Bridge Blog 1137: January -- It's a start

New year, new lineup in the ACBL Master Point Races. OMG, the Weltes are now Gold Life Masters, but at the rate they accumulate points, they won’t be stopping at Gold for long. They brought home nearly 100 points in the first month of the year. Me? I got about 7% of what they got.  

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

Welcome, John and Martha Welte, although you’re really in a class by yourselves. You start the year with 95.15 points. You’re also first overall among all players in the unit.

Third among the Goldies and fourth in the unit is Allen Beroza, off to a fast start with 28.59. Last year’s Gold winner, Ken Meier, is next with 21.66, which lands him at ninth in the unit.

After that, it’s Bill Rushmore in fifth place with 7.27, #30 overall in the unit. I’m sixth with 6.61, good for #35 overall. Fred Yellen is next with 5.40, #40 overall. Davis Heussler is eighth with 4.10, #51 overall. And at the bottom of the list again is Pat Rasmus. Playing only face-to-face in East Aurora, she won 0.84 of a point in January. She’s #121 in the unit.

Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

Twenty-one players are in double figures for the first month. Here they are:

John and Martha Welte, tied at 95.15. Barbara Libby, 33.61. Allen Beroza, 28.59. Sandi England, 26.33. Vic Bersten, 26.05. Martha Townson, 24.13. Judi Marshall, 22.34. Ken Meier, 21.66. Jim Lanzo, 20.99.

The teens begin at #11 with Sharon Benz, 18.53. Amita Arora, 18.01. Brian Meyer, 16.71. Gay Simpson, 14.96. Bonnie Clement, 14.55. Judy Padgug, 13.59. Larry Himelein and Bob Sommerstein, tied at 12.67. Jim Easton and Marilyn Wortzman, tied at 12.34. And at #21, Bud Seidenberg, 10.77. 

Mini-McKenney (All points in clubs and tournaments). Unit 116. Gold Life Masters.

Same as Ace of Clubs.

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

Same as Ace of Clubs.

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

Yes, the Weltes. First here with 95.15. First overall in the District, too. Allen Beroza is fourth with 28.59 and #14 among all District players. Ken Meier sits sixth with 21.66 and #32 overall.

In between, we have Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, in third place with 33.35 (#5 overall); David Norris of Rocky River, Ohio, is fifth with 25.25 (#20 overall). Seventh is Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, with 13.35 (#79). Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, Ohio, is eighth with 12.39 (#84). Sitting ninth is Carolyn Sullivan of Richfield, Ohio, with 12.01 (#91) . And top Pennsylvanian is Jack Hawthorne of Valencia, about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh, in tenth place with 11.16 (#98).  

Where are the rest of us Buffalonians? Bill Rushmore, 7.27 is #13 (#180 overall). I’m #16 with 6.61 (#203 overall). Fred Yellen is #18 with 5.40 (#260 overall). And Davis Heussler is #21 with 4.10 (#326 overall).

Ace of Clubs. District 5. All players.

Way, way, way behind the Weltes is Davis Bonner of Mentor, Ohio, with 36.75. Then another Buffalonian, Barbara Libby with 33.61, followed by Monica and Richard Early, both of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, tied for fifth with 33.35.

Seventh is Celine O’Neill of Sewickley, Pa., with 32.28. Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, Ohio, is eighth with 32.16. Good old Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh is ninth with 32.06. Holding tenth is Gary Cole of Norwalk, Ohio, with 31.46.

Buffalonians in the teens include Allen Beroza at #14 with 28.59; Sandi England at #17 with 26.33; and Vic Bergsten at #18 with 26.05. Bubbling under are Martha Townson at #23 with 24.13; Judi Marshall at #30 with 22.24; Ken Meier at #32 with 21.66; and Jim Lanzo at #34 with 20.99.

 Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

Same as Ace of Clubs.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All players.

Same as Ace of Clubs.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

Believe it or not, there’s somebody out there who got more points from club play in January than Buffalonians John and Martha Welte. His name is Piotr Olszewski and he lives in Hackettstown, a town of fewer than 10,000 souls not far off I-80 in the northwestern corner of New Jersey. It’s notable for having the U.S. headquarters of the Mars Wrigley Confectionary Co. Did you know they also make Altoids and Life Savers? I didn’t either.

Anyway. Mr. Olszewski amassed an amazing 117.84 points in January, outdistancing the Weltes by 20+ points. They have 95.15.

Nipping at their heels is a player whose name is new to me – Jane Patton of Brevard, N.C. She earned 94.76. Then comes that Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien guy from Holland, Pa. He’s got 85.88.

Tied for sixth are Irene and Anthony Toogood of Qualicum Beach, a town on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. They have 78.29. Rounding out the Top 10 are Jim Loffree of Naples, Fla., 68.19; Stephen Donahue of Riverwoods, Ill., 67.22; and Peter Bouyea of Estero, Fla., 64.84.

Just missing the top tier are Paul Burleson of Cross River, N.Y., which is a hamlet in northmost Westchester County, 64.77; Judy Hansen of Eagan, Minn., 63.77; and Anil Altindag of Ankara, Turkey, 53.72.

Allen Beroza in #110 with 28.59. Ken Meier is #218 with 21.66. And that’s it for us Buffalonians. The list of 500 cuts off at 14.05.

 Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. All players.

Believe it or not, a couple people collected even more points in January than Gold Life Master leader Piotr Olszewski’s 117.84. Ruling the roost is Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J., with 145.48. Second is David Rosenblatt from Palmetto Bay, Fla., with 119.92.

