Bridge Blog 1019: Spring Awakening

What a difference an equinox makes! Before March 20, the doldrums were as deep as the snow that wouldn't melt. At the tables, I was equally barren, mustering a meager 1.26 master points, despite playing almost every day. Night was better on St. Patty's Day in St. Catharines, Ont. That wine-fueled session added 0.63.

Then the season changed and, by coincidence, the Airport Bridge Club started awarding extra points again. On the first day of spring, Dotty May and I caught an updraft to 61.57%, second overall, 2.19 points.

Sick for the next couple days, I slumped, but things looked brighter in St. Catharines on Friday. Selina Volpatti and I sailed in fourth overall with 52.40%, collecting 0.46 of a point.

Saturday partner Denise Slattery, my comrade in winning those 1.26 points earlier in the month, proved to be good luck again. Our 53.70% earned us 1.07 point.

Back from Florida, Judie Bailey and I renewed our collaboration on Monday to the tune of 52.68%, third in the B strat, 0.80 of a point.

Certainly my fortunes would fail with Usha Khurana on Tuesday. Our last venture in February netted 40.77%. This time we could do hardly anything wrong. 60.12%. First overall. 2.63 points.

Ditto with my Wednesday partner June Feuerstein. Our record this month – 44.91%, 47.50%, 42.26%. Not this time. 57.87%. Third overall, second in the B strat. 1.36 points.

Could the heat wave continue Thursday with Gay Simpson, with whom I'd bottomed out at 37.82% a week ago? It did. Until I found a couple scoring errors, we were first East-West. Even with corrections dropping us to second, we remained first in the B strat with 55.83% and our point award was unchanged at 1.93.

What's been happening, someone asked at the end of the game, when Gay and I still were on top of the standings. My partners, I said, are getting better.

So is the outlook for the master point races. A week ago, my 15-point-per-month goal seemed like the impossible dream. Now, suddenly, I can almost touch it.

Bridge Blog 1018: The Long and Short of Feb.

A miserable month in the clubs. My resolution to have no games below 40% was broken repeatedly. On one occasion, it was twice in a single day.

The only thing saving me from a total flame-out was a pair of 54.17% games on successive days at the end of the month, at a time when the Airport Bridge Club resumed extra-point games. Final club total: Just 4.89.

The only thing keeping my average above 15 points a month was the St. Catharines Sectional, which added 6.66 to the total, making 11.55 for the month.

So let’s have a look at the ACBL master point races as of Feb. 28.

Unit 116 (Buffalo only), Ace of Clubs (club play only), Ruby Life Masters (players with 1,500 to 2,500 points). Last month I was first in the unit. This month I’ve plunged. Here are the top 10:

Ken Meier, 23.35, up from fourth, sixth overall in the unit; Allen Beroza, 23.27, still second, seventh in the unit; Mike Silverman, 20.35, up from fifth, 10th in the unit; Martin Pieterse, 20.03, down from third, 12th in the unit; then me, 19.18, 13th in the unit.

The rest of the Top 10: Fred Yellen, 17.25 (16th overall); Gene Finton, 16.01 (still Delray Beach, Fla., 21st overall); Dorothy May, 15.93 (22nd); Sue Bergman, 9.94 (45th) and a tie for 10th, Davis Heussler and Elaine Kurasiewicz, 9.83 (46th).

Unit 116, Ace of Clubs overall. John Ziemer has more than doubled his January total to take a commanding lead with 49.17. Judi Marshall takes over second place with 27.66, supplanting Barbara Libby, who slips to third with 26.75. Jay Levy jumps from eighth to fourth with 26.66, while Liz Clark drops from third to fifth with 25.34.

Then it’s Ken Meier, 23.35; Allen Beroza, 23.27; Jim Easton, 22.09; Gay Simpson, 20.79; Mike Silverman, 20.35; Bud Seidenberg, 20.12; Martin Pieterse, 20.03; me, 19.18; and the Weltes, Martha and John, tied with 19.11.

