Monday, November 27, 2017 Volume 90, Number 4 Daily Bulletin 90th Fall North American Bridge Championships [email protected] | Editors: Sue Munday and Brent Manley New ACBL President Whipple Looks Ahead “What’s next?” reads Jay Whipple’s email Whipple’s agenda for the year centers around a single signature line. Now the new ACBL president is the theme: the smooth functioning of the ACBL chief one answering the question. executive and the Board. “That involves greater Elected to spearhead the organization in 2018, communication and close work together,” Whipple explains. “We have a great CEO,” Whipple says of Bahar Gidwani, who was hired in the middle of last year. “By the end of our Board meeting here, we had a clearer understanding of whose role is what.” Winners of the 0-10,000 Swiss Teams: Phil Altus, Whipple has sincere praise for predecessor Muriel Altus, Martha Woodworth and Greg President Bob Heller. Michaels. “Bob did an amazing job of restructuring Board committees to align with function rather than Altus team wins politics,” Whipple says. The new president has asked 0-10K Swiss Board members to serve where they can contribute The team captained by Phil Altus, in a virtual tie the most, with flexibility in assignments that will with another squad with a match to go, had to wait enable them to move between committees as their for the other team’s result on the final board of the experience and the need dictate. 0-10,000 Swiss Teams to learn their fate. When the He uses the Harkness table as a model for bringing people together. A learning evolution continued on page 17 Whipple first became familiar with in high school, the Harkness table seats a teacher and students Senior KO in around an oval table where everyone is a partner – semifinal round nobody’s ideas count more than anybody else’s. Four teams will do battle today to secure berths “We want to bring our strategic partners into our in the championship round of the Baze Senior Jay Whipple continued on page 9 Knockout Teams. Pairings for today, by captain, are Nick Nickell versus Paul J. Lewis, and Mike Levine Lynn Yokel: rising star among TDs continued on page 17 When Lynn Yokel was a child growing up in San Francisco, she had a sort-of introduction to bridge, Bocchi squad mostly attributable to the fact that her parents played. She didn’t really understand bridge, however, until leading Open BAM she got to high school. The team captained by Norberto Bocchi will Yokel recalls that public school teachers start play today in the Mitchell Open Board-a-Match frequently went on strike on those days (the 1970s), Teams with a two-point lead. The event ends today. and when they did, parents of the students would go to Bocchi is playing with Antonio Sementa, Giorgio the schools and “do interesting things with the kids.” continued on page 17 One day, one of the parents arrived with a determination to teach bridge to the idle students. Alpert team leading Armed with a better understanding of the game, Yokel kept playing. She continued to play Women’s BAM occasionally, even while studying at the University of The team captained by Claire Alpert, Miami FL, California at Berkeley. She earned a bachelor’s degree takes a 1-point lead into today’s final of the Marsha in psychology from the school, but never practiced in May Sternberg Women’s Board-a-Match Teams. the field. Alpert is playing with Signe Buus Thomsen, Lindsey After college, she worked as a typesetter for continued on page 17 Arabian Horse World magazine and in other jobs. After marrying in 1982 and having two children, Notice to Players Who Live she was a stay-at-home mom, but she still yearned to Outside North America play bridge. Participation in the Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs is In 1992, Yokel put an ad in a diaper service limited to those ACBL members who have earned a continued on page 5 Blue Ribbon qualification (or those members on the Lifetime Top 100 masterpoint list). Foreign players who have not earned a Blue Ribbon qualification Soloway KO Slated to Start in 2019 but feel they are otherwise qualified must receive a The ACBL Board on the first Friday of the tournament, and continue waiver prior to the commencement of these contests. of Directors approved until the final two teams face off on the second Previously granted waivers will not be honored for the addition of a seven- Thursday. the Blue Ribbon Pairs. day Soloway Knockout “Placement in the KO will be determined For waiver information, please arrive early and event to the Fall NABC primarily by a team’s finish in the Swiss round-robin see the Director-in-Charge at the selling