ACBL - District 9 • www.district9acbl.org Volume 12 - Number 5 May-June 2016 Pat and Adrian Dovell had a great 2015. See where they finished on page 15. Read about some of their escapades on pages 16-17. Reno NABC news: Page 9 May/June 2016 1 2 Sunshine Bridge News DISTRICT 9 PLAYERS PLACE IN NAPS Congratulations high finishers at Reno NABC. We sent many fine pairs to play in the North American Pairs’ three flights. Here are the ones who finished in the overalls NAPs Flight A 6-Gary Cohler, Miami and Janice Seamon-Molson, Hollywood NAPs Flight B 10-Tansu Aksu, Orlando and Luz Ortega, Melbourne NAPs Flight C 9-Scott Berry, Wellington and Dan Marshall, Royal Palm Beach To have a chance to represent District 9 in 2017 in this event, you must qualify at the club level at qualifying games held in June, July and August. Then the qualifying pairs all play in the NAP District 9 Finals to be held October 29-30. Locations have not yet been determined for the district finals. The event finals will be played in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Spring 2017 NABC. May/June 2016 3 Interested in a Free* Trip to Kansas City? Do you love to play duplicate? Do you have one favorite partner who also loves the game? Do you often do well together, routinely scoring above average in many sessions? Do you like to travel? Do you like to have your travel expenses subsidized? Do we have an idea for you?! During June, July and August, your local club will be hosting some North American Pairs (NAP) qualifying games. If you and your favorite partner both get qualified, either together or separately, you will then be eligible to move on to the District Finals, to be held at locations TBA, October 29th and 30th. Points won in club qualifying games are half red, half black. Three pairs in the unlimited flight (any player may compete) will earn the right to represent District 9 in the Flight A event, to be held (tentatively) March 8-9 at the 2017 Spring North American Bridge Championships (NABCs) in Kansas City, Missouri. Four pairs will earn the right to represent District 9 in the Flight B event (players with fewer than 2500 masterpoints as of the May 6, 2016 masterpoint cycle) and four pairs will earn the right to represent District 9 in the Flight C event (players who are not life masters and who have fewer than 500 Masterpoints as of the May 6, 2016 masterpoint cycle). You may play in the district finals October 29th and 30th with any other qualified player. The player with whom you play in the district finals is the one you qualify to play with in the NABC finals at the Kansas City, Missouri, NABCs in March of 2017. Points won in district finals in all three flights are gold and red. And now the best news of all. ACBL supports the winning players from each district in each flight with a $700 per person stipend to attend the event finals. Also, the event carries no entry fee. Yes, a free bridge event! ACBL supports the second place players from each district in each flight with a $300 per person stipend to attend the event finals. And adding to the good news: District 9 supplements the financial subsidy to the second, third and fourth place finishers in Flights B and C. Do we have an idea for you!!! Qualify at the club level so you can compete at the district level. Shouldn’t YOU have an opportunity to be one of the players to play in a free bridge event in Kansas City, Missouri, having flown there, and staying in a hotel there, using funds earned for your success at the district level? *Your trip may not be free, but you could have up to $700 to subsidize your travels. 4 Sunshine Bridge News A 73% GAME: NO BIG DEAL. UNLESS YOU’RE BLIND! By Sonja Gray by hand in advance of the two or three times a week he wishes to play. Since he cannot use the On Tuesday, March 15, Geoff Bull and bidding boxes, his opponents and partners must his partner Sonja Gray had a 73% game at vocalize their bids and the cards played during Open Pairs at the Khatib Bridge and Education the play of the hand; also, he must memorize not Center, Stuart, Florida. This might not be news only dummy, but every card played during the except for the fact that Geoff is an 80-year-old course of the hand! He is well known as one of gentleman, blind from birth, who plays