Bridge Blog 1142: Reckoning with June

 

Ah, the happy midpoint, halfway to what the year will finally add up to. In my case, that isn’t much. I’m meandering along at 5 or 6 points per month and it looks like things will stay that way until face-to-face play returns at the bridge clubs. Then we’ll face another dilemma. Given the stubbornness of Covid-19, will it really be safe enough to go back, even for us who have had their shots? For now, though, let’s keep playing on at Bridge Base Online and thumb through the ledger as it stood at the close of 2021’s second quarter.

Ace of Clubs (club play only). Unit 116 (just Buffalo). Gold Life Masters (2,500 to 3,500 master points).

          John and Martha Welte are well-established in the lead here, so there’s no danger of them losing their dominant position with a slow month like the one they had in June. They brought home only 33.88 points, far below their monthly average, to bring their list-topping total to 380.31.

          Ken Meier, a distant third, also lifted his foot off the gas, collecting only 14.49. He now has 115.24. Nevertheless, he’s up a notch among all players in the unit. A month earlier, he was fifth. Now he’s fourth.

          Fourth-place Allen Beroza improved by only 9.93 points, now standing at 90.16. He stays at eighth overall. Staying right behind him is David Millward in fifth place with 82.08, better by 13.21. Overall he’s #12, up from #13.

          It’s a huge step down to the guy in sixth position – me – with 36.51. That’s 5.17 more than a month ago and it’s lifted me to #31 overall, up from #33.

          Still seventh is Bill Rushmore with 27.24, which is 4.70 better. He’s #46 overall, up from #48. Davis Heussler remains in eighth place with 20.51, a mere 0.30 bump. He’s slipped to #59 overall from #54. Fred Yellen once again added no points, staying at 10.48 and dropping to #105 in the unit from #97.

          Rounding out the list are Pat Rasmus with 8.17, moving up to #118 overall from #138, and Art Morth with 5.96, improving to #132 overall from #143.

 Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

           The Weltes continue their reign with 380.31, far ahead of third-place Jim Lanzo with 119.12. He had a 16.30 month. Then it’s Ken Meier with 115.24 and Martha Townson, moving up a notch to fifth with 110.12, thanks to a 15.28 month.

          Barbara Libby, who collected only 4.73 points in June, has dropped from third to sixth place with 106.41. Also down a rung is Vic Bergsten in seventh place with 101.03, just 4.38 better.

          Allen Beroza is next with 90.16, followed by Larry Himelein, advancing one place to ninth with 89.34, which is an improvement of 11.74. Tenth is Amita Arora, up from #12 with 85.36 points, bettering herself by 15.15.

          As for the teens, it’s Sandi England, ninth a month ago and now elbowed down to #11 with 85.25 after a 6.57 effort. Then come David Millward, 82.08; Gay Simpson, 79.28; Bram and Terry Hamovitch, 72.82; Sharon Benz, 72.31; Judi Marshall, 72.20; Violet Makhija, 70.21; her husband Jasbeer, 59.94; and Jim Easton, 57.61. His partner Marilyn Wortzman is #21 with 55.36, still barely ahead of Linda Henschel with 54.96.

Mini-McKenney (club points plus tournament points). Unit 116. Gold Life Masters.

          Here the Weltes have 426.93, which is 46.62 better than club play alone. Once again they’re first among the Goldies and first in the unit.

          Not everyone has accumulated tournament points, though. Ken Meier hasn’t. He’s got the same 115.24 he carries in the Ace of Clubs race. He’s fifth overall in the unit, up from sixth. Neither has Allen Beroza with his 90.16. He’s steady at ninth in the unit. Nor does fifth-place David Millward with 82.08. He’s #12 overall, up from #13.

          Next player to enjoy the fruits of tournament competition is Davis Heussler, continuing sixth with 58.36, a 20.47 point improvement. He’s #22 overall, up from #29. I, on the other hand, keep my 36.51, which takes me up to #34 from #35.

          Bill Rushmore is eighth with 27.24 (#49, up from #52). Fred Yellen had 10.48 (#107, down from #98). Then it’s Pat Rasmus with 8.17 (#119, up from #139) and Art Morth with 5.96 (#133, up from #144).

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

          After John and Martha Welte, on top with 426.93, it’s Jim Lanzo, 147.37; Martha Townson, 127.99; Ken Meier, 115.24; the amazing Amita Arora, up from eighth to sixth with 113.94; Barbara Libby, 106.41; Vic Bergsten, 102.01; Allen Beroza, 90.16; and Larry Himelein, 89.34.

          The teens – Sandi England, 85.24; David Millward, 82.08; Gay Simpson, 79.28; Bram and Terry Hamovitch, 73.35; Sharon Benz, 72.31; Judi Marshall, 72.20; Violet Makhija, 70.21; Jim Easton, 62.96; and Marilyn Wortzman, 60.71.

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

          No significant changes here. John and Martha Welte still on top with 380.31. They’re also point leaders for the entire district again.

          Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, continues third with 139.04 after a 17.23 point month. She also keeps seventh place overall. Moving up overall is fourth-place Ken Meier, who has 115.24. He’s #14 now, improved from #16.

          Also advancing overall is Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, Ohio, who has 111.37 after a 15.33 month. He’s #16 among all District 5 players, up from #22. Sixth is Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, with 93.75, just 8.98 better. He’s #32 overall, down from #30.

          Next are a couple Buffalonians – Allen Beroza with 90.16 (#35, down from #33) and David Millward, 82.08 (#45, up from #53). Rounding out the Top 10 are David Norris of Rocky River, Ohio, 79.34 (#50, up from #52); and Jack Hawthorne of Valencia, Pa., 72.35 (#59, up from #63).

          My 36.51 brings me in at #18, down from #16, and #197 overall, up from #198. 

Ace of Clubs. District 5. All players. 

          Once again it’s John and Martha Welte tied on top with 380.31 and a whole bunch of Ohio players. Here’s the rest of the Top 10:

          Davis Bonner of Mentor, 156.04; Gary Cole of Norwalk, 153.38; Richard Early of Cuyahoga Falls, 148.42; the only Pennsylvanian in the pack, Reanette Frobouch of Pittsburgh, 143.89; Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, 139.04; Barbara Kotton of Beachwood, 132.16; Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, 131.02; and Sue Becker of Canton, 128.42.

          Unit 116 shows up again in the teens with Jim Lanzo at #13 with 119.12, Ken Meier at #14 with 115.24 and Martha Townson, 110.12. Barbara Libby, with 106.41, is #23, and Vic Bergsten, the last player in triple digits on the list, is #28 with 101.03. 

Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters. 

          Looks a lot like the Ace of Clubs, with a couple exceptions. Here John and Martha Welte have an even loftier lead, thanks to their extra tournament points. They now have 426.93. The rest of the leaderboard:

          Monica Early, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 139.04 (#11 among all district players, up from #12). Ken Meier, 115.24 (#21, up from #24). Doug Snyder, Shaker Heights, Ohio, 113.17 (#24, up from #26). Peter Merker, Mentor, Ohio, 93.75 (#39, up from #40). David Norris, Rocky River, Ohio, 93.46 (#40, up from #42). Craig Biddle of Pittsburgh, 92.10 (#42, down from #33). Allen Beroza, 90.16 (#45, up from #47). David Millward, 82.08 (#57, up from #69).

          Other Unit 116 players – Davis Heussler at #15 with 58.36, previously #17 (#109 overall, up from #177). I’m #21 with my 36.51, slipping from #19 (#222 overall, same as a month ago). 

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All players. 

          The Weltes, of course, with 426.93. Third and fourth stay the same, as well. Both Ohioans – Gary Cole of Norwalk, 161.39; Amy Goddard of Hartville, Ohio, sixth last month, grabs fifth with 151.30 after a 21.69 point effort. Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, Ohio, is the bumpee. He’s sixth now with 149.43.

          Then it’s Richard Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 148.42; Unit 116’s Jim Lanzo continuing in eighth place with 147.27; Reanette Frobouck, Pittsburgh, 143.89; and Barbara Kotton of Beachwood, Ohio, 143.27.

          Next Buffalo player is Martha Townson with 127.99. She’s #15 for the third straight month. Then there’s Ken Meier at #21 with 115.24 and Amita Arora at #23 with 113.94. Barbara Libby is #30 with 106.41 and Vic Bergsten is #34 with 102.01.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

          The second slow month in a row for John and Martha Welte, the Unit 116 and District 5 point leaders, still in a tie for sixth place among all Gold Life Masters in the country. Among all players in the nation, they’re now tied for #44, down from a tie for #36.

          So here’s the Top 10: Increasing his lead by better than half a dozen master points is the king of the heap, Hal Jones Jr. of Lorton, Va. He now has 553.01, up 89.08 for the month, and he’s ninth nationwide, up from #12.

          Still second is Stephen Donohue of Riverwoods, Ill., with 542.49 following an 82.12 month. He’s #12 overall, up from #13. Continuing third is May’s leader, Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J., with 505.55 after a 47.26 month. He’s #19 overall, down from #14.

          Moving up to fourth place is Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien of Holland, Pa., with 420.33, having enjoyed a 75.14 month. He’s #33 overall, up from #34. He’s traded places in more ways than one with June Patton of Brevard, N.C., who has 415.77 after a 59.01 month. In the overall list, they’ve also swapped seats. She’s #34, down from #33.

          Next are the Weltes with 380.31, followed by Mark Crumrine of Ocala, Fla., with 341.64 after a 56.77 month. He’s #70 overall, up from #78. Still ninth is Krzysztof Jarosz of Grantham, N.H., with 317.10 following a 33.79 month. He’s #91 in the nation, down from #82. Entering the magic circle in tenth place is Paul Burleson of Cross River, N.Y., with 306.79. He’s #102. He bumps Judy Hansen of Eagen, Minn., who has 295.48, having accumulated only 17.99 points in June. She also dropped to #114 overall from #90.

