CR Bridge

Remember the fall food drives Build Better Bridge used to have? Remember Face to Face Bridge games at all?  It’s tough for Bridge players, but, of course, we realize there are much bigger needs in our community.

Westminster Presbyterian continues to serve the needy through their food pantry. We thought we could help this year, with a different type of collection.

Bring food donations the second Tuesday of Sept., October, and November between 12:30 and 2:00. At least one of the Boardman’s will be there to collect your donations. Drive through the parking lot. No need to leave your car.

We hope to see you on one or more of these dates: Sept. 8, October 13, and November 10.

If any of you club members have needs that we can assist you with, you are welcome to call or email us at 319 540 4206  or else maryann.boardman@gmail.com .

Hello, all! We are the latest group to pool with Eastern Iowa Bridge, making it a total sweep for all out Unit clubs playing under one name!  If you have been playing in Mary Ann, Carol, and Ramesh’s games, you can now play in the QC games.

I am Vickki Shelley, Manager and BBO Director for Vacb274209.  Friend this number (VACB274209) in your “add a Friend” in BBO.  It will facilitate your registration into our three games:

Vacb274209  Eastern Iowa Pairs                 Mondays         6:30 pm

Vacb274209  Eastern Iowa Pairs                Wednesdays    6:30 pm

Vacb274209  Limited Eastern Iowa Pairs   Thursdays          6:30 pm (0 – 1000 MPs)  (ACBL number required for this game only)

Registration is from 4:30 to 6:15 (4:30 for new players to BBO where we may have issues is registering).  BUT EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE ONLINE by 6:15 and in IDLE. 

Make sure you are online and ready to go (Extremely important):  There is a new situation with BBO.  To give some relief to the servers that handle the virtual games (and others), BBO has installed additional servers that take care of “casual” games as well as “solitaire” games.  If you are in those places at game time, both you and your partner will be dropped from your game.  So, this is how to avoid this situation:  Please, after registering with your partner, be back online at least 10-15 minutes before game time.  If you are playing in the casual or solitaire areas or even kibitzing, get out of there.  Here is the guarantee (we hope).  Go to “competitive” and then ACBL Virtual Clubs and just stay there.  You will be seated in your game from there when it starts.   If one partner is not online and ready in this way before game time, the pair may be excluded from the game unless we can get them back before game time.  This is not our doing.  It is the way BBO works.  If you are waiting in the 10-15 minute window, it is also important that you watch for the big window that asks, “are you still there?”  If you don’t answer YES, you will be logged off.  Not following these conditions may be why we have lost pairs right up to the start of a game.  

NOTE: QC Slammers has lost NO ONE yet because I am calling folks not on line within 10  minutes of start time (best excuse – Vickki to the player – “you are not on line.”  Player to Vickki – “My cat jumped on the computer and my computer froze up!)

It is a good idea to log off about 15-20 minutes before game time and then log on again.  Several players thought they were online but they were not online to the director and game setup probably for the multiple servers situation described above.  If you do this, please Go to “competitive” and then ACBL Virtual Clubs and just stay there.  You will be seated in your game from there when it starts.

Please do not wait until the last moment to register!!!!

Partnerships:   you may register with your partner.  If it is the first time, be sure and register as early as possible.  If you need a partner, and you know ahead of time, email me at gvshelley8@gmail.com with your request.

Let me know your username, bridge level, and phone number…I will try to pair you up.  You can also use the partnership table in the game.  It works seamlessly when you agree with a partner ahead of time and pre register early.  Be sure and include which day you are wanting to play.  I will reply to your email.  You may also call me at 435-669-5482.

Results:  You may get your BBO results after the game by looking in your BBO History.  However, you receive additional points from ACBL.  Those results may come about 30 – 40 minutes after the conclusion of the game. You will receive those from ACBLLIVE if you are registered with them. To find the results on the acbl website:  acbl.org/acbllive/QC Slammers (put it in your favorites).

The following is taken from Ramesh’s website, because we follow the same protocols:

Playing in Virtual Club game

Tutorials: Please look at these videos to learn about BBO: https://www.sagamorebridgeclub.com/help-everything-bbo.

BB$: You will need to purchase BB$ online. Game is set at $4 per session. We will start out with 21 boards (6min/board) sessions. There is a 30% surcharge if you purchase BB$ by APP (Must use browser to avoid this surcharge).

Keep the game moving: Claim or concede when you know. No sense in prolonging. Once the time for a round is up, it will move to the next round, even if you are not done. Open games play 6 minutes per board. Limited games play 7 minute rounds. When your name is highlighted in yellow, it is your turn to act!

Conv Card: You will be required to enter your Convention Card, else you will default to SAYC (standard American yellow card).