In all, there are 11 players in triple figures in the first month of the year. The rest of them are Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, 114.63; Stephen Cooper of Belle Mead, N.J., 112.38; Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., 106.50; Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore., 105.52; Sundaresan Ram of Tucson, Ariz., 104.50; Tom Rutledge of Charleston, S.C., 102.28; Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., 101.63; and Peter Boyd-Bowman of Greensboro, N.C., 101.22.

Tied for #12 are Buffalo’s leaders, John and Martha Welte, with 95.15. The list ends at 36.06, which shuts out the other Buffalonians. Also missing is expatriate Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge. 

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

Same as Ace of Clubs.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. All players.

Same as Ace of Clubs.

Bridge Blog 1136: Old year, finally gone ...

 

Bridge players pretty much ignore everything in the outside world when they’re in the heat of the game – I certainly do. They’re kind of like golfers that way.

But the events of 2020 just had to be taken into account. Covid-19 brought face-to-face games to a sudden halt. Tournament after tournament was canceled. Everybody retreated to their computers. Competition moved online.

Alas, online it seems like there aren’t as many points to win. And although some players found ways to rake them in, totals in the ACBL master point races reflected the restrictions. It certainly stunted my winnings. An average year would find me adding 150 points to my career totals. In 2020, I collected 81.52 in club play and in all games ????.

At any rate, let’s open up the record book and see what’s up. Or rather, who’s up.

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

 Look at that Ken Meier. He put on a stretch drive and nosed out Allen Beroza, who’d been the leader all year. Ken wound up with 163.36 points, adding 29.22 in December. Allen finished with 163.27, just 14.40 better than a month earlier. They’re ranked third and fourth among all Unit 116 players.

My 81.52 points, a 10.89 improvement, puts me in a room of my own in third place, way behind the leaders, way ahead of the next guys – Fred Yellen with 51.08 and Mike Silverman with 50.61. I’m #26 among all Unit 116 players, up from #27. Fred is #43 and Mike is #44.

The rest are stragglers. Art Morth stays sixth with 28.48 and is #73 overall. Bill Rushmore has 20.93 and is #92 overall. John Sinclair, who has a gazillion points from online play, has just 18.62 that count. He’s #114 overall.

Last but never least is Pat Rasmus with 6.98, having picked up a few after face-to-face play resumed at the Bridge Club of East Aurora. She’s #210 among all Unit 116 players.

Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

John and Martha Welte blew past the half century mark in December, adding another 64.30 points to finish the year with 555.60.

Third and fourth are the Gold Life Master leaders, Ken Meier and Allen Beroza, way back with 163.36 and 163.27, respectively.

Ensconced in fifth place is NABC Master Jim Lanzo, who added another 10.73 points to his stellar performance and finished with 150.86.

After that, it’s Vic Bergsten, 142.35; Bud Seidenberg, 140 even; Barbara Libby, 136.77; Sandi England, 130.86, and Saleh Fetouh, 128.22.

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

Ken Meier pulled ahead here, too. He has 184.08, 43.06 more than he had a month ago. Allen Beroza drops to second with 175.30, having added just 14.40. They’re fifth and seventh, respectively, among all Unit 116 players.

I’m third again here, with 86.07, thanks to those 10.91 club points. That puts me at #29 overall, up from #30.

After that, it’s Fred Yellen, 66.48 (#36 overall, up from #37); John Sinclair, unchanged at 58.89 (#45 overall, down from #38); Mike Silverman, standing pat at 55.77 (#49 overall, down from #43); Art Morth, 35.97 (#67 overall, down from #66); Bill Rushmore, 26.77 (#88, down from #87); and finally, Pat Rasmus, 6.98 (#215, up from #223).

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

Those Weltes! John and Martha tie for first with 632.59, having gathered 71.13 points despite the holidays. Third-place Saleh Fetouh, on the other hand, accumulated only 12.41, finishing with 218.33.

Fourth is held by NABC Master Jim Lanzo. Having reached fourth place last month, he piled up another 24.67 points to reach 186.68.

After that, it’s Gold Life Master champ Ken Meier with 184.08, Davis Heussler with 179.31, Allen Beroza with 175.30, Bud Seidenberg with 162.14, Vic Bergsten with 159.90 and Sandi England with 140.65. Just missing the Top 10 are Linda Burroughsford, 138.98, and Barbara Libby, 137.93.

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

Buffalonians Ken Meier and Allen Beroza are 1-2 here, too – Ken with 163.36, Allen with 163.27. Ken is #19 among all District 5 players. Allen is #20.

Then it’s Barry Boyd of Wheeling, W.Va., 136.52, #35 overall; Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 115.77, #48; Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 106.51, #60; Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 99.76, #74; Carolyn Sullivan of Richfield, Ohio, 98.68, #76; Jayne Stahr of Stow, Ohio, 91.38, #89; and Gary Sikon of Cleveland, 84.13, #104. And look who’s tenth – moi, up from #11 in November. I’m #112 overall, up from #114.

 Ace of Clubs. District 5. All players.

John and Martha Welte reign here, too. Tied for first with 555.60. Then a bunch of familiar names following up:

Paul Holmes of Wadsworth, Ohio, 523.75; Erin Gonzalez of Mars, Pa., 310.04; Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 272.45; Richard and Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 272.01 and 254.69; Stewart and Sandra Metosky of Pittsburgh, 221.19 and 212.04, together in a ninth-place tie a month ago, now separated by Bruce Cahoon of Akron, Ohio, who occupies the spot between eighth and tenth with 220.61.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

Unit 116’s Ken Meier managed to snag second place with his 184.08 (#26 among all district players), but there was no catching Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa. His 350.30 made him a solid leader and fifth overall in the district.

