Bridge Blog 1065: Wait'll Next Year

At midweek, I had four shots at getting the 4.84 points I needed to become a Gold Life Master before the end of 2018.

Would I haul in some of those points Wednesday with June Feuerstein? Winning that five-table Howell game at the Airport Bridge Club would have gotten 2.19 of them. Instead, we have a 39.81% game. We’re dead last.

Hopes rekindle Thursday with Marietta Kalman, especially after we get off to a good start in the first couple rounds. After all, we earned a point a week ago. Winning this nine-table game would be worth more than 3 points. But no luck. We’re 48.47%, three percentage points short of winning anything.

They don’t have extra points Friday at the Bridge Centre of Niagara in St. Catharines, Ont., but any winnings would keep hope alive. Selina Volpatti and I improve upon our sub-40% showing of the previous week, but alas, we don’t improve enough. Our 45.24% is very far below what we need.

No matter what I do on Saturday with Denise Slattery, the quest to reach Gold in 2018 is over. With the pressure off, we end the year on a high note in the five-table game at the Airport Club. 56.94%. Second overall. 1.64 points. Now, Denise declares, you only need 3.2 points.

Bridge Blog 1065-A: Blessing in Disguise?

Ken Meier stayed away from the tables for two months so he wouldn’t stray over 2,500-point mark and become a Gold Life Master too soon. The reason? He wanted to avoid having to compete in the A/X stratification in the Cleveland Rock ‘N Roll regional tournament in January.

I’ve kept playing and I’m still a little short. But once I turn Gold, which is certain to happen in the next week or so, no more cheap points in the lower strats, at least not in tournaments. In the meantime, I’ll still be a Ruby Life Master for the Buffalo Winter Sectional at the end of January.

Bridge Blog 1064: Bumpy ride

All buckled up. 7.22 points still needed to become a Gold Life Master. As of Thursday, Dec. 20, seven games left to play this year. Can 2018 turn golden before the year’s last calendar page falls?

Didn’t look so good Friday in St. Catharines, Ont. Best part was Canadian partner Selina Volpatti’s Christmas gift – a silvery box with a dove on top. And inside, half a dozen butter tarts she made that very morning. It was all I could do to resist gobbling up a couple right there on the spot.

I should have devoted my energies to winning instead. I bid too aggressively, sacrifice too heavily and lose my first six contracts. We finish 10th out of 11 pairs North-South. Not even 40%. Consolation: Even if we matched last week’s 54.46% achievement, we wouldn’t have gotten points.

So was there any hope for Saturday with Denise Slattery? Would the bridge gods smile on us?

No smiles in the first two rounds of the five-table Howell movement at the Airport Bridge Club. No cards, either. But then we start getting something to bid with. And we get some breaks – a couple doubled contracts that we shouldn’t make, but do. We aren’t winners, but our 59.26% is first in the B strat. 2.38 points! Now it’s five games left, 4.84 points to go.

Bridge Blog 1063: Later? Or sooner?

Since STaC week two weeks ago, I’ve become resigned to the likelihood I won’t become a Gold Life Master before the end of the year. When the month began, I needed 18.53 points. I’d hoped to pick up half of them during the STaC, got only 2.52.

What I wasn’t counting on were the non-tournament games at the Airport Bridge Club. As it turns out, they’ve been better than the STaC.

My total the month at the club as of Tuesday, Dec. 18, was 8.06 (including the STaC results). Then June Feuerstein and I had a 54.46% game on Wednesday and came in first in the B strat. 1.70 points.

And on Thursday, in a bizarre turn of events that I still don’t understand, director Bill Finkelstein stopped the eight-table game after four three-board rounds because of a problem, had us all shuffle the cards and then play another four three-board rounds against the rest of our opponents. It amounted to not one, but two abbreviated 12-hand games, both involving 24 boards.

In the first session, when partner Marietta Kalman and I were having good cards and what seemed like good luck, I was startled at the real outcome – a mere 47.93%. The second session promised an even lower score, so I was even more shocked to discover that we were running a 68% game when the first partial results were posted. Naturally, that didn’t hold up, but we didn’t descend too far, only to 56.94%. Third overall. 0.89 of a point.