Register for the game: The game will be visible 2 hours before the start of the game, where you can register yourself and a partner. If you don’t have a partner, there will be others like you and pick from available players.

Self Alert: You must self alert and self announce. First click alert, write a short description of the bid (not the name of the convention), and then make your bid. To ask what a bid means click on the bid. DO NOT USE THE TABLE CHAT TO EVER SAY A THING ABOUT YOUR BIDDING. To get rid of the explain box (Do not click on EXPLAIN, because that sends it back for another explanation), click on a space in the box. It will disappear. You will be alerting anything that is blue (NT ranges, transfers, short club opening) or RED (conventions requiring an alert) on the Convention Card. Feel free to tell what your slam conventions mean, what cue bids mean – basically anything that might keep the game moving.

If you would like to be on my Eastern Iowa Bridge list, please give me your name and email. Include your username.

Vickki Shelley

gvshelley8@gmail.com

One of our favorite bridge days was the fund raiser for Alzheimer’s, The Longest Day. This year it will look a little different. The ACBL is dedicating all the virtual club games played on the weekend of June 20 and 21 as Longest Day games. The proceeds will go to Alzheimer’s and the games will all be point enhanced.

The Eastern Iowa Bridge club is combining to make this a great event. There will be four games on Saturday, all for Alzheimer’s. The games will be at 10, 2, and 6.  There will be two separate games at 6, an open game and an under 1000 game.

What about the prizes and the food? Well, you have to fix your own food this year, but we are giving prizes. We will have a raffle for gift cards. For every game that you play in, you will get one ticket. If you go to our Eastern Iowa Longest Day  website and donate there, you will earn two raffle tickets. Then there will be a drawing and six gift cards to popular restaurants awarded. One person from each of the six areas will win. The Boardman’s are donating the gift cards so that more money will go to Alzheimer’s.

Our whole Unit 163 has the opportunity to work and play together and make this an awesome event. Please help us support this special fundraiser!

Party for Jack — BBB July 15

Jack Murphy achieved the rank of Life Master at the June, 2019 Gold Rush Regional. He only needed a few gold points and I was pleased that he earned them right here in Cedar Rapids at our first ever Gold Rush Regional. I admire Jack for many reasons: He is a true student of the game, taking lessons, using the hand records, discussing with his partners and even creating practice drills  for his computer. He, early on, started playing “up”, not being intimidated by better players, but willing to learn from and play with them. He epitomizes what a duplicate bridge player should be. A learner, an achiever, an encourager, a teacher, and a good cookie eater.

Here is what Jack has to say about his bridge playing career:

I have played social bridge most of my adult life.  Early on I played some duplicate but gave it up many years ago mostly because I never found a compatible partner.  Then about 7 years ago, when a friend said he wanted to try duplicate, I offered to go with him.  I was pleasantly surprised that duplicate has changed a lot over the years, and for the better.  I was then very fortunate in finding a partner who was a both a good player and wonderful mentor.  Initially I had no ambitions to reach Life Master rank, but our club director was quite encouraging.  Obtaining the required gold points was my major challenge.  At the Coralville regional tournament in 2018 I was on a strong team with partners Connie Hellenthal and Mona Bertrand, and with teammates Jim Boardman Jr. and Jack Falat.  Most of my gold points were won there.  I also received gold points with partners Jim Loehrlein, MaryAnn Boardman, John Knodle, and Richard Goings.  For me it was quite unexpected that duplicate bridge has become an important part of my life in retirement. 

When we were in charge of the Wednesday night club, we adopted the phrase, “We give more!” We gave more points by having special games nearly every week. We gave more opportunities to learn with free lessons, hand records,  and Common Game analysis. We gave more by having special charity games and fund raisers.  Alas, night bridge just didn’t have a great deal of interest in this area.

So, last July, when we had the opportunity to buy the day games, we were excited. Three games-we can give more-three times as much, in fact. And we do. We give more points and because the games are bigger, we can give lots more points. We still have the educational opportunities with hand records, free monthly lessons (with many more students than at night), and Common Game hands and analysis. Our biggest and best is the opportunity to give more to charity.

The Unit 163 Board President (that’s me for my fifth and final year) challenged all the clubs to raise $1000 for charity. The unit board adopted Parkinson’s Foundation for its unit charity and also voted to include the ACBL fund games as well as choice or unit charities in the $1000 challenge. 

