The American League

Hosts to America’s Biggest and Best Tournaments

Vol. 19 No. 2 April–June 2021

Knoxville “novice” Clerk Shaw started 2020 with less than 50 MPs—and won the ACBL-wide Mini-McKenney & Ace of Club races!

Inside District 7 Regional Tournaments ...... 2 District 7 Sectional Tournaments ...... 3 What Will You Find on Our Website? ...... 3 ...... 7 ...... 8 New Life Masters ...... 9 2020 District 7 Masterpoint Races ...... 10 99er Nightly Bridge Game on BBO ...... 15 District 7 News & Notes ...... 16 Challenges of Directing Online Games ...... 18

District 7 Regional Tournaments For up-to-date information on tournament status and hotel availability & pricing, see district7bridge.org.

The ACBL estimates that regionals will return in early October. Please note that these dates are subject to change as the year progresses. Two District 7 regionals are scheduled for the end of the year. The front pages of the tournament fliers are included. See the tournament link for schedules, which are not yet published. ¨ Charlotte (Oct. 25–31) – Hilton University Place, 8629 JM Keynes Drive (704) 547-7444. Co-chair: Arnold Hoffmann, [email protected] (980) 254-7476. Tournament link: tinyurl.com/ybyg3eml. See page 4. ¨ Myrtle Beach (Dec. 27–Jan. 2) – Embassy Suites, 9800 Queens Way Blvd. (843) 449-0006. Co-chair: Blondelle Grant, [email protected] (843) 240- 5236. Tournament link: tinyurl.com/y8c4vx9o. See page 5. District 7 vouchers with an expiration date of January 2021 will be honored at D7 Regionals through January 2022.

2022 Regionals Feb 7–13 Hilton Head Island Tom Schlossberg, [email protected] Apr 18–24 Gatlinburg Peter Misslin, [email protected] May 23–29 Raleigh Barbara Hudson, [email protected] Jun 20–26 Columbia Lee Webb, [email protected] Aug 30–Sep 5 Atlanta Jack Feagin Jr, [email protected] Oct 24–30 Charlotte Arnold Hoffmann, [email protected] Dec 27–Jan 2 North Charleston Mike Smith, [email protected]

2022 Non-Life Master Regionals Jan 6–9 Pigeon Forge TN Sylvia Waters, [email protected] Feb 24–27 High Point NC Cindy Wright, [email protected] TBD Flat Rock NC Sherry Sims, [email protected]

District 7 News editor: Karen Brown, [email protected] District 7 News is published quarterly by District 7 of the American Contract Bridge League. It is posted to district7bridge.org and distributed via email. Contents of this magazine may be reproduced in full with proper citation. Mention of any product or service does not constitute endorsement by District 7. We reserve the right to reject any editorial or advertising material.

District 7 News – 2 – April–June 2021 District 7 Sectional Tournaments For up-to-date information on tournament status, see district7bridge.org or the ACBL listing (tinyurl.com/vv3nrhkp)

The return of sectionals will run parallel to increased availability of vaccines. The ACBL estimates these tournaments to begin in August 2021, depending on local conditions (subject to change). The following District 7 sectionals are still viable as of publication date. Date Tournament Site Tournament Chair Aug 6–8 Macon GA Tom Wight, [email protected] Sep 10–12 Carthage NC Jeff Chulay, [email protected] Sep 17–19 Wilmington NC Nora Miller, [email protected] Sep 30–Oct 3 Raleigh NC Harold Albrecht, [email protected] Oct 1–3 Crossville TN Buck Martin, [email protected] Oct 7–9 East Ridge TN (Chattanooga) Bert Shramko, [email protected] Oct 8–10 Savannah GA Thomas Roush, [email protected] Oct 8–10 Salisbury NC Myrnie McLaughlin, [email protected] Oct 15–17 Abingdon VA Auggie De Weerd, [email protected] Nov 10–14 Knoxville TN Sylvia Waters, [email protected] Nov 11–14 Durham NC Chris Moll, [email protected] Nov 12–14 Hilton Head Island SC Richard Murray, [email protected] Nov 19–21 Spartanburg SC George Russell, [email protected] Jan 7–9 Carthage NC Jeff Chulay, [email protected] Jan 21–23 Wilmington NC Nora Miller, [email protected] 499er/Non-Life Master Sectionals (i.e., Future Life Master Sectionals) Aug 5–8 Durham NC Chris Moll, [email protected] Aug 6–8 Myrtle Beach SC Betsy Stanton, [email protected] Jan 14–16 Charlotte NC Arnold Hoffmann, [email protected] STaCs (Sectional Tournament at Clubs) Dec 6–12 STaC D7; U219 (D9); D10 Janet Case, [email protected] What Will You Find on Our Website? Do you ever visit our website, district7bridge.org? If you do, you’ll find lots of “stuff.” You’ll find information on District and Unit leadership…the District 7 News…reports from our district director…goodwill and charity committee members. You can look up information on regional and sectional tournaments…results…changes in rank…current status of races…and you can even find a game (when we return to face-to-face play). There are links to all District 7 unit websites and links to other districts, bridge experts, bridge tips, and online bridge, You can find the most recent updates on our main page. So if you haven’t visited us for a while, try it—you’ll like it!

