Bridge Blog 1114: Santa Claus rally

They both took an upswing between Thanksgiving and New Year’s – Wall Street and my fortunes at the bridge table.

The trend was the friend for the Dow and the NASDAQ. For me, though, the trend was bouncing along a bottom. This upward reversal was quite unexpected.

It began with the annual Unit 116 meeting and game back at the beginning of December, when Flo Boyd and I turned in a 60.64% game amid some of the toughest players in town and won 1.97 points for our efforts.

That came a day after a red-letter day in St. Catharines, when Selina Volpatti and I came in first North-South with 60.80% against another tough field and collected 1.50 points.

Then it was STaC Week, the Sectional Tournament at the Clubs. The hoped-for big game never materialized, but the rewards were slow and steady. I ended the week with 8.98 points. Big improvement over last December, when I won only 2.52 points in the Winter STaC.

Add to that a couple stellar Mondays at the Airport Bridge Club – first overall with Judie Bailey on Dec. 16 with 57.09% to collect 3.19 points and then, on Dec. 23, first in our direction in a last-minute pairing with a truly good player – Barbara Libby. That 61.58% earned us 3 points even.

A 20-point month, at least. Maybe 25. A great way to send out the year and the decade …

Bridge Blog 1113: November's leftovers (finally polished off)

As I recall, it was a turkey of a month for me. Just 7.63 more points won in club play, bringing my Ace of Clubs total for the year to 118.66. And just 7.85 points overall, thanks to that pittance of a point at the Niagara Falls Regional, pumping the overall count to 130.91. Not quite 12 points per month this year, a far cry from that goal of 15 that I’ve tried to maintain.

At any rate, let’s see how this stacks up against the world at large in the ACBL master point races.

Unit 116 (Buffalo only). Ace of Clubs (club points only). Ruby Life Masters (1,500 to 2,500 master points). I’m still fifth and might just stay there until the end of the year. Here are the Top 10:

Linda Burroughsford, 178.25 (continuing fourth among all players in Unit 116); Martin Pieterse, 171.96 (still fifth overall); Fred Yellen, 147.51 (#13  overall, down from #11); Ken Meier, 124.20 (#18, down from #17); moi, 118.66 (holding steady at #19); Davis Heussler, 110.23 (#23); John Sinclair, 102.73 (#26); Dorothy May, 101.22 (#28); Gene Finton, 92.49 (#34); and Art Matthies, 80.96 (#43).

Unit 116. Ace of Clubs. All players. Alan Greer adds 28.05 points, not much for him, to reach 408.67. Even so, he widened his lead over Nancy Wolstoncroft, who added only 12.21 points to stand at 236.52.

Holding fast to the next three  positions are John Welte, 183.30; Linda Burroughsford, 178.25; and Martin Pieterse, 171.96.

The shake-up starts in sixth place, now claimed by Gay Simpson with 167.19. She was ninth last month. Moving down a peg are Barbara Libby, 164.99; Martha Welte, 164.64; and Mike Silverman, 163.90. John Ziemer rounds out the Top 10 again with 160.08. Allen Beroza moves into #11 with 155.72. Mike Ryan is #12 with 152.80.

Unit 116. Mini-McKenney (points earned everywhere). Ruby Life Masters. Linda Burroughsford, still first among Rubies and first overall in the unit after a 40.37 point month, with 494.51. Davis Heussler, with a 24.49 point month, remains second and fourth in the unit with 447.25.

Ken Meier keeps third place among Rubies and #13 in the unit with an 18.13 point month that brings him to 259.72. Fred Yellen continues fourth here after a 7.82 point month that takes him to 190.06, but he falls from #20 to #23 overall.

Martin Pieterse, with a 13.45 point month, remains fifth and drops from #23 to #24 overall. John Sinclair continues sixth and #32 overall with 139.39 and I stay seventh among Rubies but slip from #39 to #42 overall with 130.91.

Gene Finton, who earned half a point in November, remains eighth and goes from #42 to #44 overall. Dorothy May moves up to ninth with 113.90, nudging Art Matthies back to tenth with 108.31. Dotty advances from #46 to #45, while Art drops from #43 to #52.

Unit 116. Mini-McKenney. All players.

Linda Burroughsford, with 494.51, has seen second-place Saleh Fetouh close the gap with a 62.35 point month. He now has 488.67.

John Welte continues to outpace Davis Heussler, 452.78 to 447.25. Alan Greer stays fifth with 435.14; Martha Welte is still sixth with 429.61; Mike Ryan remains seventh with 375.61 and Dian Petrov keeps eighth place with 304.55.

Chris Urbanek moves from #12 to ninth with a 45.93 point month. She has 302.14, enough to slip past Glenn Milgrin with 296.66. John Ziemer is down a notch to #11 with 291.47 and Jay Levy earned less than a point to reach 259.83.

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

Unit 116 holds to the top three places again. Linda Burroughsford, 178.25 (#10 in the district). Martin Pieterse, 171.96 (#11 overall). Fred Yellen, 147.51 (#28).

Then we have Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., with 144.17 (#31); Judith Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 138.06 (#34); James Wheeler of Edinburg, Pa., 125.15 (#44); and Barbara Schidlowski of Kent, Ohio, 124.35 (#46).

Then we reach Ken Meier, 124.20 (#48, down from #47); moi, 118.66, still ninth on this list but down from #54 to #57 overall; and Marvin Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 116.28 (#61). Davis Heussler’s 110.23 makes him #11 and #74 overall.

District 5. Ace of Clubs. All players. Alan Greer and Nancy Wolstoncroft, again one-two with 408.67 and 236.52. After that, Stephanie Alexander of Mentor, Ohio, squeezes past Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 207.91 to 207.47.

Then it’s Robert Alexander of Mentor, 206.09; Bruce Cahoon of Akron, Ohio, 187.77; Arlene Port, 184.94; Unit 116’s John Welte, 183.30; Kenneth Bergman of Wexford, Pa., 179.27; Linda Burroughsford, 178.25; and Martin Pieterse, 171.96.

District 5. Mini-McKenney. Ruby Life Masters.

Ahead by a country mile are Linda Burroughsford and Davis Heussler with 494.51 and 447.25. On a district level, Linda moves up to #13 from #14, while Davis stands pat at #17.

Then it’s Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, Ohio, 273.76 (#37, down from #35); Ken Meier, up a notch with 259.72 (#42, up from #46); Robert Zimmermann of Pittsburgh, 249.17 (#49, down from #42); James Fox of Canonsburg, Pa., 222.82 (#61, down from #57); Judith Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 203.45 (#72); Fred Yellen, 190.06 (#84, down from #79); Martin Pieterse, 188.22 (#86, down from #85); and Marvin Shapiro of Akron, 178.97 (#94). John Sinclair is still #16 with 150.29 (#129 overall, down from #128). My 130.91 puts me at #27, down from #26, and #171 overall, down from #161.

District 5. Mini-McKenney. All players. 
Eight players from Ohio in the Top 10, two from Pennsylvania, none from Unit 116.

