Bridge Blog 1116-A: Buffalo Winter Sectional

I cleared the decks. I lined up partners. I was as ready as I could possibly be for the weekend in the social hall at the Main-Transit Fire Department in Amherst.

Was my game up to it? Not entirely.

With Nadine Stein in the side game on Friday, a hit and a miss. 47.89% in the six-table game in the morning. Would have been 51% and a silver point, but Walt Olszewski entered a score wrong, giving us +130 for a contract that he and his partner had actually played and won. Had he not asked for a summary, he wouldn’t have noticed. Afternoon was only a 2½-table affair. Here Nadine and I redeemed ourselves with a 57.50% effort, second overall. 2.24 points.

With Ruth Wurster on Saturday, two whiffs. 44.58% in the morning, 40.83% in the afternoon, both six-table games.

So I wasn’t sure what to expect in Swiss teams on Sunday with Florence Boyd and Ruth Wurster playing north-south on our team, while on east-west I was reunited with Denise Slattery, who drove in from Caledonia for the day.

We got off to a rocky start, me and Denise and team-wise as well, but we didn’t lose by a lot in the first two rounds – 5 International Match Points and 4 IMPs.

In Round 3, against Barbara Landree and our tournament emcee, Betty Metz, it looked like we were heading for a big dive, though, when Denise plunged ahead to a 5 Diamond doubled vulnerable contract and proceeded to go down five. Minus 1,400. 17 IMPs for the opposition. Miraculously, we got 13 of them back on the next hand when I led an Ace of Diamonds against a 6 Spade slam and then a second Diamond when Denise signaled high to show that she had the King.

It was only a 3 IMP win, but it was prelude to bigger things on the next two matches. Then our good fortune brought us up against Mike Ryan and Howard Foster in Round 6. They nailed us thoroughly – 22 IMPs – on their way to finishing second overall.

Round 7 was wild and wooly against Jeff Bender and Henry Chudy, a seesaw battle to a 19-19 IMP draw. We were in the B stratification, which awarded bonus points to the top four finishers. And hallelujah! Third in B, seventh overall. 2.01 points. 4.25 for the weekend.

How does this stack up against my other Buffalo Winter Sectionals? Let’s go to the history books.

2019 – 0.78.

2018 – 6.68.

2017 – 5.97.

2016 – 3.22.

2015 – 1.03.

2014 – 1.68.

2013 – 1.70.

2012 – 0.93.

2011 – 2.13.