District 7 News – 3 – April–June 2021

District 7 News – 4 – April–June 2021

District 7 News – 5 – April–June 2021

District 7 News – 6 – April–June 2021 North American Pairs D7 NAP coordinator: Lee Webb, [email protected], 803-331-6894

A highly prestigious grassroots event, North American Pairs (NAP), starts at the club level throughout June, July, and August. Qualifications may be earned at any club in any unit in any district and in virtual clubs online. A player may qualify as often, and with as many partners, as desired. To be eligible for the District final, both players must have qualified at the club level and must be dues- paying members of District 7. Fliers will be published, distributed, and posted on the District 7 website after all details are finalized in April. Flight Eligibility won in any other bridge organizations must be taken into account for placement in the appropriate flights. ¨ Flight A – Open to any player ¨ Flight B – Players with less than 2500 MPs as of the June Masterpoint cycle ¨ Flight C – Non-Life Masters with less than 500 MPs as of the June Masterpoint cycle * Note: The June Masterpoint cycle is run by ACBL data processing on May 6. Any points won but not included in this cycle do not affect Masterpoint eligibility. Schedule ¨ Club qualification: June–August. Qualifiers are the top 50% of each session, plus any pairs who score at least 50%. ¨ District finals: All one-day, two-session events, and concurrent with sectionals unless noted. Flight A (Open) – Nov. 20, Spartanburg Flight B (0–2500 MPs) – Nov. 21, Spartanburg Flight C (Non-LM, 0–500 MPs) TBA, North Carolina Nov. 13, Hilton Head Nov. 13, Knoxville Nov. 20, Spartanburg From District Stage The top three eligible pairs in Flight A and the top four eligible pairs in Flights B & C qualify for the NABC Finals. Additional pairs in Flight A may be invited by the method outlined in Appendix II in Conditions of Contest. Flight C is a multisite event; the top pair from each of the four playing sites will advance to the NABC. Continued at the bottom of page 8 District 7 News – 7 – April–June 2021 Grand National Teams D7 GNT coordinator: Brian Hingerty [email protected]

Grand National Teams District 7 finals, as well as NABC finals, will be played online this year. Flight C (Non-LM < 500 MP) and Flight A (0-6000 MP) will play for the District championship on Saturday, June 5, and Sunday, June 6. If eight or more teams compete in Flight C, the runner-up also will qualify for the NABC finals. The Open (championship) competition and Flight B (0–2500) will play on Saturday, June 12, and Sunday, June 13. If eight or more teams participate in Flight B, the runner-up also will qualify for the NABC finals. Players are welcome to play in one flight June 5, and in another June 12. The NABC finals in all flights tentatively are scheduled to begin Wednesday, July 14. Complete details will appear in an upcoming issue of the District 7 News and on the District 7 website. Please get your teams together for this prestigious grass roots event. Registration is mandatory by no later than noon May 21 for Flight C and Flight A, and by no later than noon May 28 for Flight B and Open. The ACBL is awarding 80 percent of the normal Masterpoints. District overalls are all gold, except half red and half gold in Flight C. There are no platinum points or Grand Life Master qualifications on-line; all NABC finals points will be gold. District 7 will pay all fees for players properly registered for District finals. The only qualification is to have the appropriate number of Masterpoints. No club qualification is necessary. District 7 Grass Roots funds also will cover all costs of on-line play for the NABC finals. This is in lieu of any subsidies awarded to players who normally would pay for travel, lodging, food, etc., while attending a face-to-face NABC. ACBL management canceled all face-to-face tournaments, including the Summer NABC scheduled in Providence RI, through July. This led to the changes to on-line schedules, competition and conditions of contest.

North American Pairs Cont. from page 7 If a qualified pair is unable to play in the ACBL final, the next highest willing pair will advance to the NABC. Each participant will receive a total subsidy of $900 from the ACBL and District 7. To be eligible for the subsidy, which helps allay the cost incurred for travel, lodging, food, etc., qualifiers must enter and play in a face-to-face event. NABC Finals ¨ Flight A – March 9-10, Reno, immediately before Spring 2022 NABC ¨ Flights B & C – March 13-14, Reno, during Spring 2022 NABC

District 7 News – 8 – April–June 2021 New Life Masters Becoming a Life Master is a goal for most players. District 7 News welcomes short bios of new Life Masters. They are printed as information is received and space permits.

