June 6th, 2011 ~ Judy Kay-Wolff ~
Comments Off on THE CODE OF VULNERABILITY 
When I first learned the game eons ago, I was given a great “pony” to remember vulnerabilities if there was no score card available (or you were not looking at the boards themselves). It goes something like this: ONEB/NEBO/EBON/BONE. (What is this daffy blogger talking about?)
It was called to mind as I was keeping Bobby’s score in the Seniors and did not have a regular duplicate card which gives the vulnerability – so I applied a fifty-year old code when I didn’t know if it was -50 or –100 or +420 or +620: Really very simple.
O = NO ONE N = NORTH/SOUTH E = EAST/WEST B = BOTH SIDES
It applies to the first sixteen boards and then keeps repeating itself (17-32)(33-48) and so on.
ONEB ARE BOARDS 1-4; NEBO ARE BOARDS 5-8; EBON ARE BOARDS 9-12 AND BONE ARE 13-16 At first it sounds confusing, but after you get used it, it is a helpful crutch.
June 6th, 2011 ~ Judy Kay-Wolff ~
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About two weeks ago, I received a Facebook invitation from a man I had never met, offering to pick us up at Detroit Metro on the 4th. After such a grueling change of planes and rain delay, it was a pleasure to know we wouldn’t have to fight the cab lanes Our host was Al Tushman, a charming Detroit native, who was gracious enough to be waiting at the carousal with a cart (for which he had no need because our luggage missed the transfer to American Eagle). They don’t make ‘em like that anymore – a total stranger, to say the least. He even called my cell phone to say he knew I was going to be late but that he would be waiting. It was a delightful forty five minute drive to the hotel and we got to know more about Al, the Detroit crew and among other things, a fascinating historic fact.
As we approached the hotel and the adjacent waterway, we saw Caesar’s across the water and was told it was only a boat ride away (not that we, coming from Vegas needed another casino). However, only those who remembered to bring their visas for ID (rather than driver’s license) could cross the river which happened to be the southernmost tip of Ontario and believe it or not, this part of Detroit lies above (North) of it. This Facebook fella was a terrific guide and we hope to see him later in the week when he returns from Chicago and comes down to kibitz.
June 5th, 2011 ~ Judy Kay-Wolff ~
Comments Off on SOBERING UP FOR THE SENIOR TRIALS
After Saturday’s exhausting rain-delayed flight via Chicago causing our baggage to arrive at 6 a.m. this morning, we relaxed (slept) most of the day rising only for breakfast ala room service. Saw lots of bridge players milling around late this afternoon in the beautiful lobby of the Detroit Renaissance Marriott. Bobby’s partner, Dan Morse, arrived a few moments ago and helped solve a major conflict. Dinner or the Maverick’s game which run concurrently. We found a nearby Italian restaurant within a block which has a big TV set. Problem solved. Off we go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Incidentally, we told Dan to meet us in the lobby, but he challenged my suggestion. “I’ll just knock on the wall,” said he, as he was assigned to the room next door.
Tomorrow – the start of the Senior Trials!!!
June 4th, 2011 ~ Judy Kay-Wolff ~
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I blog to you from above the clouds as our flight begins in Vegas via Chicago and on to The Motor City for the 2011 Senior Trials. The last time Bobby played was in Las Vegas two years ago (with a similar team – Dan Morse, Fred Hamilton, Arnie Fisher, Paul Swanson and John Solodar) where they emerged victorious but lost in Sao Paulo. This week the latter two will be replaced by Richie Schwartz (Captain) playing with Lew Finkel. Entries closed with eleven teams but to probably round out the movement. the powers that be added a twelfth team (Deutsch with Zia and Co.). It begins Monday, June 6th and figures to be an exciting week starting with a round robin and concluding with a knockout (with all sorts of double eliminations in between).
My good fortune has afforded me much universal exposure but I’ve never seen a real windmill close up, so I’ve got my fingers crossed to set foot on Dutch soil this winter as USA1 or USA2.
May 31st, 2011 ~ Judy Kay-Wolff ~
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SHAME ON OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY – some members of the Football Team itself and certainly their Coach as well as the other involved miscreants who allowed such a catastrophe to happen. Congratulations to the NCAA Compliance Committee for doing the opposite of what others might have chosen to hide under the same circumstances – and penalizing their heretofore respected great Head Football Coach Jim Tressel and forced him to resign for failing to live up to compliance regulations involving irregularities. Contrary to public opinion, necessary rules are not meant to be broken – especially in this area.
