Spike Lee – Do the Right Thing

This comes from the IBPA report of 8/16/2012. TY John Carruthers for granting permission to reprint. 

It showcases players at the top, acting ethically and often at a cost to their standing. 

Maybe more of our experts should emulate such behaviour. Yes, that would be you Alan Sontag and Peter Weichsel. 

This is bridge at the top in every way. Thank you to these players for doing the right thing. 

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John Simon Sportsmanship Award
Recipients: Jeff Ruben & Andrew Stayton (USA)
and Debbie Rosenberg (USA)

Jeff Ruben & Andrew Stayton Debbie Rosenberg
The John Simon Sportsmanship Award is granted occasionally for acts of sportsmanship by bridge
players that define how we all should act. This year there were two incidents at the North American
Bridge Championships in Philadelphia in July that stood out.

Firstly, in the David Bruce 0-5000 Life Master Pairs, Jeff Ruben and Andrew Stayton, who had won the
event, were checking their matchpoint scores against their estimates. They noticed that their score for
one board greatly exceeded their estimate. Upon checking further, they discovered that the score for
that board had been entered incorrectly, and furthermore, that the correct score would drop them
from first to second place. They immediately reported the correction to the Tournament Directors.

Secondly, Debbie Rosenberg woke up in the middle of the night realising that her team in the Richard
Freeman Mixed Board-a-Match Teams had scored a board incorrectly, winning a full point rather than
the correct half a point (board-a-match in the ACBL is scored as a point for a win on the board and half
a point for a draw). The margin of her team’s win was less than half a point. Rosenberg also immediately
reported the error to the directing staff, dropping her team out of first place into second. 

While it is true that these actions are covered in the rules of the game, the behaviour of Ruben, Stayton
and Rosenberg is laudatory and shows that there is sportsmanship at all levels of the game

I beg to differ with the last sentence. How many would want to keep a tainted title? I won’t pretend to know but clearly there are those who would keep any ill-gotten gain, the price is moot. I would say it shows that there are some ethical players who abide by the letter, spirit and intent of the law. Clearly there is quite a contingent who feel otherwise. Pity. 

TY Jeff, Andrew and Debbie for showing us that sportsmanship is alive and well with you. WD!!

And SHAME on you others who just can’t do the right thing……GL to you. 

CF