Ted Fine, Seabrook Island SC – I got my first Masterpoints about 50 years ago by winning a city-wide tournament in Hammond IN—a whopping 1.25 MP! In those days there were no bidding boxes and you could only say 15 words—any more got a director call. This was so nerve-wracking that I stopped playing duplicate for 45 years. Since 2015 I have tried to play twice a week. In 2020, all the play is online and I enjoy this. I can partner with friends all over the country. Brenda Isbell, Columbia SC – I started playing bridge in my early 20s. About eight years ago, a friend suggested I might enjoy duplicate bridge. I joined the Columbia Bridge Club. After many classes, mentoring programs, and playing several times a week, I grew to love this "new" game. I got my first gold points at the Charlotte Regional. I got my final 9 gold points at the online Gold Rush in December, playing with my partner Eddy Crosby. I want to thank all my partners, mentors, and teachers for helping me reach my goal. Above all I am most grateful for the fellowship and the friends I have made along the way. Grace Major, Brevard NC – Thanks to good coaching, partners, and luck, I made it! Appreciation to Kaye Pfromm, my mentor; Jim Pfromm, my "go to" answer guy; June Patton, who taught me the most; and my partners Mark Gensterblum, Anne Holt, and Donna Davis. Charlie Smith, State Road NC – I started playing duplicate shortly after retiring in 2017. I was blessed to be able to join an amazing club in Palm Coast FL. In 2018 I bought a vineyard/farm and moved to North Carolina. I hated leaving my friends in Florida, but was fortunate to find a great club in Winston- Salem. My wife Jane and I look forward to when we can travel and play in live tournaments again. I am very appreciative of all the directors, teachers, and players who have helped me reach this milestone. Reggie Sommer, Kiawah Island SC – I started playing bridge after retiring from full time work in 2005. After a series of lessons and playing locally with girlfriends, I moved to Kiawah Island and found my current bridge partner, Tom Rosenthal. Since meeting, we have continued lessons and worked hard on improving our game. We love to compete and enjoy playing in our local clubs in Charleston as well as in nearby sectionals and regionals. It's been a fun journey to Life Master and I credit much of my success to Tom. Phoebe Walters, Aiken SC – I joined ACBL in 2011, but because I was not familiar with duplicate, I did not get serious about LM until I joined the Aiken Bridge Club in 2016 with less than one point. Everyone at the club is so friendly, encouraging, and helpful. There are so many partners to thank, but in particular Sherry Buck. We went to two Atlanta Regionals and earned more than 23 gold points. I was “hooked” and completed my mission in February 2021.

District 7 News – 9 – April–June 2021 2020 District 7 Masterpoint Races Complete top 100 listings are available at https://web3.acbl.org/mpracesdu?year=2020&district=7

Top of Their Class Mini-McKenney and Ace of Clubs competition each year allows every ACBL member to rate his Masterpoint accomplishment against peers. These perennially are among the more prestigious honors, because everyone is judged, more or less, against those on the same playing level. Clerk Shaw of Knoxville (see photo on cover), a relative - newcomer to duplicate bridge, and Peter Boyd-Bowman of Bowman Greensboro, a young professional player, teacher, and club director, had the best of the best years in District 7. Peter also serves as the District 7 Recorder, the person who receives reports of potential disciplinary issues. Clerk took top honors, winning the ACBL-wide competition in the 20–50 MP category (at the beginning of 2020) in both the Mini-McKenney and Ace of Clubs. Peter was first among all 7500–10,000 point players in the Mini- McKenney and second in Ace of Clubs. A philosophy professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Clerk made a decision in the summer of 2019. “I was looking for social outlets not at the university,” he recalls, “so I decided to look up the local bridge club and began playing there. I’d played a lot with my Dad, a very simple version of , and I mostly learned how to play cards. I found that was very important.” Clerk says that “other than the scoring, I didn’t find that many differences.” At the Knoxville bridge center, Lonnie Starks was the first who offered to play with Clerk, and then he played with David Youngblood at the summer sectional. He named Betty McBroom and Doug Wilson as others who offered to play early in his ACBL career. “Doug asked me to play in the Crossville Sectional, the first time that I traveled to a tournament,” he says. Clerk did well with Doug in two Gold Rush events at the Pigeon Forge Non- LM Regional. “I bought Jim Ricker’s 2-over-1 book and took a refresher course from Jo Ann Newby,” continues Clerk. “She set me straight with the revelation that a new suit by responder always is forcing.” Clerk also wishes to thank Brenda McSpadden, Marsha Mitchell, and Mason Barge for playing—and he clearly will be playing a lot more, but this year in the 500–1000 Masterpoint category. Peter Boyd-Bowman, a regular at regionals and sectionals, obviously won more points in clubs last year because of the tournament lockdown in mid-March.

District 7 News – 10 – April–June 2021 He was off to a good start, however, logging 82 Masterpoints at Myrtle Beach, 41 at Pigeon Forge, 51 at Hilton Head and 31 at High Point. One of his most frequent partners is Bud McKinney of Cary, NC, who won 582 Masterpoints last year, good for 10th nationally in the 1500–2500 category. Caleb Soong of Cumming, GA, is another newcomer who had an outstanding start in the ACBL. His 300 Masterpoints ranked third overall in the 5-20 Masterpoint category and 283 was second across the league in the Ace of Clubs. Paul Wright Jr. of Mount Pleasant, SC, also claimed two top-five finishes. His 725 MPs ranked fourth in the 7500–10000 Mini-McKenney and 652 was third in the Ace of Clubs. 2020 District 7 Mini-McKenney Final Standings In 1974, the ACBL of Directors voted to recognize the Masterpoint achievements of all players and the Mini-McKenney races were established. Eligibility is determined by each player’s Masterpoint holding at the beginning of the calendar year.

