Bridge Blog 1120: February's Short Shrift

Sure, February was a day longer than usual, but for me at the bridge table, it was a week shorter. The first 22 days were stellar – I had visions of a 25-point month – but the final week was an almost total bust.

Nevertheless, those early days were highly rewarding. I picked up 20.36 points in club play and 20.66 overall, thanks to a fractional return from Friday at the St. Catharines Sectional. My totals for the year so far – 31.47 Ace of Clubs, 36.02 overall. So let’s look at the big picture:

Ace of Clubs (Club play only). Unit 116 (Buffalo only). Gold Life Masters (2,500 to 3,500 master points). 
Still second behind Allen Beroza. Only nine players in the Top 10:

Allen Beroza, 33.58 (sixth overall in Unit 116); moi, 31.47 (eighth overall); Mike Silverman, 29.43 (#12); Fred Yellen, 25.99 (#18); Ken Meier, 18.19 (#28); John Sinclair, 13.29 (#43); Art Morth, 12.22 (#52); Bill Rushmore, 6.84 (#92); Pat Rasmus, 2.79 (#164).

If I were still a Ruby Life Master (1,500 to 2,500 points), I’d be fourth, impossibly behind leader Nancy Wolstoncroft (57.60, #2 in the unit); and nestled behind Martha and John Welte (tied for second at 33.98, tied for #4 in the unit) and ahead of last year's champ, Linda Burroughsford (30.19, #11 in the unit).  

Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players. 
Once again it’s Alan Greer and Nancy Wolstoncroft.

Alan Greer, 80.70, after a 50.05 point month; Nancy Wolstoncroft, 57.60, after a mere 32.77 point month; Mike Ryan, 39.70; Martha and John Welte, tied at 33.98; Allen Beroza, 33.58; John Ziemer, 31.89; moi, 31.47; Larry Abate, 30.88; and Sharon Benz, 30.60.

Bubbling under: Linda Burroughsford, 30.19; Mike Silverman, 29.43; Joyce Greenspan, 28.88; Barbara Libby, 27.21; Ten-Pao Lee, 26.82; Davis Heussler, 26.31; Ed Morgan, 26.08; Fred Yellen, 25.99; Bud Seidenberg, 25.39; and Jay Levy, 24.16. Any one of them could be in the Top 10 next month.

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

John Sinclair’s big month in January keeps him on top, but because it was only a 6.69 point month for him he dropped from second to ninth overall in Unit 116. Here’s the list:

John Sinclair, 51.90 (ninth overall); Fred Yellen, 41.39 (#14 overall, down from #13); Allen Beroza, 39.75 (#17, up from #21); moi, 36.02 (#20, up from #29); Mike Silverman, 34.59 (#22, up from #44); Ken Meier, 20.84 (#38, up from #72); Art Morth, 17.52 (#47, down from #32); Bill Rushmore, 12.68 (#66, down from #51); Pat Rasmus, 2.79 (#172, not on the list in January); and Chongmin Zhang, 0.78 (#216, down from #182).  

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players. 
Big shake-up here. Last month’s leader, David Colligan, picked up only 2.52 points in February and fell to sixth place. Saleh Fetouh, on the other hand, earned 85.05 and vaulted to the top from #11. Here are the leaders:

Saleh Fetouh, 110.97; Alan Greer, 80.70; Martha and John Welte, tied with 61.16; Nancy Wolstoncroft, 58.24; David Colligan, 57.86; David Heussler, 57 even; Linda Burroughsford, 56.19; John Sinclair, 51.90; and Mike Ryan, 50.36.

Bubbling under: Bud Seidenberg, 47.53; John Ziemer, 46.38; Chris Urbanek, 45.80; Fred Yellen, 41.39; Christy Kellogg, 40.28; Bert Hargeshimer, 39.86; Allen Beroza, 39.75; Larry Abate, 38.92; Sharon Benz, 37.83; moi, 36.02; and Ten-Pao Lee, 35.73.
(Continuing on a different laptop, hence the different font style.)

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

Buffalo breaks Pennsylvania’s grip on the upper reaches of this division. Instead of two of us in the Top 10, there are four and we claim three of the four uppermost positions, including the lead. Here it is:

Allen Beroza, 33.58 (up from sixth among the Golds and #14 overall in the district, up from #35); last month’s leader Marcella Retetagos of Pittsburgh, 31.49 (#16, up from #22 overall); moi, 31.47 (up from tenth among the Golds and #17 overall, up from #58); and Mike Silverman, 29.43 (#24 overall).

The rest: Brenda Merkich of Cortland, Ohio, 28.52 (up from seventh and #28 overall, up from #37); Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 26.85 (down from third and #35 overall, down from #28); Ronald Sain of Indiana, Pa., 26.44 (down from fifth and #39 overall, up from #43); Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh, 26.15 (up from eighth and #42 overall, up from #47); Fred Yellen, 25.99 (#44 overall); and last month’s No. 2 guy, Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 25.73 (#45 overall, down from #23).