Still on top is Sue Lan Ma of Kirtland Hills, Ohio, with 919.20. Still second is Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., with 607.17. Still third is Bernie Greenspan of Beachwood, Ohio, 603.39. Phillip Becker of Beachwood jumps from seventh to fourth with 603.36. Stephanie and Robert Alexander hold fast to fifth and sixth with 598.57 and 596.75. Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh is still seventh with 588.24. Dropping from fourth to eighth after a 10.38 point month is Kathleen Sulgrove from Twinsburg, Ohio, with 585.43. Still ninth is Don Sulgrove of Twinsburg, 548.62. Fleur Howard of Gates Mills, Ohio, with 515.43, knocks Fred Schenker of Pittsburgh back to #11. He has 499.20.

Six Unit 116 players are in the second 10. Linda Burroughsford is #13. Saleh Fetouh is #14. John Welte is #16. Davis Heussler is #17. Alan Greer is #18. And Martha Welte is #19.

Nationwide. Ace of Clubs. Ruby Life Masters.

Just when I thought that everybody had settled into their seats for the end of the year, I discover an upheaval on this list. Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., had an amazing 100.43 point month in the clubs. With 371.39 points now, he vaulted from seventh place a month ago to the top of the Rubies nationally.

With a comfortable lead, too. Last month’s one-two – Jim Loffree of Naples, Fla., and Mark Crumrine of Ocala, Fla., – dropped down a notch with 345.58 and 320.19, respectively.

Mason Barge of Atlanta moved up one rung to fourth with 315.97. Sidney Perutz of Dallas fell two places to fifth with 304.24. Falling with him was Christopher Smith of Vero Beach, Fla., down from fourth to sixth with 295.12.

Up one spot to seventh was John Miller of Chicago with 278.31. Jay Lucus of Little Rock, Ark., re-entered the Top 10 in eighth place with 276.95. Also back, in ninth, was Aivars Lapins of Cambria, Calif., with 275.40. Christine Converse of Highland Beach, Fla., ninth a month ago, rounds out the list at 275.08. Falling off and sitting at #11 is Bruce Ladin of Harwood Heights, Ill., with 269.47.

Unit 116 leader Linda Burroughsford is down six places at #101 with 178.25. Martin Pieterse is #128, down from #123, with 171.96. Fred Yellen is #252, down from #208, with 147.51. Ken Meier is #490, down from #487, with 124.20. The list cuts off at 123.77.

Nationwide. Ace of Clubs. All players. 

No surprises here. Bill Kulbersh of Atlanta, after a 60.80 point November, fattened his lead by four more points over Neil Silverman of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 688.90 to 550.61.

Wait, there’s David Hudson of The Villages, Fla., tenth a month ago and now sitting third with 524.50 after a 120.96 point month. Wow!

One step lower now are Francine Feldman of Boca Raton, Fla., 502.45; and En Xie of St. Louis, 495.55. Robert Epstein of Atlanta holds fast in sixth with 482.91, while Sheila Gabay of Newton, Mass, drops two places with 478 even. Harry Kaufmann of North Redington Beach, Fla., climbed from ninth to eighth with 467.32. Jeff Edelstein of Tampa, Fla., seventh last month, now is listed twice in ninth place with 465.21. Bella Ionis-Sorren of Fort Lauderdale is next with 441.86.

Unit 116’s Alan Greer is #17, down from #15, with 408.67. Nancy Wolstoncroft is #326, down from #271, with 236.52. Nobody else from around here. The list cuts off at 210.48.

Nationwide. Mini-McKenney. Ruby Life Masters.

Unchanged in the top three. Harrison Luba of Lynnfield, Mass., has 767.63, followed by two from Houston – Thomas Rush and Dolores Aquino – with 751.27 and 649.77, respectively.

Ruby standout Christopher Smith moves from sixth to fourth with 585.65, passing Jay Lucas of Little Rock, Ark., who has 573.23. Then it’s Amy Casanova of Portland, Ore., with 564.91; Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., with 555.71; Mark Crumrine of Ocala, Fla., with 537.61; Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., with 533.81; and Shailesh Gupta of Aliso Viejo, Calif., with 532.65.

Unit 116 players in the Top 500 include Linda Burroughsford, holding steady at #13 with 494.51; Davis Heussler up one notch to #20 with 447.25; Ken Meier at #194, up from #207 in October, with 259.72. Fred Yellen, #473 a month ago, has fallen off the list. It cuts off at 193.36.

National. Mini-McKenney. All players.  

Still on top is Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., with 2,279.69. Not far behind is Kevin Dwyer of Melbourne, Fla., with 2,238.17. Also topping the double millennia mark are Joe Grue of New York City, 2090.30; Jeff Meckstroth of Clearwater Beach, Fla., 2,085.14; and Jacob Morgan of Madison, Wis., 2,028.51.

Then it’s Shan Huang of Melbourne, Fla., 1,934.37; Alex Hudson of Raleigh, N.C., 1,723.33; Brad Moss of Denver, 1,713.34; John Hurd of New York City, 1,676.72; and Eric Rodwell of Clearwater, Fla., 1,666.57.

Former Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge, now of Jackson Heights, dropped to #14 from #12 with 1,540.56 after a 45.99 point month.

District 5 point leader Sue Lan Ma is #70, up from #71, with 919.20 after a 41.74 point month. Unit 116’s Linda Burroughsford is #399, up from #415, with her 494.51. John Welte joins the Barry Crane Top 500 at #492 with 452.78, but, alas, Davis Heussler again just misses the list. It cuts off at 449.62. He has 447.25. 

Bridge Blog 1112-A: UnSTaCked

Underpopulated parking lot Saturday. Underpopulated inside the Airport Bridge Club when I arrive a few minutes before 10 a.m.

Gay Simpson’s partner doesn’t show. Director Bill Finkelstein says another pair that is supposed to come isn’t coming. Even with him playing and a couple substitutes coming in, he says there won’t be enough players to meet the minimum three tables. He cancels the afternoon game, too.

Linda Burroughsford and Davis Heussler will go to the game at the Bridge Center of Buffalo, which starts at noon. As for my partner, Art Matthies, he doesn’t suggest that we follow suit. Neither do I. Actually, after 10 STaC games so far this week, I need a rest. I’m working tonight and then there’s more STaC Sunday – Swiss teams.

Bridge Blog 1112-B: Short STaC

I always hope for that big game in the upper 60% range to bring home a ton of silver points in the STaC (Sectional Tournament at the Clubs), but it didn’t happen this week. However, there were fractional points to collect after some of the 10 games I played. Here’s how it went:

Monday morning with Dotty May: 52.50%. Third North-South, first in the B strat. 0.98 of a point.

Monday afternoon with Dotty May: 54% even. Second North-South, first in the B strat. 0.99 of a point.

Tuesday morning with Joyce Greenspan. 48.33%. Fifth of seven North-Souths. Needed 51.67% to scratch.

Tuesday afternoon with Joyce Greenspan. 48% even. Second East-West in the B strat. 0.74 of a point. Incredibly, it bumps up to 1.28 points on a District level.

Wednesday morning with June Feuerstein. 46.58%. Fourth of five North-Souths. Needed 55.46% to scratch.

Wednesday afternoon with June Feuerstein. 47.38%. Fourth of five North-Souths again. Needed only 48.90% to scratch.

Thursday morning with Barbara Libby. 55.13%. Second East-West. 0.99 of a point.

Thursday afternoon with Marietta Kalman. 55.50%. Tied for first North-South with Judi Marshall and John Ziemer. 1.20 points.

