Bridge Blog 1141: The marginally merry month of May

 

Outside obligations got in the way of my bridge game all month. There were medical appointments. There was that Memorial Day holiday during Silver Linings Week. There was that trip to bring my mother-in-law from the nursing home on Long Island that was kicking her out to one up here in Buffalo that hopefully would do better. The upshot: A 5.54 point month, bringing me to a total of 31.34 as of May 31. At any rate, the ACBL’s master point race standings are up. Let’s check them out.

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

Not a stellar month for those first-place Weltes, John and Martha. They took in 50.48 points to reach 346.43. In April, they won 56.16. They’re also tied for first among all players in Unit 116.

Third-place Ken Meier cracked the century mark, but it was only a 17.59 point month for him. He now stands at 100.75 and is fifth overall in the unit, up one notch there. Fourth-place Allen Beroza collected 10.39 points, giving him 80.23. He’s eighth overall and is also up a notch.

Returned snowbird David Millward accumulated fewer points still, just 7.76, putting him at 68.87 in fifth place. He’s #13 overall, down from #10. Then there’s a big drop to the have-nots. I’m their leader in sixth place with 31.34, #33 overall, up from #35 a month ago. Guess nobody had a great month.

Still seventh is Bill Rushmore with 22.54, holding steady at #48 overall. Continuing eighth is Davis Heussler with 20.21 and #54 overall. Fred Yellen added no points, staying at 10.48, dropping to #97 in the unit from #83.

Also adding no points was Art Morth, who has 4.26. He fell behind Pat Rasmus, who passed him to take tenth place with a 1.43 point improvement in May. She’s #138 among all unit players. He’s #143.

Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

It’s not news to see that John and Martha Welte have three times as many points as anyone else in the unit. What’s remarkable, however, is the ascendancy of Jim Lanzo to third place, nipping past Barbara Libby as part of a shakeup in the Top Ten. Here are the leaders:

John and Martha Welte, 346.43; Jim Lanzo, 102,82, up 19 points; Barbara Libby, 101.68, up 14.57; Ken Meier, 100.75; Vic Bergsten, 96.65, dropping two rungs despite a 12.39 point month; Martha Townson, 94.84 with a 15.86 point month; Allen Beroza, 80.23; Sandi England, 78.68; and Larry Himelein, 77.60, nudging Gay Simpson down to #11 with her 77.49.

As for the rest of the teens, it’s Amita Arora, 70.21, up to #12 from #16 with a 21.11 point month; David Millward, 68.87; Sharon Benz, 68.66; Violet Makhija, 62.38; Judi Marshall, 61.80; Bram and Terry Hamovitch, tied for #17 with 59.79; Jasbeer Makhija, 54.65; and Jim Easton, 51.75. Jim got a boost for his venture outside his constant partnership with Marilyn Wortzman. They’re no longer tied. She’s #21 with 49.50, not far ahead of Linda Henschel with 49.36.

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

For many on this list, their totals are the same as the Ace of Clubs totals, but not the Weltes. They’re 28 points better with 374.77, tied for the lead here and still on top of all players in the unit.

The rest of the Top Ten looks like this: Ken Meier, 100.75, sixth overall, up from seventh; Allen Beroza, 80.23, steady at ninth in the unit; David Millward, 68.87 (#13, down from #11); Davis Heussler, 37.83 (#29, down from #27); moi, 31.34 (#35, up from #39); Bill Rushmore, 22.54 (#52, down from #51); Fred Yellon, 10.48 (#98, down from #85); Pat Rasmus, 4.49 (#139, up from #146); and Art Morth, 4.26 (#144, down from #134).

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

After John and Martha Welte, leading the list with 374.77 each, it’s the amazing Jim Lanzo, 126.81; and the equally amazing Martha Townson, 111.03. Then comes Barbara Libby, 101.68; Ken Meier, 100.75; Vic Bergsten, 97.63; the up-and-coming Amita Arora, 88.39; Allen Beroza, 80.23; and Sandi England, 78.68; barely staying ahead of Larry Himelein, 77.60; and Gay Simpson, 77.49.

The rest of the teens – David Millward, 68.87; Sharon Benz, 68.66; Violet Makhija, 62.38; Judi Marshall, 61.80; Bram and Terry Hamovitch, 60.32; Jim Easton, 55.06; and Jasbeer Makhija, 54.65. Marilyn Wortzman is #21 with 52.81.

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

Four players in triple digits, three of them from Buffalo’s Unit 116. Tied at the top, of course, are John and Martha Welte with 346.43. They’re also first among all players in the district.

Holding third is Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, with 121.71. She’s seventh overall in the district. The other centenarian is Buffalo’s Ken Meier with 100.75. He’s #16 overall.

A couple more Ohioans – Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, 96.04 (#22 overall) and Peter Merker, 84.77 (#30) – and then we encounter Buffalo’s Allen Beroza with 80.23. He’s #33 overall.

Then it’s David Norris of Rocky River, Ohio, with 70.07 (#52) and our snowbird, David Millward, with 68.87. He’s #53 overall. Rounding out the Top 10 is a Pennsylvanian, Jack Hawthorne of Valencia with 62.15. He’s #63 overall.

The next Buffalonian to show up is yours truly, down at #16 with my 31.34. I’m #198 among all players in the district.

Ace of Clubs. District 5. All Players.

John and Martha Welte tied for the lead with 346.43, then it’s all Ohioans, with one exception. The rest of the leaderboard looks like this:

Davis Bonner of Mentor, 140.12; Gary Cole of Norwalk, 137.70; Richard Early of Cuyahoga Falls, 128.85; the only Pennsylvanian, Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 125.60; Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, 121.71; Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, 118.71; Barbara Kolton of Beachwood, 113.88; and Sue Becker of Canton, 111.66.