If I were still a Ruby Life Master, I’d be fifth in the district, behind Nancy Wolstoncroft, W. Tordella of Bemus Point and the Weltes. 

Ace of Clubs. District 5. All players.

Here we Buffalonians have five of the top 12, plus there's that guy from Chautauqua County.

Alan Greer continues on top with 80.70. Nancy Wolstoncroft advances from fourth to second with 57.60. W. (William) Tordella of Bemus Point slips to third with 52.80. Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh moves up from fifth to fourth with 48.73. And Barbara Belardi of Pittsburgh also climbs a notch to fifth with 47.34.

Sixth is Buffalo’s Mike Ryan with 39.70. Then its Gladys Martin of Hudson, Ohio, 39.12; D. Pierce of Parkersburg, W. Va. (third last month), with 36.65; Arlene Port of Pittsburgh, 35.64; and Bruce Cahoon of Akron, Ohio, 35.46. Tied for #11 are Martha and John Welte with 33.98.

Five other Buffalonians show up in the second tier. Allen Beroza is #14 with 33.58. John Ziemer is #15 with 31.89. I’m #17 with 31.47. Larry Abate is #19 with 30.88. And Sharon Benz is #20 with 30.60. Next are Linda Burroughsford, 30.19, at #21; and Mike Silverman, 29.43, at #24.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

Here Unit 116 holds five of the Top 10 places, but not the lead. It goes like this:

New leader is Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., with 105.17 after a 62.98 point month. He’s fourth among all players in the district, up from #20 in January.

Runner-up is last month’s leader, Buffalo’s John Sinclair with 51.90. He’s #30 overall, down from #13.

Then it’s Barry Boyd of Wheeling, W. Va., with 51.07 (#31 overall, up from #93); Gary Sikon of Cleveland, 45.56 (#47 overall, down from #23); Fred Yellen, 41.39 (#57); Allen Beroza, 39.75 (#63, up from #104); Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 37.31 (#67, down from #30); moi, 36.02 (#69, up from #136); Mike Silverman, 34.59 (#76); and Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh, 33.40 (#83, up from #90).

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All players.

Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, who wasn’t on the leaderboard a month ago, pole vaults to the top with 176.27. She passes perennial district champ Sue Lan Ma of Kirtland Hills, Ohio, who is second, up from sixth, with 169.87 after a 94.57 point month.

Third is Buffalo’s Saleh Fetouh with 110.97, followed by Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 105.17; Phillip Becker of Beachwood, Ohio, 101 even; and January’s leader, Robert Flynn of McDonald, Pa., 98.78.

Then come Fleur Howard of Gates Mills, Ohio, 98.16; Richard Katz of North Versailles, Pa., 88.32; and Don and Kathleen Sulgrove of Twinsburg, Ohio, both with 83.87. Buffalo’s Alan Greer is #12 with his 80.70. The Weltes are tied at #20. Nancy Wolstoncroft is #23. David Colligan is #24. Davis Heussler is #26. Linda Burroughsfold is #27. Did I mention that I’m #69?

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

Russ Pearly stays on top with 86.66 after a 40.28 point month. David Schapira of Delray Beach, Fla., climbs to second from fourth with 85.58, thanks to a 47.45 point effort in February.

Third is a newcomer to the Top 10 – Larry Anfinson of Sun Lakes, Ariz. He has 65.32. Then it’s Dolores Aquino of Houston, 64.33; Misuzu McManus of Ormond Beach, Fla., 61.69; David Woods of Sarnia, Ont., dropping from third to sixth with 61.20, Ricky Dashefsky of Delray Beach, Fla., 60.55; last month’s No. 2 guy, Mason Barge of Atlanta, now eighth with 59.98; Alvars Lapins of San Luis Obispo, Calif. 58.41; and Paul Hassett of The Villages, Fla., down from sixth to tenth with 57.19.

Allen Beroza’s 33.58 places him at #118. He’s way up from #315. After not making this list in January, I’m #152 with 31.47. Mike Silverman is #201 with 29.43. Fred Yellen is tied for #314 with 25.99. The list cuts off at 21.96.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. All players.

Not a big month for Neil Silverman of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – just 48.24 points – but he maintains his national lead with 130.37. Moving up to second place from seventh is Robert Epstein of Atlanta. A 52.57 point month brings his total to 109.59.

Then it’s Philip Benner of The Villages, Fla., new to the Top 10 with 107.21. Also new is Marla Chalkin of Savannah, Ga., with 105.21. Second in January, Bill Kulbersh of Atlanta is fifth with 104.67, after a mere 43.08 point month.