Friday morning with Selina Volpatti. 36.71%. Last in a 9-pair Howell movement. Needed 53.69% to scratch.

Friday afternoon with Selina Volpatti. 55.15%. Second North-South. 0.99 of a point.

So far 6.43 points. Were there more on the district level? Rats! Can’t tell. ACBL website is down right now (noon hour Saturday, Dec. 14) for maintenance.

Bridge Blog 1111: Redouble Your Pleasure

       “Five Clubs redoubled? 800?” Mike Ryan remarks Tuesday, Dec. 3, as we study the preliminary results on the bulletin board at the Airport Bridge Club.

       That was Board 11 against Ron Henrikson and Sharon Chang. Sharon, sitting West, opens 1 Spade. I want to bid 1 No Trump, then think better of it. But wait, let’s have a look at this thing:

       

       Nobody vulnerable. South is dealer.

       West (Sharon):

       Spades: A-K-Q-J-9-3; Hearts: Q-J; Diamonds: A-10-8-4; Clubs: 7.

       North (me):

       Spades: 10-8-4-2; Hearts: A-8; Diamonds: K-Q-2; Clubs: A-K-9-6.

       East (Ron):

       Spades: 7-6; Hearts: 10-6-3-2; Diamonds: J-9-7-6-3; Clubs: 8-4.

       South (Usha Khurana):

       Spades: 5; Hearts: K-9-7-5-4; Diamonds: 5; Clubs: Q-J-10-5-3-2.

       I pass. So does Ron, sitting East with that awful hand. Usha bids 2 NT, the Unusual No Trump, telling me she’s got five Clubs and five Diamonds, even though she doesn’t. She should cue-bid 2 Spades – a Michaels – telling me she has five Hearts and five of a minor suit.

       No question what my bid is – 3 Clubs. Pass, pass to Sharon, who is undeterred. 3 Spades.

Since Usha should have just three cards in the major suits and I hold the Ace of Hearts, we have only two losers there. Our Diamonds and Clubs, they should be solid. I jump to 5 Clubs. Sharon doubles. I redouble. Sharon leads the Ace of Spades. The dummy is a surprise. But not a bad one.

Sharon shifts to the Ace of Diamonds and it’s all over. That’s our last loser. We win the rest.

It’s an outrageous top board. Some North-South pairs stop at 3 Clubs and make two overtricks. Some Wests persist to 4 Spades and get doubled, down three. Lucky Wests, the ones who get to play at 3 Spades, aren’t doubled. The North-South who bid No Trump? They lost seven tricks.

Usha and I have a few other bright spots Tuesday. (Another top board comes against the formidable Alan Greer and Nancy Wolstoncroft, when I eke out 11 tricks in a doubled 5 Diamond contract.) Unfortunately, we make more than enough mistakes to offset good hands like that. At the end of the day, we’re not last, but we’re well short of the winners’ circle. 45.24%.

Bridge Blog 1110: Smashed Pumpkins

       Do we remember October? Now that we’re stuffed with Thanksgiving turkey, just dimly. Better gather up the pumpkin lattes from the ACBL master point races before they evaporate completely.

       Where did I stand for the year as of Oct. 31? Ace of Clubs points – 111.03, fifth among players in the Ruby Life Master (1,500 to 2,500 points) division of the Ace of Clubs race (points earned in club play only) for Unit 116 (the metro Buffalo area). If I were ranked in the division where I rightly belong, Gold Life Master, I would be third. 

        As for all points earned everywhere, which are tabulated in the Mini McKenney race, I had 123.06, seventh among the Unit 116 Rubies. (As a Gold, I'd be fourth.) Let’s run them all down:

       Unit 116. Ace of Clubs. Ruby Life Masters. It’s still Linda Burroughsford and Martin Pieterse, pretty much neck and neck. Linda leads with 163.59 and is fourth among all Unit 116 players. Martin is close behind with 158.51. He’s fifth in the Unit.

       The rest of the Top 10: Fred Yellen, 139.69; Ken Meier, 114.62; moi, 111.03; Davis Heussler, 98.49; Gene Finton, 91.97; John Sinclair, 91.83; Dorothy May, 91.23; and Art Matthies, 78.39.

       Unit 116. Ace of Clubs. All players.

       Alan Greer keeps right on rolling. 380.62 points. Well ahead of his sometimes partner, Nancy Wolstoncroft, who’s second with 224.31.

       Next is John Welte with 171.51, followed by Linda Burroughsford, 163.59; Martin Pieterse, 158.51; Barbara Libby, 156.81; Martha Welte, 152.85; Mike Silverman, 150.99; Gay Simpson, 147.09; and John Ziemer, 139.69. Of the Rubies, Fred Yellen is #11, Ken Meier is #17 and I’m #19.

       Mini McKenney. Unit 116. Ruby Life Masters.

       Linda Burroughford here, too. She’s first among the Rubies and first in all of Unit 116 with 454.17. Next is her frequent tournament partner, Davis Heussler, with 412.76. He’s fourth in the Unit.

       They far outdistance the rest of the Top 10: Ken Meier, 237.59 (#13 overall); Fred Yellen, 182.24 (#20 overall); Martin Pieterse, 174.77 (#23); John Sinclair, 139.39 (#32); moi, 123.06 (#39); Gene Finton, 114.64 (#42); Art Matthies, 105.74 (#43); and Dorothy May, 103.91 (#46).

       Unit 116. Mini McKenney. All players.

       Linda Burroughsford has surpassed Saleh Fetouh, our perennial champion. And John Welte has slipped ahead of Davis Heussler. Here’s the leaderboard:  

       Linda Burroughsford, 454.17; Saleh Fetouh, 426.32; John Welte, 416.06; Davis Heussler, 412.76; Alan Greer, 407.09; Martha Welte, 392.89; Mike Ryan, 361.12; Dian Petrov, 297.21; Glenn Milgrim, 295.66; and John Ziemer, 272.65. Not far behind are Jay Levy, 258.99; and Chris Urbanek, 256.21. Ken Meier is #13.

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

       Top three and five of the Top 10 are Buffalo players, led by Linda Burroughsford with 163.59. She’s ninth among all players in the District. Second and third are Martin Pieterse and Fred Yellen, with 158.51 and 139.69, respectively. They’re #11 and #21 overall.

       After that, it’s Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 127.88 (#31); Judith Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 118.31 (#43); Barbara Schidlowski of Kent, Ohio, 115.01 (#46); Ken Meier, 114.62 (#47); James Wheeler of Edinburg, Pa., 114.57 (#48); moi, 111.03 (#54); and Doug Snyder, 102.66 (#68). Unit 116 has four more players among the next 10.

       District 5. Ace of Clubs. All players.

       Unit 116’s Alan Greer and Nancy Wolstoncroft are one-two with 380.62 and 224.31. After that, it’s Reanette Frobouch of Pittsburgh, 195.24; Stephanie and Robert Alexander of Mentor, Ohio, 194.61 and 192.79, respectively; John Welte, 171.51; Arlene Port of Pittsburgh, 168.17; Bruce Cahoon of Akron, Ohio, 164.88; Linda Burroughsford, 163.59; and Kenneth Bergman of Wexford, Pa., 159.92. Martin Pieterse is #11.

       District 5. Mini-McKenney. Ruby Life Masters.