a heck of the best players at the Club and also one of the a game of bridge. nicest. Geoff and his wife Sue are snow-birders He was born in Colerne (near Bath), who live most of the year in Kalamazoo, England, went to school at Worcester College, Michigan, but come to Stuart for the winter. and spent a career in physical therapy, computer Goeff plays, of course, with Braille cards. These program as a business executive. He met his wife cannot be dealt out using the dealing machines here in Stuart, they have been married 23 years most clubs now employ because such repeated and he has two step-children. He plays very little dealings wear down the Braille indentations on bridge in Kalamazoo because he hasn’t found the corners of the cards; therefore the cards must anyone willing to pre-deal the hands, but both be arranged for him separately from the cards there and here he enjoys golf(!), and he and Sue for the other players. (This is an important both enjoy reading, traveling, church and other issue; these cards are very expensive and he chorale singing (he is often a baritone soloist), must supply them and replace them every three and getting together with friends. or four years due to wear.) He needs only 2 more Gold Points to He and his partners are very fortunate that at become a Life Master – here’s hoping he can do our Club, the Executive Director Harry Falk and so soon! GO GEOFF! all of his other directors, including Sally Swing, After scoring the 73% game, Geoff Bull poses with his Carol Helderlein and Alan Hudson, are willing wife Sue, at left, and his partner Sonja Grey, at right. to spend time arranging the Braille cards for him (photo by Audrey Cranman) May/June 2016 5 June 6-12, 2016 DoubleTree by Hilton Tampa Airport-Westshore 813-879-4800 • 4500 W Cypress St., Tampa FL 33607 Use DS9 Bridge/District 9 as the code for room reservations. 10:00 Electronic Devices Only side game (one session) HOST 11:00-1:00 Free Lesson by Marianne Timmons for all Shannon Cappelletti MON interested novices (888) 360-2590 JUN 2:00 0-20 Relaxed Game (no entry fee) [email protected] 6 2:00 Charity Open Pairs (one session event) 2:00 & 7:30 Mon-Tues Bracketed KO (cont’d 10:30 & 3:00 Tues) 7:30 Charity Open Pairs (one session event) PARTNERSHIPS 7:30 Two Session Swiss Teams (cont 7:30 Tuesday) Visit the District 9 Online Partnership Desk at: 10:30 & 3:00 Tues-Wed Bracketed KO (cont’d 10:30 & 3:00 Wed) bridgefinesse.com/D9PDeskIndex 10:30 & 3:00 Gold Rush Pairs (2 sessions) (Lim to 750 MP) TUE 10:30 & 3:00 A/X/Y Pairs (2 Sessions) HOSPITALITY JUN 10:30 & 3:00 299er Pairs (Single session games) 10:30 Morning Side Game Series (1st of 5) Coffee; Tea; Orange Juice; 7 3:00 Stratified Swiss Teams (single session) Hospitality includes lunch, snacks 3:00 Afternoon Side Game Series (1st of 5) and hospitality suite. 7:30 Stratified Swiss Teams (2nd of 2, cont’d from Mon) 7:30 Evening Fast Pairs Side Game Series (1st of 5) STRATA 9:45 - 10:15 Guest Speaker Open Events 10:30 & 3:00 Wed-Thurs Bracketed KO (cont’d 10:30 & 3:00 Thur) A=2500+; B=1000-2500; C=0-1000 10:30 & 3:00 Gold Rush Pairs (2 sessions) (Lim to 750 MP) Florida Gold Strats: WED 10:30 & 3:00 A/X/Y Open Pairs (2 Sessions) A=300-750; B=100-300; C=0-100 JUN 10:30 & 3:00 299er Pairs (Single session games) A/X/Y Strats: 8 10:30 Morning Side Game Series (2nd of 5) 3:00 Stratified Swiss Teams (single session) A=5000+; X=2500-5000; Y=0-2500 3:00 Afternoon Side Game Series (2nd of 5) 299er Events 7:30 Wed-Thurs Compact KO (1st of 2 sessions, cont’d Thurs 7:30) A=200-300; B=100-200; C=0-100 7:30 Evening Fast Pairs Side Game Series (2nd of 5) 299er Strata May Be Changed at 9:45 - 10:15 Guest Speaker Director’s Discretion 10:30 & 3:00 Thurs-Fri Bracketed KO (cont’d 10:30 & 3:00 Fri) 10:30 & 3:00 Stratified Open Pairs (2 Sessions) All Pairs Games Stratified by 10:30 & 3:00 299er Pairs (Single session games) Masterpoint Average of the Pair THU 10:30 Morning Side Game Series (3rd of 5) (both players must fit under upper JUN 3:00 Stratified Swiss Teams (single session) limit of the event). All KOs and Sat. 9 3:00 Afternoon Side Game Series (3rd of 5) 7:30 Wed-Thurs Compact KO (2nd of 2 sessions, cont’d) 2-Session Swiss are 7:30 Thurs-Fri Compact KO (1st of 2 sessions, cont’d Fri 7:30) Bracketed.