0 to 5 50 to 100 1. David Annand, Knoxville TN 121 1. Kathy Belknap, Leesville SC 178 2. Wolf Bolz, Raleigh NC 101 2. Tad McKeon, Loudon TN 172 3. James Skidmore, Greensboro NC 84 3. Kathy Bennett, Southern Pines NC 167 4. Molly Osborne, Atlanta GA 76 4. Meri Gould, Savannah GA 163 5. Anne Osborne, Greensboro NC 75 5. Jeannie Freeman, Myrtle Beach SC 156 Caroline Vroon, Atlanta GA 75 6. Eileen Evans, Mount Pleasant SC 155 7. David Nicklas, Peachtree City GA 73 7. Joseph Rach, Gainesville GA 152 Suzanne Elia Shaoul, Marietta GA 73 8. Steven Moore, Loudon TN 142 9. JJ Wise, Clemmons NC 72 9. Lisa Alexander, Atlanta GA 141 10. Len McCall, Greenville SC 69 10. Darby Williams, Loudon TN 137 5 to 20 100 to 200 1. Caleb Soong, Cumming GA 300 1. Bing Tong, Suwanee GA 326 2. Sandra McCann, Columbus GA 197 2. Renee Getz, Cary NC 199 3. Linda Newsome, Goldsboro NC 95 3. Lori Scanga, Hillsborough NC 193 Bruce Watson, Cumming GA 95 4. Imy Rach, Gainesville GA 192 5. Booboo Watkins, Greensboro NC 94 5. Cheri Fett, Myrtle Beach SC 185 6. Cheri Richter, Saint Marys GA 88 6. Richard Swanson, Hartsville SC 184 7. Carroll Miller, High Point NC 85 7. George Ward, Martinez GA 180 8. Ruth Swan, Marietta GA 80 8. Lynn Dinkins, Atlanta GA 172 9. Michaelann Dimitrijevich, Asheville NC 75 9. Tom Meleney, Charlotte NC 157 10. Sydney Cardone, Greensboro NC 71 10. Robert Sill, Winston Salem NC 155 David Potts, Townville SC 71 200 to 300 20 to 50 1. Bindhu Aravapalli, Milton GA 273 1. Clerk Shaw, Knoxville TN 594 2. Alva Takemoto, Goldsboro NC 258 2. Linda Eyerly, Winnabow NC 228 3. Robert Williams Jr., Concord NC 221 3. Melinda Kenan, Atlanta GA 189 4. Patty Williams, Concord NC 211 4. Frances Hill, Atlanta GA 183 5. Sherry Buck, Aiken SC 198 5. Pam Tinkler, Atlanta GA 153 6. Amy Buck, Atlanta GA 185 6. Maggie Staton, Atlanta GA 137 7. Harold Goodman, Sandy Springs GA 172 7. Dee Jennings, High Point NC 135 8. Laurel Ludden, Bluffton SC 169 8. Catherine Matthews, Burlington NC 126 9. Robert Glenn, Savannah GA 164 9. Barbara Pomer, Greensboro NC 125 10. Lynn Ricketts, Atlanta GA 163 10. Ann Harris, High Point NC 109