Four Buffalonians reside side-by-side in the teens – Jim Lanzo at #14 with 102.82, Barbara Libby at #15 with 101.68 and Ken Meier at #16 with 100.75. Vic Bergsten sits at #20 with 96.65 and Martha Townson, with 94.84, is #23.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

A couple of faces from Pittsburgh in this list who weren’t on the Ace of Clubs lineup – Craig Biddle in sixth place and Robert Zimmerman in tenth.

Of course, the Weltes are far, far, far in the lead. 374.77, which is 51.56 more than they had a month ago. Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, is next with only 121.71 after an 18.74 point month. She’s continuing at #12 among all players in District 5. Then it’s Ken Meier with 100.75. He’s still #24 overall.

After that, Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, Ohio, 97.84 (#26); Craig Biddle of Pittsburgh, 92.10 (#33); Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 84.77 (#40); David Norris of Rocky River, Ohio (#42); our Allen Beroza, 80.23 (#47) and Robert Zimmerman, 75.81 (#57).

Unit 116’s David Millward with 68.87 is #11 among the Goldies and #69 overall. Our Davis Heussler is #17 with 37.83 and #177 overall. I’m #19, down from #17 a month ago, with 31.34. In the district, I’m #222, down from #214.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All Players.

The Weltes, 374.77. Gary Cole of Norwalk, Ohio, appears out of nowhere to take third place with 145.71. He bumps Davis Bonner of Mentor, Ohio, who has 140.12 after at 27.96 point month. Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, Ohio, slips into fifth with 137.12, having added 26.31.

Amy Goddard of Hartville, Ohio, moves up to sixth from ninth a month ago with 129.61, which is 24.14 better. Richard Early from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, drops to seventh from fifth with 128.85, just 18.98 more. Unit 116’s Jim Lanzo is eighth, down from seventh, with 126.81, an even 19 points better. Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh takes a big plunge, to ninth from fourth, holding 125.59, just 13.45 more than April. Tenth is Philip Goulding of Wexford, Pa. He’s got 124.99.

Next Buffalo player on the list is Martha Townson, holding steady at #15 with 111.03, an improvement of 16.86. Then we find Barbara Libby and Ken Meier side-by-side at #23 and #24 with 101.68 and 100.75, respectively. A month ago they were #18 and #24. Vic Bergsten is #28 with 97.63, down from #23 after a 12.53 point month.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

A slow month for the Unit 116 and District 5 leaders – John and Martha Welte – and it sent them sliding from a tie for fourth place down to a tie for sixth with their 346.43. There’s a good chance that they won’t slide further, though. Next player is 60 points behind them. Overall, among all players in the nation, they’re tied for #36, down from a tie for #30.

At any rate, here’s the Top 10: Hal Jones Jr. of Lorton, Va., moving up from second to first with 463.93 after a 83.89 point month. He’s #12 among all players. Moving up right behind him to second is Stephen Donohue of Riverwoods, Ill., with 460.37 after a 109.36 point month. He’s #13 overall. He edged past last month’s leader – Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J., who has 458.29 after a 38.31 point month. He’s #14 overall.

Passing the Weltes are June Patton of Brevard, N.C., with 356.76, which 74.51 points better than April. She’s #33 overall. And there’s also Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien of Holland, Pa., with 355.19, 75.38 more than April. He’s #34 overall.

Mark Crumrine of Ocala, Fla., returns to the Top 10 with 284.87, earning 52.66 in May. He’s eighth among the Goldies, #78 overall. He squeezes past the guy who knocked him off the leaderboard last month – Krzysztof Jarosz of Grantham, N.H. – who has 283.31, up 48.81 from April. He’s #82 overall. Rounding out the list is last month’s eighth-place player, Judy Hansen of Eagan, Minn., with 278.49. She’s #90 overall.

Further down the list of 500 we find a few other Unit 116 colleagues – Ken Meier is #165 with his 100.75, Allen Beroza is #287 with 80.23 and David Millward is #393 with 68.87. The list ends at 58.89.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. All Players.

We didn’t see the incredible Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., in the Top 10 a month ago, but here he is on top of everything with 576.68 points. Holding steady in second is Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore., with 551.07, having added 101.09 to her total.

Third is last month’s leader, Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J., with 514.42, improved by just 42.39. Right behind her is Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., who has 513.12, which is 119.26 better. And then in fifth place, up from #11 a month ago, it’s the familiar face of Vera Carpenter of York, Ont., who now has 504.44. She collected 136.92 points.

The advance of the Canadians sent Stephen Gladyszak of Chelsea, Mass., to sixth place from fourth a month ago. He has 502.10, having grabbed 95.47 points in May. Seventh is Sundaresan Ram of Tucson with 494.45. Eighth is Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, with 493.87. Rounding out the leaderboard are David Rosenblatt of Palmetto Bay, Fla., with 485.51 and Lawrence Sherman of San Diego with 484.84. Nearby in #11 is John Brady of Jacksonville, Fla., with 482.25. As mentioned previously, the Weltes are tied for #36 with 346.43.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

Stephen Donohue of Riverwoods, Ill., is second on the Ace of Clubs list nationwide, but he’s first here with 493.73. He displaces last month’s leader, Piotr Olszewski, who has 463.93. Then we have Hal Jones with 463.93, and the Weltes, tied for fourth with 374.77.

Sixth place belongs to June Patton of Brevard, N.C., with 359.14. Then it’s Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien of Holland, Pa., 356.18; Mark Crumrine of Ocala, Fla., 326.45; Krysztof Jarosz of Grantham, N.H., 283.31; and Judy Hansen of Eagen, Minn., 278.49.

