a n e w s l e t t e r f o r Club Managers

Dear Club Manager, Work is underway in rewriting the ACBLscore program. This major project is being led by Nicolas Hammond of Atlanta GA. An important function of this program is the service Fall Edition • September, 2012 and support it provides to the many clubs. We welcome and need to hear suggestions for ways in which ACBLscore+ can be improved to better meet the needs of bridge clubs. The website www.acblscoreplus.com has been developed and you may posts suggestions and comments on the Bulletin at http://ideas.acblscoreplus.com. At the summer meetings in 2012, the ACBL Board News of Directors passed a motion that gives districts more opportunities to raise FUNds to support the two Grass Roots Inside... events—the (NAP) and the Grand Letters to Carol ...... 2 National Teams (GNT). If you have played in these events, you know how much FUN it can be to play at your local club Be Prepared for or unit in a qualifying game and then move on to the district Flu Season...... 2 level. Once there, you can compete with players from across your home district for a Special Events chance to win a travel subsidy to compete in the national final as your prize . . . and the Corner...... 3-4 prize just got bigger. See page 3 for more details. Update from the Board Your 2013 club game(s) sanction renewal forms and information was mailed to each of Directors Meeting in club manager recently. Please return the signed form with the Philadelphia ...... 5 appropriate fees at your earliest convenience. Seminars and Meetings We hope to see you in San Francisco at our Fall at the San Francisco NABC. A list of seminars, programs and the Fall NABC...... 6-7 schedule of games are available on our website at www.acbl.org/nabc. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance.

Director of Club and Member Services

A message from our Marketing Department American League Providing complete player information in ACBLscore for your 6575 Windchase Blvd. Horn Lake MS 38637-1523 non-ACBL members is extremely important. The more we know about players, the better we can serve our community. www.acbl.org Player retention isn’t just a club issue. Let us help you!

Follow us on American Contract Bridge League and @ACBLbridge ACBL/ Carol Robertson Director of Club & Member Services 6575 Windchase Blvd. Letters to Carol Horn Lake, MS 38637-1523

Dear Carol, To a card-playing traveler, finding a good Bridge Club on the road is akin to the parched and weary Nomad stumbling upon an oasis in the desert. My experiences at the Boise Bridge Club evoke this analogy. After a summer of attending the Philadelphia NABC, the Hunt Valley Regional and the Sparks-Reno Sectional, I found myself on a combined business and pleasure junket to the state of Idaho as I made my return back to the state of California. A friend suggested to me that we play at a local club, and he said that the Boise Bridge Club had a new owner... that we should try it out. I am delighted that I followed the lead. Bruce Thornburgh, the club manager, is a class act. I have been to many excellent clubs in California, and the Boise Bridge Club takes a back seat to none of them. At Bruce’s club, there are scorepads at each table so that all players have a virtual knowledge of their performance on the board most recently played. The refreshments are outstanding, and Bruce offers his guests a choice of various gourmet coffees and hot chocolates. If coffee isn’t your beverage of choice, inexpensive soda and a variety of teas are available. The table fees, especially by California standards, are quite reasonable. Besides the amenities he offers, Bruce is a true gentleman. On one hand I played, my opponent revoked twice, but Bruce, seeing that the offending player was new to the game, handled the situation gently and competently. Bruce is a “people person.” I had a wonderful chat with Bruce after the game, and from our conversation I could tell that Bruce, not yet a Life Master, is a budding bridge aficionado. His enthusiasm was apparent as he explained other great ideas he has for his club, such as purchasing LCD displays so that he can keep precise time for each round. Kudos to Bruce! The ACBL should be proud to have him as an owner/manager. When I return to Idaho in October, the Boise Bridge Club shall be one of my first stops. Sincerely, Denis C. Racine ACBL Member

Be Prepared for the Flu Season Flu season is almost here. Help keep your players healthy and in the game! Here are some helpful tips to consider: • Keep bottles of hand sanitizer available for your players. • Wipe the tables and bid boxes with the disinfectant wipes. • Encourage players to get annual flu shots.

