Emerald Empire Regional: July 22-28 RUMPETTHE DISTRICT 20 T www.ACBLD20.org Vol. 9, No. 3 Bridge Across the District May/June 2013 Emerald Empire Regional Renovated Valley River Inn hosts regional One of world’s By Marie Ashton the renovations billed on its web- D20 Tournament Manager site as a “multimillion dollar trans- formation.” best players The Valley River Inn in Eugene The hotel has always been a fa- awaits us in just two months, when vorite of mine anyway, with its river- District 20 and Eugene Unit 479 front location, balconies and patios present the 2013 Emerald Empire moves to D20 Regional. I am very excited to see Continued on Page 7 Valley River Inn overlooks the Willamette. he moved more than 5,000 Dutch pro Huub miles from Tilburg in the netherlands to bend, where Bertens is in Bend he still loves playing bridge. By Trevor Davis “The beauty about the game The Trumpet is its diversity,” he said. “Every When Huub bertens moved hand is just to Oregon, he instantly be- another chal- came one of the top players lenge. I love in District 20. He’s also one traveling all of the world’s best. over the world a winner of six interna- and making tional titles and numerous Huub Bertens lots of new Dutch championships, friends. What bertens is a World Interna- we all have in common is tional Master whose honors our love for this crazy game.” include a bronze medal in the bermuda bowl. Last fall Continued on Page 7 How these guys Peyt Turner / The Trumpet Sam Asai, a D20 board member and past president, stands among the trees that will produce the cherries he’ll furnish at the beat Cherries Jubilee sectional in July. Asai and his family have been cultivating orchards in Hood River for nearly 100 years. these Fruits of their labor guys Orchard grower, state farming official makes time for bridge, district board Vilhauer Knockout and the Portland team Early bird compact Knockout. By Marianne Klekacz eral make their living tending the tury. The elder asais immigrated gets dramatic win Through Friday morning, and Peyt Turner area’s more than 14,000 acres of from Japan and settled in the they’d played every session The Trumpet fruit trees. Hood River area, where Sam’s in Vancouver and won every event they’d a native and prominent or- grandfather worked for the rail- entered. It was a historic run, In places like Hood River and chardist, Sam asai is a familiar road clearing the land with hand By Chip Dombrowski and it continued Friday as the The Dalles, bridge players don’t face at the bridge tables and in tools. He then acquired some of Editor team easily advanced through exactly grow on trees. the orchards of the Hood River the land he had helped clear, the first two rounds of the but cherries do — apples and area. Sam and his cousin, Marta and ultimately planted the first For five days at the Oregon Mount Hood Knockout. It pears, too. cannell, grow fruit in an area asai orchard. Trail Regional, nobody got in looked as if the team might among the few dozen players Sam’s and Marta’s grandparents the way of the cremin team. complete the sweep and leave Three stars of the bridge world who keep local games going, sev- cultivated in the early 20th cen- Continued on Page 8 the regional undefeated. — Geoff Hampson, curtis When they reached the cheek and Marc Jacobus — semifinals of the Mount Hood came to Vancouver to play KO Saturday afternoon, they with arizonans Joan cremin faced a team of some of Port- and Haig Tchamitch. The land’s best players — a team powerhouse team racked up exactly like the ones they’d New NABCevent draws wide interest win after win, taking the top been beating all week. The local committee did a great job of host- with less than 10,000 points. They expected bracket of the columbia River Knockout, the Marilyn ing the St. Louis nabcs in March — lots of 40 teams and had 81! I guess that’s a pretty Continued on Page 9 good after-game snacks, good music and what decent indication of what the players want. I hope is a new tradition, an opening ceremony This new event had no impact on the at- party on the first Friday evening. attendance tendance of the other nabc events (IMP Pairs NAP | D20 pair is 12th in St. Louis | 3 was good but slightly below expectations. and Platinum Pairs) but did slightly impact Merlin Juniors | UW team reaches collegiate Vilhauer St. Louis saw the