Rounding out the Top 10 are Bella Ionis-Sorren of Fort Lauderdale, 103.68; Bill Osborn of Frisco, Texas, 100.18; Sheila Gabay of Newton, Mass., 96.54; Sanford Gibbons of Pompano Beach, Fla., 94.56; and Terri Verret and Pierre Daigneault, both of Montreal, tied for tenth with 92.71. Sitting at #11 is last month’s fifth-place guy, David Hudson of The Villages, Fla., with 92.26.

Gold Life Master leader Russ Pearly is tied for #16 with 86.66. Unit 116 and District 5 frontrunner Alan Greer is #27 with his 80.70. Nancy Wolstoncroft is #127 with her 57.60. If Buffalo’s Mike Ryan, with 39.70, had just one more point, he would have made the list. It stops at 40.68.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

Kevin Rosenberg of Sunnyvale, Calif., wasn’t in the Top 10 a month ago. Now he’s on top with 148.25. He displaced Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., who has 146.11 after a 49.93 point month. It turns out she’s the only member of the Top 10 who was there a month ago.

Alex Khrakovsky leaps on board in third place with 143 even, followed Mark Henderson of Wilmington, Del., with 133.85, and David Woods of Sarnia, Ont., with 122.26.

Then come Mason Barge of Atlanta, 121.06; Anne LaCour of Georgetown, Texas, 117.91; Dolores Aquino of Houston, 115.47; Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., 109.89; and Jim Liu of Saratoga, Calif., 109.15.

District 5 leader Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., is #13 with 105.17. Unit 116 pacesetter John Sinclair is #194 with 51.90. Fred Yellen is #359 with his 41.39. Allen Beroza is #396 with his 39.75. And OMG, there I am, tied for #496 with Ann Taylor of Port St. Lucie, Fla., with 36.02. The list stops at 35.66.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. All players.

Trading places at the top. January’s runner-up, Jacob Morgan of Madison, Wis., is now No. 1. Last month’s leader, Robert McClendon of Ponte Vedra, sits at No. 2.

Morgan had a 260.18 point month to reach 537.40. McClendon accumulated 141.74 and has 487.61.

Then we have Kevin Bathurst of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla, 444.65; the legendary Jeff Meckstroth of Clearwater Beach, Fla., 441.41; Alex Hudson of Raleigh, N.C., 416.58; James Melville of Springfield, Ill., 406.72; a pair of New York City residents, Joe Grue and John Hurd, with 396.74 and 396.65, respectively; David Grainger of Etobicoke, Ont., 388.25; and Greg Hinze of San Antonio, 385.09.

Last year’s national champ, Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., is #11 with 382.38.

Former Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge, who now hangs his hat in Jackson Heights, Queens, is #94, down from #40 after a 24.16 point month, with 185.07.

District 5 pacesetter Reanette Frobouck is #106 with 176.27. D-5 runner-up Sue Lan Ma is #118 with 169.87. Gold Life Master leader Kevin Rosenberg is #157 with his 148.25. Unit 116’s Saleh Fetouh is #311 with his 110.97. Is Alan Greer here? Nope. Cut-off is at 90.20. 

Bridge Blog 1119: St. Catharines Sectional

Come to think about it, the St. Catharines Sectional is designed for out-of-towners who stay in or around the host hotel with nothing to do in the evening. (What's to do in St. Catharines on a weekend? Go to Hamilton?) Why else would game times for pairs Friday and Saturday be 1 and 7 p.m., instead of 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., like they are at the Buffalo sectionals? Not conducive for good relations with significant others who aren’t there in St. Catharines, too.

So me and my Canadian partner, Selina Volpatti, partook only of the afternoon pairs game on Friday. And even that plan was in doubt until Friday morning because of the other thing about this tournament – the weather. It's almost always bad. Sure enough, winter storm warnings were up.

But how bad could it be? Given the Ontario highway maintenance system, I had complete faith in road conditions. The Queen Elizabeth Way would be clear all the way to Ontario Street in St. Catharines. To confirm it, I took a look at camera views online. Black pavement. 

What I hadn’t considered was that, with a steady light snow falling, those Ontario highway maintainers might be running snowplows side by side on the QEW for half the trip from the Peace Bridge to Niagara Falls. 25 mph (40 k/h) at their speediest. No passing.

At least conditions improved the further I went. The snowplows pulled aside. I outran the snow. Slushy slurry at Fort Erie became merely wetness on the Skyway over the Welland Canal. But did I arrive 15 to 30 minutes before game time, like I expected? Noooo. More like a nail-biting 12:55.

What felt like a successful game turned into dismay when we punched the Bridge Mate’s button for results after the final round. 45%. Fourteenth among 20 pairs, seventh in the B strat.

(But wait, here on Sunday afternoon I just found my email from ACBL Live. We had 48.27%, finished sixth, just good enough to scratch out 0.30 of a silver point.)

We’ll do better Sunday in the Swiss teams, we promised one another. Although we didn’t have the other half of our team (I’d been asking people all week), I put my name in with partnership chairman Marg Dykstra and waited for a call.