Similarly, the playing of bridge (particularly at an international level and at a very visible venue) demands superior ethics and behavior — not an attitude which will allow one to sign one’s name on a compliance form (for whatever the restrictions are) but wildly and collectively, abandon its responsibility and darken the usual cherished awards ceremony for everyone in attendance as in the Women’s Bridge Shanghai incident.
Until tournament bridge actively prohibits its players from committing such heinous acts by strong discipline — opting instead to cater to shady politics and conniving by excusing such off-the-charts actions, bridge will never rise to the respect level that the game undeniably deserves and should enjoy.
May 31st, 2011 ~ Judy Kay-Wolff ~
10 Comments
Reading Bridge Winners on line I was very disheartened to observe all the animosity regarding Canada and the United States as far as bridge competition. Growing up as a child and all through my school years, we thought of the two nations as comprising North America, the main difference between the climates – especially the southern extremities of the U. S
When I first arrived on the bridge scene, Norman and Edgar were playing on teams with Eric Murray and Sami Kehela, et al. No one thought of the difference of nationalities. We were one big happy family and the relationship continued for decades. In fact, I must confess that one of the most delightful Hall of Fame Inductions was a year or two before Norman died when Eric and Sami were inducted (albeit in an untimely fashion) in Toronto to throngs of cheers who appreciated this popular pair. It was like an hour long comedy act and with their usual routines, they stole the show.
In fact, Eric wrote the foreword to The Lone Wolff and I speak to him once or twice a year. This morning I learned from him that he had a serious automobile accident two months ago but that he is coming along slowly and asked if Bobby and I attend the Toronto Nationals to be sure and let him know and he will drive over and meet us for dinner.
Of course, before Bridge Winners banter, being a “female’ I never thought of the ugly political issues of Canadian/U.S. competition and all the resentment because of so many super Maple Leaf Players jumping ship and moving to the States to play professionally and abandoning their birth country – creating a sharp dearth in the top Canadian bridge community. However, can anyone blame them for trying to better themselves, doing something they adore and getting paid to do it?
May 28th, 2011 ~ Judy Kay-Wolff ~
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As you may remember from a former blog, one of the most celebrated players and theorists from the fifties and sixties was a rather high spirited fella by the name of Tobias Stone (Stoney to his friends). He was the long-time partner of Alvin Roth, co-author of the Roth-Stone System popularized and adopted sixty years ago. Stoney, who will be 93 on June 8th, migrated from New York to Vegas about twenty-five years ago and is as sharp as a tack although he has succumbed to giving up his apartment where he was living alone as his motor skills and eyesight are on the downward swing. However, if you heard him and his unbelievable memory, you would be amazed. When Bobby and I visited him at St. Joe’s South in Las Vegas yesterday, he recalled stories of Edith Freilich (Kemp/Seligman/Seamon) who recently passed away. He and Bobby discussed the great women players of our generation and they agreed that Edith was a notch below Helen Sobel and Stoney judged Philadelphian Sally Young (with whom I was privileged to partner in a duplicate) as the number three female standout. Of course, Stoney has been out of the bridge loop for decades and does not know all of our younger female superstars.
By the way he was also a champion backgammon player although sports and bridge absorbed most of his time in the Big Apple.
After their favorite subject, Stoney turned to basketball and asked Bobby about the upcoming finals and they discussed Dallas’ chances of beating Miami and also spoke of LeBron James and his controversial actions when he jumped ship to play for the Heat.
I can only say, I hope that this reading audience at 93 will also still have all their marbles (present company included) and such an incredible sense of recall of days gone by (especially in the world of bridge). Tobias Stone is truly remarkable!
May 21st, 2011 ~ Judy Kay-Wolff ~
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As you will recall, I posted a blog “Do you Fit the Bill?” about the upcoming vacancy of the position of the CEO in July of 2012 — over thirteen months from now. That is an inordinate amount of time to select and train someone. We’re not talking about a Navy Seal.
I later caught wind of the fact an unpublicized meeting was being held by the Search Committee selected by President Craig Robinson and was coincidentally being held prior to the luxurious Cavendish Invitational at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, NV.