       Linda Burroughsford and Davis Heussler are way out in front here with their 454.17 and 412.76. On a district level, however, they’re just #14 and #17.

       Far, far behind are Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, Ohio, 258.60 (#35); Robert Zimmerman of Pittsburgh, 241.88 (#42); Ken Meier, 237.59 (#46); James Fox of Canonsburg, Pa., 218.44 (#57); Fred Yellen, 182.24 (#79); Martin Pieterse, 174.77 (#85); and Elena Steingraf of North Canton, Ohio, 162.77 (#95). Unit 116’s John Sinclair, with 139.39, is #16 (#128 overall) and my 123.06 puts me at #26 (#161 overall).

       District 5. Mini-McKenney. All players. No Unit 116 players in the Top 10, but seven from Ohio, led by Sue Lan Ma of Kirtland Hills, Ohio, with 877.46. The rest:

       Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 596.65; Bernie Greenspan of Beachwood, Ohio, 592.70; Kathleen Sulgrove of Twinsburg, Ohio, 575.05; Stephanie and Robert Alexander of Mentor, ohio, 566 even and 564.18; Phillip Becker of Beachwood, Ohio, 557.95; Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburg, 557.31; Don Sulgrove of Twinsburg, Ohio, 538.70; and Fred Schenker of Pittsburgh, 497.77.

       Nationwide. Ace of Clubs. Ruby Life Masters.

       Helps to live in Florida. Five of the Top 10 hail from the Sunshine State: Jim Loffree of Naples, Fla., 304.32;  Mark Crumrine of Ocala, Fla., 290.56; Sidney Perutz of Dallas, 288.87; Christopher Smith of Vero Beach, Fla., 286.60; Mason Barge of Atlanta, 283.55; Jay Lucas of Little Rock, Ark., 276.95; Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., 270.96; John Miller of Chicago, 262.35; Christine Converse of Highland Beach, Fla., 262.32; and Bruce Ladin of Harwood Heights, Ill., 260.67.

       Unit 116ers include Linda Burroughsford at #95 with 163.59; Martin Pieterse at #123 with 158.51; Fred Yellen at #208 with 139.69; and Ken Meier at #487 with 114.62. My 111.03 doesn’t cut it. The list cuts off at 114.29.

       Nationwide. Ace of Clubs. All players.

       Bill Kulbersh of Atlanta, way ahead with 628.10. Then it’s Neil Silverman of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 494 even; Francine Feldman of Boca Raton, Fla., 463.11; En Xie of St. Louis, 455.19; Sheila Gabay of Newton, Mass., 450.71; Robert Epstein of Atlanta, 422.98; Jeff Edelstein of Tampa, Fla., 417.26; Judy Zhu of Romeoville, Ill., 402.87; Harry Kaufmann of North Redington Beach, Fla., 399.66; and David Hudson of The Villages, Fla., 394.54.

       Unit 116’s Alan Greer is #15 with 380.62 and Nancy Wolstoncroft is #271 with 224.31. Nobody else from our neck of the woods. The list cuts off at 192.60.

       Nationwide. Mini-McKenney. Ruby Life Masters.

       Nobody here in four figures and probably won’t be when the year ends. Top dog is Harrison Luba of Lynnfield, Mass., with 736.55, followed by Thomas Rush and Dolores Aquino, both of Houston, with 701.03 and 604.96, respectively.

       Then there’s Jay Lucas of Little Rock, Ark., 573.23; Amy Casanova of Portland, Ore., with 578.71; Christopher Smith of Vero Beach, Fla., 536.63; Murali Nair of Phoenix, 508.67; Shailesh Gupta of Aliso Viejo, Calif., 506.12; Samuel Amer of New York City, 488.29; and Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 468.23.

       You don’t have to go much further to find a couple Unit 116 players. There’s Linda Burroughsford at #13 with 454.17 and Davis Heussler at #21 with 412.76. And there are more. Ken Meier at #207 with 237.59 and Fred Yellen at #473 with 182.24. The list stops at 178.42.

       Nationwide. Mini-McKenney. All players.

       Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., has not only surpassed the double millennia mark, but also has taken the lead, slipping past Kevin Dwyer of Melbourne, Fla., who’s second with 2,004.61, and Joe Grue of New York City, third with 1,997.88.

       After that, we find Jacob Morgan of Madison, Wis., with 1,953.64; the legendary Jeff Meckstroth of Clearwater Beach, Fla., 1,913.64; Shan Huang of Melbourne, Fla., 1,807.58; Alex Hudson of Raleigh, N.C., 1,659.19; Eddie Wold of Houston, 1,627.30; John Hurd of New York City, 1,592.63; and Brad Moss of Denver, 1,579.29.

       Meckstroth’s partner/collaborator Eric Rodwell of Clearwater, Fla., is #11 with 1,561.15; and former Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge, now of Jackson Heights, has risen to #12 with 1,494.57.

       Other familiar faces – Sue Lan Ma is #71 with 877.46, three places ahead of her frequent partner, Peter Petruzzellis of Scarborough, Ont., who has 858.25. Unit 116’s Linda Burroughsford is #415 with 454.17. Did Davis Heussler make it, too? Not quite. The list ends at 423.36. 

Bridge Blog 1109-A: Niagara Falls, Ont., Regional -- Low ball

Missed the first two days, played the last four – six sessions of open pairs, morning and afternoon, with my Canadian partner Selina Volpatti, Swiss teams on Sunday.

High score in the pairs – 47.85% on Friday afternoon, which felt good in retrospect. Two of our games were under 40%. Our aggressive game did not click at all. 

Unlike the Buffalo Sectional Tournament, where the side game is populated by weaker players, these Regional pairs games, side attractions to the knock-out games, attract the sharks. Selina and I were the prey. We helped fatten the winning margin of, for one, Saleh Fetouh, the Buffalo area player who won the most points in Niagara Falls. His total of 58.39 included 31.43 from topping the open pairs on Thursday.

It took until the Swiss teams on Sunday to find salvation from what was threatening to be another complete shutout in Niagara Falls (like 2017). Our team – Selina, Ruth Wurster, Florence Boyd and myself – won our second round, but the rejoicing didn't last long. That was our only win en route to finishing last among all 73 entries. Our reward – 0.22 of a red point.

Bridge Blog 1109-B: Niagara Falls, Ont., Regional -- Goodbye, Crowne Plaza Hotel

Niagara’s next regional tournament, right after Labor Day in 2020, will not return to this grand old establishment overlooking one of the wonders of the world. When the Unit 255 people went to negotiate new dates, the Crowne Plaza wanted too much money.

So the tournament will set up shop in an affordable, but unmemorable, box on a tacky commercial strip – the Holiday Inn and Suites Parkway Conference Center in St. Catharines, Ont. At least it will feel like home. That’s where they hold the February sectional tournament.

It won’t have the view. It won’t have the casino and the casino’s buffet next door. It won’t have two Starbucks coffee shops downstairs. And it won't have ballrooms with a touch of 1920s elegance. But at least it will be superior to the place that hosts the Buffalo regional – the Buffalo Grand Hotel, formerly the Adam’s Mark – where the carpets are repaired with tape and out-of-town guests were complaining that they couldn’t get towels.

