Bridge Blog 724: Niagara Falls Regional: Postscript

My sense that the Niagara Falls Regional was more crowded with players this year was confirmed with an announcement during Sunday’s Swiss teams game. Up 175 tables from 2011. They’re already looking forward to 2015.

One of the four guys who tied for the top of the master point winners list is a vaguely familiar name – Shan Huang. All four of them took home 70.13 points. Clearly a team effort.

Top Buffalo player on the list is Chris Urbanek with 58.06. She’s fifth, right behind the magic foursome. Only other Buffalo player in the Top 20 is Saleh Fetouh, who’s 15th with 44.25. He’s right behind the biggest point winner from the St. Catharines club, Lane Byl, who had 45.83.

Not too many Buffalo players in the Top 100, either. Davis Huessler is 39th with 30.18 points. Bud Seidenberg is 47th with 27.30. Kathy Pollock is 80th with 21.06. Tom Koralewski is 81st with 20.36. And that’s it. Just missing the Top 100 were Dian Petrov (16.51, 104th) and Judy Padgug (16.24, 105th).

Me? Way down the list with 2.02, tied for 595th with Eva Snelgrove of St. Catharines, who was my opponent on Saturday, if I’m not mistaken.

Of my partners, Selina Volpatti, who scratched in Thursday’s Gold Rush pairs for players under 750, had 4.42 and was tied for 396th. Usha Khurana was 573rd with 2.24. And Eva Schmidt had just the 0.62 we earned Sunday, which put her in a multi-player tie for 752nd. In all, 802 players earned points.