Bridge Blog 427: Halfway point

          Pardon me if I’m not breathlessly awaiting the posting of the new master point lists on the ACBL website. I’m not a contender this year, not even close.

          Nevertheless, I’ll grab a consolation prize when I see one. I just signed on to my personal point total page and saw, with no small satisfaction, that my lifetime total is now 1,111. 1,111.37, to be exact.

          This year’s tallies are less satisfying. Overall, I have 75.85 since the first of the year. That’s my Mini-McKenney total, including club and tournament play. The Ace of Clubs total, for club play exclusively, is 68.19. Sounds respectable, but not compared to years just past. At the halfway point in 2010, I had 165.05 points total. In 2009, it was 150.70. And in 2008, I’d reached 88.83.

          July is proving equally dismal. I went seven days (four playing days) without earning a point. Finally, on the eighth day, in my first outing with the excellent Nancy Littenberg as partner, we managed to elbow our way into a three-way tie for second in the B strat despite a less-than-stellar 47.92% game, which meant .57 red point and .57 black point.

Next question. Out of the 14.02 points I earned in June, 4.37 were red, 1.88 silver and 7.77 black. How many counted for Ace of Clubs? OK, end of May, I had 56.05. So I added 12.14, which means the red and the black were club points and the silver (from the Sectional Tournament at the Clubs) was excluded.

          Where do I stand in the big picture? For Ace of Clubs, on the Unit 116 level (just Buffalo), I’m sixth, behind Mike Kisiel (112.68), John Ziemer (89.54), Liz Clark (88.09), Vince Pesce (76.21) and Carlton Stone (75.95), and ahead of Carolyn Siracuse (62.24), Judy Padgug (59.02), Jim Gullo (57.69) and Paul Libby (50.40).
          Go to the District 5 (Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh) level and I’m 12th. Kisiel is still first. Over in the 500 to 1000 race, which is where I competed last year, Mike Silverman is first with 105.06.

          Mini-McKenney? I’m 10th among the 10 names on the unit level. Dian Petrov is first with 190.67, followed by Mike Kisiel (122.79), Judy Padgug (119.72), John Ziemer (115.47), Liz Clark (98.70), Jim Gullo (85.13), Vince Pesce (79.64) and Kathy Pollock (77.30).

Am I even among the Top 25 listed on the district level?  Not hardly. To be included in that select circle, I’d need at least 95.54 – 20 points more. Top dog is Hao Ge of Bay Village, Ohio, with 299.04. Dian Petrov is second. Mike Kisiel is 12th. Mike Silverman is third among the 500-1000 players with 121.63. The leader, Michael Creager of Brecksville, Ohio, has 244.94.

For curiosity’s sake, how about the national lists? To join the hot 100 on the 1000-2500 Ace of Clubs list, you need at least 89.89. Mike Kisiel is 21st. As for the Mini-McKenney, the magic minimum number is 178.98, with Dian Petrov sitting 81st. Top Ace of Clubs player is Zita Lechter of Sunny Isles, Fla., with 202.33. Top Mini-McKenney score is 504.74, belonging to Louise Clark of Glencoe, Ill.