HBC Newsletter and Calendars Page

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added Jan. 19, 2012)

Three Special Games

TWO Unit Wide games: Monday, Jan. 23 (9:30 a.m.) and Tuesday, Jan. 31 (10 a.m.)

International Fund Game: Saturday, Jan. 28 (12:30 p.m.)

Save the Date

Life Master party of Betty Snyder: Saturday, Feb. 11 at 12:30 p.m. Bring goodies and help celebrate!

Cromwell Closings

The club will be open Tues, Feb. 14 for the 10 a.m. game ONLY. We will be closed from Tues. evening, Feb. 14 through Monday, Feb. 20. Our regular schedule resumes Tues, Feb. 21.

Volunteers Needed

Sign up at the club to man the pairer’s table prior to each game. This will only take about one hour of your time and is a way to give your support to your hobby.

STaC Games—Silver Points!

STaC games begin Thurs, Feb. 23rd-Wed, Feb. 29th: ALL games except Fri. 1:30 p.m. 0-100 game.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added Jan. 4, 2012)

Bridge Lessons with Helen

4 – Week Series on Defense

Classes are intended for Intermediate/Novice Players

Jan 24th – Opening Leads

Jan 31st – Third Hand Play

Feb 7 – Second Hand Play

Feb 21 – Defensive Signals

Questions?

Please contact Helen at 413-530-1278

or hpawlowski@comcast.net

Fee is $22 per class

All lessons held at the Hartford Bridge Club

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added Oct. 14, 2011)

REMINDER: policy on psych bids

It’s been about a year since this policy was in a newsletter, and it has been noticed lately that psych bids seem to be on the rise.

For all of you who have made psych bids, have been psyched or may someday be psyched, please note the new HBC Board (and ACBL) approved policy.

1.If a player makes a psych bid (one that purposely and grossly misrepresents either distribution or point count) THE PSYCHING PLAYER MUST CALL THE DIRECTOR UPON COMPLETION OF THE HAND and report the psych. Failure to do so will result in a procedural penalty equal to the top on a board.

2.All players are encouraged to report psychs. If the psyching player has not reported the psych there will be a procedural penalty equal to the top on a board.

3.If a psych is committed against a player of lesser ability or experience it will be considered bad sportsmanship and a penalty equal to the top on a board will result.

4.If a player psychs more than twice in one event, there will be a procedural penalty equal to the top on a board.. This does not mean that it is acceptable to psych twice in every game. Psychs should be rare.

5.Excessive psyching can result in barring from the club for a period of time determined by the HBC board.

Please Help!

If you drink soda at the club, and you take the last (or next to last can) of your favorite flavor from the refrigerator, please restock the refrigerator with that flavor. Back stock is located in the supply room. Just go in and refill the refrigerator so there will be cold ones for you or someone else the next time. Thank you.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added April 15)

POLICY STATEMENT

At its April 14th monthly meeting, the HBC Board of Trustees clarified the following policy:

Players whose individual masterpoint totals exceed the limit allowed in restricted games are not permitted to play in or kibitz those games. This restriction applies to all partnerships, including the mentors and mentees. As an exception, the game Director can request an advanced player to participate in order to complete a movement; in this instance, the Director is responsible for the decision and no masterpoints will be awarded to the non-eligible partners.

Pairer/Player Recruiter

Libby Pearl has volunteered to help recruit volunteers for the Pairer/Player program. The calendar will continue to be available to sign, but Libby will also be asking you to help out. Please help.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added Jan. 20, 2011)

Snow Closure Policy Reminder

We remind you the bridge club is no longer following the school closings. We are our own entity and will decide independently when to close. If we are closed, there are three ways to find out:

An email will be sent approximately 2 hours before gametime.
There will be a message on the phone's answering maching (860-953-3177)
We are listed on channel 3's closings notices (both on TV and online at http://www.wfsb.com/closings/index.html). We are listed alphabetically under Hartford Bridge Club (so look in the "H's")

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added Jan. 5, 2011)

BJ's Shopping Cards

If you shop at BJ's with a membership through the bridge club, our cards expire on Jan. 31. All this month, when you make a purchase, you will be told that your membership expires on Jan. 31 and asked if you care to renew. If you do want to renew, you can say "yes" at the register and the $25.00 renewal fee will be added to your purchases. You do not need to stand in line at the service desk. You do not need to do it the first time they ask you, if you'd rather add the $25 at a later date.

Note: BJ's has raised ALL the membership fees by $5.00 as of Jan. 3. So it will cost you $25.00, not the $20 we were charged in the past.

