You will learn more by losing to good players
than you will by winning against poor players
A Cuebidding Example
Suppose your partner opens 1NT with this hand, and the next hand passes... Your bid?
First, you should have an agreement with your partner that after a 1NT opening bid a jump response in a major is both natural
and game forcing, and often with a void. (A transfer is more likely if responder does not have a void.)
NOTE: The trump king is a "keycard" and is treated like an ace, and responder is allowed to cuebid voids.
Here's a suggested cuebidding sequence:
1N P 3!h P
15-17 HCP - - - good heart suit
4!c P 4!d P
club ace - - - diamond ace/void
4N P 5!s P
heart "keycard" - - - spade ace/void
6!d P 7!h P diamond king - - -
cross your fingers!
Roy Wilson - Emerald Life Master I am 90 yars old...
and I have played bridge more than half my life...
The lesser half I wasted.
TEXT HERE
Unit Games -- Our unit games are held twice a month, on the first
and third Sundays, at the Pasadena Bridge Club. - Game time is 12:30. Note: Open the link to the Pasadena Club Results for Unit game results.
Our Next Unit Game is Sunday, February 1
UNit Game Reservations
Thank you, Miriam! For many, many years you gave service to our Unit Board and you registered the players at the
game, but you deserve a well earned retirement!
2025 Unit Winners
Every year the ACBL sponsors two events that limit the entrees to only the players in a particular unit.
It's not official yet, but I believe these are the winners in each rank, from Rookie to Grand Life Master, in our unit.
Unit 559 winners in the Ace of Clubs and the Mini-McKenney events.
World Champion - Hermine Baron
Friends, I played with this champion for an entire summer - (Not sure of the year, but it was the early 1980's) --
Call me the luckiest guy in the world! In those days of 4-card majors there wasn't much to learn about bidding,
but boy - did she teach me both play and defense!
Grand Life Master
Won more than 100 regional events
McKenney Trophy twice - 1964 and 1970
Winner - 1963 - Life Master Women's Pairs
International US Team Represtentive - 1968 - 1978 - 1982
Inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame (posthumously in 2002)
She was born in 1912 and died in 1996, and played in that years' National Mixed Pairs - she scored high in the game, too.
I remember one piece of advice that I took very seriously... Right after returning from Europe where the
United States and everyone else lost to the Italian Club teams, she said to me,
"Roy, I can't learn that system, but here's a book - find a partner and learn the Precision system!"
HIDDEN TEXT
Unit Historian:
Do you have an old photo or other memorbilia from our past that you can share with us? Please contact Mike and
let him make a copy.
Mike Marcucci
818 903-2471
nstarmgm@att.net
January, 2026
Status Change for our Members updated each month in the first week
New Members
David Felton
Pasadena
Staajabu Heshimu
Pasadena
Sanja Morris
Pasadena
Transferred Out
Diane Corwin
Glendale
Advanced in Rank - 6
Thanos Trezos
Junior Master
William Purday Jr
Sectional Master
Lynn Dotts
Regional Master
Kim Gundlach
Regional Master
Hillary Clark
NABC Master
Laurie Silton
NABC Master
Pasadena-San Gabriel Unit 559
Our unit is one of nine in District 23 and we are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League.
We have an elected board of 12 members that meets monthly and is responsible for unit games, our Holiday party
and the annual John Waken sectional.
BBO - BridgeBase Online
Pete Hollands discusses the latest software version of the BBO Robots.
Take a look:
Our unit members can play in a virtual club game set up by Mojo and Paula...
When you log on, you are at the Home screen. Click on Competitive and then click on All Tournaments.
There's a Search Box at the top, on the right. Simply type in a few letters or numbers that will help
identify what you are looking for: 23 is sufficient for District 23, and 559 is enough for Unit 559.
You can use either the abbreviated Pasa or 559 for our virtual club.
Use this link if you would like to see the convention card used by the BBO robots.
BBO has many bridge forums where you can discuss almost any aspect or topic related to bridge.
BBO has a site on YouTube where you will see many interesting bridge discussions and explanations.
WEB PAGES AND WEB SITES
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Unit 559 Membership Report
Ranks are updated quarterly after the 7th of the month.
Unit 559 Active Members
Click the rank below for a list
Master Points
0-5
No color points needed
5-20
No color points needed
20-50+
No color points needed
50+ 5+ silver points
100+ 15+ silver points
and 5+ gold points
200+ 25+ silver
and 20+ red/gold/platinum
(5 must be gold or platinum)
300+ 50+ silver
and 50+ red/gold/platinum
(25 must be gold or platinum)
500+ 75+ silver
and 100+ red/gold/platinum
(50 must be gold or platinum)
750+ Life Master with
at least 750 points
1000+ Life Master with
at least 1000 points
(200+ must be silver/red/gold/platinum)
1500+ Life Master with
at least 1500 points
(300+ must be silver/red/gold/platinum)
2500+ Life Master with
at least 2500 points
(500+ must be silver/red/gold/platinum)
3500+ Life Master with
at least 3500 points
700+ silver/red/gold/platinum (350+ must be gold or platinum)
5000+ Life Master with
at least 5000 points
1000+ silver/red/gold/platinum (500+ must be gold or platinum)
7500+ Life Master with
at least 7500 points
1500+ silver/red/gold/platinum (750+ must be gold or platinum)
10,000+ Life Master with
at least 10,000 points
2000+ silver/red/gold/platinum (1000+ must be gold or platinum)
10,000+ Life Master with
at least 10,000 points
2000+ silver/red/gold/platinum (1000+ must be gold or platinum)
Must have a victory in an eligble event
January Total Membership 339
The Number of visitors since estabshment prior
to the reset on January 16, 2026 was 1,009,500 Since January 16, 2016 --
You are Visitor Number 1044
This website was established in 1999 by Roy Wilson
Linux version 1.0.0 was introduced March 14, 1994
The First Web Site was established at CERN in 1992 by Tim Berners-Lee.
This website was built in 1999
by Roy Wilson
World Champion - Hermine Baron
Mike Marcucci