District 7 News – 11 – April–June 2021

300 to 500 2500 to 3500 1. Sara Tuohy, Jefferson GA 414 1. Peter Martin, Kennesaw GA 537 2. Denise DeAngelo, Atlanta GA 257 2. Mason Barge, Atlanta GA 534 3. Gayle Booth, Loudon TN 236 3. Suzanne Goldberg, Durham NC 382 4. Maggie Miller, Marietta GA 200 4. Glen Anderson, Raleigh NC 374 5. Ann Gronewald, Marietta GA 188 5. Susan Duke, Vilas NC 291 6. Rita Kessler, Alpharetta GA 187 6. Peter C Boyd-Bowman, Greensboro NC 275 7. James Wicht, Merrillville IN 184 7. Mary Ann Young, Greensboro NC 269 8. William Leaf, Cary NC 180 8. James Redheffer, Knoxville TN 239 9. Kerry Flom, Hilton Head Is SC 176 9. Deborah Monroe, Greensboro NC 231 Marion Tesler, Gainesville GA 176 10. Anne Ballard, Atlanta GA 221 500 to 1000 3500 to 5000 1. Martha Meyer, Winston Salem NC 364 1. Ken Parker, Leland NC 420 2. Ella Rice, Charlotte NC 301 2. Donna Parker, Leland NC 414 3. Michael Mendelsohn, Cary NC 282 3. Larry Lowell Jr., Knoxville TN 400 4. Mark Meyer, Winston Salem NC 273 4. Robert Hale, Greensboro NC 365 5. Wayne Hetzel, Knoxville TN 250 5. Conner Boyd, Davidson NC 310 6. Barbara Neustadt, Atlanta GA 237 6. Derrick Niederman, Charleston SC 300 7. Sue Kline, Columbia SC 234 7. Kent Leggett, Clemmons NC 299 8. Martin Causley, Chapel Hill NC 229 8. David Idleman, Greensboro NC 298 9. Ronald Boggs, Atlanta GA 215 9. Margaret Malaspina, Charleston SC 297 Virginia Michelich, Decatur GA 215 10. Jennifer Williams, Atlanta GA 284 1000 to 1500 5000 to 7500 1. Kathryn Kimmerling, Blythewood SC 338 1. Donald Baker, Alpharetta GA 559 2. Fran Tewkesbury, Greensboro NC 317 2. Baskaran Sankaran, Alpharetta GA 530 3. Ben Reischer, Leland NC 246 3. Brenda Klinker, Mount Pleasant SC 371 4. Art Friday, Huntersville NC 233 4. Frank Burgess Sr., Winston Salem NC 371 5. Joe Pepe Jr., Davidson NC 231 5. Bruce Southard, Greensboro NC 355 6. Bruce King, Athens GA 226 6. Karen Callihan, Raleigh NC 321 7. Richard Peffer, Greensboro NC 224 7. R. Arthur Cannamela, Jr., Cumming GA 319 8. Emily Hungerford, Raleigh NC 218 8. J Dan Duke, Vilas NC 283 9. Gail Sunder, Wilmington NC 208 9. Steven Devico, Hendersonville NC 279 10. Marc Goldberg, Durham NC 197 10. Andrew Eastwood, Savannah GA 263 1500 to 2500 7500 to 10,000 1. June Patton, Brevard NC 617 1. Peter J Boyd-Bowman, Greensboro NC 986 2. E.R. 'Bud' McKinney, Cary NC 582 2. Paul Wright Jr., Mount Pleasant SC 725 3. Brenda McSpadden, Knoxville TN 333 3. Lance Shull, Raleigh NC 308 4. Lee Wilcox, Black Mountain NC 287 4. Alan Senzel, Raleigh NC 306 5. Gregory Eyerly, Winnabow NC 250 5. Marla Chaikin, Savannah GA 289 6. Cindy Davis, Greenville NC 249 6. Martin Johnson Jr., Folly Beach SC 269 7. Wayne Dow, Weaverville NC 243 7. Rajan Iyer, Aiken SC 262 8. Sissy Weil, Morehead City NC 240 8. Tina Radding, Summerville SC 254 9. Susan Wilson, Goldsboro NC 233 9. Larry Harding, Hampstead NC 237 10. Carol Grizzard, Chapel Hill NC 232 10. George Matuch, Wayne PA 216 Ben Roberts, Taylorsville NC 232 Over 10,000 1. Alex Hudson, Morrisville NC 787 2. Bob Simkins, Decatur GA 703 3. Tom Rutledge, Charleston SC 649 4. Kay Joyce, Chapel Hill NC 643 5. Bob Heller, Knoxville TN 592 6. John Kranyak, Greenville SC 546 7. Randy Joyce, Chapel Hill NC 545 8. Hugh Brown Jr., Greenwood SC 475 9. Brian Hingerty, Knoxville TN 461 10. Barbara Heller, Knoxville TN 442

District 7 News – 12 – April–June 2021 2020 District 7 Helen Shanbrom Ace of Clubs Final Standings The vast majority of ACBL members play in local club games. To recognize achievement at the club level, the Ace of Clubs competition was created in 1984. All points won at the club level are counted in this contest with the exception of those won in STaCs. This award was renamed in 2011 in honor of Grand Life Master Helen Shanbrom of Tamarac FL. Shanbrom was one of the most active players in the ACBL for decades and won the top category of the Ace of Clubs more times than any other member in ACBL history.