Ballroom full of bridge players at the Crowne Plaza Hotel

Bridge Blog 1109-C: Niagara Falls, Ont., Regional -- Bigger

The Niagara Falls Regional always draws more players than the Buffalo Regional. And this year the difference was even more dramatic.

Tables – Buffalo, 597. Niagara Falls, 1,129 (1,166 in 2017).

Sunday Swiss teams – Buffalo, 34. Niagara Falls, 73 (68 in 2017).

Players winning points – Buffalo, 380. Niagara Falls, 765 (821 in 2017).

Most points earned – Buffalo, 91.28, by Jonathan Steinberg of Toronto and Alex Hudson of Raleigh, N.C. Niagara Falls, 75.36, by Saad and Diana Dahdouh of Toronto. Keith Heckley of Hamilton, Ont., won 75.82 in Niagara Falls in 2017. This year he was 16th with 48.82. The Dahdouhs were deep also-rans in 2017, tied for 117th place with 16.35 points.

Bridge Blog 1109-D: Niagara Falls, Ont., Regional -- The Point Queen of District 5

That’s Sue Lan Ma from Kirtland Hills, Ohio, near Cleveland. She seems to hit all the tournaments. Someone said she is a woman of means and that’s how she spends her retirement. In a brief chat, she told us she’s only been playing for nine years. Secret to her success is perennial partner Peter Petruzzellis of Scarborough, Ont., In Buffalo last month, they won 34.84 points. In Niagara Falls, they collected 23.26. Now that I’ve played against her a few times, I’ve befriended her a little. In Niagara Falls, she even posed for a photo.

Sue Lan Ma, right, opposite partner Peter Petruzzellis. Opponents are St. Catharines players David Pickering, facing us, and John Mackay, back to us. 

Bridge Blog 1108: Buffalo Regional Tournament -- Looking Back

One of the teams that beat us in the Friday/Saturday Knock-Outs. From left, Manju Ceylony, Ken Meier, Shakeel Ahmad and Ten-Pao Lee. 

       Considering that I spent only a day and a half at the tables, not the worst tournament for me, personally. Scraps of red points, to be sure, but at least it wasn’t a shutout, like that year in Niagara Falls. 1.75. Tied for 307th with Pat Kilbury and Jeff Oshlag.

       My teammates played more, did better. Partner Ruth Wurster connected for 3.60 points. Joe Rooney got 3.15. Dotty May had 3.40.     

       Tournament champions were a couple pros we’ve seen here before – Jonathan Steinberg of Toronto and young Alex Hudson of Raleigh, N.C. 91.28 points, the both of them. They got 38.17 of their points by winning the Friday-Saturday knock-outs and another 15.40 by winning the Sunday Swiss team game.

       Runners-up were perennial favorites from Ohio – Stephanie and Robert Alexander from Mentor, both with 66.54. Then an Ohio foursome tied for fifth with 64.01 points – Phillip Becker, Fleur Howard and Hope and Brian Ellis.

       Buffalo players started showing up just outside the Top 10. Saleh Fetouh was 11th with 55.85. Glenn Milgrim, whose name showed up in Frank Stewart’s syndicated bridge column in The News during the tournament, was 12th with 53.47. Jay Costello was 14th with 51.26 and Jay Levy was 15th with 48.17. Of people I play against regularly, best was Linda Burroughsford, 20th with 42.32.

       It seemed like attendance was light at this regional. Really light. In all, there were 597 tables – 34 of them in the Sunday Swiss team finale. 380 players got points.

       Let’s look back at previous years:

       2018 – 678 tables, 40 for Sunday Swiss, 475 players got points. I got 7.92.

       2017 – 628 tables, 41 for Sunday Swiss, 431 players got points. I got 16.68.

       2016 – 718 tables, 43 for Sunday Swiss. 522 players got points. I got 15.66.

       2015 – (first at the Adam’s Mark) 699 tables, 41 for Sunday Swiss. 487 players got points. I got 5.38.

       2014 – (at the Hamburg Fairgrounds). 671 tables, 45 for Sunday Swiss. 476 players got points. I got 9.77.

       2013 – (June tournament, the last at the Grand Island Holiday Inn). 886 tables, 48 for Sunday Swiss. 563 players got points. I got 4.59.

       2012 – (Grand Island). 1,092 tables, 67 for Sunday Swiss. 705 players got points. I got 12.12.

       2011 – (Grand Island). 918 tables, 56 for Sunday Swiss. 604 players got points. I got 6.97.

       2010 – (Grand Island). 1,021 tables, 62 for Sunday Swiss. 709 players got points. I got 7.59.

       2009 – (Grand Island). 1,047 tables. 62 for Sunday Swiss. 746 players got points. I got 4.15.

       Meanwhile, now that it's the Buffalo Grand, it seemed like the hotel formerly known as the Adam’s Mark is more run-down than ever. The millions in new investment haven’t kicked in yet. As they used to say in Brooklyn –wait’ll next year.

Bridge Blog 1107: Buffalo Regional Tournament

       Three weeks ago – I discover that it’s too late to ask for Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday nights off from work, as I had intended. New plan: Forget about Tuesday and Wednesday, play Thursday, Friday and Saturday, work as usual Sunday. See if I can come to the office late on Saturday afternoon.

       Two weeks ago – Canadian partner Selina Volpatti announces that she’ll play with me Thursday, Friday and Saturday and has booked a room in the tournament hotel – the Buffalo Grand Hotel, formerly the Adam’s Mark. Dimly recall that I may have made other plans for Friday and Saturday. Did I cancel them?

       Tuesday – Selina texts that she can’t play Thursday. Has a preliminary appointment for her medical procedure next week.

       Wednesday – Another text from Selina. She’s got a cold. Needs to be healthy for her procedure. No regional for her.

Drop into the tournament at lunchtime to put in my name at the Partnership Desk for Thursday and Friday. Pairs games, team games, I’ll play anything. Run into Dorothy May, who says we’re teammates Friday. Must not have canceled that prior arrangement. Take back ticket asking for a Friday partner and confirm by e-mail that evening that I’ve had a Friday-Saturday date all the time – Ruth Wurster.

Thursday – Present myself at the Partnership Desk at 9:45 a.m. Here are two guys who want to play in the team game, Dian Petrov says. Can you round up a partner? I give a glance at Jim Gullo behind the desk, who has been a last-minute partner in the past. No, he says, he’s in the third round of a knock-out game. No other free agents show up. An unexpected day off. What to do? It’s raining. I gas up the car, go home and hit the computer.

Friday – Swiss team games. Split up into little bitty sections. Six teams in ours, all looking like they’ve had more experience. I make a big mistake in the first round of the day, allowing the opponents make a contract they should have lost, and it costs us 6 victory points. Nevertheless, we have two wins and two losses and a shred of hope when we come to the fifth and final round.  It’s against the Weltes, John and Martha. They slam dunk us, shut us out, and win the section – 17.12 points. We’re last on the list, but our two wins send us out the door with a little something – 1.04 red points.  

Saturday – Friday Swiss winners get to play knock-outs for a big championship. Friday losers get to play a compact knock-out game in the morning. We lose our first match, which knocks us into a consolation round – a three-way round robin. We manage to win one of those two games, lose the other badly to a team that includes two of Buffalo’s best players – Saleh Fetouh and Jay Costello. There’s consolation, though. 0.71 of a red point.

