Bridge Blog 1124: Abridged April

I have created a virtual replica of my pre-pandemic bridge-playing routine online, hopping into a 12-board ACBL game on OKBridge at noon with my Canadian partner, Selina Volpatti, and then joining an 18-board ACBL game on Bridge Base Online at 1:30 p.m. that’s sponsored by the Bridge Centre of Niagara, the club where I play in St. Catharines, Ont. Then I wander downstairs for a quick bite of lunch and rush back to the computer to commence working from home at 4 p.m.

I like not having a commute to the game or the office. And I’m happy to continue to collect master points, albeit fractions of them. My total for the month – 3.42.

       And all the while, I’ve been wondering if the other players out there are doing the same thing. Now that the ACBL has updated its master point races, let’s find out.

       Ace of Clubs (Club Play Only). Unit 116 (Just Buffalo). Gold Life Masters (2,500 to 3,500 master points). 

       Here’s where we discover that snowbird David Millward is back in town, even if we don’t get to see him in person. He’s accumulated lots of points in Florida, enough to land himself right on top of the Golds.

       His arrival nullifies my move ahead of Fred Yellen in the rankings. I’m still third. Fred apparently didn’t play online in April, since he still has the 37.67 points he had a month ago. Same with last month’s leader, Allen Beroza, and Mike Silverman, who was nipping at my heels. Here’s the list.

       David Millward, 51.34 (fifth overall among all Unit 116 players). Allen Beroza, standing pat at 43.63 (eighth overall in the unit, down from sixth). Me, 38.41 (#13 overall, up from #14). Fred Yellen, still at 37.67 (#14 overall, down from #10). Mike Silverman, still 34.67 (#17 overall, down from #15). Ken Meier, who added 3.51 points to reach 31.19 (#25, down from #24); Art Morth, 22.97, increasing  6.91 points for the month (#34, up from #49). John Sinclair, still at 15.88 (#52, down from #50). Bill Rushmore, 10.52, adding 3.67 points (#84, up from #109). Chongmin Zhang, no longer last with 3.51 (#184, up from #187). And not to be forgotten, Pat Rasmus, at 2.79 for the third month in a row (#194, down from #185).

       If I were still a Ruby Life Master, I’d be a distant fourth, way behind Nancy Wolstoncroft and John and Martha Welte, but ahead of Linda Burroughsford, who apparently did not venture online.

       Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

       Suspended animation here. Alan Greer still has 100.85. Nancy Wolstoncroft still has 72.31. And then there are the Weltes, who now hold 67.23 each, having increased their point count by 22.64. How did they do that?

       Migrating snowbird David Millward lands in fifth place with 51.34, while Mike Ryan, who was third a month ago, is now sixth with his same old 50.35.

       Larry Abate, having collected 11.38 points somehow, is seventh, up from #16 a month agao. Then there are Allen Beroza and John Ziemer, frozen at 43.63 and 43.41; and Barbara Libby rounding out the Top 10 with 42 even.

       Bubbling under from 12 to 26 are Bud Seidenberg, 40.62; moi, 38.41; Fred Yellen, 37.67; Linda Burroughsford, 37.60; Ten-Pao Lee, 35.70; Mike Silverman and Saleh Fetouh, tied for #17 at 34.67; Davis Heussler, 33.51; Ed Morgan, 33.48; Bob Sommerstein, 32.73; Jay Levy, 32.36; Joyce Greenspan, 31.91; Bert Hargeshimer, 31.31; Ken Meier, 31.19; and at #26, Walt Olszewski, 30.65.

       Mini-McKenney (All points earned everywhere). Unit 116. Gold Life Masters.

       Newly-returned snowbird David Millward rules the roost here, too. With 56 points even, he eclipses first-quarter leader John Sinclair, who’s standing pat at 55.32. David is #13 overall among all Unit 116 players, while John is #14.

       Also without additional points are Fred Yellen, 53.07 (#15 overall, down from #13); and Allen Beroza, 49.80 (#18 overall, down from #15).

       My 3.42 points for the month let me maintain my perch in fifth place with 42.96 (#24 overall, down from #23). Mike Silverman, inactive in April, stays at  39.83 and drops from fourth place to sixth (#25 overall, down from #22).

       Then it’s Ken Meier, 33.84 (#33, same as last month); Art Morth, 28.27 (#41, up from #47); Bill Rushmore, 16.36 (#65, up from #85); Chongmin Zhang, 5.87 (steady at #147); and Pat Rasmus, 2.79 (#200, down from #191).

       If I were still a Ruby Life Master, I’d be sixth on the list, far, far behind David Heussler, Linda Burroughsford, John and Martha Welte, and Nancy Wolstoncroft.

       Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

       No movement at the top here. Still in the lead is Saleh Fetouh with 124.53, followed by Davis Heussler, 115.06; Linda Burroughsford, 109.84; and Alan Greer, 100.85.

       Moving up are John and Martha Welte, tied for sixth 30 days ago, now tied for fifth with 94.41. They passed Nancy Wolstoncroft, who still has 72.95.

       Another mover is Bud Seidenberg with 62.76, vaulting from #11 to eighth place, past Mike Ryan, who stays at 61.01 and slips from eighth to ninth. Sitting tenth is Larry Abate with 60.67. Before the Gold Life Masters begin to show up, there’s David Colligan at #11 with 58.91 and John Ziemer at #12 with 57.90.

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

       The Pennsylvanians, banished from the upper reaches of this division a month ago, have returned. Here’s the list:

       Landing on top after flying in from a winter in Florida is David Millward with 51.34. He’s ninth overall in the district. Allen Beroza, in front a month ago, is still second, standing still with the same 43.63 points he had at the end of March. He’s #14 overall, down from #10.

       On the rise are Allen Selling of Erie, Pa., and Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., third and fourth with 40.11 and 39.97, respectively. They’re #24 and #25 in the district.

       The two of them crept ahead of me, leaving me in fifth place with my 38.41. I’m #29 overall, down from #26.

       From there, it’s Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., hot on my heels with 38 even and #30 in the district. Fred Yellen, standing pat with 37.67, is seventh and #32 overall, down from #19.  

       Rounding out the list are Brenda Merkich of Cortland, Ohio, with 36.74 (#36, down from #21); Mike Silverman, 34.67 (#42, down from #27); and Ronald Sain of Indiana, Pa., unchanged at 33.05 (#48, down from #31).

       Ousted from the Top 10 is January’s leader, Marcella Retetgos of Pittsburgh. She now sits at #12 (#55 overall, down from #34) with the same 32.10 she had a month ago.

       Ace of Clubs. District 5. All players.

       Though he didn’t collect any points in April, Alan Greer sits serenely on top with 100.85. Coming up fast, however, is Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, who managed to add 22.10 points to reach 91.25. She vaulted ahead of Nancy Wolstoncroft, also motionless with 72.31.

       Tied for fourth are John and Martha Welte with 67.23, up from an eighth-place tie a month ago. Then it’s W. (William) Tordella of Bemus Point, standing pat with 61.46, followed by Paul Holmes of Wadsworth, Ohio, 55.76; Barbara Belardi of Pittsburgh, unchanged with 52.28; and two more Buffalonians, David Millward with 51.34 and Mike Ryan with 50.35.

       Buffalo is well represented in the 11-20 range, as well. There’s Larry Abate, #13 with 45.26; Allen Beroza, #14 with 43.63; John Ziemer, #16 with 43.41; Barbara Libby, #19 with 42 even; and Sharon Benz, #20 with 41.49.

       Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

       It’s Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., with 151.83, having added 15.97 points in April, leaving the rest of us wayyyy behind. He continues to be third overall in the district.

       David Millward, with a mere 56 points even, is a very distant second and #45 in the district. Then it’s Gary Sikon of Cleveland, 55.46 (#47); John Sinclair, 55.32 (#49, down from #41); Barry Boyd of Wheeling, W.Va., 54.24 (#51); Fred Yellen, 53.07 (#53, down from #45); Allen Beroza, 49.80 (#60, down from #51); Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 47.16 (#71); Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh, 44.98 (#78); and me in tenth place with 42.96 (#88 overall, down from #86). Next Buffalonian on the list is #13 (#100 overall) – Mike Silverman with 39.83.

       Mini-McKenney. District 5. All players.

       Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, with those 22.10 club points, increased her lead over Sue Lan Ma of Kirtland Hills, Ohio, who stood pat with 178.47.

       Continuing third and fourth are Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., with 151.83, and Buffalo’s Saleh Fetouh with 124.53.

       Then it’s Phillip Becker of Beachwood, Ohio, 117.52; Buffalo’s Davis Heussler with 115.06 and Linda Burroughsford with 109.84; Robert Flynn of McDonald, Pa., 109.07; Richard Katz of North Versailles, Pa., 108.77; and Fleur Howard of Gates Mills, Ohio, 108.54. Buffalo’s Alan Greer is #11 with his 100.85. The Weltes, with 94.41, are tied for #14. Nancy Wolstoncroft is #25. Bud Seidenberg is #29. Mike Ryan is #32. Larry Abate is #33. David Colligan is #38. 

       Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters. 

       Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., apparently has found a treasure trove of points online. He added 45.50 of them to his total and now tops all the Goldies with 147.47.

