Do When an Irregularity Occurs at the Table

Call the director (unless you are the dummy, in which case you should wait until the play is over). Do not make your own ruling. Most people don't know the rules completely. The director knows the rules.

6. Dummy's Rights

The dummy player may do three things only: (A) Correct his partner when declarer is about to lead from the wrong hand; (B) Ask declarer (after he has discarded on a trick) if he is in that suit by saying, for example, “No spades, partner?”; (C) Require that he see all the cards as they are played.

7. Giving a Review

When someone asks for a review, a complete review (including all passes) should be given by one of his opponents.

8. How to Claim

Face your cards on the table. Give a full explanation of how you intend to play the hand. Leave your cards on the table until the opponents are satisfied. If the claim is inadequate, the defenders may call the director. Once a claim is made, the play stops. The defenders may not say "Play it out."

9. Disposition of an Opening Lead Out of Turn

The declarer has five options: A. Accept the opening lead from the wrong side, have his partner put down the dummy and have the play proceed in a clockwise manner. B. Accept the opening lead, have his own hand become dummy and have play proceed. C. Require the correct leader to lead the suit led by the player who made the incorrect lead. When this is chosen, the original lead out of turn may be replaced. D. Forbid the correct leader from leading the suit led from the incorrect side as long as he retains the lead. When this is chosen, the original lead out of turn may be replaced. E. Allow the correct leader to lead whatever he likes and the original incorrect lead remains on the table as a major penalty card.

10. How to Handle a "Hesitation"

Sometimes when a player hesitates before bidding he gives unauthorized information to his partner due to the number of decisions that are possible at that time. If there were only two possible decisions, it becomes apparent what the hesitator's other possible choice would have been, thereby allowing his partner to make an easy decision as to what course of action to follow. It is not illegal to hesitate. It is illegal to take advantage of the hesitation and the partner of the hesitator must “bend over backwards” not to do so.

With that being said, it is very difficult to be objective as the partner of the hesitator. To protect yourself from your opponent’s hesitation, you should call the director whenever an opponent hesitates unduly. When doing so, politely inform the hesitator that he has done nothing wrong but you need to speak to the director. When the director arrives, explain what has happened. The director will obtain the facts and tell the non-offending side to call him back after the hand is over if they think they were damaged.

This is a very emotional topic. Players almost never take advantage consciously so they will think you are calling them unethical. That's why you should call the director before the partner of the hesitator has bid. With the director at the table, your responsibilities are over.

11. How to Behave When the Director Is at the Table

Let the director be in charge. That is his job. When the director asks you to do something (like put your cards on the table), do it. When the director asks you a question, answer it. Be nice to the director. He is serving you.

12. Use

NEVER touch the bidding box until you are ready to pull a card. Otherwise, you are giving unauthorized information to your partner, and you are helping your opponents.

Ben’s Blog

Summer is sure here, and I’m thrilled it’s off to such a great start at the Friendship Club - which is certainly living up to its name. Our people, our playing area, our food, our parking, our air conditioning, and our directors! Added to our 6--10 tables every day and our abundant extra Master Points, everyone has been having a wonderful bridge experience. In fact, we will be having extra-Master Point games – black, silver, red, or even gold opportunities – every day during July and August - and never with an extra charge to the players. Come join us! I’m looking forward to seeing you at the table. Feinswog Funnies

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