No call Saturday. Then Selina texts me to say she’s going to Toronto with her daughters instead on Sunday. I message Marg saying I’m available as a single. She emails back to say, essentially, don’t bother. I get an unexpected day and night off.

In the meantime, I consoled myself with a second-place finish at the Airport Bridge Club with my new Saturday date, Sharon Chang, who’s proving to be a most delightful partner. Our 58% effort rewarded us with 1.77 points.

Bridge Blog 1118: New month, new year, new decade.

New category, too. Now I’m a Gold Life Master and I’m competing with people who have 2,500 to 3,500 master points. It’s a rarified bunch here in Buffalo and environs. There’s not enough of us to fill up a minyan. Let’s do the first-month rundown.

Ace of Clubs (Club play only). Unit 116 (Buffalo only). Gold Life Masters.

I have 11.11 club points as we enter the new frontier and I’m second on this list, behind Allen Beroza. (If I were still a Ruby Life Master, I’d be seventh!) Here’s the great eight:

Allen Beroza, 14.15 (#11 overall in the unit); me, 11.11 (#17 overall); Fred Yellen, 10.04 (#23); Art Morth, 8.87 (#27); Ken Meier, 6.91 (#41); John Sinclair, 6.60 (#42); Mike Silverman, 6.51 (#45); and Bill Rushmore, 3.60 (#86). And that’s all.

Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

Who else but Alan Greer and Nancy Wolstoncroft? Here are the people in front of me. The six with asterisks are Ruby Life Masters:

Alan Greer, 30.65; *Nancy Wolstoncroft, 24.83; Sharon Benz, 18.14; Larry Abate, 16.73; *Linda Burroughsford, 16.40; *John and *Martha Welte, both with 16.36; Ed Morgan, 15.68; Mike Ryan, 14.71; Jay Levy, 14.16; Allen Beroza, 14.15; *Walt Olszewski, 14.14; Joanne LaFay, 13.20; *Martin Pieterse, 12.95; John Ziemer, 12.54; and Gay Simpson, 11.65.

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

Still not enough players to fill out a Top 10, but closer. I’m fourth with 15.36. Here we are:

John Sinclair, 45.21 (second overall in the unit); Fred Yellen, 25.44 (#13 overall); Allen Beroza, 17.67 (#21); moi, 15.36 (#29); Art Morth, 14.17 (#32); Mike Silverman, 11.67 (#44); Bill Rushmore, 9.44 (#51); Ken Meier, 6.91 (#72); and Chongmin Zhang, 0.78 (#182).

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

David Colligan tops the list with 55.34. Then it’s John Sinclair with 45.21; John and Martha Welte, both with 43.54; Linda Burroughsford, 42.40; Davis Heussler, 39.47; Chris Urbanek, 36.43; Bud Seidenberg, 32.47; Alan Greer, 30.65; Jay Costello, 27.57; Saleh Fetouh, 25.92; Nancy Wolstoncroft, 25.47; Fred Yellen, 25.44; Sharon Benz, 25.37; John Ziemer, 24.97; and Larry Abate, 24.77.

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

Pennsylvania dominates. Two of us Buffalonians make the Top 10 and I’m one of them. Here it is:

Marcella Retetagos of Pittsburgh, 16.06 (#22 overall in the district); Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 16.01 (#23 overall); Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 15.55 (#28); Peggy Shivetts of Greensburg, Pa., 14.93 (#29); Ronald Sain of Indiana, Pa., 14.60 (#43); Allen Beroza, 14.15 (#35); Brenda Merkich of Cortland, Ohio (Ohio has a Cortland?), 14.09 (#37); Tom Martin of Hudson, Ohio, 12.91 (#44); Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh, 12.20 (#47); and moi, 11.11 (#58).

Ace of Clubs. District 5. All players.

Two Buffalonians in the Top 10 and one more at #11.

Alan Greer, 30.65; W. (William) Tordella of Bemus Point, 28.41; D. Pierce of Parkersburg, W. Va., 25.16; Nancy Wolstoncroft, 24.83: Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 23.90; Barbara Belardi of Pittsburgh, 23.65; Richard Katz of North Versailles, Pa., 22.25; Arlene Port of Pittsburgh, 19.03; Judy Haffner of Pittsburgh, 18.54; Gladys Martin of Hudson, Ohio, 18.15; and Unit 116’s Sharon Benz, 18.14.

Linda Burroughsford is #18 with her 16.40 and the Weltes are tied for #19 with 16.36.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

A Buffalonian on top, John Sinclair with his 45.21. He’s only #13 overall, though. The rest down to me:

Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 42.19 (#20 overall); Gary Sikon of Cleveland, 40.70 (#23); Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 35.63 (#30); Fred Yellen, 25.44 (#50); Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh, 19.45 (#90); Barry Boyd of Wheeling, W. Va., 18.85 (#93); Eva Lefton of Beachwood, Ohio, 18.77 (#94); Allen Beroza, 17.67 (#104); Marcella Retetagos of Pittsburgh, 16.06 (#126); Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 16.01 (#127); and moi, 15.36 (#136).

