Bridge Blog 990: So near, but yet so unattainable

I emerge from my best-ever regional tournament on Oct. 22 with a career master point total of 2,299.02. Pushing past 2,300 would be simple, right? Wrong!

Monday, Oct. 23, with Marilyn Sultz. 46.17%. No points.

Tuesday, Oct. 24, with Barbara Sadkin, 35.42%. Ditto.

Wednesday, Oct. 25, with June Feuerstein, 55.75%. Second overall, first in the B strat. Should have put me over the top, but no extra points at the Airport Bridge Club that day. Just 0.42. Career total now 2,299.44. Should hit that milestone every more easily now.

Thursday, Oct. 26, with Marietta Kalman. 45.24%. Not this time.

Friday, Oct. 27, with Selina Volpatti at the Bridge Centre of Niagara in St. Catharines, Ont. 49.36%. Just missed earning a fractional point, although it wouldn’t have been enough.

Saturday, Oct. 28. Speaking engagement. Didn’t play.

Monday, Oct. 30, with Marilyn Sultz again. 48.83%. Better, but no cigar.

Tuesday, Oct. 31, no partner so paired up with the remarkable Eva Schmidt, nonagenarian Holocaust survivor and still pretty darn sharp. Neither of us was very sharp this day. 35.80%.

Wednesday, Nov. 1, with June Feuerstein again. Could we be lucky two weeks in a row? 48.61%. Noe.

Thursday, Nov. 2, should have been with Marietta Kalman, but she canceled. Director Bill Finkelstein says I’m paired with June again, but changes his mind. Eva Schmidt and I do better than last week – 41.07%. Through the miracle of stratification, we’re also second in the B strat. But it’s only 0.22 of a point. Now I stand at 2,299.66.

Friday, Nov. 3. It’s STaC Week in District 2 in Canada. Sectional Tournament at the Clubs. Extra points. Silver points. Can Selina Volpatti and I cash in? Yessssss! Despite stumbling in the final two rounds, we come in at 51.52%. Seventh overall in a 20-table game, third in B. 0.79 of a silver point.

Saturday, Nov. 4, with Denise Slattery. Bad luck returns. It seems like we’re having a great game, but the final results say something else. 47.02%.