I have renewed the master membership for the club, so if you tried to renew earlier and were told you could not renew because the club had not renewed, they will take your money now.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added Dec. 23, 2010)

MICHAEL LAWRENCE LIBRARY

We are pleased to inform you that two additional bridge texts have recently been ordered to be added to our library. The first was donated by a member who wished to thank our Club directors for their service and the second was in recognition of the many hours of research and record keeping contributed by our Club Historian, Joy Bacci. Both are welcome additions and are nice gestures to show appreciation for deserving members of our Club. They should arrive within the next few days and we welcome you to add them to your reading list. Speaking of which....though our offerings are limited our library is always available for your perusal. You are encouraged to borrow any of our books for fourteen days (more if you return within the allotted time and request an extension.) Happy holiday reading?!

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added Dec. 12, 2010)

SSSHHHH!!!!

A gentle reminder. Our directors are finding the movement from table to table and from board to board is being slowed by members who are anxious to review the bidding sequence, the play of the hand or, in some instances, to giving mini-lessons to their partner or to the opponent. In addition to the time delay, it is apparent that adjoining tables are "enjoying" the preview of the boards that they will next be playing. (It really does help to overhear a person loudly stating "6NT was cold partner if you had played for the hearts to break evenly.") We do not wish to interfere with your enjoyment of the game but please try and save your reviews and commentary for the close of the round and only then if time allows.....and do so quietly. Better yet, make mental notes and spend a few minutes at the close of the day with your partner reviewing the hand record and the specific board(s) that caused consternation. A piece of advice, if you will.....avoid being defined by the papaprosdokian: "I've stopped listening so why are you still talking?"

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added Sept. 22, 2010)

Quiet Please

Post mortem discussions are not appropriate during a round. Among the bad things that can result are

· delay of the game,

· offending your partner,

· offending the opponents and

· sharing information with the next pair to play the board.

If you feel you must discuss a hand with your partner, wait until the round is finished and take the discussion away from the playing area.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added Sept. 17, 2010/corrected Sept. 24, 2010)

Procedures When You Need A Partner

If you know you are coming without a partner, please notify the director at least 30 minutes before game time. 860-953-3177.
It is important to be aware that if you come in without a partner and refuse to play with the pairer, you will not play in that game.
Remember to be courteous to your partner at all times.

Procedures for the Pairer/Player

The pairer/Player Coordinator will seek volunteers to serve as the Pairer/Player. When a member agrees to serve he/she will confirm that commitment by signing the calendar for the agreed upon date(s).
The Pairer/Player will be present on the days(s) of the month as assigned. (Please arrive fifteen minutes prior to game time and report to the Game Director.)
The Pairer/Player will be assigned as a partner for any pairless player as determined by the Game Director. It is not the responsibility of the Pairer/Player to assist in pairing and he/she should not attempt to make any any arrangement for any player arriving at HBC in need of a partner.
The Pairer/Player will play free of charge on the day assigned. In addition, the Pairer/Player will also receive a $5.00-off coupon to be used at any future HBC game.
If the Pairer/Player's services are not needed (as all single players have been assigned partners) he/she will receive two $5.00-off game coupons.

Smokers

Smokers, please stand away from the back door, particularly if there are players in the back room. The smell of the smoke is wafting into the playing area. Thank you.

Messes

The HBC belongs to all of us. Please clean up any spills you cause. The game directors are here to direct the game; not clean the club. Please empty your coffee cups, water cups and soda cans in the sink before tossing into the waste baskets or putting the cans in the trays for redemption of the deposits. DO NOT empty them into the "drip catcher" on the water dispenser. There is no drain on the water dispenser. The tray must be emptied into the sink by hand, so please cut out the middleman and empty directly into the sink yourself. Thank you.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added August 25, 2010)

Clarification of HBC Policy on Member Illness Announcements

How to Handle Member Illness--At the request of a member, a member's family or a member's friend/bridge partner, the HBC will post the information on the white board and send out an email requesting cards, calls, and/or visits as specified by the member. Members may want to limit specific medical information and just need good cheer. To make a request, call the HBC or speak in person with any of the directors. All directors will give the requests to Donna,the Club Manager, and she will have the information posted. The HBC respects the privacy of its members and will not post any medical information without permission from its members or someone acting on behalf of a member.

A concern regarding extended absence of members who are known to play at the HBC on a regular basis: If you know of a member who is absent, please let Donna know.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added March 11, 2010)

MICHAEL LAWRENCE LIBRARY

The Hartford Bridge Club is pleased to announce the opening of the Michael Lawrence Library. Partab Makhijani and Bill Watson have volunteered to be our librarians.