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All players.

Ohio players dominate, thanks no doubt to the Rock ‘N Roll Regional in Cleveland, but there’s an unfamiliar name on top – Robert Flynn of McDonald, Pa., with 87.11. Tied for second with 83.87 are Don and Kathleen Sulgrove of Twinsburg, Ohio.

After that, it’s Philip Becker of Beachwood, Ohio, 82.87; Fleur Howard of Gates Mills, Ohio, 79.06; Sue Lan Ma of Kirtland Hills, Ohio, 75.30; Kenneth Kranyak of Parma, Ohio, 63.49; Michael Creager of Bedford, Ohio; 57.59; David Colligan, 55.34; Bernie Greenspan of Beachwood, Ohio, 47.19; and Stephanie and Robert Alexander of Mentor, Ohio, with 46.20 and 45.50, respectively. Then we have Unit 116’s John Sinclair at #13 with his 45.21.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

Familiar names at the top – Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., with 46.38, and Mason Barge of Atlanta, with 41.51. Then it gets … different.

Third is David Woods of Sarnia, Ont., 40.08; then it's David Schapira of Delray Beach, Fla., 38.13; Lee Maddocks of Modesto, Calif., 37.34; Paul Hassett of The Villages, Fla., 36.46; George Wieland of Seabrook, Texas, 36.29; Steve Vaughn of Kingwood, Texas, 35.73; Mary Bray of Atlanta, 35.18; Jay Shahani of Columbia, S.C.,  34.18; Aivars Lapins of Cambria, Calif., 34.17; and Steven Mehta of Mississauga, Ont., 34 even.

District 5 leader Marcella Retetagos of Pittsbugh clocks in at #213 with her 16.06. District 5 runner-up Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., is #215 with 16.01. Unit 116 frontrunner Allen Beroza is in a three-way tie for #317 with 14.15. And he’s our only representative. My 11.11 doesn’t make it. The Top 500 cuts off at 11.86.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. All players.

Off to a roaring start is Neil Silverman of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with 72.13 points. Next is Bill Kulbersh of Atlanta with 61.59.

Then come Ann McClelland of The Villages, Fla., 59.92; John Urciuoli of Fountain Hills, Ariz., 59.05; David Hudson of The Villages, Fla., 58.84; Vincent Grande Jr. of Jupiter, Fla., 57.64; Robert Epstein of Atlanta, 57.02; Bella Ionis-Sorren of Fort Lauderdale, 55.56; Roberta Trayman of Naples, Fla., 53.81; and Baskaran Sankaran of Alpharetta, Fla., 53.28.

Gold Life Master leader Russ Pearly checks in at #27 with 46.38. District 5 and Unit 116 pacesetter Alan Greer is #167 with 30.65. Our runner-up, Nancy Wolstoncroft, is #367 with 24.83. The list stops at 22.92.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

It’s Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., on top. She has 96.18. Next are Murali Nair of Phoenix, 89.42; Lynn Leisy of Amelia Island, Fla., 81.54; Bruce Ruskin of Modesto, Calif., 72.35; Shailesh Gupta of Aliso Viejo, Calif., 71.20; Robert Griffiths of Elora, Ont., 69.28; Janice Madsen of Jacksonville, Fla., 68.75; Gerard Hallee of Portland, Ore., 66.21; William Brackett of Longmont, Colo., 65.73; and another Portland, Ore., guy, Ronald Resnick with 65.24.

Unit 116 and District 5 leader John Sinclair is #51 with his 45.21. Our other representative here is Fred Yellen, #268 with his 25.44. The list stops at 18.29.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. All players.

Amazing what some people can accomplish in a month. Take Robert McClendon of Ponte Vedra, Fla. He’s amassed more points in January than any other player (and more than I’m likely to get all year). He leads the pack with 345.87.

Other unfamiliar names dominate the Top 10 – Jacob Morgan of Madison, Wis., 277.22; Bjorgvin Kristinsson of Columbia Heights, Minn., 262.43; David Grainger of Etobicoke, Ont., 261.80; Huub Bertens and Daniel Korbel, both of Las Vegas, with 257.46 and 257.17, respectively; Alex Hudson of Raleigh, N.C., 255.23; Mitch Dunitz of Sherman Oaks, Calif., 254.94; last year’s winner Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., 245.88; and Vladimir Isporski of Sofia, Bulgaria, 242.55.

Heavy hitters in the second 10 – Jeff Meckstroth of Clearwater Beach, Fla., at #11 with 242.10; and Joe Grue of New York City, #14 with 228.29.

