DISTRICT 24 NEWSLETTER…….Alvin Levy……………………Volume 06.1

The Dallas NABC had its good and bad highlights. The playing space was excellent…ample room under one roof and good lighting. The hotel was good, but relatively expensive compared to area hotels. There were good restaurants in every price range, but not convenient to the playing area. Players often found it difficult to eat outside the hotel between games...some even got lost returning on the Dart.

The table count of 10,318 was disappointing considering the large local bridge population. The table count was above last year’s Pittsburgh spring NABC at 9,593 but below the 2003 Philadelphia spring NABC at 10,850. All pale in comparison to the 2004 Reno spring NABC at 14,888. Players are attracted to more popular cities!

Nothing against Dallas, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia or Denver, they are areas with many players and we should have some NABCs there. However, if we want to attract more players to our NABCs for up to 10 days then we have to offer more than bridge. The niceties at a site affect our players’ good time, at and away from the table, but generally do not affect attendance. Attractive cities, that is, cities that our players would visit even without a bridge tournament, greatly enhance attendance. The 2004 NABC cities, Reno, NYC and Orlando, brought three exciting sites, near record attendance and healthy profits. The total 2004 NABC table count was 42,881. The table count in Reno, NYC and Orlando were 14,888, 13,351 and 14,642, respectively. This was 7,382 tables higher then the total 2003 total table count of 35,501. The table count in Philadelphia, Long Beach and New Orleans were 10,850, 12,247 and 12,402, respectively. Profits from our 2004 NABCs were $482,000 higher then from our 2003 NABCs, $921,000 compared to $482,000. Last year’s total NABC table count was even lower than 2003, at 33,197. Broken down Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Denver had attendance of 9,593, 13,463 and 10,141, respectively. Profits were approximately $500,000 less then in 2004.

Attendance is higher and profits greater when our NABCs are in more exciting cities. If our goal is to give our players quality tournaments, a great experience and make loads of money - which we can give back to our members as well as promote our game - then we should be going, more often, to popular and exciting cities. Theoretically, this is our new policy, as the ACBL Board voted recently to make the popularity of the city a major criterion for site selection. Unfortunately, this won’t affect us for many years for two reasons…(1) we have bookings 10 years out and (2) it is hard for the Board to say no to management’s requests, such as a Memphis NABC.

Certain popular cities are clearly being overlooked, such as Vancouver, Montreal and NYC. Others cities are used too often, such as St. Louis, Dallas and Philadelphia.

For success, the main criteria should be GREAT CITIES THAT WILL DRAW OUR PLAYERS IN MASS, GIVE THEM A GREAT TIME AND MAKE LOTS OF MONEY. Of course we need to consider the specific amenities of the playing site such as playing under one roof; low room-rates; good lighting; convenience to restaurants; adequate elevators; etc.

Total ACBL membership, as of March 23, 2006, was 156,992, up approximately 1,000 from a year ago. Membership has been stable for the past few years.

Grand National Teams and North American

A new requirement for GNT and NAP eligibility was approved. For a full description of new residency requirements for future GNTs and NAPs, go to www.ny-bridge.com/allevy/ or go directly to www.ny-bridge.com/allevy/napgnt2007.docBasically, you can only play where you live unless you get an exception. For an exception you must begin the process for the NAP by April 1 and the GNT by July 1 in the year you wish to participate. You must seek permission in writing from the District Directors of the District in which you live and the District in which you wish to play. Both District Directors must agree for the exception to be granted. For the Open Flight in the GNT and Flight A of the NAP, this written permission for both District Directors will be forwarded to the ACBL Credentials Committee for final approval.

Establish an ACBL Trust Fund

A motion to combine our two ACBL foundations, the Charity Foundation and the Educational Foundation was deferred until the summer meeting. This motion would basically eliminate the Charity Foundation in that all funds would go would be used for educational, charitable, social, scientific and historical endeavors that either promote bridge or are be for the benefit of bridge players.

Summer Junior Camp and World Individual Championships

A motion to hold an ACBL summer junior camp in North America, open to juniors from around the world, starting in 2007, and to be held every other year, was defeated. Instead, management will find an outside agent or organization to conduct the camp.

In addition, the ACBL Board of Directors accepts the invitation of the World Bridge Federation to host the second World Junior Individual Championship in 2007. This Event will be held in Nashville at the site of our summer NABC. Financial participation for ACBL will be limited to $17,000 provided from the junior fund. (The junior camp will follow the Nashville NABC).

WBF dues

Currently the ACBL pays $0.50 per member to the WBF, as does other bridge organizations. A motion to recommend that the WBF dues be substantially reduced was defeated.

Recently the WBF joined forced with the International organizations representing Chess, GO and Draughts to form the International Mind Sports Association with the intention of holding a World Minds Sports Olympics in the near future. See www.worldbridge.org/OldHeadlines/pressrelease.asp

I am one of five ACBL representatives to the WBF executive Council, and will be attending the WBF Board meetings at the World Championships in Verona this June. In addition, I will be running the 10^th annual world computer-bridge championship alongside the world championships. See www.ny-bridge.com/allevy/computerbridge/index.htm

Board Actions

District 24 shined in NABC+ Events, with 4 wins (and 4 seconds), including the premier event, the Vanderbilt KOs.

Top 20 finishers follow.

North American Pairs - Flight A: Chris Willenken - Glenn Milgrim, 10^th.

Silodor Open Pairs: Zia Mahmood - Fred Chang, 2^nd; John Kranyak, 3^rd; Kevin Bathurst, 20^th.

Rockwell Mixed Pairs: Scott Levine - Judi Radin, 5^th..

Lebhar IMP Pairs: Michael Rosenberg, 2^nd; Jaggy Shivdasani - Winthrop Allegaert, 5^th; Jim Krekorian, 7^th; Mark Feldman, 12^th; Richard Schwartz, 13^th; Steve Weinstein - Robert Levin, 14^th; Barry Rigal, 17^th.

Whitehead Women’s Pairs: Sylvia Moss - Judi Radin, 1^st; Margie Gwozdzinsky, 2^nd; Diana Schuld, 10^th; Debbie Rosenberg, 20^th.

Vanderbilt KOs: Fred Chang, 1^st; Roy Welland - Bjorn Fallenias, 2^nd; Joe Grue, 3/4^th; Michael Moss, 5/8^th; Richard Schwartz, 9/16^th; Brad Moss, 9/16^th.

Jacoby North American Swiss: Robert Levin - Steve Weinstein, 1^st; Richard Schwartz, 3^rd; Christal Henner-Welland, 4^th; Jim Krekorian, 6^th; Mark Feldman, 9^th; Jim Fout, 11^th; Janet Colchamiro - Mel Colchamiro, 12^th; Michael Rosenberg, 13^th; Winthrop Allegaert - Judith Bianco - Aaron Silverstein - Kevin Bathurst, 16^th; Sam Lev, 17^th; Davin Maidman -Marin Marinov, 18^th; Martin Fleischer - Chris Willenken - Franco Baseggio - Andrew Stark, 19^th.

Machlin Women’s Swiss Teams: Judi Radin - Sylvia Moss, 1^st; Laurie Vogel - Gail Greenberg - Jacqui Mitchell - Lynne Tarnopol - Amalya Kearse, 5^th; Margie Gwozdzinsky, 8^th.

Fred Chang won the Mott-Smith Trophy, awarded to the player who wins the most masterpoints at the Spring NABC.