Unit 116er Ken Meier is #184 with 100.75. Allen Beroza is #310 with 80.23. And there’s David Millward at #420 with 68.87. The list ends at 62.03.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. All Players.

Mark Itabashi has a commanding lead here, as well. 727.69. That’s 245.95 better than a month ago. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone with a 200-point month so far this year. I’m astounded.

Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore., moves up to second from third place with 571.62, adding 101.09. Up to third from fourth is Stephen Gladyszak of Chelsea, Mass., with 552.04. He’s 95.47 better. And then, holy cow, in fourth place it’s Vera Carpenter of York, Ont., with 519.36. A month ago she was #11 with 382.44.

Then we have Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, 516.89; April leader Judy Rothstein falling to sixth from second with 516.32; Sundaresan Ram of Tucson, 514.50; Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., 493.73; Stephen Donahue of Riverwoods, Ill., 493.73; and Craig Allen of Glen Ellyn, Ill., 489.92.

Close behind at the top of the teens are Lawrence Sherman of San Diego, 485.75; David Rosenblatt of Palmetto Bay, Fla., 485.51; and John Brady of Jacksonville, Fla., 482.68.

Vera Carpenter’s husband, Rashid Khan, is #19, up from #25, with 432.75, which is 102.97 better than a month ago. I find the Weltes at #32 with their 374.77. Last month they were tied at #28. No other Buffalonians on this list. It ends at 158 even. 

Bridge Blog 1140: April trickles

 

No shower of points for me in April. Just the 6-point drizzle I’ve gotten used to since I began playing online all the time a year ago.

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

          Slowest month yet for the Weltes. John and Martha accumulated only 56.16 points, bringing their unit and district-leading total to 295.95.

          Ken Meier is still second, up 15.83 points to 83.16. He’s sixth overall among Buffalo players. Allen Beroza added only 7.29, putting him at 69.84. He’s ninth overall.

          Parachuting onto the list is snowbird David Millward, who’s accumulated many of his 61.11 points from Florida. He’s tenth overall.

          David’s arrival drops me to sixth place with 25.80, 6.59 more than I had a month ago. I’m #35 overall, down from #33. Bill Rushmore has just 18.88. He’s #48, up from #51. Then it’s Davis Heussler with 16.58, 8.23 more than in March. He used to be #84, now he’s #48. Fred Yellen is unchanged at 10.48, but that drops him from eighth to tenth on this list and to #83 from #64 overall.

          Bringing up the rear are Art Morth with 4.26 and Pat Rasmus with 3.06. They’re #133 and #145 overall, respectively.

          Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

          The Weltes’ 295.95 would probably be tops for the unit if they never earned another point all year. But we know they will.

          Meanwhile, nobody else is in triple digits for club player. Here’s how they shake out: Barbara Libby, 87.11; Vic Bergsten, 84.26; Jim Lanzo, 83.82; Ken Meier, 83.16; Martha Townson, 77.98; Sandi England, 73.72; Allen Beroza, 59.84; David Millward, 61.11.

          Bubbling in the teens are Larry Himelein, 58.07; Sharon Benz, 57.81; Gay Simpson, 55.71; Judi Marshall, 54.89; Violet Makhija, 49.16; Amita Arora, 49.10; Bram and Terry Hamovitch, 45.67; Jasbeer Makhija, 41.43; and Chris Urbanek, 39.47, sliding into #20 just ahead of the team of Jim Easton and Marilyn Wortzman, who have 39.25.

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

          Once again, not much difference from the Ace of Clubs, but a couple of important distinctions. For one thing, Davis Heussler’s tournament winnings have doubled his point count. On this list, he’s ahead of me.

          John and Martha Welte, 323.21, also tied for first overall. Ken Meier, 83.16 (seventh). Allen Beroza, 69.84 (ninth). David Millward, 61.11 (#11). Davis Heussler, 32.82 (#27). Moi, 25.80 (#39). Bill Rushmore, 18.88 (#51). Fred Yellen, 10.48 (#85). Art Morth, 4.26 (#134). Pat Rasmus, 3.06 (#146).

          Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

          The surprise here isn’t the Weltes. It’s the relatively inexperienced players in third and fourth place.

          John and Martha Welte, 323.21. Jim Lanzo, 107.81. Martha Townson, 94.17. Barbara Libby, 87.11. Vic Bergsten, 85.24. Ken Meier, 83.16. Sandi England, 73.72. Allen Beroza, 69.84. Amita Arora, 67.28.

          And the second tier: David Millward, 61.11. Larry Himelein, 58.07. Sharon Benz, 57.81. Gay Simpson, 55.71. Judi Marshall, 54.89. Violet Makhija, 49.16. Bram and Terry Hamovitch, 46.20. Dian Petrov, 44.23. Jim Easton and Marilyn Wortzman, 42.56.

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

          Buffalo holds down half of the Top 10 here, Cleveland has four. Here’s the lineup:

          John and Martha Welte, 295.95 (also first among all players in the district). Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 102.97 (sixth overall). Ken Meier, 83.16 (#18). Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 73.73 (#28). Allen Beroza, 69.84 (#32). Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, Ohio, 67.34 (#36). David Millward, 61.11 (#44). David Norris of Rocky River, Ohio, 58.77 (#48). And finally a Pennsylvanian, Jack Hawthorne of Valencia, 51.85 (#64 overall).