Days after my blog I was reprimanded for letting the cat out of the bag as even the BOD of the ACBL was unaware of this clandestine gathering. What was the big secret? I should think this should be public knowledge since 165,000 people are involved — unless there was some underhanded business being conducted or predetermination that they did not want the outside world to know about. The Committee Meeting, no doubt with all expenses paid by the ACBL at the exciting time of the Cavendish Auction and party, had the following present: Bruce Blakely, chairman; Sharon Anderson, Steve Beatty, Bob Blanchard, Joan Gerard, Dan Morse, Rand Pinsky and perhaps others. I got hell for making it public on my blogsite because it was supposed to be hushed up. WHY THE STEALTH? WHY NOT MAKE IT PUBLIC? WHAT’S TO HIDE? Perhaps there was more to it than meets the eye.
It recently came to the fore that about a dozen applicants were invited to attend the Henderson meeting and as a result it was narrowed down to four or five and the leaning now is that ONE will be presented to the Board for their approval – rather than be given a choice after interviewing all. How can this be! The search committee are not professionals and certainly more than one person should be interviewed and then one selected by the BOD.
On another very related subject …… after reading about the search on my blog, I received an inquiry from someone who would certainly fill the bill and wanted to throw his hat in the ring. I called Bonnie Bagley, my District 17 dynamic rep, and she contacted Mr. Blakely who instructed her to tell the ‘potential’’ candidate to send in his resume which he emailed THE FOLLOWING DAY and the applicant received this email dated MAY 12th:
Dear ______________:
Thank you for your letter in application for the position of CEO, which we have received. I am the Chair of the CEO Search Committee and will forward your application to the entire committee for review.
/s/ Yours truly, Bruce Blakely.
Yesterday the applicant received a follow-up dated MAY 20TH which reads as follows
Dear ______________:
We are not accepting any new applications at this time. If we reopen our search, we will contact you then. Thank you for taking the time and interest to apply.
/s/ Bruce W. Blakely
MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MINDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t quite understand the inconsistency. The applicant did so immediately. I SAW THE SIX PAGE RESUME. It was quite impressive. How could it hurt, after promising that it would be sent to the Committee for consideration (unless a replacement CEO was favored from the start???). The new applicant is dynamic and to exclude him as a candidate is absurd! WHERE IS THE FIRE?????. Besides, a chair person has certain inalienable rights AND above all – that is to change his mind if he realizes there are better options available. This “one candidate” offering to the BOD is outrageous? Besides, how would he or she feel if rejected. It is much more level-headed and fair to present a small group to the BOD for their consideration and it is they who will be responsible for the choice to the membership.
If this is the position of this bunch of randomly selected ‘searchers’, then the ACBL deserves what they get. The search committees have made several faux pas in the past (and I don’t have to name them; they are self evident) and not to consider this recent application of a phenomenal candidate could be the biggest to date and may live to haunt them! The selection of the CEO should be made top priority and the committee should honor their responsibilities to the game as well as the ACBL – with revocable deadlines since time is not of the essence.
May 12th, 2011 ~ Judy Kay-Wolff ~
5 Comments
My sister Deedy (seven years my junior) and I were raised by a dynamic mother and a sports loving dad. Of course long before the boob tube, we enjoyed the sporting events on the radio and looked forward to each and every game (A’s, Phillies, Eagles, Sixers and of course our beloved Flyers toward the end).
By the time I got to high school, I had access to a car (and as Red Skeleton might have said, ‘ You’re a baaaaaad girl.” Why? I used to forge my mother’s name on a letter to Deedy’s teacher, begging off to go to her dentist’s appointment. Then, at noon time we would zoom down Broad Street to 21st and Lehigh to the legendary Shibe Park to take in a Phillies game. As Deedy grew older, she became a die hard Flyers Fan and she and her husband, Alan, besides having Eagles Football tickets, bit the bullet for Flyers tickets as well. She was indeed a sports fanatic and quite knowledgeable as well.