So, our charity giving is tripled. We gave generously to the Westminster food drive in October, November and December. Then in 2019, we started an even bigger campaign to raise money. For every charity game you hold for an ACBL charity, you can hold one for a choice charity. The ACBL charity games cost the club owner an extra $1 per person per game which all goes to one of the ACBL charities: Education Fund, Charity Fund, International Fund, Junior Fund or Grass Roots Fund. The Grass Roots Fund money stays in our district so I often choose that one. In January, February and March, I used all the ACBL charity games that I was allowed. We paid about $300 in extra fees. So, with those game requirements fulfilled, I could start holding choice charities. Our choice is the unit charity, Parkinson’s. We have three long time bridge players, Ray Heng, John Schmidt, and Roger Welty affected by this terrible disease. We held four choice charity games in March and will hold six in April. On those days, our food donation jar turns into a Parkinson’s donation jar. Our players have been very generous.

My new goal is to make that $1000 donation goal by the end of April. We already have almost 75%. Today’s date is April 10, so we have several more weeks to get to $1000. The unit will provide a party (cake and special treats) when we reach that goal. We won’t stop there. We will try for the next $1000. 

I am really grateful for the donations from you players. Your generosity has been amazing! Thank you so much! I believe in my heart that we can enjoy the best game in the world and use it as a vehicle for giving, too. 

In June, we will have The Longest Day, which is a big fund raiser for Alzheimer’s. Stay tuned for that.

Jim and MaryAnn Boardman

Daytime CR games awards big points again.

Thursday                    Masterpoint race                     Page 1

1     5.51  Mike Rowray

 2     3.58  Jack Murphy

   3     3.31  Jack Falat

   4     3.31  Mary Ann Boardman

   5     3.18  Gregory Slager

   6     2.39  John Knodle

   7     2.33  Alan Langenfeld

   8     2.32  Gisela Gunderson

   9     2.27  Keith Sutherland

  10     1.75  Thomas Flanders

  11     1.75  Richard Goings

  12     1.49  Wilda Gerks

  13     1.43  Paul Hazzard

  14     1.43  James Boardman

  15     1.31  Barbara Skogman

  16     0.98  Tom Amosson

  17     0.98  Gary Haddy

  18     0.92  Lynda Schimberg

  19     0.69  Mark Ultis

  20     0.69  Jack Stivers

  21     0.64  Roger Flint

  22     0.55  A Marie Buhrman

  23     0.55  Gretchen Stuhr

Monday                     Masterpoint race                     Page 1

    1     8.15  Judy Vopava

   2     5.47  Mona Bertrand

   3     5.18  James Boardman

   4     5.11  Gregory Slager

   5     4.67  Robert Otto

   6     4.67  Thomas Flanders

   7     4.65  Roger Johanson

   8     3.96  Mike Rowray

   9     3.81  Lindel Settle

  10     3.81  Mark Settle

  11     3.51  Kenneth Ridler

  12     3.51  Edward Gorman

  13     3.14  Dorris Hotchkiss

  14     3.11  John Knodle

  15     3.11  Roger Flint

  16     2.93  Bruno Rinas

  17     2.47  Jean Halvorson

  18     2.47  Marianne Stickley

  19     1.97  Mary Ann Boardman

  20     1.97  John Morano

  21     1.97  Gisela Gunderson

  22     1.87  Ellen Krause

  23     1.87  Melvin Krause

  24     1.86  Gary Haddy

  25     1.71  Purnima Chawla

  26     1.71  Ashok Chawla

  27     1.48  Jack Murphy

  28     1.48  Jack Falat

  29     1.48  Tom Amosson

  30     1.44  Alan Robb

  31     1.44  Mike Hirleman

  32     1.40  Allethina Harker

  33     1.33  Paul Klein

  34     1.33  Nancy Klein

  35     1.05  Richard Goings

  36     1.05  Bob Kramer

  37     0.92  Barbara Skogman

  38     0.89  Marie Gibbens

  39     0.89  Sandy Frese

  40     0.89  Kay Turner

  41     0.69  Jeannie Slaman

  42     0.69  Gretchen Stuhr

  43     0.62  Nancy Sutherland

  44     0.62  Keith Sutherland

  45     0.51  Dennis Giesler

  46     0.51  Jerry Stevens

  47     0.43  A Marie Buhrman

  48     0.43  Robert Degroff

  49     0.32  Fay Elson

  50     0.32  Linda Cruise

Total Masterpoints reported:   110.87

There will be no Monday games on Dec. 24 and Jan. 31. There will be a Thursday game on December 27.

Monday bridge will resume on Jan. 7 with a free lesson starting at 11 that day.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Jim and MaryAnn Boardman

For October, November and December, the daytime bridge clubs of Cedar Rapids donated to the Westminster Food Bank. The first Monday and the first Thursday of each of those three months were Food Bank Days. Players were encouraged to bring something for the grocery cart. In November and December, there were special requests for holiday foods.

Here is the picture of the December basket. It is overflowing with the generous donations of the players. Jan, who organizes the food drive for Westminster, was impressed. Thank you to everyone who donated. Jim and MaryAnn are dedicated to doing more for the community through bridge. Watch for more opportunities!