          Second ten: Gary Sikon of Cleveland proper, 42.96 (#100). Barry Boyd of Wheeling, W.Va., 38.23 (#122). Harvey Cohen of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, 36.26 (#130); Jayne Stahr of Stow, Ohio, 36.03 (#134). Vicki Goodykoontz of Morgantown, W.Va., 28.04 (#179).

          Here I am at #16, demoted from #14, with 25.80, also down to #201 from #198 overall.

          Then we have Ronald Sain of Indiana, Pa., 24.59 (#216). Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh, 23.64 (#225). Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 23.49 (#226). And Carolyn Sullivan of Richfield, Ohio, 22.96 (#238).

          Ace of Clubs. District 5. All players.

          John and Martha Welte again with 295.95. Then it’s Davis Bonner of Mentor, Ohio, 112.16, and Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh with 112.14. After that, a herd of Ohioans – Richard and Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, 109.87 and 102.97, respectively; Gary Cole of Norwalk, 96.97; Barbara Kotton of Beachwood, 94.16; Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, 93.40; Sue Becker of Canton, 92.17; and Chris Murphy of North Canton, 87.53.

          Next Unit 116 representative shows up at #12. It’s Barbara Libby with 87.11. Vic Bergsten is #15 with 84.26. Jim Lanzo is #16 with 83.82. Ken Meier is #18 with 83.16. And Martha Townson is #21 with 77.98.

          Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

          The Weltes have triple the points of the next contenders. And then some.

          John and Martha Welte, 323.21 (also tied for first among all District 5 players). Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 102.97 (#12). Ken Meier, 83.16 (#24). Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 73.73 (#31). David Norris of Rocky River, Ohio, 69.88 (#35). Allen Beroza, 69.84 (#36). Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, Ohio, 69.14 (#39). David Millward, 61.11 (#50). Jack Hawthorne of Valencia, Pa., 52.60 (#69).

          I’m in the second ten: Gary Sikon of Cleveland, 42.96 (#106). Barry Boyd of Wheeling, 38.23 (#133). Harvey Cohen of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, 36.26 (#141). Jayne Stahr of Stow, Ohio, 36.03 (#144). Davis Heussler, 32.82 (#156). Vicki Goodykoontz of Morgantown, W.Va., 28.04 (#196). Moi, 25.80 (#214). Robert Sain of Indiana, Pa., 24.59 (#229). Robert Zimmerman of Pittsburgh, 23.73 (#238). And Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh, 23.64 (#239).

          Mini-McKenney. District 5. All players.

          The Weltes, 323.21. Davis Bonner of Mentor, Ohio, 112.16. Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 112.14. Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, Ohio, 111.81. Richard Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 109.87. Jim Lanzo, 107.81. Erin Gonzalez of Mars, Pa., 106.25. Amy Goddard of Hartville, Ohio, 105.47. And Barbara Kotton of Beachwood, Ohio, 105.27.

          Next Buffalo player on this list is Martha Townson at #15 with 94.17. Then we find Barbara Libby at #18 with 87.11, Vic Bergsten at #23 with 85.24, Ken Meier at #24 with 83.16 and Sandi England at #32 with 73.72.      

          Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

          The Weltes hold onto their tie for fourth place nationwide. Ahead of them are last month’s top three – Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J., 419.98, up 80.10 points; Hal Jones Jr. of Lorton, Va., 380.04, up 99.87; and Stephen Donahue of Riverwoods, Ill., 351.01, up 80.87.

          Right behind the Weltes in sixth place again is June Patton of Brevard, N.C., with 282.25, an increase of 55.31. Seventh again is Yacob (Jacob) Rubenstien of Holland, Pa., with 279.71, 59.70 points better. Still eighth is Jim Loffree of Naples, Fla., 262.64. Remaining ninth is Judy Hansen of Eagan, Minn., 248.54. Taking tenth place away from Mark Crumrine of Ocala, Fla., is Krzysztof Jarosz of Grantham, N.H. Krzysztof has 234.52. Mark has 232.21. Buffalo’s Ken Meier is #170 with 83.16. Allen Beroza is #262 with 69.84. David Millward is #344 with 61.11. The list ends at 49.02.

          Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. All players.

          Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J., again, now with 472.03, up 87.86. Still second is Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore., with 449.98, having collected a remarkable 106.81. Gold leader Piotr Olszewski is third with 419.98.

          Stephen Gladyszak of Chelsea, Mass., moves up to fourth from seventh with 406.63, having added 108.87. Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., advances to fifth from ninth with 393.86, 105.62 better.

          After that, we have David Rosenblatt of Palmetto Bay, Fla., fallen to sixth from fourth with 386.17, having added only 74.34. Sundaresan Ram of Tucson is right behind him with 384.44, up 80.28. Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, is on his heels with 383.78, up 81.80. Then it’s Hal Jones Jr. of Lorton, Va., up to ninth from #11 with 380.04 and John Brady of Jacksonville, Fla., with 377.32.

Sitting eleventh is our old friend Vera Carpenter from York, Ont., with 367.52. Her husband/partner Rashid Khan is #27 with 311.56, which puts him ahead of the Weltes, who drop from #27 to a tie for #30 with their 295.95. Nobody else from Unit 116 is on the list. It ends at 124.08.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

Looks a lot like Ace of Clubs – Piotr Olszewski, 433.69; Stephen Donahue, 384.37; Hal Jones, 380.04; John and Martha Welte, 323.21; June Patton, 284.63; Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien, 280.70; Mark Crumrine, 272.54; Jim Loffree, 262.64; and Judy Hansen, 248.54.

Ken Meier is here at #188 with 83.16. Allen Beroza checks in at #281 with 69.84. And there’s David Millward at #367 with his 61.11. The list stops at 51.06.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. All Players.