0 to 5 100 to 200 1. David Annand, Knoxville TN 118 1. Bing Tong, Suwanee GA 217 2. James Skidmore, Greensboro NC 84 2. Lori Scanga, Hillsborough NC 190 3. Anne Osborne, Greensboro NC 75 3. Imy Rach, Gainesville GA 176 4. Molly Osborne, Atlanta GA 74 4. Cheri Fett, Myrtle Beach SC 173 Caroline Vroon, Atlanta GA 74 5. Renee Getz, Cary NC 161 6. Suzanne Elia Shaoul, Marietta GA 72 6. Lynn Dinkins, Atlanta GA 157 JJ Wise, Clemmons NC 72 7. Tom Meleney, Charlotte NC 137 8. David Nicklas, Peachtree City GA 70 8. George Ward, Martinez GA 136 9. Bruce Bingham, Greensboro NC 66 9. Richard Swanson, Hartsville SC 135 Len McCall, Greenville SC 66 10. Robert Sill, Winston Salem NC 134 5 to 20 200 to 300 1. Caleb Soong, Cumming GA 283 1. Alva Takemoto, Goldsboro NC 234 2. Sandra McCann, Columbus GA 183 2. Sherry Buck, Aiken SC 178 3. Linda Newsome, Goldsboro NC 95 3. Amy Buck, Atlanta GA 167 4. Bruce Watson, Cumming GA 94 4. Bindhu Aravapalli, Milton GA 166 5. Booboo Watkins, Greensboro NC 91 5. Earl Klugman, Knoxville TN 142 6. Cheri Richter, Saint Marys GA 88 6. Laurel Ludden, Bluffton SC 136 7. Carroll Miller, High Point NC 85 7. Harold Goodman, Sandy Springs GA 135 8. Ruth Swan, Marietta GA 74 8. Dan Kiurski, Cornelius NC 131 9. David Potts, Townville SC 71 9. Robert Williams Jr., Concord NC 130 10. Michaelann Dimitrijevich, Asheville NC 69 10. Steven Barry, Cary NC 127 20 to 50 300 to 500 1. Clerk Shaw, Knoxville TN 518 1. Sara Tuohy, Jefferson GA 372 2. Linda Eyerly, Winnabow NC 171 2. Denise DeAngelo, Atlanta GA 226 3. Melinda Kenan, Atlanta GA 162 3. Gayle Booth, Loudon TN 204 4. Frances Hill, Atlanta GA 152 4. Marion Tesler, Gainesville GA 158 5. Pam Tinkler, Atlanta GA 134 5. Ann Gronewald, Marietta GA 157 6. Maggie Staton, Atlanta GA 124 6. Rita Kessler, Alpharetta GA 156 7. Dee Jennings, High Point NC 123 Jeannie Sedwick, Cary NC 156 8. Catherine Matthews, Burlington NC 119 8. Maggie Miller, Marietta GA 155 9. Susan Culp, High Point NC 107 9. Kerry Flom, Hilton Head Is SC 147 10. Nancy Laney, High Point NC 106 10. James Wicht, Merrillville IN 145 50 to 100 500 to 1000 1. Meri Gould, Savannah GA 162 1. Martha Meyer, Winston Salem NC 303 2. Jeannie Freeman, Myrtle Beach SC 147 2. Ella Rice, Charlotte NC 273 3. Tad McKeon, Loudon TN 144 3. Michael Mendelsohn, Cary NC 248 4. Eileen Evans, Mount Pleasant SC 143 4. Wayne Hetzel, Knoxville TN 234 5. Kathy Belknap, Leesville SC 143 5. Sue Kline, Columbia SC 216 6. Joseph Rach, Gainesville GA 141 6. Mark Meyer, Winston Salem NC 210 7. Kathy Bennett, Southern Pines NC 139 7. Barbara Neustadt, Atlanta GA 209 8. Philip Watson, Knoxville TN 127 8. Jeanne Lenz, Gainesville GA 197 9. Mary Bland, Clemmons NC 125 9. Angela Snyder, Charlotte NC 180 Barbara Dougherty, Southport NC 125 10. Ronald Boggs, Atlanta GA 176 Virginia Michelich, Decatur GA 176 District 7 News – 13 – April–June 2021