So where do things stand? Let’s do the numbers. 10.65 points at the Airport Club. Another 0.67 last Friday with Canadian partner Selina Volpatti at the Bridge Centre of Niagara in St. Catharines, Ont.  Total so far: An unofficial 11.32.

How many points did I need at the start of the month? 18.53. How many do I need now? 7.21. How many games left in 2018? Seven. Hmmm.

Bridge Blog 1062: Somebody else, not me

STaC Week stacked against me. I played 12 of 13 possible Sectional Tournament at the Clubs matches at the Airport Bridge Club between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9, and emerged with just 2.52 points. Out of 1,051 players who earned points during the week, I was 329th.

Stephanie and Robert Alexander of Mentor, Ohio, were STaC point leaders, tied for first with 41.73. Third was a Buffalo area player, Linda Burroughsford, who showed up a lot at the Airport Club, where there were two games a day. She earned 28.25 points.

Other notables: Alan Greer, 21.81 (eighth); Allen Beroza, 17.33 (14th); John Ziemer, 16.40 (16th); Davis Heussler, 15.78 (17th); Jay Levy, 15.73 (18th); Martha and John Welte, 10.90 (tied for 35th); Mike Ryan, 10.01 (46th); Bob Linn, 9.69 (50th); Liz Clark, 9.39 (56th); and Linda Vassallo and Wilson McClaren, 9.37 (tied for 58th).

Bridge Blog 1061: November to remember?

No thanks. I’d rather forget.

I hoped November would put me on the threshold of Gold Life Masterdom, but it fell short. Very short. If I reach Gold by the end of the year, it will be a miracle. Especially after my hopes for a big bump in the Sectional Tournament at the Clubs (STaC) didn't materialize.

But that wouldn't have been so crucial if I had gotten more than a mere 8.56 points in November. They were all club points and they brought my lifetime total to 2,481.47. Anyway, let’s see where everyone stands with one month to go in 2018 .

Unit 116 (Buffalo only), Ace of Clubs (club play only), Ruby Life Masters (players with 1,500 to 2,500 points). 

    Yes, I earned only 8.56 club points in November, bringing my Ace of Clubs total to 129.50, but incredibly, I moved up one notch to fourth place among the Unit 116 Rubies. I also move up from 14th to 13th among all players in the unit. Go figure.

Here's the top 10:

Mike Silverman keeps first place with 180.93. Good thing he had a 24-point month. Former leader David Millward, after earning no points at all in October, roars back from Florida, apparently, with a 49-point month to take second place with 171.41. He zips past Allen Beroza, up only 17 points to 161.59.

My anemic performance nevertheless was stronger than that of Martin Pieterese, who earned less than a point and now has 128.57.

Then it’s Fred Yellen, passing Ken Meier to land in sixth place with 108.78. Ken stands pat with 107.89 (I’ve heard he’s sitting out these days because he wants to stay below 2,500 career points so he can play in the B strats in the Cleveland Regional in January). Dorothy May passes the century mark with 102.01. Then it’s Davis Heussler with 99.24 and Gene Finton with 79.15.        

Unit 116, Ace of Clubs overall. 

Once again, it’s Alan Greer. 408.29 points, almost 30 club points. He’s now more than 150 ahead of his sometime partner Nancy Wolstoncroft, who’s still second with 255.82. 

Then it’s John Ziemer, with 223.16. Mike Silverman (180.93) keeps ahead of Barbara Libby (175.40 after a 24-point month). Then it’s David Millward with 171.41, dropping Liz Clark (169.86) from fifth to seventh place.

Then it’s Allen Beroza, eighth with 161.49, followed by the Weltes, Martha and John, tied for ninth with 158.17.

        Then it’s Mike Ryan with 149.10; Bob Linn with 144.26; me with 129.50; Martin Pieterse with 128.57; Gay Simpson, who like me wanted a 15-point month but only earned 7 points to reach 127.74; Denise Slattery, 124.86; Bud Seidenberg, 115.38; Judi Marshall, 121.26; ailing Ron Henrikson, standing pat at 116.41; and Judy Graf, 109.84.