debut of a new limited attendance in the regional events. champs final in Atlanta | 9 D20 District Director nabc event, the two-day 10K Swiss teams. INSIDE 100! | A big birthday at the Ace | 14 This is a national event limited to players Continued on Page 7 Page 2 The District 20 Trumpet May/June 2013 Attack of the gigantic fit Guest Opinion My partner was trying to give me a heart attack. With eight diamonds missing, there was only It was the fifth round of Swiss teams at the a 22% chance of ruffing out the ace in three albany sectional, and we were in 6♥ after part- rounds. as if the 10-card suit wasn’t enough luck. Duplicate bridge: the ner opened 2®. My partner’s hand: ´ a 9 ♥ KQJ10986432 at first I wondered what kept him from going © — ® 2. to 7♥, so proud of my dummy: ´ J 4 ♥ a 75 It would be a better story if the board wasn’t a hardest way to have fun © K10 74 3 ® a 8 3. Pretty good support oppo- push and the round wasn’t one that we lost. but By Sivia Kaye site a monster, right? but now he was making still a pretty good story, and a great tournament. me nervous. Why do people take up dupli- ® © ♥ ´ a low spade had been led to my ´J, cate bridge — especially in re- In between rounds and after sessions the ´Q and partner’s ´a. but when tirement when we are told that in albany, I polled a few people on how he led the ♥2, his LHO showed out. it’s OK to place fun high on When he lazily called for a heart, I in- many tournaments they typically go to one’s personal agenda? in a year for the Player Roundup fea- stinctively reached for the ♥a. It can’t be called fun when “no, a low heart,” he commanded. ture on page 9. This is a feature that the concentration needed is in- OK, I knew he had promised at least Doug Laird started and reported from tense and the memory reserves Reno and Vancouver in the last two is- six or seven hearts, but it couldn’t be called upon are enormous. say instead “one heart.” The sues. I liked it so much I wanted to good news that they were breaking Loving language as I do, I first convolutions of bidding are so keep it year-round, even when there’s badly. I also knew that he was sup- became infatuated with bridge exhaustive that hundreds — lit- no regional to do the polling at. posed to have the ♥KQ, and that a Chip Dombrowski when I realized it was a coded erally hundreds — of books have So now I want to know what you marked finesse was available if he Editor language. To learn to speak it been written on this subject. like about the Trumpet. That’s the needed it. We were in a slam. Why on might take six months; to learn bridge is a partnership game question for next time. earth was he insisting on giving up a to interpret it might take six and the most enjoyable aspect and this time we’re asking anyone who wants heart at trick two? years. of it is when the partners under- to respond. I held my breath and picked up the ♥5. Perhaps players want to revert stand one another perfectly. This is the third issue since I’ve been editor, and his RHO showed out. Director? to their childhood when speak- Their coded language of commu- enough time to implement several new ideas, For a moment I had to wonder why my part- ing in codes was something we nication is also understood by and I want to know which ones generate the ner wasn’t calling out the obvious revoke, why often did. It made us feel part of the two opponents at the table. most reaction. he had played the suit as if he knew whichever an exclusive club to which other Why do retirees take up du- In this issue we’ve got more examples of post- opponent held the outstanding trumps would classmates couldn’t enter unless plicate bridge? Is it because it’s regional coverage highlighting a particularly in- revoke, and why he seemed so unfazed by it. they could decode our secret one way to laud it over another teresting event, news features, coverage of news Then it hit me. messages. Then, too, generals in when professional attainments events, and of course there are the polls from We had a 13-card fit. He had a 10-card suit. wartime also used codes to plan are no longer part of your con- regionals and sectionals. Gosh. The last time I had a 10-card suit, part- invasions that the enemy could- versation? Or is it a way of keep- It’s also OK if the thing you like best about ner could only muster singleton support, n’t intercept.