Former Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge, now of Jackson Heights, Queens, is #40 with 160.91. Topmost nationwide Gold Life Master Ann Buchholz is #126 with her 96.18. District 5 overall leader Robert Flynn is #156 with his 87.11. Only player from Unit 116 on this list of 500 is David Colligan, tied for #434 with his 55.34 points. Cut-off is at 52.10.  

Bridge Blog 1117: Fast start?

Did my 20-point December get followed by a 20-point January? I had moments of hope, but things really stumbled as they came down to the wire. Let’s do some rough addition from the figures in my datebook – darn, looks more like 15. At least I stand a chance of hitting my hypothetical monthly target. We’ll see later this week when the ACBL posts its first master point results for 2020.

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.

Bridge Blog 1116-B: Bits and pieces

Cold, cold, cold. Every day I remembered too late that the social hall at the Main-Transit Fire Hall in Amherst is frigid in January. Even when the temperature outdoors is above freezing, the way it was this weekend. Saturday I retrieved my parka in the middle of the morning game and wore it the rest of the day. Sunday we were in front of a door to the entry hall, thanks to Flo Boyd’s demand for a stationary table, but there were a big note telling players exiting for the restrooms to close the doors. It helped.   

Anemic attendance. What seemed a little light on Friday and Saturday was dramatically smaller on Sunday. Only 16 Swiss teams. No St. Catharines people at all.

Total master points were 477.96 earned by 122 players. How does that measure up to previous years?

2019 – 515.30 points by 127 players. 20 tables for Swiss.

2018 – 578.10 points by 146 players. 20 tables for Swiss.

2017 – 588.20 points by 135 players. 24 tables for Swiss.

2016 – 594.02 points by 137 players. 23 tables for Swiss.

Sad news. I got a text in the middle of the afternoon Sunday that one of my regular partners, Celine Murray, had just died. I’d seen her daughter, Kathy Fenn, in the supermarket a couple days ago. Celine is well remembered from the days when she taught introductory bridge in the Hengerer’s department store at Main Street and Eggert Road in Eggertsville, where she worked in human relations. That was back in the 1960s. Petite and always well turned-out, I treasured the moments when she sat underneath the Marilyn Monroe poster at the Airport Bridge Club, her blonde waves a living echo of Marilyn’s. I took a phone photo of her there. I’ll have to dig it up.

This Bud’s for Bud. Sunday’s game included a 90th birthday celebration for Bud Seidenberg, who is not only one of the city’s most enduring players, but also one of the most accomplished. There was a cake. And there was a victory for Bud’s team – Jay Costello, Fred Yellen and Saleh Fetouh, all top-notch players. They won 7.15 master points. It was a good weekend for Bud. He was the tournament’s leading master point winner – 22.14.

Bud Seidenberg receives the first piece of birthday cake from Donna Steffan.

Bridge Blog 1115: Goodbye, 2019

The year ended with a sweet taste – my best month in long time. My Ace of Clubs total, for points earned in club play only, jumped 16.20 points in December, giving me a final figure of 134.86. As for the Mini-McKenney, which includes all points earned everywhere, that went up 25.18, wrapping up the year with 156.09 points. How does this align in the ACBL master point races? Let’s take a look.

Unit 116 (Buffalo only). Ruby Life Masters (1,500 to 2,500 points). Ace of Clubs (club play only). I slipped ahead a notch to fourth place. The Top 10:

Linda Burroughsford, 196.24 (up from fourth to third among all players in Unit 116); Martin Pieterse, 182.62 (down to sixth from fifth overall); Fred Yellen, 160.85 (up to #12 from #13); moi, 134.86 (up to #18 from #19); and Ken Meier, 131.24 (down to #20 from #18).

Everybody else keeps their places among the Rubies – Davis Heussler, 124.77 (down to #24 from #23 overall); John Sinclair, 113.17 (up to #24 from #26); Dorothy May, 105.30 (down to #30 from #28); Gene Finton, 93.59 (down to #36 from #34); and Art Matthies, 84.60 (steady at #43).

Unit 116. Ace of Clubs. All Players. Alan Greer, Alan Greer, Alan Greer. Adding another 31.30 points in December, he finished the way he started – on top. 439.97 points. The rest of the Top 10:

Nancy Wolstoncroft, 251.26; Linda Burroughsford, 196.24; John Welte, 189.27; Barbara Libby, 186.53; Martin Pieterse, 182.62; Gay Simpson, 181.68; Mike Silverman, 174.10; Martha Welte, 170.61; and John Ziemer, 168.83. Just outside the magic circle – Allen Beroza, 166.76.

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

I stay seventh among the Rubies with 156.09, but move up to #36 from #42 overall. The final standings are largely unchanged:

Linda Burroughsford crashes through the half-century mark with another 40-plus point month, finishing on top with 537.72. She’s first among all Unit 116 players, too.