 Moving on to the Mini-McKenney races, which count all points earned everywhere, I’m still sixth among the Rubies, as David Millward passes me and Martin Pieterse falls behind.

Still far ahead is Davis Heussler, who had a 22-point month to reach 390.06. Nevertheless, he’s still third among all Unit 116 players. Moving up to second place, and 14th overall, is Allen Beroza with 215.82. Slipping back to third is Ken Meier with that 215.43, also falling back two places at 15th in the entire unit.  

Mike Silverman continues fourth with 205.06, advancing from 19th to 17th overall. David Millward rebounds from eighth to fifth place (and 30th to 18th in among all unit players) with 201.41.

I’m a distant sixth with 160.15, still 27th overall, followed by Fred Yellen with 157.39 (still 29th).

Then it’s Martin Pieterse in eighth place with 155.29 (now 31st overall), followed by Gene Finton, 114.83 (still 48th); and Dorothy May, 107.11 (up one notch to 49th).

     Among all players in Unit 116, it’s Alan Greer, with 452.07. Saleh Fetouh continues second, with 400.06. Then comes Ruby leader Davis Heussler with his 390.06.  

Jay Levy maintains position in fourth with 334.54, followed by John Ziemer with 323.45.

Then it’s the Weltes, tied at 316.09; Nancy Wolstoncroft with 310.52; Linda Burroughsford, 308.91; and Dian Petrov with 302.36. In all, 19 players now have 200 points or more.

Now let’s widen our horizons.

       District 5 (Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh) Ace of Clubs, Ruby Life Masters. 

Here Unit 116 players hold five of the top 10 places, including the No. 1 spot.

Mike Silverman overtakes Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 180.93 to 171.86. David Millward is right on Goulding’s heels with 171.41. Fourth is Allen Beroza with 161.59.

James Wheeler of Edinburg, Pa., retains the fifth place he assumed a month ago with 137.60. Moving ahead of me are Garnet Depner of Jeannette, Pa., with 133.09, and Marvin Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, with 131.78. I slip from seventh to eighth with my 129.50. Then it’s Martin Pieterse with 128.57 and William Feeny of Latrobe, Pa., with 115 even.

Mike Silverman is eighth district-wide, while Philip Goulding continues 11th. I’m 36th, down from 34th.

Overall Ace of Clubbers in District 5 look like this:

Buffalonians hold the top three spots. It’s Alan Greer with 408.29 and Nancy Wolstoncroft with 255.82, with John Ziemer regaining third with 223.16, one point ahead of Arlene Port of Pittsburgh, who has 222.16.

Then it’s Barbara Belardi with 206.23, continuing her climb by passing Richard Katz of North Versailles, Pa., who has 198.97. Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh is seventh with 191.79.

       Two more Western New Yorkers slip into the lower reaches of the Top 10 – Mike Silverman, eighth with 180.93, and Barbara Libby, tenth with 175.40. Between them is Robert Alexander of Mentor, Ohio, with 177.03. Ruby leader Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., maintains 11th place with 171.86, with only two points separating him from Western New Yorker Liz Clark, who’s 15th with 169.86.

    Now for the District 5 Mini-McKenney, Ruby Life Masters. 

    Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., still is outdistancing everyone with 487.13. Unit 116’s Davis Heussler solidifies his claim on second with 390.06, well ahead of Craig Biddle of Pittsburgh, with 346.77. They’re seventh, 17th and 21st overall in the district.

Then it’s a big step down to our Allen Beroza, 215.82 (57th overall); our Ken Meier, unchanged at 215.43 (but now down to 58th from 53rd).

Our Mike Silverman moves up a notch with his 180.33 (up to 61st from 70th); David Millward takes seventh with 201.41 (62nd overall). Then it’s Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh, 192.85 (71st); Marvin Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 184.02 (74th); and Wayne Heritage of North Olmsted, Ohio, 176.06 (83rd). I move back up to 15th from 16th among Rubies with my 160.15, and inch ahead to 111th from 112th overall. 

   Mini-McKenney leader among all District 5 players is, of course, Sue Lan Ma of Kirtland Hills, Ohio, who added 61.19 points to reach 888.63.