site. schedule according to rather than solely on seeding points,” Jones says. Russ Jones, the District The event, which honors four-time world 10 Director who heads champion and 20-time NABC champ Paul Soloway, up the Board’s Bridge will be played for the first time at the 2019 Fall Goodwill Message Committee. NABC in San Francisco. Unlike the In other tournament news, the Board approved Nothing is stronger than the power of a smile, a Vanderbilt and the the addition of an NABC online individual kind word or an honest compliment. Spingold, the Soloway tournament – similar to the wildly popular game held Sandy DeMartino, Chair KO opens with a two-day Swiss, says Jones, in conjunction with the Tornonto NABC last summer Aileen Osofsky Goodwill Committee followed by a 32-team knockout; the event will start -- to the schedule for each of the three NABCs. Page 2 Monday, November 27, 2017 Daily Bulletin SPECIAL EVENTS MEETINGS / SEMINARS / RECEPTIONS Meetings are at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Tuesday, November 28 Monday, November 27 9 am-Noon Club Director Refresher Course. A continuing education 9 am-11 am Teacher Input Session. (Gaslamp CD, second floor) course for club directors to increase their skills. Participants 10 am-Noon Competition and Conventions Committee meeting. (Pier, must attend both sessions. Fee: $15 covers both days. Sign third floor) up at the door. (La Jolla AB, second floor) 10:30 am-Noon Aileen Osofsky ACBL Goodwill Committee meeting. (Old 10 am-Noon ACBL Hall of Fame Committee. (Old Town A, second floor) Town A, second floor) 11 am-Noon USBF Board meeting. (La Jolla AB, second floor) Wednesday, November 29 5-7 pm Goodwill Reception. Aileen Osofsky ACBL Goodwill 9 am-Noon Club Director Refresher Course, session 2. A continuing Committee members only. (America’s Cup, fourth floor) education course for club directors to increase their skills. 5:30-6:30 pm CEO Meet and Greet. (Lobby Bar) Participants must attend both sessions. Fee: $15 covers both 11 pm-12:30 am CEO Meet and Greet. (Lobby Bar) days. (La Jolla AB, second floor) CELEBRITY SPEAKER PROGRAM Don’t miss these free lectures by some of the best-known players in the Tuesday, Nov. 28 game! Talks will be held in Harbor Ballroom GH, second floor. Speakers and 9:15 a.m. Harold Feldheim Do You Play Blackwood? topics are subject to change. 6:45 p.m. Robert Todd Dealing with Opponents’ Preempts Monday, Nov. 27 Wednesday, Nov. 29 9:15 a.m. Jerry Helms The Defensive Mindset 9:15 a.m. Phillip Alder Playing the Right Honor 6:45 p.m. Peg & Dewy Cundiff Doubles 6:45 p.m. Leo Bell Leading Trump HOSPITALITY Enjoy late-evening snacks in the Coronado Ballroom on the fourth floor. Tuesday, Nov. 28 Anniversary Cake Monday, Nov. 27 Wednesday, Nov. 29 Ice Cream Bars Chocolate/Key Lime Tarts ENTERTAINMENT Monday, Nov. 27–Thursday, Nov. 30 Noon-1 p.m. Harpist Dr. Marsha Long 10:30 p.m. Rock ‘n’ roll magic of Las Vegas’ Greg Miller and Sonia Cruz Near the Registration Desk, second floor Coronado, fourth floor Parking discount Players not staying at the hotel can pick up discounted parking tickets at the Information Desk beginning today at the following times: 8:30-10 a.m., noon-1 p.m., 2:30-3 p.m., 6:30-7:30 p.m. The tickets are good for a discount rate of $11. Intermediate-Newcomer players may pick up validations at the I-N desk 12:15—12:45 p.m. and NABC Results 6:30-7 p.m. by Email/Text Want to be notified when results and the Daily Bulletins from the NABC are posted online? Want to Buy Your NABC see your results in the events you played in? ACBL Entry Online Live does just that. Don’t wait in line! With the ACBL Live notification system, you Buy your entries in will receive emails and/or text messages after each advance for all national- session with links that go directly to the information level events in San Diego you’re looking for. The email/text message will at BridgeWinners.com. contain your score for the session and a link to your Entries must be results. (These results will also be available on your purchased by 10 a.m. the MyResults page at MyACBL.) Players will also day of the event except for receive a notification to indicate when the Daily events that require pre- Bulletin for that day is available. registration, in which case the ACBL deadline, or the This service is automatic for members unless earlier of the two, applies. they have specifically opted out. To receive text A nice feature: You can buy entries in advance messages, go to MyACBL at acbl.org and select and be charged for the total number of sessions Update My Information to enter your email address played after the event is over.