Ruth is game to play in the afternoon. I check with the office to see if it’s cool to come in late. It’s not. Two people have called in sick, the dayside city editor tells me. After 4 p.m., I’m the only staffer on the news-gathering side of things. For me, tournament over.  

      

Bridge Blog 1106: Obliterated in September (now complete)

I missed a bunch of September. A big wedding in New York City consumed the first week. Bronchitis and heaven knows what else had me down and out in the middle of the month. Back at play, I was still pretty sick and worthless. How bad was it? I have collected more points in two weeks of October than I did in all of September.

So let’s see. As of Sept. 30, my Ace of Clubs total for points earned in club play stood at 98.26, up only 0.89 from August. Wait a minute! That’s just my St. Catharines winnings. My paltry collection of points from the Airport Bridge Club, 5 or 6 of them, weren’t sent in. That’s going to diminish not just me, but everyone who plays at the Airport Club in this month’s standings.

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

Linda Burroughsford, 134.42 (fourth among all players in Unit 116); Martin Pieterse, 130.27 (fifth); Fred Yellen, 127.85 (seventh); moi, 98.26 (#18); Ken Meier, 90.31 (#21); David Heussler, 84.93 (#24); Gene Finton, 84.22 (#25); John Sinclair, 81.55 (#28); Dorothy May, 74.52 (#34); Art Matthies, 62.17 (#48).

Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

Yep, Alan Greer on top, unchanged at 307.92. Then it’s Nancy Wolstoncroft, 194.05; John Welte, 143.37; Linda Burroughsford, 134.42; Martin Pieterse, 130.27; Martha Welte, 129.61; Fred Yellen, 127.85; Gay Simpson, 123.68; Bud Seidenberg, 120.86; Barbara Libby, 118.58; and #11 – Mike Silverman 118.39. David Millward, who had 124.64 a month ago, has vanished.

Mini-McKenney (all points earned everywhere). Unit 116. Ruby Life Masters.

Play elsewhere bumped up numbers in this division. A month ago, I had 104.58. Now I’ve transposed a few numbers – 108.54.

Linda Burroughsford, 380.26, still first among all Unit 116 players; Davis Heussler, 359.28, still second overall; Ken Meier, 190.53 (#14); Fred Yellen, 161.68 (#19); Martin Pieterse, 144.31 (#24); John Sinclair, 118.66 (#32); moi, 108.54 (#35); Gene Finton, 103.45 (#41); Art Matthies, 84.71 (#48); and Dorothy May, 83.70 (#50).

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

Still on top is Linda Burroughsford with 380.26, up 25.06 for the month. Davis Heussler is back in second with 359.28, adding 26.22 for the month.

Then it’s Saleh Fetouh, 349.26; John Welte, 348.28; Martha Welte, 334.52; Alan Greer, 334.39; Mike Ryan, 321.08; Glenn Milgrim, 240.25; Dian Pietrov, 240.24; and John Ziemer, 230.24.

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

Three Buffalo players lead the list, with six of us in the Top 11 and nine in the Top 20.

Linda Burroughsford, 134.42 (#11 among all players in District 5); Martin Pieterse, 130.27 (#13); Fred Yellen, 127.85 (#16); Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 110.98 (#35); Judith Shapiro, 105.01 (#43); Barbara Schidlowski of Kent, Ohio, 99.80 (#50); moi, 98.26 (#53); James Wheeler of Edinburg, Pa., 96.04 (#55); Ken Meier, 90.31 (#62) and Marvin Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 88.71 (#68).

Ace of Clubs. District 5. All players.

Even without the Airport Bridge Club reporting, Buffalonians hold the top two spots and seven of the Top 20.

It’s Alan Greer, 307.92; Nancy Wolstoncroft, 194.05; Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 188.73; Arlene Port of Pittsburgh, 155.82; Stephanie and Robert Alexander of Mentor, Ohio, 155.11 and 154.53, respectively; Constance Hoechstetter of Moon Township, Pa., 147.37; Bruce Cahoon of Akron, Ohio., 145.80; and John Welte, 143.37.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. Ruby Life Masters.

Linda Burroughsford and Davis Heussler continue one-two – Linda with 380.26; Davis with 359.28. Among all District 5 players, Linda is #14 and Davis is #15.

After that, it’s James Fox of Canonsburg, Pa., 196,13 (#51); Ken Meier, 190.53 (#57); Robert Zimmerman of Pittsburgh, 190.24 (#58); Judith Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 169.50 (#69); Fred Yellen, 161.68 (#80); Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohiom, 155.38 (#83); Marvin Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 149.87; and Elena Steingraf of North Canton, Ohio, 147.95.

Me? I’m #23 among the Rubies, #163 overall.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All players.

Still on top is Sue Lan Ma of Kirtland Hills, Ohio. After an 83.25-point month, she has 758.06. New Number Two is Kathleen Sulgrove of Twinsburg, Ohio, with 525.38 after 162.27-point month. Here’s rest of the Top 10:

Bernie Greenspan, 521.12; Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 503.75; Don Sulgrove of Twinsburg, Ohio, 497.50; Phillip Becker of Beachwood, Ohio, 464.01; Stephanie and Robert Alexander of Mentor, Ohio, 459.96 and 459.38, respectively; Fred Schenker of Pittsburgh, 450.68; and Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 449.82.

Resuming the roundup on Oct. 17 ...

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Top 500 Ruby Life Masters.

The May leader, Jim Loffree of Naples, Fla., has reclaimed the lead. All it took was a 34.46-point month. He now has 276.47. He supplants last month’s Ace king, Jay Lucas of Little Rock, Ark., who stood pat at 270.42 (or maybe his club missed the reporting deadline, too). August leader Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., is third with 268.58 after a 17.30-point month.

Rest of the Top 10: Mason Barge of Atlanta, 262.17; Mark Crumrine of Ocala, Fla., 252.52; John Miller of Chicago, 236.44; Sidney Perutz of Dallas, 236.43; Christopher Smith of Vero Beach, Fla., 229.35; Christine Converse of Highland Beach, Fla., 228.86; and Bruce Ladin of Harwood Heights, Ill., 224.97. Not far behind are Louis Vanos of Ocean Springs, Miss., 224.71; Aivars Lapins of Cambria, Calif., 224.49; and Eileen Boal of Albany, Ore., 223.24.

Here’s where we find out what happened to the missing David Millward. He’s considered to be back in Vero Beach, Fla., tied for #195 with 126.04 points. Wonder if he’s shy a few points from Buffalo like I am. The list this month stops at 99.11 points. I should be on it, but I’m not.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Top 500 players.

Still Bill Kulbersh of Atlanta with 546.15, thanks to a 78.17-point month in the clubs (!). He extends his margin over April leader Neil Silverman of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who has 435.51 after a mere 53.75-point September.

After that, it’s En Xie of St. Louis with 405.19, advancing from fourth to third with a 53.03-point effort. David Hudson of The Villages, Fla., with 394.54, jumping from sixth to fourth with a 53.90-point month.

The rest? Francine Feldman of Boca Raton, Fla., 392.88; Jeff Edelstein of Tampa, Fla., 379.97; Harry Kaufmann of North Redington Beach, Fla., 373.35; Sheila Gabay of Newton, Mass., 368.32; Shiv Arora of Boca Raton, 364.40; and Robert Epstein of Atlanta, 351.52.