A big month – 115.77 points – moves Bernie Greenspan of Beachwood, Ohio, ahead of Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, who took in only 19.29 points and dropped to third with 634.18.

She’s followed by Kathleen Sulgrove of Twinsburg, Ohio, who followed a dormant no-point October with a 75-point November and now has 591.52. Robert Alexander of Mentor, Ohio, is fifth with 538.37, followed now by (wife?) Stephanie Alexander of Mentor with 519.66.

Ruby Life Master leader Philip Goulding is seventh with his 487.13. Then it’s Phillip Becker of Beachwood, Ohio, with 485.25, and Kenneth Kranyak of Parma, Ohio, with 469.89.

Slipping to tenth from seventh without gaining a point at all for the third month in a row is Don Sulgrove of Twinsburg, Ohio, still with 469.78.

Alan Greer continues as top Western New Yorker in 11th place with 452.07. Next Unit 116 players on the list are Saleh Fetouh, still 14th with 400.06; and Davis Heussler, 17th with 390.06. 

    Ace of Clubs, Ruby Life Masters, nationwide.

    Paul Hassett of The Villages, Fla., sees his lead shrink from 46 points to 32 points, but his 345.23 still keeps him safely ahead of second-place Joanne Matchette of Vero Beach, Fla., who has 312.02. She rebounded from ninth place with a 67-point month after standing pat in October.

Then it’s last month’s #3, Brian Breckenridge of Corvallis, Ore., with 303.44, and Mason Barge of Atlanta, barging ahead from seventh to fourth with 296.34. Last month’s second place-holder, Anna Maxcine Thacker of Palm Coast, Fla., who registered only 13.27 points, is now fifth with a total of 294.78.

Then it’s Aivars Lapins of Cambria, Calif., continuing sixth with 275.63; and Bruce Ladin of Harwood Heights, Ill., down from fifth to seventh with 271.17.

After that, it’s Richard Seidman of Orlando, Fla., demoted from sixth to eighth with 269.44; Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., with 266.44; and Barry Nish of Little Neck, N.Y., with 256.32.

Unit 116 leader Mike Silverman jumps ahead to 77th from 105th. David Millward makes a major comeback from 337th to 100th. Allen Beroza rebounds to 135th from 150th. Other local notables include Martin Pieterse, down to 386th from 279th; and me, ahead of Martin now, but down to 376th from 355th. The list of 500 cuts off at 120.93.

       Ace of Clubs, all players, nationwide. 

Bill Kulbersh of Atlanta is still on top, up 73.13 points in November to reach 780.32. Repeating in second place is Irva Neyhart of Corvallis, Ore., with a 60.81-point month at 560.96.

Still third is Harry Kaufmann of North Redington Beach, Fla., with 499.53; followed again by En Xie of St. Louis, with 489.50; and Bella Ionis-Sorren of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with 480.58.

The rest of the Top 10 contains the same names, but shakes up slightly, thanks to a 51.93-point month by Robert Epstein of Atlanta. He moves up from ninth place to sixth with 480.22 points.

The others maintain their order –  Sheila Gabay of Newton, Mass., 472.36; Diane Hurt and Edgar Hurt Jr. of Laguna Woods, Calif., both with 461.43; and Kay Schulle of Purchase, N.Y., 445.50.

Alan Greer keeps his hold on 14th; Nancy Wolstoncroft slips to 191st from 184th. John Ziemer advances to 375th from 400th. The list of 500 names stops at 207.30.

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

Robert L. McClendon of Ponte Vedra, Fla., added another 224 points to reach 2,040.75. Moving up to second place, way behind him, is Sabrina Miles of Mansfield, Mass., with 696.88. Her 56-point month allows her to displace Alex Khrakovsky of Columbus, Ohio, who had a 6-point month and stands with 653.72.  

Then there’s Mary Ose of Sacramento, Calif, with 599.09, and Darryl Legassie of Milton, N.H., still fifth with 568.94.