Third was Barry Boyd of Wheeling, W.Va., with 180.67 (#27 overall). Another Buffalonian, Allen Beroza, took fourth with 175.30 (#30 overall).

Then it’s Craig Biddle of Pittsburgh, 142.74 (#49); Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 138.16 (#53); Gary Sikon of Cleveland, 132.06 (#59); Robert Zimmermann of Pittsburgh, 129.63 (#60); Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 111.66 (#89); and Carolyn Sullivan of Richfield, Ohio, 107.38 (#96).

Then we find Jayne Stahr of Stow, Ohio, with 98.74 sitting #11 (#109 district-wide), and moi. My 86.07 is good for #12 among the Goldies and #139 in the district. I’ll take it.

A trio of us Unit 116ers occupy the mid-teens – Fred Yellen at #15 with 66.48 (#207 in the district); John Sinclair at #16 with 58.89 (#254); and Mike Silverman, #17 with 55.77 (#269).

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All players.

Those Weltes, tied for the top with 632.59. Not far behind, surprisingly, is Paul Holmes of Wadsworth, Ohio, 608.65.

Then things drop off precipitously. Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 401.53; Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 350.30; Erin Gonzalez of Mars, Pa., 348.97; Richard and Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 309.79 and 281.01, respectively; Ricahrd Katz of North Versailles, Pa., 266.36; and Jeffrey Weiss of Novelty, Ohio (Novelty, really???), 245.54. Buffalo’s Saleh Fetouh is #15 with 218.33. 

Ace of Clubs. Gold Life Masters. Nationwide.

Never any doubt about Dolores Aquino of Houston. She’s tops with 714.93. The rest: Lynn Leisy of Amelia Island, Fla., 631.16; David Morse of New Minas, Nova Scotia, 505.93; Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., 604.18; Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien of Holland, Pa., 575.86; Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 458.49; Peter Martin of Kennesaw, Ga., 449.61; Steve Vaughn of Kingwood, Texas, 445.67; Wendy Lee of East Hanover, N.J., 427.49; and Mason Barge of Atlanta, 425.89.

Buffalo’s Ken Meier and Allen Beroza are #202 and #203 with 163.36 and 163.27. The list cuts off at 104.55.

Ace of Clubs. All players. Nationwide.

OMG, despite the pandemic, Stephen Garreffa of Randolph, N.J., managed to accumulate 967.37 points in 2020. Following at a respectful distance are Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, 898.64; Robert McClendon of Ponte Vedra, Fla., 855.32; Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J., 853.83; Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J., 815.10; Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., 794.82; Jack Jones of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 729.04; Goldie leader Dolores Aquino, 714.93; Stephen Cooper of Belle Mead, N.J., 708.87; and David Rosenblatt of Palmetto Bay, Fla., 708.87.

Familiar names in the next three places – Gillian Miniter of New York City, 702.42; Ann McClelland of The Villages, Fla., 597.44; and Bella Ionis-Sorren of Fort Lauderdale, 589.40.

Unit 116 leaders John and Martha Welte show up in a tie for #37 with their 555.60. No other Buffalonians on the list. It stops at 257.75.

Mini-McKenney. Gold Life Masters. Nationwide.

Looks like the Ace of Clubs list all over again, starting with Dolores Aquino on top with 854.94. Then it’s Lynn Leisy close behind with 842.26; Ann Buchholz, 655.80; then a cluster of Russ Pearly, 627.41; David Morse, 627.36; and Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien, 625.17. The rest are Peter Martin, 536.70; Mason Barge, 534.33; an outlyer – Barbara Murphy of Newton, Mass., 476.08 – and then Steve Vaughn, 468.90.

Do our Unit 116 guys show up here on the big board? Yes, they do. There’s Ken Meier at #218 with 184.08. And Allen Beroza checks in at #245 with 175.30. The list stops at 123.37.

Mini-McKenney. All players. Nationwide.

Usually, winners here are approaching 3,000 points. Not in 2020. Top dog is Robert McClendon of Ponte Vedra, Fla., and he has 1,619.11. Only three other players got into four figures – Gillian Miniter of New York City, 1,181.77; Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J., 1,054.39; and Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., 1,011.29.

Only in the bottom half of the Top Ten do the perennial winners pop in – Joe Grue of New York City is eighth, Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., is tenth.

Fifth place holder Stephen Garreffa of Randolph, N.J., almost made the millennial mark. He had 998.58. Then it’s Peter Boyd-Bowman of Greensboro, N.C., 985.65; Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, 966.72; Joe Grue, 958.50; Michael Dalton of Palm Coast, Fla., 925.39; and Mark Itabashi, 907.39.

The legendary Jeff Meckstroth finished #15 with 882.95, one rung ahead of Gold Life Master leader Dolores Aquino. Former Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge, now of Jackston Heights in Queens, was #89 with 562.38. That’s not as good as the Weltes. They’re tied for #49 with 632.59. No other Buffalonians here. To reach #500, you needed 319.12. 

Bridge Blog 1135: Gobbling up November

 

        Am I thankful that partner Selina Volpatti and I seem to be improving? Indeed I am. We were able to accumulate 10.93 points on Bridge Base Online in November, which is about as wonderful as we can get.