Currently, the Library owns the following texts:

Author: Michael Lawrence

· JUDGMENT AT BRIDGE 1 copy

· TWO OVER ONE 3 copies

· OPENING LEADS 3 copies

· Play a SWISS TEAMS OF FOUR 2 copies

· DOUBLE 2 copies

· DYNAMIC DEFENCE 2 copies

· Play Bridge with MIKE LAWRENCE 2 copies

· TAKE OUT DOUBLES 2 copies

· How to Play CARD COMBINATIONS 2 copies

· Partnership Understanding 3 copies

· FALSE CARDS 2 Copies

BORROWING PROCEDURES:

A book may be borrowed by an HBC member free of charge for fourteen days. Contact Partab or Bill to borrow or return a book. If they are not available, the Director of the day will assist you. An entry, indicating the date borrowed, will be recorded. It is the sole responsibility of the borrower to return the book by its due date.

Late returns:

A late fee of one dollar will be charged for a book not returned within seven days beyond the due date; two dollars for seven to fourteen days past due. If not returned fourteen days past the due date, the borrower will remit the full price of the book and may lose future borrowing privileges.

Damaged books:

If a book is returned damaged, the borrower will remit the full price of the book.

Advance reservation:

If a book is not available a member may make an advance reservation. That member will have first choice to borrow when it next becomes available.

Renewals

A book may be renewed for an additional fourteen days if no advance reservation has been made by another member.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added Dec. 8, 2009)

HBC Closure Policy

HBC is no longer following West Hartford school closures. Donna and the director of the day will determine the status of our games.

Approximately 2 hours before gametime,

there will be a message on the answering machine,

notification on WFSB (TV and website),

and also an email will be sent.

Please be aware that a morning closing does not affect the remainder of the day. Each game opening or closing will be determined at least two hours before game time.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added August 26, 2009)

Reminder

The Board of Trustees would like to remind you that policy states that there will be no solicitation of any kind at the Bridge Club. Posting of notices is not allowed without permission of the club manager.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(added July 23, 2009)

Food Issues

It is the goal of all members of the Hartford Bridge club to create the most enjoyable atmosphere possible. Because of a number of recent "events" related to eating, we propose the following guidelines and strongly urge all to adhere to them. We need everyone's help-please encourage your partner to follow them should he/she forget.

Limit food at the bridge table to dry snacks and drinks that fit in the cup holders.
Sandwiches, cups of soup, bowls of salad, heated meals, etc. should be eaten in the kitchen area only. If it comes out of the microwave, it has no place in the playing area.
Absolutely no "double dipping"-use a plate or separate utensil each time you take from a community bowl/jar.
Keep peanut butter and spreads off the duplimate cards. They are very expensive to replace.
Do not eat as you lean over the food service counter, to keep crumbs from dropping back on the food.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Donna Feir, Manager

Lou Brown, President

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

(updated May 20. 2009)

Kibitzers

HBC Directors have determined the following:

1. Kibitzers are welcome at open games only, provided they follow ACBL Laws:

Spectators

Proper Conduct during Bidding and Play:

A spectator must not display any reactions to the bidding or play while a board is in progress. He should not look at the hand of more than one player without permission from the Director.
A spectator must not in any way disturb a player.
A spectator must refrain from mannerisms or remarks of any kind (including conversation with a player).
A spectator should be seated.
A spectator may not touch any player, player's chair or table.
A spectator may speak to fact or Law only if requested to do so by the Director.

The Directors Role: The director is completely within his right to impose necessary restrictions on spectators in order to guarantee reasonable playing conditions for the contestants. Any kibitzer may be barred for cause by the Director.

Example: The Director may limit the number of spectators at a given table and eliminate standing spectators or spectators moving from one table to another. Only in extreme cases should the Director clear the room completely of kibitzers. Such an action would be warranted if the room is already too crowded with players to accommodate spectators. At certain stages of a knockout team event, it is within the Director's province to forbid kibitzers from watching specific areas of play.

The Player's Role: The players are expected to extend all reasonable privileges to spectators. A player may not bar all spectators from his table. He does have the right, however, to object to the presence of a specific spectator and may have one such spectator barred without assigning cause.

The Role of a Club Manager: Club officials are urged to extend all reasonable priviliges to spectators and to understand that kibitzing is part of the game.

2. Kibitzers are NOT permitted at HBC during limited masterpoint games.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦

When you claim the rest of the tricks in a hand, all play must cease. You are required to state your line of play. “Play it out” is not an option. If there is any question as to whether the claim is correct, the director must be called.

♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦♠♥♣♦