Davis Heussler stays second with 470.06, but slips from fourth to fifth among all Buffalo players.

Then it’s Ken Meier, 268.86 (steady at #13 overall); Fred Yellen, 206.99 (still #23 overall); Martin Pieterse, 206.81 (still #24); and John Sinclair, 163.54 (up to #31 from #32).

I’m seventh with 156.09 (up to #36 from #42); Dorothy May is eighth with 119.95 (down to #47 from #45); Art Matthies, 118.60 (up to #48 from #52); and Gene Finton, 116.26 (down to #50 from #44).

Unit 116. Mini-McKenney. All Players.

Linda Burroughsford’s final burst increased her margin over challenger Saleh Fetouh. A month ago, she was less than six points ahead of him. She finished with a 24-point lead. Here’s the Top 10:

Linda Burroughsford, 537.72; Saleh Fetouh, 513.55; Alan Greer jumping to third from fifth with 475.79, bumping John Welte, 474.10; and Davis Heussler, 470.06.

Then it’s Martha Welte, 448.38; Mike Ryan, 392.65; Glenn Milgrim, 363.77; John Ziemer, 319.60; and Chris Urbanek, 318.77. Dian Petrov, eighth a month ago, finishes #11 with 315.45.

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

Unit 116 holds three of the top four positions and five of the Top 10. Here they are:

Linda Burroughsford, 196.24 (up to eighth from tenth overall in the district); Martin Pieterse, 182.62 (down to #13 from #11 overall); and Judith Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, jumping from fifth to third with a 26.40-point month to 164.46 (up to #26 overall from #34).

Then it’s Fred Yellen, 160.85 (up to #27 overall from #28); Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 152.75 (down to #32 from #31); Marvin Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, jumping onto the list in sixth place 137.80 (#42 overall); moi, up to seventh from ninth a month ago with 134.86 (up to #48 from #57); William Tordella of Bemus Point, 133.43 (#49); James Wheeler of Edinburg, Pa., down from sixth to ninth with 133.20 (down to #50 overall from #44); and Ken Meier, down to tenth from eighth with 131.24 (and down to #53 from #48 overall).  

District 5. Ace of Clubs. All Players. Alan Greer, still first with 439.97. Nancy Wolstoncroft, still second with 251.26. But then Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh had a 33.78-point month to regain third place with 241.69.

Displaced to fourth was Stephanie Alexander of Mentor, Ohio, with 224.75. Then Robert Alexander, also from Mentor, 222.93; Arlene Port of Pittsburgh, 215.91; Bruce Cahoon of Akron, Ohio, 205.17; Linda Burroughsford, 196.24; Kenneth Bergman of Wexford, Pa., 192.03; and John Welte, 189.27.

More Unit 116 players show up in the Second 10. Barbara Libby is #11 with 186.53. Martin Pieterse is #13 with 182.62. Gay Simpson is #14 with 181.68. Mike Silverman is #18 with 174.10. And Martha Welte is #20 with 170.61.

District 5. Mini-McKenney. Ruby Life Masters.

Once again, Unit 116 players hold three of the top four spots, five of the Top 10. Here they are:

Linda Burroughsford, 537.72 (up to #11 from #13 among all District 5 players); Davis Heussler, 470.06 (down to #17 from #18 overall); Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, Ohio, 291.42 (steady at #37 overall); Ken Meier, 268.86 (down to #47 from #42); and Robert Zimmerman of Pittsburgh, 259.50 (down to #51 from #49).

Then it’s James Fox of Canonsburg, Pa., 252.27 (up to #57 from #61); Judith Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 235.71 (up to #64 from #72); Fred Yellen, 206.99 (up to #82 from #84); tied with Marvin Shapiro of Akron, Ohio, 206.99 (up to #82 from #94); and Martin Pieterse, 206.81 (up to #84 from #86).

Unit 116’s John Sinclair is still #16 with 163.54 (up to #126 from #129 overall) and I’m up to #19 from #27 with 156.09 (up to #139 overall from #171).

District 5. Mini-McKenney. All Players. Once again eight Ohio players in the Top 10, two from Pennsylvania, none from Unit 116, though Linda Burroughsford was only two points away from tenth place. Here they are:

Sue Lan Ma of Kirtland Hills, Ohio, 977.23; Phillip Becker of Beachwood, Ohio, 677.54; Stephanie and Robert Alexander of Mentor Ohio, 645.97 and 644.15; Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa., 632.29; Bernie Greenspan of Beachwood, Ohio, 629.31; Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 623.03; Kathleen and Don Sulgrove of Twinsburg, Ohio, 600.17 and 562.12; and Fleur Howard of Gates Mills, Ohio, 539.68.

Saleh Fetouh is #13 with 513.55. Alan Greer is #15 with 475.79. John Welte is #17 with 474.10. Davis Heussler is #18 with 470.06. And Martha Welte is #20 with 448.38.