Meanwhile, in the master point races, places are pretty well settled for 2020 with one month to go. Let’s check them out:

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

Still first among Goldies, still third among all Unit 116 players – Allen Beroza. He had a 19.62 point month, for a total of 148.87.

Still second is Ken Meier. A 21.87 point month brought him to 134.14 points and elevated him to fifth in the unit, up from seventh a month ago.

Still third is … me! I now have 70.61 points for the year and sit at #27 overall in the unit, up from #28.

Fourth place Mike Silverman and fifth place Fred Yellen brought home no points at all in November. They still have 50.61 and 44.58, respectively. Among all unit players, however, they’ve plummeted. Mike is #38, down from #32. Fred is #45 overall and not down at all. He was #45 last month.

 Art Morth still is standing pat with 28.48 in sixth place, now #71 overall, down from #66. Bill Rushmore has 19.88 points, still seventh and now #90 overall, down from #88. John Sinclair at 18.62 is eighth, slipping to #95 overall from #94 a month ago. Rounding out the list is Pat Rasmus with 6.38, having added 2.14 in live face-to-face play at the East Aurora club. She’s #217 overall, on the march from #241 a month ago.

 Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

John and Martha Welte could have stopped six months ago and still have won this one. But they haven’t stopped. November brought them another 75.23 points and they’re tied for first overall with 491.30.

Far, far behind in third place is Gold leader Allen Beroza with 148.87. NABC Master Jim Lanzo still holds fourth place with 140.13 after a 17.65 point month. Ken Meier takes fifth with 134.14.

Then it’s Vic Bergsten, 126.54; Bud Seidenberg, 121.54; Barbara Libby, 116.92; Saleh Fetouh, 115.81; and Sandi England, 109.52. Also surpassing the century mark in club points are Gay Simpson, 107.49; Larry Himelein, 105.05; Martha Townson, 102.80; and Alan Greer, with the same 100.85 he had back in March.

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

 Allen Beroza continues his reign. 160.90 points, 19.62 better than a month ago. Back to fifth overall, up from sixth.

Ken Meier keeps closing in. 141.02, up 29.93. Seventh overall, up from eighth.

Big step down to me in third with 75.16, up 10.93. #30 overall, up from #31.

Fred Yellen stirred enough to take fourth away from John Sinclair, who’s now fifth. Fred has 59.98, a 4.37 increase. He’s #37 overall, up from #41. John stands at 58.89, a 0.62 increase, #38 overall, down from #32.

Mike Silverman, motionless with 55.77, is sixth among Goldies and #43 overall, down from #40.

Way down in seventh, it’s still Art Morth with the same 35.55 he had a month ago. He’s #66 overall, down from #62. Bill Rushmore has 25.72, #87 overall, down from #82. And Pat Rasmus rounds out the list with her 6.38, which sits her at #223, up from #247.

        Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

        No surprise. It’s the Weltes. With 561.46, which is 75.23 better than October, almost as good as their previous month’s haul of 86.26.

        Saleh Fetouh is next with 205.92, an 11.55 point improvement. Jim Lanzo climbs into fourth with 162.01, an 18.76 point effort. Allen Beroza follows with his 160.90. Davis Heussler is close behind in sixth with 157.23.

        Then it’s Ken Meier, 151.02; Vic Bergsten, 144.09; Bud Seidenberg, 143.68; and Linda Burroughsford, 127.65.

        Lurking next in the teens are Sandi England, 119.31; Gay Simpson, 118.51; Barbara Libby, 118.08; and Bob Sommerstein, 114.68. Clustered in the mid teens are Martha Townson with 110.94 and the team of Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, both with 110.50.

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

        Only three centarians here: two Buffalonians – Allen Beroza, 148.87 (#20 in the whole district); and Ken Meier, 134.14 (#25 district-wide); and Barry Boyd of Wheeling, W.Va., with 116.42 (#38 overall).

        The rest of the Top 10 are divided between Ohio and Pennsylvania – Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 99.76 (#52); Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 87.58 (#72); Carolyn Sullivan of Richfield, Ohio, 87.05 (#76); Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 85.87 (#77); Gary Sikon of Cleveland, 81.76 (#86); Jayne Stahr of Stow, Ohio, 79.51; and Ronald Sain of Indiana, Pa., 75.90 (#103). And look who’s #11 – moi – 70.61 (#114).

        Ace of Clubs. District 5. All Players.

        Martha and John Welte, 491.30. Then it’s all Ohio and Pa. – Paul Holmes of Wadsworth, Ohio, 456.96; Erin Gonzalez of Mars, Pa., 303.20; Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 247.18; Richard and Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 238.93 and 221.61, respectively; Richard Katz of North Versailles, Pa., 203.14; Bruce Cahoon of Akron, Ohio, 200.52; and Stewart and Sandra Metosky of Pittsburgh, 197.84 and 192.18.

        Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

        Here Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., has the lead with 242.42. He’s ninth among all District 5 players. Allen Beroza comes next with 160.90. He’s #30 overall. Right behind him is Barry Boyd of Wheeling with 160.57 (#31 overall). And not far away is Ken Meier with his 151.02 (#36).

        After that, it’s Gary Sikon of Cleveland, 129.69 (#47); Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 119.23 (#52); Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 111.66 (#64); Carolyn Sullivan of Richfield, Ohio, 93.86 (#98); Jayne Stahr of Stow, Ohio, 86.87 (#113); and Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh, 82.24 (#125).