April-May leader Barbara Sartorius of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., fifth in August and ninth last month, plummets to #15 with 325.62 after a 10.98-point September. Unit 116 and District 5 leader Alan Greer free falls even further, from #12 to #22, his 307.92 points unchanged from a month earlier, thanks to late reporting. Last person on the Top 500 list has 168.91.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwise. Top 500 Ruby Life Masters.

Still only two players above 600 points. Harrison Luba of Lynnfield, Mass., who took the lead in August, had a 46.56-point month and stands at 694.73. Thomas Rush of Houston, the man he displaced, is still second with 650.54 after a 50.34-point effort.

Dolores Aquino of Houston sits third, overtaking Ruby leader Jay Lucas of Little Rock, Ark. She has 566.84 after earning 58 points even. Lucas has 543.26.

Then it’s Christopher Smith of Vero Beach, Fla., 476.41; Murali Nair of Phoenix, 437.90; Amy Casanova of Portland, Ore., 472.05; Samuel Amer of New York City, 445.55; Mason Barge of Atlanta, 415.55; and Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 412.73. The list cuts off at 159.19.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Top 500 players.

Apparently a low month on the high end of the tournament circuit, low meaning less than universal triple-figure winnings.

Leader Kevin Dwyer of Melbourne, Fla., who has 1,880.06 points, only accumulated 91.87 more.

Moving up from fourth to second is Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., with 1,858 even. He found 218.38 points out there. Joe Grue of New York City advanced, too, from fifth to third with 1,775.75, thanks to an additional 189.14.

July leader Shan Huang, also from Melbourne, Fla., slipped from second to fourth with 1,775.58 (73.95-point month). And Jeff Meckstroth of Clearwater Beach, Fla., descended from third to fifth with 1,750.74 (92.93-point month).

Then it’s Jacob Morgan of Madison, Wis., 1,680.72 (240.50 more points); Alex Hudson of Raleigh, N.C., 1,499.04 (130.39 more); John Hurd of New York City, 1,477.24 (113.13); Geoff Hampson of Las Vegas, 1,431.07 (none at all); and Eric Rodwell of Clearwater, Fla., 1,417.67 (94.16).

Native Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge, has changed his home city from Astoria, Queens, to Jackson Heights, but stays in place at #14 with 1,333.31 after an 88.96-point month. District 5 leader Sue Lan Ma (who I just saw in the hallway at the Buffalo Regional) is up to #76 from #84 in August. The list cuts off at 378.47. No Unit 116 players are on it. 

Bridge Blog 1105: Long look back at August (now complete)

Here it is, the end of September and I barely remember August. Better check into the ACBL master point races before they put the new totals up in a few days.

As of Aug. 31, My Ace of Clubs total for points earned in club play stood at 97.35, up 14.52 from July. And the Mini-McKenney total, all points earned everywhere, has reached 104.54, also up 14.52. Yes, for the second month in a row, all my new points are club points. So how does that stack up against everyone else? 

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

A middling kind of month keeps me in fifth place among Buffalo players. Meanwhile, Martin Pieterse, who took first place in June, has been overtaken by Linda Burroughford, who jumped from third place in July. Here’s the list:

Linda Burroughsford, 131.52 (up to #4 from #5 among all players in Unit 116); Martin Pieterse, 130.27 (dropping to #5 overall from #3); David Millward, 124.64 (down from #4 to #7 overall); Fred Yellen, 105.70 (down to #15 overall from #11); moi, 97.35 (up to #16 overall from #18); Ken Meier holding steady in sixth with 87.06 (#22 overall); Davis Heussler still seventh with 78.42 (#29); John Sinclair, 77.83 (#30). swapping places with Gene Finton, 77.08 (#31); and Dorothy May, 73.10 (still #33).

Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

Alan Greer has a 58.03-point month. He now stands at 307.92. Then it’s Nancy Wolstoncroft with a 38.96-point month to reach 191.31. John Welte, with a 33.02-point month, sits third with 140.30; with Linda Burroughsford next with 131.52. After that, it’s Martin Pieterse, 130.27; Martha Welte, 126.54; David Millward, 124.64; Gay Simpson, 122.63; Barbara Libby, 118.68; and Mike Silverman, 118.39.

Mini-McKenney (all points earned everywhere). Unit 116. Ruby Life Masters.

No August tournaments for Linda Burroughsford and Davis Heussler, whose totals increased only modestly here. Linda’s reign continues with 355.20. She also remains first in the entire unit. Davis, who has 333.50, has slipped one notch to third place overall in the unit.

The rest of the Top 10 remains pretty much in the places they occupied a month ago: Ken Meier, 181.92 (still #13 overall); Martin Pieterse, 144.31 (#20, down from #18); David Millward, 137.43 (#24, down from #21); Fred Yellen, 134.73 (#25, down from #22); John Sinclair, 114.94 (#30, down from #27); moi, 104.54 (#36, down from #33); Gene Finton, 92.04 (#42, up from #43); and Dorothy May, 81.31 (#46), swapping places with Art Matthies, 80.49 (#49).

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

Same players in the Top 10, but a little jockeying for places. Still on top is Linda Burroughsford with 355.20. Alan Greer regains second place with 334.39. David Heussler is right behind with 333.50.

Holding steady is John Welte, 313.76. Mike Ryan, 302.39, swaps seats with Martha Welte, 300 even. Saleh Fetouh, 277.80, exchanges places with Glenn Milgrim, 240.25. Rounding out the Top 10 are John Ziemer, 214.86; and Nancy Wolstoncroft, 200.09.

Ace of Clubs. District 5 (Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh). Ruby Life Masters. Four Buffalo players lead the list, with six of us in the Top 10 and 10 in the Top 20.

Top five are Linda Burroughsford, displacing Martin Pieterse on top, with 131.52. She holds steady at #10 among all players in the district.

Martin Pieterse slips to second with 130.27 (down to #11 from #5 in the district). David Millward descends to third with 124.65 (also down to #16 from #9).

Fred Yellen stays fourth with 105.70 (but slips to #32 from #23). I slide to seventh from fifth with my 97.35 (but hold steady at #42 overall).

Cutting ahead of me are Judith Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 99.73 (up to #38 from #43); and Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., thanks to a 33.89-point month, which gives him 97.61 (up to #41 from #48).

On my heels is James Wheeler of Edinburg, Pa., 96.04, (up to #44 from #57 overall), leaping ahead of Ken Meier, seventh a month ago, now ninth with 87.06 (#59 overall, down from #45). Rounding out the Top 10 is Barbara Schidlowski of Kent, Ohio, with 85.33 (#61). Buffalo’s Davis Heussler, tenth among Rubies last month, now is #12 (#79 overall, down from #68).

Ace of Clubs. District 5. All players.

Buffalonians hold the top two spots and 10 of the Top 20.

Alan Greer, with a 48.03-point month, leads with 307.92. Nancy Wolstoncroft, after a 38.96-point month, has 191.31, eclipsing perennial Pittsburgh champ Reanette Frobouck, who picked up only 6.03 to reach 177.44.

Then it’s Stephanie and Robert Alexander of Mentor, Ohio, leaping to fourth and fifth place from #11 and #12 after 34.59-point months, reaching 143.67 and 143.09, respectively.