Last year’s winner Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., regains the top with 481.74, following a 144.39 point effort in April. He demotes Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J., to second place. Her 473.93 is only 87.66 better. Irva Neyhart is down a notch to third with 470.53, having added 106.81.

Fourth is Stephen Gladyszak of Chelsea, Mass., with 456.57, having accumulated 139.24 points. He passes Gold champ Piotr Olszewski, who has 433.69. Then it’s Sundaresan Ram with 404.49, Mel Norton with 393.86; Milton Neher with 386.80; David Rosenblatt with 386.17; and Steven Donahue with 384.37.

Right behind them at #11 is Vera Carpenter with 382.44. Rashid Khan is #25 with 329.78. The Weltes are tied from #28 with 323.21. The legendary Jeff Meckstroth collected no points at all in April and has dropped to #70 from #32, standing pat at 245.41. The list cuts off at 131.98. 

 

Bridge Blog 1139: Marching along

 

Well, we’ve tramped up to the end of the first quarter of 2021 and the path ahead is clear, the lines of progress in this pandemic point race are set. For instance, I’ve settled into a leisurely pace of about 6 points per month. So let’s go to the ACBL and see what’s shaking as of March 31.

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

Even those Weltes have slowed down a bit. After averaging 90 points a month in January and February, John and Martha added only 60.09 in March. They now stand at 239.79, far, far ahead among us Goldies. They’re also still tied for first among all players in the unit.

There are just 10 of us Goldies in Unit 116, so here’s all the rest of us:

Holding their places in this list and among all unit players are Ken Meier with 67.33, up 22.90; and Allen Beroza with 62.55, having added 20.66.

I’m still fifth with 19.21, up 8.44 since February. I’ve improved among unit players, though. A month earlier, I was #42, now I’m #33.

Again in sixth place is Bill Rushmore, who picked up just 3.86 in March. He’s #51, down from #47. Seventh-place Fred Yellen also had a slow month, gaining only 1.25 points. His 10.48 makes him #65 overall, down from #50. Davis Heussler brought in 1.74 to reach 8.35. He used to be #64, now #84.

Sharing the bottom rung are Art Morth and Pat Rasmus, both with 1.16. They’re also tied at #172 among all players in the unit.

Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

Way, way, way ahead are John and Martha Welte with their 239.79, but quite a scrum is developing behind them among those six players in the 60-point range. Here’s how they line up.

Barbara Libby, still third, with 68.70, which is 17.20 more than she had a month earlier. Nipping at her heels in Jim Lanzo, seventh a month ago and now fourth, having added 26.01 points to reach 68.43.

After that, it’s Ken Meier, 67.33; Martha Townson, 66.67, 21.24 better than February; Vic Bergsten, 65.47, a 21.79 point improvement; and Allen Beroza, 62.55.

Rounding out the Top 10 are Sandi England, 53.67; and Sharon Benz, 46.53. Eleventh-place Judi Marshall would want to be mentioned since she’s so close to tenth with 45.04. And while we’re at it, let’s give notice to Larry Himelein, who’s next with 44.12, and Gay Simpson, lucky #13 with 43.68.

OK, let’s do the rest of teens – Amita Arora, 40.66; Violet Makhija, 33.87; Bram and Terry Hamovitch, tied with 32.98; Linda Henschel, 31.50; and Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, tied at 30.50.

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

Pretty much the same numbers as Ace of Clubs, except for the Weltes, whose grand total is 255.18, an increase of 71.60, and Davis Heussler, who got a bump back in February. Here’s the list:

John and Martha Welte, 255.18; Ken Meier, 67.33, sixth overall; Allen Beroza, 62.55, eighth; moi, 19.21, #35; Davis Heussler, 17.25, #43; Bill Rushmore, 13.53, #54; Fred Yellen, 10.48, #68; and the tie between Pat Rasmus and Art Morth, 1.16, #173.

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

After the Weltes, a couple of surprises. Ahead of Sapphire Life Master (3,500-5,000 points) Barbara Libby are a couple non-Life Masters – Jim Lanzo, ranked as an Advanced NABC Master (300-500 points), and Martha Townson, who’s just a Sectional Master (100-200 points). It helps, of course, that they can play in the novice games, where they dominate. Here’s the list:

John and Martha Welte, 255.18; Jim Lanzo, 79.24; Martha Townson, 73.11; Barbara Libby, 68.70; Ken Meier, 67.33; Vic Bergsten, 66.45; Allen Beroza, 62.55; Amita Arora, 54.32; Sandi England, 53.67.

And in the teens – Sharon Benz, 46.53; Judi Marshall, 45.04; Larry Himelein, 44.12; Gay Simpson, 43.68; Dian Petrov, 42.60; Violet Makhija, 33.87; Bram and Terry Hamovitch, 32.98; Linda Henschel, 31.50; (tie for #20) Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 31.46.

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

Here again, the Weltes have a lock on this division and Buffalo players hold four of the top five positions. Here they are:

John and Martha Welte, 239.79 (also first among all players in the district). Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 91.65 (fourth overall). Ken Meier, 67.33 (#16). Allen Beroza, 62.55 (#24). Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, Ohio, 55.59 (#31). David Norris of Rocky River, Ohio, 46.76 (#45). Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 45.04 (#48). Gary Sikon of Cleveland, 33.61 (#92). And the lone Pennsylvanian, Jack Hawthorne of Valencia, 32.05 (#99).