ACBL — Club Managers Newsletter ♣ 2 Fall Edition • September 2012 Special Events Corner

Special Event Sanctioning During January, March, May, June, July, August, October and November, clubs may choose one game per month per The 2013 club renewal packet includes the Special Events sanctioned session from one of the following funds: sanction form. This form lists the dates of the 2013 special games as well as the deadline for submission. We Grass Roots Fund — To hold a Grass Roots Fund encourage clubs to sanction games online by visiting the game, it is necessary to download ACBLscore version Special Events page for Club Directors and Managers. 7.76 by clicking here. Junior Fund During the month of December clubs may hold all sanctioned sessions as Grass Roots Fund games. No other Charity Foundation — To benefit the ACBL Charity fund/foundation games can be held during the month of Foundation (Canadian Charity Foundation for clubs in December. Masterpoint awards are 70% sectional rated Canada) or alternate to benefit a local charity organization. black. Fees are regular club game fees plus $4 per table. International Fund Educational Foundation

If you have any questions, contact Special Events at [email protected] or phone 662-253-3139.

NOTICE TO CLUB OWNERS/MANAGERS NEW Grass Roots Fund Game: A new Special Events month—December—has been designated by the ACBL Board of Directors as Grass Roots FUNd Month. This means that no other special games, notably the charity games frequently held in conjunction with club holiday parties, may be held in December. Instead, clubs are encouraged to schedule special games in support of NAPs and GNTs—the current Grass Roots events—in lieu of charity games. However, our intent was not to prevent clubs from holding games in support of their favorite charities, and we suggest the following options as a means to allow you to continue to show your traditional support, whether at a holiday party or at some other regularly scheduled/sanctioned game in December. You can simply add $1 per person (or whatever amount you choose) to your regular fee and keep those extra dollars to send to your favorite charity—do NOT send the extra dollars collected in to ACBL because the options below are not “special games” per se, but simply ways to collect for your charity while offering players extra points: • Schedule a Membership Game—every club may hold one Membership Game per year for each sanctioned session. Membership Games offer a full 100% sectional rating, but a player must be an ACBL member or join at the event (e.g., if you have 10 games a week, you can hold 10 membership games any time during the year at the time of an already sanctioned session) • Ask your unit to allocate to you one of its local Unit Championships—each unit receives 24 a year and may give one to a club for its use. Unit Championships carry an 85% sectional rating. • Schedule a Club Championship in December—every club may hold one per quarter. A Club Championship game has a 65% sectional rating.

(Special Events continued on page 4)

ACBL — Club Managers Newsletter ♣ 3 Fall Edition • September 2012 Special Events Corner (continued from page 3)

Jane Johnson Inter-Club Championship Games Club Appreciation Month - October Players at your club play face to face with the perk of Clubs may hold one Club Appreciation Pair game and across-the-field scoring through the Internet to determine one Club Appreciation Team game per sanctioned session overall rankings at all clubs that participate on the same during October. awarded for the Club date. Hand records are sent by email a few days before the Appreciation Pair game are 100% sectional-rated black. game is held. The club director sends the game file by email The Club Appreciation Team game awards 5% gold to a to ACBL the next day to be included in the overall scoring. maximum of 0.25 per player. The remaining points are sectional-rated black. There are no additional fees for these Your players earn regular club masterpoints at the club in games. Click here for the Conditions of Contest. addition to club championship masterpoints if they place in the overalls. The fees are $1 extra per person. Two Inter- Club Championship games are scheduled for each month. Please register online at http://www.acbl.org/play/ Canada Olympiad Fund Game icc-registration.php. Monday evening, October 22, 2012. Cost is $8.35 per table, plus game and table fees. Masterpoint awards are Click here to view the dates for 2013. In order to participate sectional-rated black. you must sign up in advance and use the current version of ACBLscore. To register for the game, please contact Margaret Bloodworth at [email protected] or at 662-253-3129. For more information you may email [email protected].