 Mark Fitzmorris of St. Augustine, Fla., charges into the Top 10 with 547.67, along with Anam Tebha of Charlotte, N.C., with 497.45. Despite being passed by these guys, Mason Barge of Atlanta moves up a notch to eighth with 491.25, while District 5’s Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., falls from sixth to ninth with his 487.13. Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., who keeps her foot on the bottom rung of the Top 10 with 483.02.

Unit 116’s Davis Heussler is down to 42nd from 37th with his 390.06. With no new points, Ken Meier is down from 287th to 367th. Allen Beroza moves ahead of Ken while being down slightly overall, from 362nd to 365th. The list ends at 193.70. 

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

A month ago there were five players above the 2,000 mark. Now there are 10. And two of them have gone even farther than that.

Joe Grue of New York City, first for the 10th straight month, went into overdrive with a 641.66-point month. He now has 3,515.18 points. Second-place Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., gained a mere 339.11 points, putting him at 3,138.93.

Kevin Dwyer of Melbourne, Fla., who had a 439.70-point month, is next with 2,895.83 and could make it a 3,000-point triumvirate by the time the year is over.

That milestone is maybe out of reach for fourth-place Brad Moss of Denver, despite a 456.67-point month that took him to 2,588.86. Same for Shan Huang of Melbourne, Fla., still fifth with 2,565.81.

The legendary Jeff Meckstroth of Clearwater Beach, Fla., continues sixth with 2,244.51, while his longtime partner Eric Rodwell is still seventh with 2,222.64.        January leader Geoff Hampson of Las Vegas continues eighth with 2,203.22. Ruby Life Master leader Robert L. McClendon of Ponte Vedra, Fla., moves down a notch to tenth with 2,040.75, displaced by John Hurd of New York City, now ninth with 2,072.49.

Familiar names: Former Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge bumps up from 28th to 22nd with a 342.74-point month, which brought him to 1,535.21. District 5 leader Sue Lan Ma slips back to 102nd from 91st with her 888.63.

Unit 116’s lone representative on this list, Alan Greer, was 496th last month. Now he’s gone. The list cuts off at 469.55.

Bridge Blog 1060: Powerless

Third round from the end of the morning session Thursday at the Airport Bridge Club and the place suddenly goes dark. Since it’s windowless, it’s really, really dark. There’s only one emergency light in the ante room to give us our bearings.

After a while, cell phones provide little points of brightness around the tables. One foursome even attempts to continue playing. Others, like me, use to occasion to wend our way through the emergency-lit shadows to the washrooms.

Before long, it’s determined that this is a widespread outage – 1,600 customers in the vicinity of the airport. Traffic signals are dark on South Cayuga Road down to just before the expressway entrance.

Club manager Bill Finkelstein calls someone in ACBL District 5 and determines that enough rounds were played to qualify as a real STaC (Sectional Tournament at the Clubs) game. He’ll tabulate the results Friday. He cancels the afternoon game, which is supposed to start at 1:15 p.m., and we go to lunch. Around the time our fajita orders arrive, he hears from the building managers that the electricity is working again. It’s a little after 2.

Not a happy development in my quest to reach Gold Life Master status before Christmas. Although I haven’t checked my career totals lately, I believe I’m 15 to 20 points short and have hoped for a big score during STaC Week to get me there.

It could happen. However, as I watch people turn in games in the 65 to 70% range this week and take away 10 to 15 points, I remember that I have reached this rarified status only once in STaC competition, nearly 10 years ago with former partner Celine Murray.

And then I’ve had some anemic performances so far this week. It starts with some promise on Monday, when I have 52.93% and 50.33% games with Judie Bailey, collecting little scraps of points.

Things collapse, though, on Tuesday with Dotty May (45.76% and 41%) and on Wednesday with June Feuerstein (40.18% and 45.24%). When Thursday partner Marietta Kalman calls last night to say she would only play the afternoon session because she doesn’t have the stamina to do both of them, I have to accept the prospect that my hard luck would continue with a substitute partner Thursday morning.

As it turns out, I have three partners – club manager Bill Finkelstein for the first hand, my Sunday unit meeting partner Florence Boyd for a couple rounds, then Ted May, husband of my Tuesday partner and pretty much a novice, though I’ve watched him improve. If we wind up with any points at all, I’ll consider it a miracle.