          Further down the list we find Ken Meier at #170 with 115.24. A month ago he was #165. Allen Beroza’s 90.16 puts him at #303, down from #287. The other Unit 116 representative – David Millward – sits at #366 with his 82.08. He was #393 at the end of May. The list ends at 67.51.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. All Players.

          The surprise here isn’t the presence of Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., at the top of the heap with 747.99 (a 171.31 point improvement) or the name of Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore., in second place with 643.91 (a 92.84 month). The big eyebrow-raiser is who’s on third.

          That would be someone we’ve seen often – Vera Carpenter of York, Ont. (i.e., Toronto), a frequent presence at the Airport Bridge Club until club manager Bill Finkelstein took exception to the advanced bidding methods she and her husband, Rashid Khan, employed. They must still be working their magic. She has 614.54 points after a 110.10 month. At the end of May, she was in fifth place. Rashid, by the way, is #21 with 485.77 points.

          Vera’s edged past another Canadian, Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., who has 612.44 after a 99.32 month. Fifth place now belongs to Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, with 603.09, up from eighth, thanks to a 109.22 month.

          Sitting sixth is David Rosenblatt of Palmetto Bay, Fla., with 564.06, up from ninth after a 79.44 month. Stephen Gladyszak of Chelsea, Mass., fourth two months ago and sixth last month, now is seventh with 562.07, having added just 59.97. Last month’s third place holder, Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J., now is eighth with 559.43, after a 45.01 effort. She was No. 1 back in April.

          As mentioned above, Gold Life Master leader Hal Jones Jr. of Lorton, Va., is ninth with 553.01, sneaking past last month’s tenth place player, Lawrence Sherman of San Diego, who has 552.78 after a 70.53 month. Our Unit 116 representatives, John and Martha Welte, are tied for #44.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

          Just like last month, the runner-up in the Ace of Clubs race is the top dog here. Stephen Donahue of Riverwoods, Ill., has 575.85, maintaining a healthy lead over Hal Jones Jr. of Lorton, Va., the Ace of Clubs leader, who holds 554.04.

          Third is Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown. N.J., with 519.26. Then come John and Martha Welte. The Unit 116 leaders have the benefit of tournament play to boost their overall totals to 426.93, good for a tie for fourth.

          Now sitting sixth is Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien of Holland, Pa., with 421.32. He’s squeezed ahead of June Patton of Brevard, N.C., who has 418.15. Next are Mark Cumrine of Ocala, Fla., 392.20; Krzysztof Jarosz of Grantham, N.H., 317.10; and a couple new entries to the list – Ronald Vickery of Oro Valley, Ariz., 307.15 and Paul Burleson of Cross River, N.Y., 306.79. And where is Cross River, you ask? I asked that, too. Turns out it’s down near that notch that Westchester County cuts into Connecticut, not too far from Bedford Hills and Mount Kisco and Katonah. The town gets its name from a little river that runs into the Cross River Reservoir, which supplies water to New York City.

          OK, back to bridge. On this nationwide list, we find Unit 116’s Ken Meier at #195 with 115.24 points. He was #184 a month earlier. Allen Beroza holds #331 with 90.16. At end of May, he was #310. And then there’s David Millward at #397 with 82.08. He’s up from #420.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. All Players.

          Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., continues his upward trajectory. He has 958.51 points, an improvement of 230.82 from the end of May, his second straight 200-plus month. Needless to say, he’s pulling away from second-place Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore. She has 678.38, a mere 106.76 better.

Third is held by Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., with 652.44, fueled up from eighth place by a 158.71 month. That puts him ahead of Vera Carpenter from York, Ont., on this list. She’s got 638.47, holding steady in fourth place here after a 119.11 performance.

Continuing in fifth is Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, with 626.11 (109.38 better). Then there’s the fallen Stephen Gladyszak of Chelsea, Mass., down to sixth from third with 616.83 (plus 68.79).

Another Stephen, Stephen Donahue of Riverwoods, Ill., is seventh, up from ninth, with 575.85 (plus 82.12). Eighth belongs to Lynn Leisy of Amelia Island, Fla., new to the Top 10 with 565.54. Ninth is another Floridian, David Rosenblatt of Palmetto Bay, with 564.06, lifted up from #12 a month ago with a 78.55 performance. Continuing her plunge from the national lead in April is tenth-place Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J. She has 561.33, a mere 45.01 better.

A quintet of contenders lurks at the top of the teens – Hal Jones Jr. of Lorton, Va., 554.04; Lawrence Sherman of San Diego, 553.69; John Brady of Jacksonville, Fla., 544.97; still another Stephen, Stephen Cooper of Belle Mead, N.J., 543.68; and Craig Allen of Glen Ellyn, Ill, 540.70.

Vera Carpenter’s husband, Rashid Khan, is #20, down from #19, with 513 even, which is 80.25 better than a month ago. And then there are those Weltes, tied at #34, down from #32, with their 426.93. No other Buffalonians to be found on this list. It cuts off at 185.93.