Moving on to the Mini-McKenney races, which count all points earned everywhere, I’m still third among Ruby Life Masters with 32.72, up 11.55 from January.

Leader continues to be Davis Heussler, with 83.73, adding less than seven points to last month’s 76.82 points.

Holding steady in the next four places are Ken Meier, 41.33 (still 13th overall); me, 32.72 (falling from 15th to 21st); Allen Beroza, 24.16 (down from 29th to 33rd); and Fred Yellen, 23.58 (still 34th).

Then Martin Pieterse moves up a notch with 21.40 (up from 39th to 37th); Mike Silverman, 20.35 (up from 53rd to 38th); Gene Finton, 16.01 (up from 59th to 44th); Dorothy May breaking into the top 10 with 15.93 (45th overall); and last month’s sixth place holder, Chongmin Zhang, 14.37, adding less than a point 13.41 (falling from 36th to 52nd). Elaine Kurasiewicz slips from ninth to 11th with 13.34 (down from 55th to 57th overall).

Leaders among all players in Unit 116 go like this: Davis Heussler, 83.73; his frequent tournament partner Linda Burroughsford, 76.81; Sandi England, 69.20; John Ziemer, up from ninth to fourth with 62.38; Bert Hargeshimer entering the list with 47.65, just ahead of the Weltes, who both have 47.41; Shakeel Ahmad and Manju Ceylony, last month’s fourth place tie, are this month’s eighth place tie, both at 46.27; and Christy Kellogg rounds out the leaders with 45.54.

Now let’s widen our horizons.

District 5 (Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh) Ace of Clubs, Ruby Life Masters. Here I’ve slipped from third to ninth.

Leader continues to be Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., with 33.65. He’s eighth among all players in the district. Then it’s Buffalonians Ken Meier, 23.35 (24th) and Allen Beroza, 23.27 (25th); followed by John Ferry of North Parkersburg, W. Va., 23.19 (26th); last month’s No. 2, Pauline Sostarich of Hermitage, Pa., 22.63 (28th overall); Barbara Schidlowski of Kent, Ohio, 21.09 (34th); Mike Silverman, 20.35 (37th); Martin Pieterse, 20.03 (39th); me, 19.18 (down from 15th to 44th); and Ami Elis from Pittsburgh, 18.23 (51st).

Overall Ace of Clubbers in District 5 look like this: Richard Katz of North Versailles, Pa., still on top, now with 60.29; Unit 116’s John Ziemer is second with 49.17, bumping Patricia Katz of Pittsburgh to third with 48.75.

Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh moves up to fourth with 46.98, followed by a bunch of single initial people – D. Pierce of Parkersburg, W. Va., with 42.12; S. Ruskin of Pittsburgh with 41.70; and W. Tordella of Bemus Point with 35.94.  

Next is Ruby Life Master leader Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 33.65; Judy Haffner of Pittsburgh, 32.77; and Gladys Martin of Hudson, Ohio, 28.47. Buffalo’s Judi Marshall is 12th with 27.66.

Now for the District 5 Mini-McKenney, Ruby Life Masters. Here the leader continues to be our own David Heussler with 83.73. However, he’s dropped from second to eighth among all players in the district.

The other leaders include: Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 60.60 (down from 13th overall to 19th); Barbara Greenspan of Beachwood, Ohio, 53.07 (23rd); Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 50 even (25th); Leroy Hackenburg II of Pittsburgh, 42.18 (falling from 28th to 46th); Unit 116’s Ken Meier, 41.33 (47th); Wayne Heritage of North Olmsted, Ohio, 40.49 (down from 32nd to 49th); then me, up from tenth to eighth with 32.72, but down from 58th overall to 74th. Then it’s David Norris of Rocky River, Ohio, 32.71 (down from 53rd to 75th); and Patrick Slaven of Mogador, Ohio, 32.02 (77th).

Mini-McKenney leader among all District 5 players continues to be Sue Lan Ma of Kirtland Hills, Ohio, now with 193.04. Then it’s Kathleen and Don Sulgrove of Twinsburg, Ohio, with 155.88 and 134.77, respectively; Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 116.60; Robert and Stephanie Alexander of Mentor, Ohio, 111.85 and 99.08, respectively; with Bernie Greenspan of Beachwood, Ohio, between them with 102.29.