ACBL-wide Charity Game Extra Masterpoints: Is your club looking for games Monday evening, November 26, 2012. Cost is $6.35 per that award extra masterpoints? Click here for the Special table, plus game and table fees. Files will be emailed early Games at Clubs Chart. in November. No printed material is provided. Masterpoint If you want to see if you’ve sanctioned a game or would awards are sectional-rated black. like to see other participating clubs in your area, please To register for the game, please contact Margaret Bloodworth click here. [email protected] or at 662-253-3129. Contact the Special Events Department at SpecialEvents@ acbl.org or 662-253-3139 for more information.

Educational Foundation Games The ACBL Educational Foundation supports the continuing education and promotion of bridge. Clubs are allowed to hold one game per month per sanctioned session except during February, April, September and December. The masterpoint awards are 70% sectional-rated black.

ACBL — Club Managers Newsletter ♣ 4 Fall Edition • September 2012 Update from the Board of Directors Meeting in Philadelphia, PA Establish and Define Purposes of the Grass Roots Fund (see Special Events on page 3) Special Club Games When a sectional (excluding STaCs) or higher-rated event is being conducted within 25 miles of a club game’s playing site, the club is permitted to hold only its regularly scheduled club masterpoint games (i.e., no special games). This regulation does not apply to Limited/Restricted Sectionals. Playing Directors in STaC Games Effective Jan. 1, 2013 playing directors in STaC games and their partners are eligible to receive section awards, but are now ineligible to receive overall STaC masterpoint awards. Unit Extended Team Game The Annual Unit Extended Team Championships, Sanctioning and Reporting Guide, December 2010 are amended as follows: I. Team Size, Substitutions & Replacements Teams can have four, five or six members. Substitutes and replacements are allowed at the discretion of the event coordinator or his/her designee, or of the DIC of the event where one exists, but should not appreciably strengthen a team. In teams with more than four members, a substitute should come from within the team. Team members, by entering the event, are committing to participate throughout the event. As this event takes place over multiple sessions, they should be aware of the scheduled play dates and times, and make plans to attend. If they are aware of a scheduling conflict, they should notify their team captain and the director to see what accommodations can be made. This includes arranging a substitute or replacement or arranging an alternate play date. Replacements may earn overall awards if they meet (ACBL) play requirements. Substitutes may receive only match awards. Up to two substitutes per match may be permitted even if the team already has six members, subject to the aforementioned provisions. NAP/GNT Residency Guidelines and the NAP/GNT Conditions of Contest NAP/GNT Residency Guidelines, and the NAP/GNT Conditions of Contest are amended as follows: The expectation is that exceptions to this rule will be rare, especially in the top flight of each event. A player seeking an exception must obtain permission in writing from the ACBL District Director representing the district in which the member has a principal residence and from the ACBL District Director representing the district in which the member wishes to play. Both District Directors must approve the request for the exception to be granted. Further, any exceptions in the top flight must also be approved by a BoD Credentials Committee. The expectation is that District Director will approve and forward requests to the Credentials Committee only in very special cases (see below). There is no appeal from the Credentials Committee decision. The Credentials Committee (CC) is also responsible for clarifying which district a player is allowed to play in when said player’s eligibility is in question. When a challenge to one’s eligibility from a unit final stage or later stage has been made, the CC may request documentary evidence from the member whose eligibility is in question. If a member is unable to verify to the CC’s satisfaction that he or she is playing in the district of the member’s principal residence, the CC shall automatically disqualify the member and his or her partner and teammates (if the event is the GNT). When a member is disqualified by the CC, the matter will be referred to the ACBL President who may choose to make charges to the ACBL Disciplinary Committee in accordance with the section 2.2.3 (d) of the ACBL Code of Disciplinary Regulation. All residency requirements and requests for exceptions shall also apply to players augmented onto GNT teams. Effective immediately, for inclusion in the 2012-2013 GNT conditions of contest