        And guess who’s #12, after Ronald Sain of Indiana, Pa. (75.90 and #144). This Dale Anderson guy. His 75.16 puts him at #147 among all District 5 players.

        It felt so good skipping the national guys last month, I think I’ll do it again. Year-end, we’ll catch up with them.

       

Bridge Blog 1134: An email from Frank Stewart

 

Imagine my surprise when I found this note in my Buffalo News email:

Dale,

The situation with the Buffalo News was brought to my attention, and then I came across your blog.

According to my syndicate people, the paper has given no notice of cancelling, so maybe there is hope. I will be most grateful to readers who go to bat for bridge and for me and contact the paper to ask that my column be reinstated. I rarely lose a paper; bridge players are notably loyal to their local column, and there have been several instances where a paper proposed to drop my column and had to back off after a deluge of complaints. But a paper will act only in response to reader feedback.

Thanks for anything you can personally do to help.

Incidentally, I have myself emailed the editor, managing editor and assistant ME and haven’t heard back from anybody. Maybe they have spam filters that gobbled up my emails.

Kindest regards, stay well,

Frank Stewart

Bridge Blog 1133: No Surprises in October, Part I

           But then again, no disasters, either. Just the new normal. I now have 59.68 points in club play, thanks to another 5.57 accumulated on Bridge Base Online. It sounds slight, but it’s better than September and the best since the new normal arrived last March. Overall, the total for the year is 64.23. And if we could count  everything I’ve won on OKBridge, it would be 129.53. So let’s put those in our pocket and head off for the ACBL’s master point races.

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

        Looks like no movement on this list of what is now just nine players. Allen Beroza is still first, with 129.25 points, up 12.33 for the month. He’s also still third overall in club play among all players in the unit.

         Still second is Ken Meier, now with 104.21 points, 19.95 better than a month ago. He’s climbed to seventh overall, up from tenth.

        My 59.68 makes me third and keeps me at #28 overall. Mike Silverman holds fourth without budging from 50.61 in October. Overall, he’s #32, down from #29. Fred Yellen is similarly motionless in fifth place with the same 40.21 he previously had. He’s #45 overall, down from #38.

        Art Morth stands pat at 28.48 in sixth place, dropping to #66 overall from #61. Bill Rushmore added 1.29 points to reach 19.38. Still seventh, he’s #88 overall, down from #83. Motionless at 18.09 is John Sinclair, eighth on this list, #94 overall, down from #86.

        Chongmin Zhang having disappeared from this division, Pat Rasmus occupies ninth place, the lowest rung on the ladder. But she’s playing again at the Bridge Club of East Aurora and earning points – 1.45 of them in October. She now has 4.24. She’s #241 overall, up from #254.

         Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

        John and Martha Welte keep piling up the points. They collected another 79.37 of them in October, padding their insurmountable lead. They now have 416.07.

        Gold Life Master leader Allen Beroza is next with 129.25. Coming up fast behind him is NABC Master Jim Lanzo with 121.47, catching 18.14 points in October to advance to fourth from fifth. He passed Bud Seidenberg, who has 116.63, winning 10.01 points for the month.

        Sixth is Saleh Fetouh with 104.51, 11.62 points better than a month ago, which propelled him past Alan Greer, who has the same 100.85 he’s had since March and now is tenth.

        Also passing Alan Greer is Ken Meier, seventh with 104.21. Vic Bergsten jumps from #11 to eighth with 103.28 after a 27.01 point month. Barbara Libby maintains her hold on ninth with 102.53, having added 18.13.

        Next in line to pass Alan Greer are Gay Simpson with 97.03, Larry Himelein with 93.48 and Sandi England with 88.63. By the end of the year, he may even get lapped by Sharon Benz, 81.79; Martha Townson, 81.37; Mary Ball, 80.83; and her frequent partner Joyce Frayer, 78.78.

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

        It’s Allen Beroza again. His 141.28 is 12.33 better than a month ago, but he slips to sixth among all Buffalo players, down from fifth.

        Ken Meier looks like a mover with 121.09, up 24.50 pointwise and up to eighth overall from his previous #13.       

        Lo and behind, I’m still third with my 64.23 and still #31 overall. John Sinclair in fourth place added nothing to his 58.36 (he’s piling up points online instead). He’s #36 overall, down from #32.

        Mike Silverman and Fred Yellen are similarly silent – Mike with 55.77 (#40 overall, down from #34), Fred with 55.61 (#41 overall, down from #35).

        Art Morth found a fractional point. He’s sixth with 35.55, #62 overall, down from #60. Bill Rushmore has 25.22, #82 overall, down from #78. Meanwhile, Pat Rasmus, with 4.24, rides up to #247 from #259.

        Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All Players.

        Weltes, Weltes, Weltes. John and Martha now have 486.23 for the year so far. That’s 86.26 more, after collecting 64.18 in September and 61.21 in August. Where do they find them all?

        They should tell Saleh Fetouh. He’s an even more distant third with 194.37, adding just 11.62 points.

        Steady in fourth is Davis Heussler with 154.23, only 5.76 better than a month ago. Surging into fifth from seventh last month is Jim Lanzo with 143.25, having amassed 22.72 more.

        He passed Allen Beroza, sixth with 141.28, and Bud Seidenberg, who has 138.77 following a 10.01 point month. Then it’s Ken Meier, 121.09; Vic Bergsten, 120.83, up 25.59 points; and Linda Burroughsford, 120.71, 5.88 points better, but dropping from eighth to tenth.