Let’s do the teens, too. I’m in there. Jayne Stahr of Stow, Ohio, 25.55 (#133). Ronald Sain of Indiana, Pa., 22.49 (#156). Vicki Goodykoontz of Morgantown, W.Va., 20.88 (#174). Moi, 19.21 (#198). Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 19.14 (#199). Carolyn Sullivan of Richfield, Ohio, 18.50 (#211). Barry Boyd of Wheeling, W.Va., 17.81 (#227). Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh, 17.67 (#231). Marcella Retetagos, also of Pittsburgh, 16.57  (#249). And sitting at #20, another Buffalonian – Bill Rushmore, 13.53 (#298).

Ace of Clubs. District 5. All players.

John and Martha Welte, tied at 239.79. Richard and Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, not tied. Richard has 95.06. Monica has 91.65.

Then we have perennial point-gatherer Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh with 88.58, followed by a bunch of Ohioans – Davis Bonner of Mentor, 82.09; Gary Cole of Norwalk, 73.97; Sue Becker of Canton, 72.01; Robert Ryan and Macedonia, 70.85; Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, 70.75; and at #11 Chris Murphy of North Canton, 70.65.

After that, Buffalonians dominate the teens. Barbara Libby is #13 with 68.70. Jim Lanzo is #14 with 68.43. Ken Meier is #16 with 67.33. Martha Townson is #17 with 66.67. Vic Bergsten is #19 with 65.47. And let’s not forget Allen Beroza, even though he’s just #24 with 62.55. For the next Buffaloon, you’ll have to scroll down to me at #198.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

Totals are a little different, but the order is the same until you get down to where I am. Robert Zimmerman of Pittsburgh has snuck ahead of me. Here’s the top 20:

John and Martha Welte, 255.18 (also, no surprise, first among all district players). Monica Early, 91.65 (#5). Ken Meier, 67.33 (#25). Allen Beroza, 62.55 (#28). Doug Snyder, 57.39 (#33). David Norris, 54.95 (#34). Peter Merker, 45.04 (#51). Gary Sikon, 33.61 (#99). Jack Hawthorne, 33.25 (#102). Jayne Stahr, 25.55 (#142). Ronald Sain, 22.49 (#166). Vicki Goodykoontz, 20.88 (#185). Robert Zimmerman, 20.41 (#192). Moi, 19.21 (#209). Kenneth Eicher, 19.14 (#210). Carolyn Sullivan, 18.50 (#222). Barry Boyd, 17.81 (#237). Leroy Hackenberg, 17.57 (#242). And at #20, another Buffalonian, Davis Heussler, 17.25 (#252).

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All players.

On top, of course, are John and Martha Welte with 255.18. Richard and Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, are not third and fourth, however. Slipping ahead of them is Erin Gonzalez of Mars, Pa., who’s reached the century mark – 100.76.

Then it’s the Earlys with 95.06 and 91.65, respectively; Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 88.58; and a big jump up by Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, Ohio, who’s seventh with 86.41. He’s followed by Davis Bonner of Mentor, Ohio, 82.09; Gary Cole of Norwalk, Ohio, 81.98; and Amy Goddard of Hartville, Ohio, 81.25.

Heading the teens are Buffalonians Jim Lanzo, 79.24, and Martha Townson, 73.11. After that are a bunch of our folks in the 20s – Barbara Libby at #24, Ken Meier #25, Vic Bergsten #26, Allen Beroza #28. Down in the 30s, we see Amita Arora at #35 and Sandi England at #36.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

The Weltes got 70+ points in March, but it wasn’t enough to keep them in a second-place tie nationwide. The guy who passed them in February – Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J. – increased his lead. As of March 31, he  has 339.88 points, 127.76 more than he had a month earlier.

Moving up to second place from fifth is Hal Jones Jr. of Lorton, Va., who accumulated 114.96 points in March, to reach 280.17. Slipping into third place is last month’s sixth-place guy, Stephen Donohue of Riverwoods, Ill, who collected 111.22 points and has 270.14.

John and Martha Welte are tied for fourth with their 239.79. After them is former-fourth place player June Patton of Brevard, N.C., with 226.94, having picked up 55.62 points.

Sitting seventh is Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien of Holland, Pa., with 220.01, who’s 64.89 points better. Eighth is Jim Loffree of Naples, Fla., with 218.67, followed by Judy Hansen of Eagan, Minn., with 192.44, and Mark Crumrine of Ocala, Fla., with 176.36.

Further down the list we notice frequent opponents Danny Ioannidis of Grassie, Ont., at #29 with 117.44 and Jane Jennings of St. Catharines, Ont., at #226 with 58.97. District 5’s Monica Early is #68 with 91.65. Unit 116’s Ken Meier is #159 with 67.33 and Allen Beroza is #193 with 62.55. The list of 500 ends at 38.49 points.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. All players.

Continuing at the top of the heap is Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J., with 384.17, bolstered by another 132.42 points in March. Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore., retains her hold on second with 343.17, which 114.43 better than a month ago. Third again is Goldies’ leader Piotr Olszewski with 339.88.

After that, it’s David Rosenblatt of Palmetto Bay, Fla., with 311.83, who was eighth a month ago; Sundaresan Ram of Tucson, 304.16; Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, 302.18; Stephen Gladyszak of Newton Center, Mass., 297.50; Tom Rutledge of Charleston, N.C., 297.15; Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., 288.24; John Brady of Jacksonville, Fla., 287.47. On deck in the teens are Hal Jones of Lorton, Va., 280.17; John Onstott of New Orleans, 274.45; and Dolores Aquino of Houston, 272.45.