Constance Hoechstetter of Moon Township, Pa., maintains her grip on sixth place with 142.13. Arlene Port falls from fourth to seventh with 140.55. Buffalo’s John Welte climbs from #13 to eighth with 140.30. Then it’s Kenneth Bergman of Wexford, Pa., 138.93; and Ruby leader Linda Burroughsford, 131.52.

After that it’s Martin Pieterse, 130.27; Bruce Cahoon of Akron, Ohio., 130.10; Martha Welte, 126.54; Lynn Rafferty of Columbiana, Ohio., 126.19; Allen Selling of Erie, Pa., 124.98; David Millward, 124.64; Gay Simpson, 122.63; Barbara Libby, 118.68; Judy Haffner of Pittsburgh, 118.48; and Mike Silverman, 118.39.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. Ruby Life Masters.

Linda Burroughsford and Davis Heussler continue one-two – Linda with 355.20; Davis with 333.50. Among all District 5 players, Linda improved to #12 from #13. Davis went to #15 from #14.

Ken Meier has moved into third from fifth place with 181.92 (#46 overall, up from #52). Going to fourth from sixth is Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, Ohio, with 179.21 (#49).

Then it’s James Fox of Canonburg, Pa., 173.08 (#57); Judith Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 159.27 (#65); Martin Pieterse, 140.02 (#85) and David Millward, 137.43 (#89).

Where am I with my 104.54? #18 among the Rubies, up from #20, and #138 among all players in the district, up from #149.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All players.

No stopping perennial leader Sue Lan Ma of Kirtland Hills, Ohio. Thanks to a 143.22-point month, she now has a better than 200-point lead over another Ohioan, Bernie Greenspan of Beachwood. Here’s the Top 10:

Sue Lan Ma, 674.81; Bernie Greenspan, 461.15;  Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 455.97; Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, up to fourth from eighth with a 99.60-point month, reaching 434.30. Phillip Becker of Beachwood, Ohio, 403.30, swaps places with Craig Biddle of Pittsburgh, 380.51.

Then it’s Kenneth Kranyak of Parma, Ohio, 374.38; Stephanie and Robert Alexander of Mentor, Ohio; 372.74 and 372.16; and Kathleen Sulgrove of Twinsburg, Ohio, 363.11. Seven Buffalonians occupy places between #12 and #21. 

And finally, here on Oct. 3, August’s national leaders:  

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Top 500 Ruby Life Masters.

Jay Lucas of Little Rock, Ark., with 270.42, supplants Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., on top. He has 251.28, improved by only 5.90 in August.

Jim Loffree of Naples, Fla., leader in May, second in June, moves from fourth to third with 242.01. Sidney Perutz of Dallas advances from fifth to fourth with 236.03. They displace Mason Barge of Atlanta, reaching 229.24 after only a 14.45-point month.

The rest of the Top 10: Mark Crumrine, a Top 10 newcomer, 222.79; ditto with John Miller of Chicago, 209.13. They drop Bruce Ladin of Harwood Heights, Ill., to eighth from sixth, with 208.35. Then come Christine Converse of Highland Beach, Fla., 207.28; and Christopher Smith of Vero Beach, Fla., 203.84.

Unit 116 leader Linda Burroughsford moves up to #88 from #116 in July with 131.52. Martin Pieterse is now #90, down from #73, with 130.27. David Millward is #109, down from #100, with 124.64. Fred Yellen, with 105.70, is #257, down from #219. I’m #371, up from #392, with 97.35. Ken Meier has dropped from the Top 500. The list stops at 88.93.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Top 500 players.

Bill Kulbersh of Atlanta has a 61.31-point month to reach a total of 467.98, extending his lead over April leader Neil Silverman of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who had only 27.68 in August and has 381.76 now.

April-May leader Barbara Sartorius of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., third in July and fifth in August, drops to ninth with 314.64, after a mere 17.27-point month. Ahead of her now are Francine Feldman of Boca Raton, Fla., with 352.40 (a 44.64-point month), who squeezed past En Xie of St. Louis with 352.16 (a 43.01-point month).

After that, David Hudson of The Villages, Fla., 340.64 (56.92-point month) moves from seventh to fifth. Shiv Arora of Boca Raton, Fla., keeps sixth with 335.85 (45.37-point month). Harry Kaufmann of North Redington Beach, Fla., slips from fifth to seventh with 333.96 (40.30-point month). Jeff Edelstein of Tampa debuts eighth with 323.07. Barbara Sartorius debuts ninth with 314.64. And Jack Borenstein of Dallas, after a 26.41-point month, has 308.49, dropping from eighth to tenth. 

Unit 116 and District 5 leader Alan Greer is #12 with 307.92, up from #17. Nancy Wolstoncroft takes another leap, to #190 from #287, with 191.31. And that’s it for Buffalonians. The list cuts off at 150.79.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Top 500 Ruby Life Masters.

Now four players have reached the half-century mark and two of them have surpassed 600.

New leader is Harrison Luba of Lynnfield, Mass., with 648.17. Third a month ago, he had another big month, 149.12 points.

He bumped Thomas Rush of Houston to second place. Rush collected only 87.58 points to reach 600.20.

Dropping to third is Jay Lucas of Little Rock, Ark., with 542.22 after a 27.74-point month. Dolores Aquino of Houston continues fourth with 508.84 (an 87.59-point month).

Then it’s Amy Casanova of Portland, Ore., 450.26; Murali Nair of Phoenix, 431.25; Christopher Smith of Vero Beach, Fla., 427.03; Samuel Amer of New York City, 412.71; Shailesh Gupta of Aliso Viejo, Calif., 385.84; and Bill Cook of Louisville, Ky., 383.95.

Unit 116’s Linda Burroughsford drops to #20 from #15 with 355.20. Davis Heussler falls to #25 from #18 with 333.50. Ken Meier up again, #242 from #249, with 181.92. David Millward, last man on the list a month ago, is missing. The list cuts off at 142.09.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Top 500 players.

Twenty-seven players now have gone into four figures and it’s a bit of a dogfight on top.

Kevin Dwyer of Melbourne, Fla., leads with 1,788.19 after a 288.50-point month. He supplanted Shan Huang, also of Melbourne, Fla., with 1,701.63 after a 193.77-point effort in August.

Then it’s Jeff Meckstroth of Clearwater Beach, Fla., collecting another 343.10 in August to take third with 1,657.81. Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., moves from sixth to fourth with a 389.76-point month, for a total of 1,639.68.

They bump Joe Grue of New York City, from third to fifth. His 265.77-point month left him with 1,586.61.

Then it’s Jacob Morgan of Madison, Wis., 1,440.22; Geoff Hampson of Las Vegas, 1,431.07; Alex Hudson of Raleigh, N.C., 1,368.65; John Hurd of New York City, 1,364.11; and Eric Rodwell of Clearwater, Fla., 1,323.51.

Native Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge, now based in Astoria, Queens, was #10 in July, but after a 66.39-point month, he’s dropped to #14 with 1,244.35.

As for others we know and love, District 5 leader Sue Lan Ma rebounds to #84 from #116. Unit 116 leader Linda Burroughsford slips to #471 from #413. Davis Heussler doesn’t make the list. It cuts off at 345.99.