        Then come a tight cluster of players who have just surpassed the century mark – Gay Simpson, 108.05; Amita Arora, 104.41; Bob Sommerstein, 103.87; Barbara Libby, 103.69; and Jim Easton and Marilyn Wortzman, tied for #15 with 102.06.

(More to come) (well, maybe not ...) 

Bridge Blog 1132: Taking notes

            Instead of talking to the computer screen, I started jotting things down in October during a particularly desolate stretch of games when it seemed like Selina Volpatti and I couldn’t put together an effort anywhere near good enough to earn master points.

Things aren’t quite as dismal now that November’s here (darker days, brighter fortunes?), but I’m still jotting. In the Bridge Base Online game Wednesday, Nov. 4, where we notched 62.96% and came in first north-south, there wasn’t much to complain about – only Board #9.

 

North:  Q J 10 3 2/ K 5/ A Q 10 8/ A 6

East: K 9 6/ 7 6 4 2/ 7 4/ Q J 10 7

South: 7 5/ Q J 10 9/ K J 6/ K 9 8 3

West: A 8 4/ A 8 3/ 9 5 3 2/ 5 4 2

 

It was our only bottom board. Everybody else wound up at 3 No Trump. I opened 1 Spade, she bid 1 No Trump, I bid 2 Diamonds, figuring it would be a demand bid, but it didn’t turn out that way. I made 4 Diamonds and felt pretty good about taking 10 tricks, but I was the only one who played it there. Most everybody else bid 3 NT and made it. Four of them made an overtrick.

Our first game of the day over on OKBridge was a throwback to last month. I jotted a lot. We had a 37.70% game on 11 boards and finished 67th out of 73 pairs. Let’s look at the four stinkers that made their way into my notes.

Board 2. Partner pushes me to 5 Hearts after I double the opponents at 5 Diamonds. I have five Diamonds to the Ace-Queen. We’re going to kill them in Diamonds, but it’s down one at 5 Hearts. Yep, next to a bottom. Five Diamonds doubled goes down at least 4. On the other hand, if the defenders don't take the tricks they're entitled to, 5 Hearts makes it at 10 of the tables.

Board 5. Despite my passes, partner overcalls opponents’ jump to 4 Hearts by bidding a vulnerable 4 Spades, gets doubled and takes only five tricks. Minus 1,100. Sure, most of the time they make 4 Hearts, but we should have let them play it.

Board 7. Partner doesn’t lead a third Diamond for me to ruff after I show a singleton on her Ace-King lead. Opponents are down one at 4 Hearts. Could have been down two.

Board 10. Partner opens 1 Diamond, opponent bids 1 Heart. Do I bid 1 Spade with this hand?

Spades: K, 9, 8, 6. Hearts: J, 4. Diamonds: Q, 9, 8, 2. Clubs: J, 6, 2.

Of course, I do. Partner bids 2 Spades over their 2 Hearts and comes back again with 3 Spades over their 3 Hearts. Down two vulnerable.

Actually, Boards 7 and 10 are not bottoms. They’re better than 50% in the OKBridge scoring system, just marginally less rewarding than they could have been. Sometimes things seem more awful as they’re happening than they really are. And sometimes things are just bad all over. 

Bridge Blog 1131: Trying to remember those times in September (now fully recalled)

Months melt into one another online as I play pandemic bridge. I miss people. I certainly miss going to play in Canada on Fridays. And I miss earning points.

        However, since I play Bridge Base Online with the St. Catharines, Ont., club, it’s still the same stiff competition. I struggled to earn points over there in face-to-face sessions. On a virtual level, it’s still a struggle.

        I mean, just look at September – 4.54 points for the month, which brings me up to 54.11 for the year in club play. OK, OK, it’s the best I’ve done since I joined the fray on BBO six months ago. But it’s a pittance compared to other Buffalo players. Overall, my haul is 58.66.

Meanwhile, on OKBridge, where I play more often (partner Selina Volpatti prefers it) and which doesn’t count in the ACBL master point derbies, things are much brighter. Include OKB and my total for the year doubles –119.50. Be that as it may, let’s go off to the races on the ACBL website.

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

Allen Beroza cruises further ahead. He has 116.92 points, up 22.35 for the month, and is third overall among all players in the unit. Thirty days earlier, he was fourth overall.

David Millward, second a month ago, has disappeared. He’s probably flown back to Florida. Taking his place as runner-up is Ken Meier with 84.26, a full 18.72 better than a month ago. He’s tenth overall, up from #13.

My 54.11 catapults me into third place, back ahead of Mike Silverman, who has 50.61. I’m #28 overall, same as last month. He’s #29, down from #27.

After that, it’s Fred Yellen adding 1.49 points to reach 40.21, #38 overall, down from #36. Art Morth stands pat at 28.48, dropping to #61 overall from #54.

Bill Rushmore moves up a notch by earning just 0.91 point in September, reaching 18.66. He’s #83 overall, up from #84. It’s enough to pass John Sinclair, who’s motionless at 18.09. He’s #86 overall, down from #76.

Rounding out the list are Chongmin Zhang, unmoved at 7.62, #181 overall, down from #169; and Pat Rasmus, also unchanged at 2.79. She’s #254 overall, down from #248.

Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

The Weltes, John and Martha, continue to rule. They had a super September, collecting 64.18 points apiece. Tied for first again, they have a total of 336.70.

Alan Greer, who led earlier in the year during face-to-face play, has now been out of action for so long that three more players passed him last month.