       But hey, here’s Dolores Aquino coming on strong in second, amassing 51.94 points in April to reach 132.54. Mason Barge of Atlanta collected 45.76 to leap from sixth to third place with 123.97. Maybe there was no social distancing in their precincts. 

       Then come David Morse of New Minas, Nova Scotia, with 114.51. Michael Reesland of Nashville, 95.57. Jonathan Williams, also of The Villages, 95.32. David Schapira of Delray Beach, Fla., 90.21. Wendy Lee of East Hanover, N.J., 88.40. David Woods of Sarnia, Ont., 86.34. and Misuzu McManus of Ormand Beach, Fla., 84.83. 

       Among Unit 116 players, David Millward is #92 with 51.34. Allen Beroza is #165, down from #93, with 43.63. I’m at #262, down from #212, tied with Ed Chajkowski of Kemptville, Ont., with 38.41. Fred Yellen is #282, down from #163, with 37.67. Mike Silverman is #344, down from #217, with 34.67. And Ken Meier is in a three-way tie for #473, down from #465, with 31.19.

Ace of Clubs. All players. Nationwide. 

Neil Silverman of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., still reigns. He had a 27.16 point month to reach 192.18. Next is a fellow who wasn’t among the Top 10 a month ago – Jack Jones, also of Fort Lauderdale, with 169.90. He slipped past Gillian Miniter of New York City, who has 169.21.

Then come Bella Ionis-Sorren of Fort Lauderdale with 165.45; Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, with 159.86; Stephen Garreffa of Randolph, N.J., with 154.27; Ann McClelland and Philip Benner, both of The Villages, Fla., with 152.63 and 151.24, respectively; Goldie leader Russ Pearly, also of The Villages, with 147.47; then a pair of Chicagoans, Robert Kent with 143.12 and Ellen Kent with 137.73.

Unit 116’s Alan Greer is #64, down from #22, with 100.85. Nancy Wolstoncroft is #245, down from 105 with 72.31. And Martha and John Welte debut on the list as two-thirds of a three-way tie at #308 with 67.23. Mike Ryan, who slipped onto the list at #482 last month, has slipped off again.The list ends at 59.21.

Mini-McKenney. Gold Life Masters. Nationwide. 

Dolores Aquino’s big month was more than just a club triumph. She picked up 56.23 points overall in April and supplanted Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., who managed only 37.76. Aquino has 240.21. Buchholz follows with 224.32.

Then it’s newcomer Lynn Leisy of Amelia Island, Fla., 199.49; Mason Barge of Atlanta, rising like the tide from eighth to fourth with 198.05 after a 58.76 point month; Anne LaCour of Georgetown, Texas, 183.80; Kevin Rosenberg of Sunnyvale, Calif., 172.25; Daniel Jablonski of Stoneham, Mass., 171.40; good old Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., 170.70; Gordon Zind of Ottawa, Ont., 158.03; Mark Henderson of Wilmington, Del., 152.19; and District 5’s Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., at #11 with 151.83.

Unit 116 is represented. David Millward is #336 with 56 even. John Sinclair is tied for #346 with his 55.32, down from #260. Fred Yellen is #388 with 53.07, down from #291. Allen Beroza is #447 with 49.80, down from #349. The list ends at 46.46.

Mini-McKenney. All Players. Nationwide.

It was a quiet month for the two top dogs in this division, but Robert McClendon of Ponte Vedra, Fla., picked up enough scratch to nudge Jacob Morgan of Madison, Wis., out of the top spot. McClendon had 43.59 points to reach 689.09, while Morgan won just 4.39 to stand at 658.41.

Joe Grue of New York City jumped from eighth to third with 560.22, thanks to a 110.32 point month. He passed James Melville of Springfield, Ill., who stood pat at 515.85.

Also making hay was Gillian Miniter of New York City, who cracked the Top 10 to land in fifth place with 507.64. She passed Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., who still has 483.14. Ditto for Shan Huang of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., still at 481.21. John Hurd of New York City stakes a claim on eighth place with 473.22. Alex Hudson of Raleigh, N.C., steps up to ninth from tenth with 460.39 after a 22.96 point month.

Sitting in the next three spots are Kevin Bathurst of Palm Beach Gardens with 454.68; Kevin Dwyer of Port Richey, Fla., with 452.07; and the legendary Jeff Meckstroth of Clearwater Beach, Fla., with 448.17. Amazing. I earned more points in April than Meckstroth did.

Former Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge, who now hangs his coat in Jackson Heights, Queens, slipped to #89 from #85 with 232.11 after a 9.31 point month.

District 5 leader Reanette Frobouck holds her place at #106 with 218.79. District 5 runner-up Sue Lan Ma, who added no points to her 178.47, slips to #177 from #149. Unit 116’s Saleh Fetouh is #436, down from #378, with his 124.53. The list cuts off at 118.18.