Then it’s our lone Unit 116 entry in the Top 10 – Davis Heussler, 83.73; Gladys Martin of Hudson, Ohio, 83.16; and Richard Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 77.87. Our Linda Burroughford is 11th with 76.81. Sandi England is 16th with 69.20 and John Ziemer is 18th with 62.38.

Ace of Clubs, Ruby Life Masters, nationwide.

Anna Maxcine Thacker of Palm Coast, Fla., adds almost 32 points for the month for a total of 72.73, bumping Paul Hassett of The Villages, Fla., who got only 20 and now has 68.61.

Then it’s Michelle Mataillet of Miami, 66.37; Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., 59.15; and M. Gregory Goggin of Naples, Fla., 56.67; David Morse of New Minas, Nova Scotia, 55.33; Jim Loffree of Naples, 51.77; Michael Rosen of Freehold, N.J., 50.32; Stephen Blau of Larchmont, N.Y., 49.90; and Gary Waldron of Laguna Beach, Calif., 49.52.  

Only Unit 116 entries here are Ken Meier, tied for 402nd, and Allen Beroza, 407th. I was 353rd on this list last month. This month it cuts off at 21.70 and I’m out.

Ace of Clubs, all players, nationwide. Top three remain the same. Bill Kulbersh of Atlanta, continues in the lead with 102.52; followed by Robert Epstein, also of Atlanta, with 95.78; then it’s Roberta Trayman of Naples, Fla., 93.15; Sheila Gabay of Newton, Mass., and Bella Ionis-Sorren of Fort Lauderdale, tied at 88.66; Jack Snyder of Naperville, Ill., 87.59; Irva Neyhart of Corvallis, Ore., 87.49; Joe Degaetano of Delray Beach, Fla., 83.72; Sandy McCay of Naples, Fla., 81.76; and James Rhoden of St. Augustine, Fla., 81.57. Unit 116’s John Ziemer is 188th. This list of 500 names cuts off at 38.07.

Onward to Mini-McKenney, Ruby Life Masters, nationwide.

Still way out in front is Robert L. McClendon of Ponte Vedra, Fla., with 355.35. Moving into second place is someone we’ve played against, Joel Wooldridge’s sometimes partner Junko Hemus of Windermere, Fla., with 200.02. Then it’s Mary Ose of Sacramento, Calif, 181.02; Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 166.23; and last month’s No. 2, Kevin Rosenberg of Cupertino, Calif., with 152.70. Then it’s Alex Khakovsky of Columbus, Ohio, 149.09; Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., 146.29; Mason Barge of Atlanta, 137.78; Sherry Spalding Fardie of Port Orange, Fla., 128.68; and Joann Matchette of Vero Beach, Fla., 120.35.

Unit 116’s Davis Heussler, who was in ninth place last month, is now 41st with his 83.73. Ken Meier’s 41.33 makes him 427th. The list ends at 38.75. My 32.72 falls very short.

And now for the really heavy hitters, the Mini-McKenney leaders overall.

Last month’s top dog, Geoff Hampson of Las Vegas, stands pat with 404.04 and falls to 10th. New boss is last month’s runner-up, Joe Grue of New York City, with 620.31. Then it’s Kevin Dwyer of Melbourne, Fla., with 564.88; Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., 552.38; Shan Huang, also of Melbourne, 463.29; Alex Hudson of Raleigh, N.C., 462.37; John Hurd of New York City, 418.53; Daniel Korbel of Las Vegas, 414.94; Bruce Ferguson of Palm Springs, Calif., 410.13; Brad Moss of Denver, 408.54; and the aforementioned Geoff Hampson..

Familiar names: Former Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge is down from 19th to 28th with 271.64. District 5 leader Sue Lan Ma is 77th with her 193.04. No Unit 116 people here. This list cuts off at 88.90.