Gold Life Master leader Allen Beroza moves up a notch to third with 116.92. Bud Seidenberg added 13.69 to reach fourth with 106.62.

Fifth place – surprise! – is Jim Lanzo, an NABC master. He reached the century mark with 25.64 points in September and now has 103.33. Alan Greer is next with the same 100.85 he’s had since March.

Seventh is Saleh Fetouh, whose 11.96 points give him 92.89, followed by Gay Simpson, 86.65; Barbara Libby, 84.40; and Ken Meier, 84.26.

To make it a dozen, let’s bring in Vic Bergsten, 76.27; and Larry Himelein, 74.18. Baker’s dozen? OK, Bob Sommerstein, 72.69, just enough to pass another early leader who hasn’t ventured online, Nancy Wolstoncroft, standing pat once again with 72.31. And OMG, at #15 there’s Martha Townson, who's ranked as a novice. She’s got 71.84. Maybe she's not really all that inexperienced. 

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

Allen Beroza continues his reign with 128.95, 22.35 better than a month ago. He’s fifth among all Buffalo players, up from seventh a month ago.

Runner-up used to be David Millward. Now that he’s flown, Ken Meier roosts in his place with 96.59, up 18.72, #13 overall, up from #15.

With 58.66 points, I have just enough zip to pass John Sinclair and take third place. I’m #31 overall, up from a tie for #36. John once again added no points. He’s still 58.36, #32 overall, down from #30.

Mike Silverman is fifth with 55.77, #34 overall, up from #35. Fred Yellen is sixth with 55.61, #35 overall, up from that tie for #36.

Big step down to Art Morth, unchanged at 35.04, #60 overall, down from #53. Bill Rushmore has 24.50, #78 overall, down from #76. The last two on the list also are unchanged point-wise. Chongmin Zhang has 9.98, #160, down from #152, and Pat Rasmus has 2.79, #259, down from #254.

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All Players.

Yes, the Weltes. 399.97 points, thanks to winning ways that were even winninger in September (64.18) than they were in August (61.21). They’ve run a circle around third-place Saleh Fetouh, who added only 11.94 points to reach 182.75.

Then comes Davis Heussler, 148.47; Allen Beroza, 128.95; Bud Seidenberg, 128.76; Jim Lanzo, 120.72; Linda Burroughsford, 114.83; Alan Greer, 100.85; and Amita Arora, 100.21.

Knocking on the door of the Top Ten (and the century mark, as well) are Bob Sommerstein, 99.91; Gay Simpson, 97.29; Ken Meier, 96.59; Vic Bergsten, 95.24; and Chris Urbanek, 91.64.

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

Even with the departure of David Millward, Buffalo is still one-two here. Stepping into second place is Ken Meier. His 84.26 is good enough to stay ahead of Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 79.35; and Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 78.79. Meier is #41 among all players in the district, Eichler is #44, Goulding #46.

Leader, of course, is Buffalo’s Allen Beroza with 116.92. He’s #16 overall.

Fifth place belongs to Barry Boyd of Wheeling, W. Va., with 69.46 (#65 overall). Then it’s Jayne Stahr of Stow, Ohio, 65.06 (#78); Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 60.03 (#99); Carolyn Sullivan of Richfield, Ohio, 59.53 (#102); and Ronald Sain of Indiana, Pa., 56.05 (#111).

I’m sitting tenth with 54.11. I’m #122 overall, down from #115. Next is Mike Silverman with 50.61. He’s #133 overall, down from #113.

Ace of Clubs. District 5. All Players.

The Weltes narrowed the margin between them and first-place Paul Holmes of Wadsworth, Ohio. A month ago, they were 32 points behind. Now the gap is 24.

Still fourth with 275.70 after a 64.09 point month is Erin Gonzalez of Mars, Pa. Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh retains a distant fifth with 201.08 following a mere 15.82 month.

Rounding out the Top Ten are Richard Katz of North Versailles, Pa., 194.90; Richard and Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 183.15 and 167.63, respectively; and Stewart and Sandra Metosky of Pittsburgh, 162.40 and 157.64, respectively.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

Still the domain of Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa. Even though he only added 6.64 points in September, he’s got 207.47 and he’s wayyyy ahead of Buffalo’s Allen Beroza, who’s runner-up with 128.95. Goulding is eighth in the district, down from seventh. Beroza is #27 overall, up from #34.

Bumping Gary Sikon of Cleveland out of third place is Barry Boyd of Wheeling, W. Va. He has 113.61, having gathered 28.74 points last month. He’s #39 overall, up from #57. Sikon is fourth with 97.17, having taken only 5.24. He’s #55 overall, down from #47.

Advancing from eighth to fifth place is Buffalo’s Ken Meier with 96.59 (#56 overall, up from #71). He displaces Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, now sixth with 91.68 (#59, up from #61); and Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., sitting seventh with 88.51 (#65, down from #64).

Up to eighth from ninth is Jayne Stahr of Stow, Ohio, with 72.42 (#112, down from #92). New on the list is Carolyn Sullivan of Richfield, Ohio, with 66.34 (#131). And still tenth is Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh with 62.62 (#140 overall, up from #142).

Here I am at #11 with my 58.66, up from a tie for #13. I’m #162 overall, up from a tie for #163.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All Players.

The first four keep their positions.

Paul Holmes of Wadsworth, Ohio, maintains his place on top with 422.53, having added 56.23. Tied for second are Buffalonians John and Martha Welte with 399.97, an increase of 64.18. Fourth continues to be Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh with 328.62, just 15.82 better than a month ago.

