Next online regional Fall Into Bridge: Oct. 15–18 TRUMPETTHE DISTRICT 20 www.ACBLD20.org Vol. 16, No. 3 Bridge Across the District Fall 2020 Pandemic Extended online GNT is a hit The summer-long round robin team keeps ACBL event that took the place of the District 20 Grand National teams proved to be popular, drawing significant participation in all four flights and winning praise board busy from many competitors. Teams competed in a round-robin phase from late June through early Au- Club policy modified; gust. The top four teams in each flight advanced to a knockout. reorganization passes The extended format provided a regu- I can assure you that your national lar activity during a time when many board has been busy. While we have were lacking the ordinary stimulation of not met in person, I continue to be life as we used to know it. impressed with my fellow board Amy Casanova, Paul Wrigley, Rick Prouser and Ray Robert won the Open Flight GNT. For more on the event, see page 3. members and ACBL management. When the virtual clubs began, the idea was for the local clubs to have an opportunity to make money since many clubs have District looks at overhead expenses such as rent and in- surance. when regionals It was also impor- tant that clubs be able to charge ap- should return propriately. A New York City club has How far into 2021 Laurie Rowe significantly higher D20 District Director rent than Eugene, before bridge is safe? and so the guest policy was created that in order to We on your district board miss play in a virtual club you had to have you. We’ve especially missed seeing played in that club within the last you at regionals. year. An allowance was made for 5% Bridge playing is social – seeing to be from elsewhere. friends from all around the country, It turns out that some want to play talking, sharing stories, laughing and with a longtime friend or relative, so An unfamiliar sight to most ACBL members: a room full of mostly people of color playing bridge. commiserating. Face-to-face is the we voted to increase the guest policy The American Bridge Association is home to most of the Black bridge-playing population in the U.S. best by far, but now we’re in different to 15%. I would like feedback from time. BBO isn’t F2F, our members on whether we need to but it is much better increase or decrease this amount. than being without. About $800,000 was raised by The other bridge world In my case, for the clubs for The Longest Day, including first 10 weeks of the $24,000 in District 20 (see page 6). ABA provides community for mostly Black members pandemic I was The board has finalized the reor- dealing with an an- ganization plan with Districts 20 and cient computer that By Chip Dombrowski and Jen Smith toric divide persists 53 years after the 21 being combined. District 20 will wouldn’t support ACBL banned racial discrimination. While Mike Eyer continue to operate as District 20, The Trumpet BBO. the ACBL does not keep data on mem- D20 President but only one person will represent It is extremely sad It’s been a while since any of us were in bers’ race, observational estimates suggest both districts on the national board. that so many people a room full of bridge players, so let’s try that less than 0.5% of its 160,000 mem- This will save the organization about – players and others – have lost their this as a thought experiment. Recall a bers are Black. $150,000 per year. With this change lives or become very ill. With good time when you were at a bridge event of The ACBL isn’t the only bridge organi- the board has been looking at tasks leadership, we could have been back any level in the ACBL — club, sectional, zation in the United States. Let’s learn that should just be managed by paid to the tables sooner. regional, national. Look around the room. more about the American Bridge Associa- staff at the ACBL. This will not be Your board has been working hard How many people of color are there? tion, which serves primarily African Amer- fully implemented for three years. I on tournaments, personnel recruit- You can count them on one hand, right? ican players. supported the plan. ment, reaching out to players and Bridge is segregated and has been since sharing lessons learned with other Continued on Page 6 the game was invented in 1925. The his- Continued on Page 7 districts. Special thanks go to GNT/NAP co- ordinator Hal Montgomery and D20 secretary Rich Carle for a very good job in developing and coordinating a Mastering the etiquette of online bridge D20-only GNT series. Although the By Amy Casanova whether I should even be there in the first thought that was sufficient. Another time I winners (see story, page 3) aren’t eli- gible for next year’s nationals, every- The Trumpet place. left my shopping cart a foot away in an In the beginning, when I inadvertently empty Trader Joe’s aisle and a store one deserves applause. There are a lot of new rules these days, broke a rule and was corrected, I felt kind worker told me I was to stay with my cart Special accomplishments everywhere you go. My going places is lim- of angry, like how could I follow or not fol- at all times. Congratulations to Connie Marfell ited to the bank, grocery store and pet low a rule I wasn’t aware of? I wasn’t being I have to remind myself about the rules who was second in the world (!) in store mostly, but even at those places a jerk on purpose. frequently when playing on BBO. There the World Bridge Federation’s spring there are many signs to read detailing What kind of rules? Once I didn’t step are many that people new to BBO might online women’s tournament. Connie where I am supposed to stand or how I back behind a taped line at the bank, but am supposed to enter an aisle, and the teller was behind plexiglass so I Continued on Page 7 Continued on Page 6 Page 2 The District 20 Trumpet Fall 2020 Amid unhappy times, play online and reach out to someone Playing bridge has always been some- doing just that — supporting your clubs. players at a table have thumbnail video for all tournaments through February thing of a respite from the world for me. Even the online regionals, which get a bad feeds of each other. I find this to be very 2021. For D20 that is a calendar year with It’s a way to escape for a few hours and rap as “cash grabs” for the league, help to fun and kind of wish that the virtual clubs no regionals. With the reorganization of just play a game. support the organization that supports could do the same. Not everyone chooses districts, who knows how that will impact At times I can remember feeling almost the clubs. I don’t know about you, but I to have their camera on and it kind of de- our schedule and sites in the future. physically relieved walking through the am sure spending a lot less money on not feats the purpose of self-alerting (everyone There is a little bit of good financial door of the club, my spirits lifting. It’s not only table fees but travel, lodging and can see or hear if you are typing an alert news for the district. The GNT event that quite the same opening my lap- meals for every game I play at out) but if everyone got on board, I sup- was running all summer was very success- top and logging in to BBO, but home. It’s not such a bad deal pose you wouldn’t need to self-alert, you ful and generated income. there is still some excitement and I am thankful that so many could go back to alerting your partner’s Our finance committee is now without and anticipation — I get to play rallied and worked hard to get us bids. Both of those games are social Roger Thomas, who volunteered many bridge! I get to chat with friends. playing together again. games not affiliated with the ACBL and hours and whose thoughtful advice helped I usually try to keep things This evolvement also shines a award no masterpoints. us to maintain solid footing throughout light and bridge-related here at light on a somewhat curious The other time I used video technology these changing times. Good luck in your The Trumpet, but the outside question that has been debated with BBO was in the ACBL Premier KO. My next endeavor, Roger. world has most definitely come quite a bit in my time at the vari- team made it only to the second round, but Finally, in this issue you will read about crashing in and there is just no ous unit and district board meet- the rules were you had to have a camera three extraordinary women. They all loved denying it anymore. We are sad, ings I have attended: technology going with what was essentially your the game and were loved by many. As we we are struggling, and we have Amy Casanova and how best to employ it. There “screenmate,” one opponent from the other approach the dark days of fall and winter, lost so much, including the thing Managing Editor is little doubt now that we all pair, and you could monitor one another let’s reach out to one another.