ACBL — Club Managers Newsletter ♣ 5 Fall Edition • September 2012 Seminars and at the San Francisco Meetings Fall NABC There are more than bridge games at the NABCs. Members have an opportunity to take advantage of numerous educational and social activities. Here is a listing of seminars offered at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. For more information, contact [email protected]. Free Lessons & Play (Bridge+) November 24 – November 26 The Free Lessons and Bridge+ is specially designed for players looking to learn more about the game of bridge in a relaxed atmosphere. Fee: FREE; Registration On-Site Only Date: Saturday, November 24, Sunday, November 25 and Monday, November 26 Time: Lesson: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Play: Noon – 2 p.m. Club Directors Course November 19-21 Comprehensive course that prepares candidates for directing club and bridge cruise games. Anyone interested in becoming a club director or a director aboard a cruise ship is invited to participate. Study materials may be purchased through Baron Barclay Bridge Supply www.baronbarclay.com. You can pre-register online by November 12 at www.acbl.org/CDC. Contact Joyce Stone at 662-253-3138, or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Fee: $50 Date: Monday, November 19 - Wednesday, November 21 Time: 1p.m.-10 p.m. Monday with dinner break 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday with lunch and dinner breaks 9 a.m.-noon Wednesday followed by lunch break and testing Reception for Club Officials and Teachers Friday, November 23 Our “thank you” reception for the club officials and teachers who help recruit and retain our members. All club managers, teachers and club directors are encouraged to attend. Fee: FREE Date: Friday, November 23 Time: 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm The TAP — Teacher Accreditation Program (TAP) November 24-November 26 Introduction to the ACBL Bridge Series material and other popular teaching products. Learn modern teaching techniques from one of the ACBL’s premier teachers in this 10-hour interactive learning course which includes three hours of hands-on experience. Learn the business side of teaching bridge and be introduced to 64 weeks of class material and more! There are even techniques to move your students into duplicate faster. Leave with the tools needed to develop a successful teaching career. (Continued on page 7)

ACBL — Club Managers Newsletter ♣ 6 Fall Edition • September 2012 Seminars and Meetings ... The TAP — Teacher Accreditation Program (TAP) (Continued from page 6) Players age 25 and under are eligible to participate in these seminars for free. Classes can be taught in colleges, high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, churches, community centers or anywhere that space is available. Younger players will be more encouraged to participate when they see a peer is teaching the class, so if you are age 25 or under, or know someone who is that would be great at teaching the game, we encourage you to reach out to us to attend this seminar. Use the link at www.acbl.org/TAP to pre-register: Contact [email protected] for more information. Fee: Age 26 and Over: $125 (Previously ACBL Accredited Teachers can take the course for no fee.) Age 25 and Under: FREE Date: November 24-November 26. Time: 9:00 a.m. to Noon

Club Manager and Teacher Q & A Saturday, November 24 Come by for coffee and meet with members of the ACBL staff. This interactive information session will be hosted by Carol Robertson, Director of Club and Member Services and Bryan Delfs, Education Program Manager. We will be there to answer your questions and share thoughts about club games, marketing tools and programs. Special guest, Nicholas Hammond, will provide an update on the new ACBLscore+ that is currently in development. So bring your best ideas and hear from others about growing the game of bridge. Fee: FREE of charge. Date: Saturday, November 24 Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Board of Governors Meeting Sunday, November 25 All members of the ACBL Board of Governors are invited to attend the Fall NABC meeting. Discussion will include recent actions of the Board of Directors, reports from the CEO and treasurer and new proposals from the Board of Governors. Fee: FREE of charge. Date: Sunday, November 25 Time: 9:00 am

Club Director Refresher Course November 26 and 27 Continuing education for bridge directors to help improve their directing skills. Must attend both sessions (Monday and Tuesday). Fee: $15 covers both sessions. Sign up at door. Date: Monday and Tuesday, November 26 and 27 Time: 9:00 a.m. - Noon, both days

ACBL — Club Managers Newsletter ♣ 7 Fall Edition • September 2012