1000 to 1500 5000 to 7500 1. Kathryn Kimmerling, Blythewood SC 281 1. Donald Baker, Alpharetta GA 450 Fran Tewkesbury, Greensboro NC 281 2. Baskaran Sankaran, Alpharetta GA 442 3. Joe Pepe Jr., Davidson NC 212 3. Frank Burgess Sr., Winston Salem NC 336 4. Bruce King, Athens GA 203 4. Brenda Klinker, Mount Pleasant SC 335 Ben Reischer, Leland NC 203 5. Bruce Southard, Greensboro NC 293 6. Emily Hungerford, Raleigh NC 195 6. R. Arthur Cannamela, Jr., Cumming GA 286 7. Richard Peffer, Greensboro NC 192 7. J Dan Duke, Vilas NC 283 8. Marc Goldberg, Durham NC 187 8. Karen Callihan, Raleigh NC 234 Gail Sunder, Wilmington NC 187 9. Steven Devico, Hendersonville NC 215 10. Jeannie Exum, Kinston NC 172 10. Andrew Eastwood, Savannah GA 214 1500 to 2500 7500 to 10,000 1. June Patton, Brevard NC 541 1. Peter J Boyd-Bowman, Greensboro NC 654 2. Brenda McSpadden, Knoxville TN 313 2. Paul Wright Jr., Mount Pleasant SC 652 3. E.R. 'Bud' McKinney, Cary NC 262 3. Alan Senzel, Raleigh NC 280 4. Lee Wilcox, Black Mountain NC 231 4. Lance Shull, Raleigh NC 263 5. Sissy Weil, Morehead City NC 229 5. Marla Chaikin, Savannah GA 246 6. Ben Roberts, Taylorsville NC 225 6. Rajan Iyer, Aiken SC 233 7. Wayne Dow, Weaverville NC 220 7. Tina Radding, Summerville SC 221 8. Susan Wilson, Goldsboro NC 213 8. Martin Johnson Jr., Folly Beach SC 200 9. Jane King, Athens GA 199 9. Sue Cooper, Advance NC 194 10. Veronica Stoessel, Marietta GA 196 10. George Matuch, Wayne PA 194 2500 to 3500 Over 10,000 1. Peter Martin, Kennesaw GA 450 1. Bob Simkins, Decatur GA 585 2. Mason Barge, Atlanta GA 426 2. Tom Rutledge, Charleston SC 489 3. Suzanne Goldberg, Durham NC 370 3. Bob Heller, Knoxville TN 463 4. Susan Duke, Vilas NC 291 4. Brian Hingerty, Knoxville TN 396 5. Peter C Boyd-Bowman, Greensboro NC 269 5. Kay Joyce, Chapel Hill NC 373 6. Mary Ann Young, Greensboro NC 263 6. Alex Hudson, Morrisville NC 335 7. Glen Anderson, Raleigh NC 250 7. Barbara Heller, Knoxville TN 304 8. James Redheffer, Knoxville TN 206 8. Randy Joyce, Chapel Hill NC 283 9. Anne Ballard, Atlanta GA 203 9. Hugh Brown Jr., Greenwood SC 246 10. Deborah Monroe, Greensboro NC 180 10. Geoffrey Phipps, Bluffton SC 239 3500 to 5000 1. Ken Parker, Leland NC 400 2. Donna Parker, Leland NC 394 3. Larry Lowell Jr., Knoxville TN 347 4. Robert Hale, Greensboro NC 323 5. David Idleman, Greensboro NC 289 6. Kent Leggett, Clemmons NC 280 7. Derrick Niederman, Charleston SC 279 8. Margaret Malaspina, Charleston SC 277 9. Conner Boyd, Davidson NC 263 10. David Smith, Davidson NC 241

Updated Alert Procedure The updated alert procedure took effect Jan. 1. See the January 2021 Bridge Bulletin, page 35, for an explanation, or go to tinyurl.com/ybnn2jou.

District 7 News – 14 – April–June 2021 99er Nightly Bridge

Game on BBO

There is a dedicated 99er game in which you can play safely and have fun with other 99ers. The 12-board game, which takes 1½ hours, lets you pit your skills against players with a similar skill level. Plus it’s affordable—and your local bridge club receives part of every dollar you spend. These popular games average 29.5 tables—and are trending upward. Recently a single top game included 47 tables and awarded a total of 43.46 Masterpoints. Current game stats are maintained by Florida Unit 128 and are posted to the The 99er games provide a great 99er Nite Club dashboard opportunity to practice bridge, (tinyurl.com/kwsk2eau). learn new skills, and do so in a supportive environment. Game Timeline – Emily Morgan, Savannah GA ¨ 5 p.m. – Registration opens on BBO. $6 entry fee (sponsored by The Common Game) You must purchase BBO $$ in advance. ¨ 6:30 p.m. – Welcome (Zoom link) – Ask questions, hear a mini-lesson, watch a demo, find tips and protocols for BBO play. ¨ 7 p.m. – Game time on BBO – 12-board ACBL virtual games awarding Masterpoints. ¨ 8:30 p.m. – Game postmortem – Look for the post-game link on BBO chat. Listen to an analysis of some key hands, explore winning strategies, gain a few pointers to improve your play of the hand.

Getting Signed Up To Play Your local club manager must be registered for you to participate in this game. Visit tinyurl.com/3sr8jwvd for a current list of registered clubs. ¨ Players must have experience on Bridge Base Online. ¨ First-time players must be registered to see the game schedule. Send an email to [email protected] to receive an invitation to play. ¨ Go to tinyurl.com/4u7pb8m7 for step-by-step 99er Nite Club East onboarding instructions. This pandemic year has challenged all duplicate bridge players. Today’s new normal is so different from a year ago, leaving some of us wishing to reclaim the joy in our life. Join the 99er game today and reignite that spark of happiness we experience when learning and playing duplicate bridge.