Shaking things up behind her is Erin Gonzalez of Mars, Pa., who collected 64.09 points in September to reach 294.80 and now sits in fifth place. She bumped Richard Katz of North Versailles, Pa., who’s sixth with 253.91.

Richard Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, advances one spot to seventh with 220.93, bumping Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., who has 207.47. Ninth is Monica Early, also of Cuyahoga Falls, with 193.95. Phillip Becker of Beachwood, Ohio, is tenth with 192.99.

Holding #11 is Buffalo’s Saleh Fetouh with 182.75, slipping past perennial district leader Sue Lan Ma of Akron, Ohio, who has 178.47 and is unchanged for three months.

(National leaders now complete)

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

Now it’s really a horse race in this division. Challengers are right on the heels of longtime leader Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla. Pearly’s still in the lead with 423.21, having grabbed another 65.32 points in September.

But that puts him just barely ahead of David Morse of New Minas, Nova Scotia, who has 420.10 after picking up 71.48 points. That puts him ahead of last month’s runner-up, Dolores Aquino of Houston, who has 416.78, 66.15 better than she stood when she turned over the last leaf on her calendar.

After that, it’s Yacob (Jacob) Rubeinstien of Holland, Pa., 361.82; Lynn Leisy of Ameila Island, Fla., 350.71; Steve Vaughn of Kingwood, Texas, 325.69; Wendy Lee of East Hanover, N.J., 324.78; Peter Martin of Kennesaw, Ga., 324.31; and Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 290.87. And I can’t cut things off without mentioning the trio from The Villages who sit #11 to #13 – Alex Booke, 267.31; Jonathan Williams, 267.10; and Sandy Booke, 264.58.

Allen Beroza is the leading Unit 116 representative on this list. He’s #179, up from #199, with his 116.92. Also carrying the flag for us is Ken Meier at #386, up from #462, with his 84.26. And the flown-away David Millward? Now listed at Vero Beach, Fla., he’s a few stations south of Ken at #398 with 83.19 points. The list stops at 73.87.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. All Players.

Here’s where the really big numbers show up. Lots of them were rung up by Stephen Garreffa of Randolph, N.J., who was second a month ago. Now he’s on top with 623.57, having packed in another 119.98 points.

Moving up to second place is Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, with 595.20, collecting 139.86. He moved past last month’s leader, Gillian Minter of New York City. Her 589.40 represents a mere 61.79 point improvement.

Speaking of improvement, Robert McClendon of Ponte Vedra, Fla., jumps to fourth place from eighth. His 559.06 is 147.82 better. Let’s just call him Mr. September.

He’s put some daylight between himself and fifth-place Jack Jones of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who has 517.30. Then its Ann McClelland of The Villages with 516.77, Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., 507.80; Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J., 404.92; Bella Ionis-Sorren of Fort Launderdale, 491.22; and Stephen Cooper of Belle Mead, N.J., 466.08.

Gold Life Master leader Russ Pearly, #14 a month ago, is now #16. Once again, the Weltes are the only Buffalonians on the list. They’re tied for #47 with 336.70. A month ago, they were tied for #50. The list stops at 175.67.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

No movement at all among the top five. Dolores Aquino of Houston maintains at 24-point lead over Lynn Leisy of Amelia Island, Fla., 537.72 to 513.51. Dolores had a 67.15 point month. Lynn brought home 66.30.

Slipping off the pace is Mason Barge of Atlanta with 470.26 after a 45.29 point month. Then come Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 452.74; Gold Life Master Ace of Clubs leader Russ Pearly, 446.44; David Morse of New Minas, Nova Scotia, 440.53; Peter Martin of Kennesaw, Ga., 405 even; that Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien fella, 403.67; Daniel Jablonski of Stoneham, Mass., 361.77; and Wendy Lee of East Hanover, N.J., 353.60.

Buffalo’s standard-bearer, Allen Beroza, with 128.95, is tied for #229, up from #261. Meanwhile, Muriel Tremblay from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., who sat at #483 last month, is missing. The list of 500 stops at 92.25, up 12.06 since August.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. All Players.

One more player has made it into four figures this month. It’s Gillian Miniter of New York City, sitting second again with 1,030.03, having gained 61.79 points.

Pulling further ahead is the leader, Robert McClendon of Ponte Vedra, Fla. He has 1,280.05, a full 147.78 points better.

The next three players keep their places – Joe Grue and John Hurd of New York City, with 851.97 and 810.99 respectively; and Jacob Morgan of Madison, Wis., 754.92.

Stepping up to sixth is a guy who debuted in the Top 10 last month, Peter J. Boyd-Bowman of Greensboro, N.C. He now has 740.93, up 109.61 since August. He displaces Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., who has 718.55.

Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., tenth a month ago, is now eighth with 716.83 after an 89.28 point effort. Debuting in ninth place is John Brady of Jacksonville, Fla., with 695.19. Also new to the list in tenth is Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J., with 676.77. Bumped down to #11 is Alex Hudson of Morrisville, N.C., with 673.46. Sliding precipitously is the legendary Jeff Meckstroth. Seventh a month ago, he’s now #16, having not added anything to his 640.90.

Former Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge, #109 a month ago, is still #109 with 383.50, having added 49.83 to maintain his position. Meanwhile, John and Martha Welte have zipped past him. They’re tied for #94, up from #114, with 399.97. The magic 500 ends this month at 229.70.