The Weltes, tied for #13 a month ago, are tied for #27 now. Our old friend Rashid Khan of York, Ont., is nearby at #30 with 235.37. Nobody else from Unit 116 is on this list of 500. It ends at 97.88 points.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

Looks pretty much the same as the Ace of Clubs, though the numbers are slightly different – Piotr Olszewski, 353.59; Stephen Donohue, 294.56; Hal Jones, 280.17; the Weltes, 255.18; June Patton, 229.32; Jacob (Yacob) Rubinstien, 220.01; Jim Loffree, 218.57; Mark Crumrine, 211.76; and Judy Hansen, 192.44.

District 5’s Monica Early is #75 with her 91.65. Ken Meier’s here at #171 with 67.33. So is Allen Beroza at #206 with 62.55, not too far ahead of Jane Jennings from St. Catharines, who’s 3210 with 61.97. This list stops at 40.09.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. All Players.

The news here is not the supremacy of Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J., who’s sitting on top once again with 386.27 points. It’s the rise of Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore., who’s second with 363.72, and Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J., third with 353.49. They bumped last year’s champ, Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., who slipped from second to fourth with 337.35, after a mere 105.04-point month.

The rest of the Top 10 list includes Stephen Gladyszak of Newton Center, Mass., 317.23; David Rosenblatt of Palmetto Bay, Fla., 311.83; Sundaresan Ram of Tucson, 304.16; Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, 302.18; Tom Rutledge of Charleston, S.C., 297.15; and Peter J. Boyd-Bowman of Greensboro, N.C., 295.65.

John and Martha Welte, tied for #15 a month ago, drop to a tie for #25 with their 255.18 points. And who should be sitting there in front of them at #24 is Rashid Kahn’s partner, Vera Carpenter, with 256.92. Rashid is #31 with 246.54. He’s one rung ahead of the legendary Jeff Meckstroth of Clearwater Beach, Fla., who has 245.41. No more familiar names on this list. It stops at 102.92. 

 

Bridge Blog 1138: The long and short of February

 

Two months into the new year and the hierarchies in the ACBL’s master point races are already set. The haves really have it. The rest of us are trailing way behind. Here’s the way it looked as February ended.

Ace of Clubs (club play only). Unit 116 (just Buffalo). Gold Life Masters (2,500 to 3,500 points). Here a three-tier system has developed, thanks to those super-achievers, the Weltes. John and Martha are way, way, way out in front. They added 84.55 points to their collection and now have 179.70. They’re also first overall in the unit.

Ken Meier and Allen Beroza comprise the second tier. This month Ken is ahead with 44.43, having added 22.77 to his total, while Allen has 41.89, earning just 13.30 more. Ken is fifth in the unit. Allen is eighth.

Then we take another big step down and there I am in fifth place with 10.77, having added only 4.16. It was enough to boost me past Bill Rushmore, who has 9.67 after a 2.40 point month. I’m #42 overall, down from #35. Bill is #47, down from #30.

Right behind us is Fred Yellen with 9.23, which is 3.83 better than last month. He’s #50 in the unit, down from #40. Rounding out the list are Davis Heussler with 6.61 (#64) and Pat Rasmus, standing pat with just 0.84 (#151).

Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All Players.

No mystery at the top, where John and Martha Welte reign with 179.70, but lots of jostling and jockeying beneath Barbara Libby, who maintains third place with 51.50, up 17.89. Martha Townson, who has been burning up the novice games, jumps from seventh to fourth with 45.43 after a 21.30 point month. Then it’s Ken Meier, 44.43; Vic Bergsten, 43.68; Jim Lanzo, 42.42; Allen Beroza, 41.89; Sandi England, down from fifth to ninth with 37.92; and Judi Marshall, slipping from eighth to tenth with 34.96.

Sharon Benz once more starts the teens, again #11 with 31.24; Gay Simpson steps up to #12 from #14 with 31.15. Larry Himelein jumps from #17 to #13 with 28.67. Then it’s Amita Arora, 26.35; Bob Sommerstein, 24.7; Judy Padgug, 21.61; Linda Henschel, 21.29; Jim Easton and Marilyn Wortzman tied with 19.69; and Bonnie Clement, 18.96. We should also mention Bud Seidenberg, going strong as #21 at age 90, with 18.46.

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

In January, all the Mini-McKenney races were identical to the Ace of Clubs results. February separated them. The difference? Davis Heussler picked up about 9 points somewhere and bumped me down from fifth to sixth place. The list:

John and Martha Welte, 183.58 (first in the entire unit here, too). Ken Meier, 44.43 (seventh overall). Allen Beroza 41.89 (eighth overall). Davis Heussler, 15.51 (#24). Moi, 10.77 (#44). Bill Rushmore, 9.67 (#49). Fred Yellen, 9.23 (#52). Pat Rasmus, 0.84 (#152).

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

John and Martha Welte, 183.58. Barbara Libby, 51.50. Martha Townson, 48.55. Jim Lanzo. 47.12. Vic Bergsten, 44.66. Ken Meier, 44.33. Allen Beroza, 41.89. Sandi England, 37.92. Amita Arora, 36.69, cracking the top ten thanks to 10.34 points in tournament play.

Judy Marshall, 34.96. Sharon Benz, 31.24. Gay Simpson, 31.15. Larry Himelein, 28.67. Bob Sommerstein, 24.73. Judy Padgug, 21.61. Linda Henschel, 21.29. Bonnie Clement, 21.23. The Jim Easton-Marilyn Wortzman tie, 20.65. And sitting at #21, Bud Seidenberg, 18.46, all Ace of Clubs points.

(added 25 March 21)

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

I’m not Top 10 here, by any stretch. With my measly 10.77 points, I’m lucky to be Top 20. The Weltes, however, have no trouble reigning over the region. They’re tied for first among the Goldies and among all the players from here to Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Here’s the list:

John and Martha Welte, 179.70 (tied for first overall, too). Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 66.28 (fourth overall). Then a couple Buffalonians – Ken Meier, 44.43 (#18 overall), and Allen Beroza, 41.89 (#26).