District 7 News – 15 – April–June 2021 District 7 News & Notes

George Bloomer: ACBL Member Since 1964 The Mid-Atlantic lost one of the pillars of its bridge community Feb. 28 when George Bloomer, 90, died peacefully at his home in Pittsboro, NC. Judith, who married George in 1955, was by his side, and other family members were nearby. Also surviving are six children, 25 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren. One son and one grandson predeceased George. Particularly after George retired from his job as comptroller of the American Road & Transportation Builders’ Association in Washington DC, bridge became a huge part of the Bloomer family. In 1992 George and Judith, pictured at right, moved from the DC area—where they had spent most of their lives—to North Carolina near George’s alma mater, the University of North Carolina. He was an avid Tar Heel fan. George, with a career 29,274 Masterpoints, led all District 7 members in that category from the time he moved here until Jacek “Pepsi” Pszczola made Chapel Hill his ACBL base. Since then , Chattanooga, also moved ahead of George—who suffered a stroke nearly three years ago and could no longer play. The Bloomers joined the ACBL in 1964, playing locally in the Washington area while raising a young family. They played in their first sectional that summer and won the novice event. George was hooked. George scrambled to find the time for work, family, and bridge. He loved playing in Mid-Atlantic Regionals (both District 6 and 7), but he never achieved his dream of becoming a Grand Life Master. About half of his Masterpoints were won playing with Judith, the other half with a myriad of partners and friends. A longtime member of the ACBL Goodwill Committee, George also was a volunteer for many years, serving on the Mid- Atlantic and District 7 boards and on their finance committees, chairing the latter. He served District 6 and his unit as well before moving south. Judith, also a longtime Goodwill member, was a board member for decades—and District 7 secretary for several years. She also volunteered at Raleigh’s Tar Heel Regional. More recently, because of deteriorating health, George stayed closer to home, primarily playing in club games up to six times a week and attending just a few nearby tournaments.

District 7 News – 16 – April–June 2021 District 7 Membership Drops No surprise in this time of no in-person games, District 7 membership, as of April 1, has fallen to 12,458, a 9% drop from a year ago. All units in our district have experienced loss. The table below shows current membership and the percent change from a year ago. 114 Georgia State 1,041 -8.68 118 Wilmington 463 -9.75 119 North State 1,385 -10.36 153 Charlotte 1,001 -11.02 160 South Carolina 1,653 -8.57 165 Tenn Valley 911 -9.44 169 Cent. Carolina 845 -5.06 171 W. No. Carolina 757 -10.63 191 Bright Leaf 617 -2.68 202 Georgia Coastal 651 -6.06 206 SE Tennessee 249 -10.11 244 NW N Carolina 239 -5.91 252 Low Country SC 704 -11.22 253 DBAA 1,942 -9.01

Free Beginner Class April to June Do you have a friend who wants to learn how to play bridge? The free beginner course from Al Smith continues to show great results using the modern version of the Standard American . The course includes instruction on how to play online at BBO and encourages students to join the ACBL. The course has 12 one-hour Zoom lessons followed by a question-and-answer session. Players are encouraged to attend as Al Smith many or as few as they want. Lessons in the course are: 1. General Concepts 7. 2. Opening Bids 8. Takeout X 3. Response to 1NT Open 9. Stayman, Jacoby & 2S Minor Transfers 4. Responses to Suit Open 10. Reverses and Splinters 5. Rebids - Part I 11. Strong 2C & 6. Rebids - Part II 12. Gerber & Blackwood The course is taught on three days for 12 weeks beginning the 1st week of April. • Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. EST beginning April 6 • Thursdays at 7 p.m. EST beginning April 8 • Saturdays at 10 a.m. EST beginning April 10 Refer your friends to Al Smith, [email protected], 910-457-6674. Registration is online at eepurl.com/hmOj9z.

District 7 News – 17 – April–June 2021 Challenges of Directing Online Games By Sam Marks, Bridge Club of Atlanta

In March 2020 I started directing online games for the Bridge Club of Atlanta. Although I now only direct once a week, I am very familiar with the challenges of directing online. The problems start with making sure everyone is online and ready to go at game time. In-person games are much easier—if we know players are running late, we give them the first sit-out, or we fill in for them until they get to the club. Online bridge is different. All players must be online at the start of the game. If they are absent, BBO removes them from the game and refunds their entry fee. When directing in-person games, the most common call is a lead out of turn. Luckily, we don’t have that problem online—but we have plenty of others. One situation is a frozen player. Frequently a player loses connection to BBO and must be replaced with a fill-in or a robot. Sometimes, however, the players are all there, yet they claim they can’t play. What’s the problem? By now I’ve learned that the players are usually mistaken about who is the declarer. Either the opening leader is waiting on partner, or declarer does not realize it’s his or her turn to play. Keeping the game moving is also a challenge. I monitor the speed at all tables. If one pair is slow, I give them a gentle reminder to play faster. If the round has several difficult hands and half the field is running late, I can add a couple of minutes to the clock. The hardest part of directing online is adjudicating boards when the players run out of time. If it’s only a few cards, it is usually easy to calculate what the result should be. If the hand is more complex and only a few cards have been played, it can be impossible. I do the best I can and occasionally give an average to both sides. Then the adjudicated boards offer another challenge—answering questions from players who don’t agree with an adjusted result! One duty of the online club manager is setting up the games in BBO. This used to be a difficult process, selecting the player lists, the number of boards, the number of rounds, and the price. One mistake could cause the game to blow up. More than one director has had the joy of running a 1-board-per-round movement when first trying the Howell movement. Over the last 12 months I have made every possible mistake in setting up a game. I was the first director to blow up a game by changing the number of boards after loading The Common Game hands. We got the game restarted 15 minutes later, but it was a terrifying experience. Thanks to Jay Whipple, game setup has been mostly automated and fatal errors are now rare. Directing online is a lonely job. I can’t wait to get back to in-person games.

District 7 News – 18 – April–June 2021