Bridge Blog 710: Adding up August

   I had high hopes for August. It’s been a good month for me in previous years. But my game wasn’t up to it. The end result? End of July I had 100.38 Ace of Clubs points and 121.78 overall. End of August, it’s 117.15 and 138.55, up 16.77 points, all club points.

   On the Unit 116 level, for just Buffalo, that means I stay in fourth place on the Ace of Clubs list, way behind first-place John Ziemer (188.41), second-place Mike Silverman (139.28) and third-place Liz Clark (132.74), but safely ahead of David Millward (107.36), Fred Yellen (91.40), Ken Meier (91.13), Judy Padgug (87.14), Paul Libby (86.99) and Carlton Stone (83.04).

   As for the Unit 116 Mini-McKenney race, which rolls up all your club and tournament points, I’m still in seventh place, although a hot streak would lift me up a couple places. Again John Ziemer is first (283.43), followed at a considerable distance by the rest of us – Judy Padgug (158.28), Liz Clark (157.60), Mike Silverman (152.45), David Hemmer (142.60), Ken Meier (139.40), me (138.55), David Millward (121.64), Fred Yellen (119.51) and Paul Libby (111.07). The only players in other categories who have more points than John Ziemer are Dan Gerstman (321.03), Chris Urbanek (298.48) and Jerry Geiger (286.76).

   Moving up to the District 5 level (Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and bits of Maryland and West Virginia), once again us Unit 116 players hold down the top five places on the Ace of Clubs list for those with 1,000 to 2,500 master points. Indeed, we have 10 of the first 11, the only interloper being James Quigley of Pittsburgh in sixth place with 92.88. Plus we add a few more down the list – Vince Pesce (79.32, 12th), Carolyn Siracuse (77.81, 14th), Elaine Kurasiewicz (67.69, 21st) and Chuck Schorr (66.84, 24th).   

   Last month’s leaders hold their own on the district Mini-McKenney. Michael Creager of Brecksville, Ohio, continues on top with 385.10. John Ziemer is second, followed by Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio (262.64), and Fleur Howard of Gates Mills, Ohio (229.72). Here only eight Unit 116ers make the Top 25. Judy Padgug, Liz Clark and Mike Silverman are 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively. David Hemmer is 14th. Ken Meier is 19th. I’m 20th (down from 14th last month). David Millward is 25th.

   And nationwide? Leaders in the Ace of Clubs (1,000 to 2,500 point division) are same as last month: Judy Zhu of Naperville, Ill, with 267.47, followed by Kenneth Wagner Jr. of Hollywood, Fla., with 213.70 and Robert Ramos of Davie, Fla., with 205.61.

   John Ziemer’s 188.41 puts him sixth, ahead of last month’s No. 4 guy, Michael Vermilion of Albuquerque, who now has 185.80, and good old Charlie Christmas from Tallahassee, Fla., with 184.64. Mike Silverman is 46th, Liz Clark is 62nd and I miss the cross-country bus again. Cut-off point is 119.56.

   Over on the national Mini-McKenney, Jim Johnsen of San Diego is still on top, now with 803.81 points. Next come Shan Huang of Toronto (761.89) and Sylvia Shi of Baltimore (579.37). Michael Creager is 22nd. John Ziemer is 69th. Cut-off is at 254.50.