The second tier of five is actually four – three Ohioans, David Norris of Rocky River, 32.36 (#48); Peter Merker of Mentor, 29.30 (#54); and Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, 27.69 (#63). Rounding out the Top 10 are Jack Hawthorne of Valencia, Pa., 25.07; and then a big step down to Jayne Stahr of Show, Ohio, at 16.68 (#133).

Next Buffalonian to show up is me down at #18. I’m #255 overall. Bill Rushmore is #20 with his 9.67 (#284) and Fred Yellen is #21 with 9.23 (#296).

Ace of Clubs. District 5. All Players.

Well, we know it’s the Weltes. Third and fourth is another couple, Richard and Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He has 67.78. She’s got 66.28.

Sitting fifth is perennial contender Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh with 60.47. After that, it’s Davis Bonner of Mentor, Ohio, 52.22; Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, Ohio, 51.98; Barbara Libby from our part of the world, 51.50; Sue Becker of Canton, Ohio, 50.77; and Celine O’Neill of Sewickley, Pa., 49.79.

Representing Unit 116 in the teens is our super-achieving novice, Martha Townson of East Aurora. She’s #15 with 45.43. Vic Bergsten of East Amherst is #22 with 43.68. Jim Lanzo of Lockport is #23 with 42.42. 

Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

The Top 10 doesn’t change and only three players accumulated tournament points in February. The Weltes have 183.58 on this list and they’re first among all players in the district, as well. And sixth-place David Norris has 37.52. He’s #35 overall. I’m #19 here and #264 among all players in the district.

Other Buffalonians on the list: Ken Meier, 44.43, fourth among the Goldies, #25 overall. Allen Beroza, 41.89, fifth and #30. Davis Heussler, 15.51 (#11 and #146). Bill Rushmore, 9.67 (#21 and #290). Fred Yellen, 9.23 (#22 and #304).

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All Players.

John and Martha Welte, 183.58; Erin Gonzalez of Mars, Pa., 82.05; Richard and Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 67.78 and 66.28; Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 50.47; Joan Blinn of Holidaysburg, Pa., 57.60; Gary Cole of Norwalk, Ohio, 53.68; Davis Bonner of Mentor, Ohio, 52.22; and Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, Ohio, 51.98. On the threshold are Celine O’Neill of Sewickley, Pa., 51.55; and Barbara Libby of Tonawanda, 51.50.

Lots of Buffalonians can be found in the 20s here – Martha Townson, #21 with 48.55; Jim Lanzo, #22 with 47.12; Vic Bergsten, #24 with 44.66; Ken Meier, #25 with 44.33; and Allen Beroza, #30 with 41.89.

 (and finally) 

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

        Believe it or not, somebody actually has more master points after two months than the Weltes do. He’s Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J. He’s soared to 214.12, well ahead of John and Martha, who are tied for second with 179.70.

        Turns out there are plenty of Goldies in triple figures – 18 of them, in all. Here’s the rest of the Top 10: June Patton of Brevard, N.C., 171.32; Hal Jones Jr. of Lorton, Va., 165.21; Stephen Donahue of Riverwoods, Ill., 158.92; Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien of Holland, Pa., 155.12; Irene and Anthony Toogood of Qualicum Beach, B.C., 139.44; and Jim Loffree of Naples, Fla., 138.94.

        Unit 116 is further represented by Ken Meier at #183 with his 44.43 and Allen Beroza at #210 with 41.89. The list ends at 26.53.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. All Players.

Holy moley! The Weltes aren’t even Top 10 here. They’re tied for #13. Here’s the charmed circle:

Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J., 261.95; Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore., 228.74; Gold leader Piotr Olszewski, 214.12; Sundaresan Ram of Tucson, 202.26; Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, 195.96; Stephen Gladyszak of Chelsea, Mass., 192.87; Tom Rutledge of Charleston, S.C., 192.20; David Rosenblatt of Palmetto Bay, Fla., 192.18; Stephen Cooper of Belle Mead, N.J., 190.14; and John Onstott of New Orleans, 188.45. On deck in #11 is Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., 180.81; and Dolores Aquino of Houston, 179.91.

No other Unit 116 people here. The list stops at 66.36.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

Pretty close to the Ace of Clubs list, same names with one change in their order.

Piotr Olszewski, 214.12; John and Martha Welte, 183.58; Stephen Donohue, 183.34; June Patton, 171.32; Hal Jones Jr., 165.21; Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien, 155.12; Irene and Anthony Toogood, 139.44; and Jim Loffree, 138.94. Ken Meier is #183 with 44.43, just like on the Ace of Clubs list, and Allen Beroza is still #210 with 41.89. And this list also ends at 26.53. 

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. All Players.

Judy Rothstein rules here, too. And all she needs is her 261.95 Ace of Clubs points. Last year’s champ Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., who is in the teens in the Ace of Clubs, is second here with 232.31. Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore., comes next with 231.82.

Then we encounter Piotr Olszewski with his 214.12 club points. After that, it’s pretty much names we’ve seen before – Stephen Cooper, 208.42; Stephen Gladyszak, 206.86; Sundaresan Ram, 202.26 – wait, here’s a new one,  Craig Allen of Glen Ellyn, Ill., 197.66. Rounding out the list are Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, 195.96, and Peter Boyd-Bowman of Greensboro, N.C., 195.13.

The Weltes are tied for #15 with their 183.58. The player at the bottom of the list of 500 has 69.21 points. 

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.