In the meantime, as my kids grew up, I developed a wholesale sports memorabilia business (operated out of my lovely furniture-less living room in Penn Valley) until the local authorities got wind of it (because of the twelve-wheelers backing up to my front door daily with skids full of sports cards), s0 I wisely shifted locations although the inconvenience was unreal. This was in the early-eighties We finally rented a nearby 5,000 foot office/warehouse and had eight girlfriends working for a flourishing and fun-filled business and Norman and I set up at weekend sports memorabilia shows within a three hour circumference where I got to know most of the celebrities who made guest appearances to autograph photographs as that just happened to be our specialty. (Off the record, I can tell you the most accommodating and warmest of the old timers were Brooks Robinson, Ozzie Smith, Richie Ashburn, Wade Boggs, Carl Yastrzemski and a few more).
Meanwhile my kid sister had reached the age of fifty in 1991 and my business was still thriving so I decided to throw her a surprise party which Norman seemed to think included the immediate world. My proudest achievement was to track down our next-door neighbor from the forties and Deedy’s best friend who had entered a convent. It was not easy – but she accepted with blessed joy. Now the problem – who could I get as guest celebrity who would excite her the most? It wasn’t easy My business was still open but (to distract Deedy), I told my staff I was giving them the afternoon off as we had been working long hours. Deedy’s best friend was appointed to drive her to a neighborhood restaurant which appropriately I had decorated on the basement floor with sports memorabilia, a pianist and about seventy people. I had written an amateur show which my henchman (workers at Kay’s Baseball Cards) had sort of learned by heart and after coffee time, the show began. It was a laugh a minute but unquestionably the highlight of the event was when BERNIE PARENT appeared at the finale and presented Deedy with a headpiece crowning her the Puckhead of the Year.
I can still envision picking her off the floor when she saw one of her idols coming toward her and kissing her. Yes, I had hired Bernie to officiate the closing ceremonies – an occasion Deedy still talks about.
(I’ll tell you what I did for her sixtieth another time).
I must add that Canadian Bernie Parent was (AND STILL IS) like a folk hero in the Philly area — a perfect gentleman with a darling, warm personality. We have NOT won a Stanley Cup since he retired and in fact the City is soon honoring him – so many years after his heroic exploits are history.
What a heartwarming memory for me.
April 29th, 2011 ~ Judy Kay-Wolff ~
4 Comments
Last evening we were enjoying the Rampart Buffet with our friends. Cookie and Bob Yellen. Before we went to stuff our plates, Bob accosted Bobby giving him a sheet of paper with a hand, asking “Could I impose on you.” However, for simplification, I am giving you all 52 but Bobby’s parchment had only the North/South cards and the first three tricks played. What next?
K94
K103
KQJ106
J3
AJ85 1072
Q952 6
43 98752
K75 A1084
Q63
AJ874
A
Q962
(I thought it was a hand from yesterday when we did not play duplicate but I could have not been more wrong!!!).
Soon as Bobby saw North and South, he blurted, “I played this hand over 39 years ago in Taipei against Szwarc and Boulenger “ (and was reprinted in one of Alan Truscott’s books where Bob found it and thought he could pull a fast one on Bobby). No way.
Truscott’s description …
“South has three top losers in the side suits so he must avoid a trump loser. In the replay, the French declarer, Jean-Marc Roudinesco, made the standard play of taking the (heart) king and leading the ten. This would have allowed him to pick up Q9xx of trumps on his right.”
“But Wolff had a subtle clue. The defense began with a club to the ace, a spade to the ace, and the club king. The West player, Henri Szwarc, owns three world titles and has been one of Europe’s best for more than 40 years He won the second and third tricks with no hesitation and appeared quite relaxed. That strongly suggested that he believed he was going to make a trump trick.”
“So Wolff proceeded on the assumption that Szwarc held not just Qxx, which would look like a possible trick, but Q9xx, a highly probable trick. After winning a spade lead in his hand at the fourth trick, Wolff backed his judgment by leading the heart jack. This was covered by the queen which confirmed his estimate of the situation: West would not cover with Qx or Qxx. A diamond to the ace allowed Wolff to lead the heart seven for a finesse. Then another trump was led to the ten and closed hand was reentered with a diamond ruff. The last trump was drawn with the ace, and dummy made the remaining tricks.”
“This seemed like wizardry. Could Wolff see through the backs of the cards? He had used brilliant psychology.”
It was not Bobby’s great table feel that pressed me to write up this hand, but the fact that Bob Yellen was still laughing and talking to himself today that it didn’t take Bobby 15 seconds to recall THE HAND, the year, the opponents, the site and the card combination with only his and partner’s cards presented to him. LOL!
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