(pause till Ground Hog Day)

Now for the really, really big hitters.

Ace of Clubs. Ruby Life Masters. Nationwide.

Tight race here. Russ Pearly of The Villages, Fla., aced out Jim Loffree of Naples, Fla., by just five points – 376.52 to 371.21.

Familiar names after that. Mason Barge of Atlanta, 340.33; Mark Crumrine of Ocala, Fla., 333.43; Sid Perutz of Dallas, 318.22; Christopher Smith of Vero Beach, Fla., 308.70; Christine Converse of Highland Beach, Fla., 303.48; John Miller of Chicago, 296.78; Eileen Boal of Albany, Ore., 298.09; and Aivars Lapins of Cambria, Calif., 292.48.

Any Unit 116 folks here? Sure, there are. Our leader, Linda Burroughsford, is #78 with 196.24. Martin Pieterse is tied for #131 with 182.62. Sometimes Western New Yorker David Millward, now listed at Vero Beach, Fla., is #134 with 182.08. Fred Yellen is #226 with 160.85. And there I am at #464 with my 134.86, nestled between Judy Alvord of Laguna Niguel, Calif., with 134.92, and J. Sanders of Tulsa with 134.79. The list cuts off at 132.43.

Ace of Clubs. All players. Nationwide.

I must look into how these guys get so many points in club play. Are they really huge games that award 10+ points to winners? Or do these people play three times a day? At any rate, here are the champs:

Bill Kulbersh of Atlanta, a runaway winner with 712.85. Next are Neil Silverman of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 602.15; Francine Feldman of Boca Raton, Fla., 528.97; David Hudson of The Villages, Fla., 526.35; En Xie of St. Louis, 526.23; Sheila Gabay of Newton, Mass., 522.30; Robert Epstein of Atlanta, 521.61; Harry Kaufman of North Redington Beach, Fla., 495.26; Jeff Edelstein of Tampa, 488.62; and Bella Ionis-Sorren of Fort Lauderdale, 478.77. Buffalo’s Alan Greer is #15 with 439.97. Nancy Wolstoncroft is #337 with 251.26. The list cuts off at 226.05.

Mini-McKenney. Ruby Life Masters. Nationwide. Nobody in four figures here. Still, a relatively tight race for the top.

Winner is Harrison Luba of Lynnfield, Mass., 871.09; followed by Thomas Rush of Houston, 856.44; Samuel Amer of New York City, 668.39; Dolores Aquino of Houston, 657.54; Amy Casanova of Portland, Ore., 649.70; Christopher Smith of Vero Beach, Fla., 633.06; Bill Cook of Louisville, Ky., 618.93; Shailesh Gupta of Aliso Viejo, Calif., 591.70; Jay Lucas of Little Rock, Ark., 574.73; and Ann Buchholz of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 573.44.

Then people from the Ace of Clubs list start showing up. Mark Crumrine, third on the Ace of Clubs lineup, is #12 with 556.55; the Ace of Clubs champ, Russ Pearly, is #13 with 546.67; and our very own Linda Burroughsford is #14 with 537.72. Yea, Linda!

Linda’s tournament partner, Davis Heussler is #23 with 470.06. Ken Meier is #224 with 268.86. Fred Yellen, with his 206.99, and Martin Pieterse, with 206.81, fall just short of the magic Top 500. It cuts off at 208.33.

Mini-McKenney. All players. Nationwide.

The winner is a guy I played against in the Niagara Falls, Ont., regional two years ago – Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif. His total for the year was 2,607.46. How steep an achievement is that? Well, it took me 14 years of playing competitively to get that many points. On the other hand, in 2018, when Itabashi finished second to Joe Grue of New York City, he had 3,218.39 points.

Anyway, back to the future past. Second in 2019 was the legendary Jeff Meckstroth of Clearwater Beach, Fla., with 2,413.37. Joe Grue was third with 2,337.76.

After that, it’s Kevin Dwyer of Melbourne, Fla., 2,329.50; Jacob Morgan of Madison, Wis., 2,205.75; Shan Haung of Melbourne, 2,103.20; Meckstroth’s collaborator Eric Rodwell of Clearwater, Fla., 1,951.33; another guy I’ve played against, Alex Hudson of Raleigh, N.C., 1,947.50; John Hurd of New York City, 1,927.45; and Adam Grossack of Newton, Mass., 1,894.25.

Former Buffalonian Joel Wooldridge, now of Jackson Heights, Queens, is #14 with 1,726.58. District 5 champ Sue Lan Ma is #76 with 977.23, while her frequent tournament partner Peter Petruzzellis of Scarborough, Ont., is #89 with 947.44.

Unit 116 players? Linda Burroughsford is #406 with 537.72. And there’s Saleh Fetouh at #462 with his 513.55. But nobody else. The Top 500 list stops at 500.55.