ACBL District 16 Scorecard

Volume

58,

No.

3 May/June 2026

President’s Message

By Jamie Southerland

President District 16

Summer is approaching, and with it many opportunities to earn masterpoints at clubs and tournaments across the district.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming regionals include the Fort Western DFW Regional (May 11–17) and the Austin Firecracker Regional (June 29–July 5). You can see both flyers in this issue.

May also features Grass Roots FUNd games,which provide a travel stipend for district NAP and GNT champions who advance to national competition, and Stardust week. Make sure to read about the D16 GNT champs heading to the NABC.

NAP club qualifying games begin in June, with qualifiers advancing to the District 16 championship. With declining district-level attendance, this is an excellent opportunity to earn a chance to compete nationally. You can read the NAP report in this issue for more information.

Clubs may also be hosting Do What You Love to End ALZ (formerly The Longest Day) charity events to support the Alzheimer’s Association which is

scheduled for June 14-21. Please note: After discussions with several large clubs that actively participate in the fundraiser, the D16 STaC Week was moved from June 15–21 to August 17–23 to avoid a conflict.

June also offers professional development through the ACBL Best Practices Bridge Teacher Workshop, held June 27–28 in Austin, the weekend before the Firecracker Regional.

Leadership Updates

Lynn Baker is our new NABC Correspondent; Kim Brinkman is our new Intermediate/Newcomer Newsletter Editor; and Bob Holliday is our new GNT Coordinator. We thank them and their predecessors for their service.

Two volunteer positions remain open: Executive Treasurer and Chair of the Awards Committee. Please consider helping to support our district and the game we love. You can email me if you are interested.

Upcoming D16 Tournaments

April 30-May 3 Austin Spring Sectional

May 11-17 Fort Western DFW Regional

June 5-7 Midland Tall City Sectional

June 6-7 Sun City [Austin] NLM Sectional

June 12-14 Houston Nearly Summer Sectional

June 25-27 Arlington Summer Sectional

June 29-July 5 Austin Firecracker Regional

July 20 - 26 Houston Unit 174 Summer STaC

July 23 - 25 Tyler Tournament of Roses Sectional and NLM Regional

July 30-August 1 Plano [DFW] Friendly BC I/N Sectional

August 8-9 Austin Summer 0-200 Sectional

August 14-16 Houston August Sectional

August 17-23 D16 STaC

September 2-7 Dallas Labor Day Regional

September 10-13 New Braunfel Sectional

September 17-20 Houston BCOH 499er Sectional

September 24-27 Austin Fall Sectional

October 1-3 Denton Fall Open Sectional

October 10-11 Austin Fall 0-50 Sectional

October

District 16 Officers

President First Vice President

Jamie Southerland Kristen Onsgard

Second Vice President Executive Secretary

Scott Nason Linda Drake

Executive Treasurer Immediate Past President

Jamie Southerland Jack LaVigne

Committee Chairs

Awards Charity

TBD Karen Nussbaum

Membership Teacher of the Year

Juanice Welch

Tournament

Sam Khayatt

Tomi Storey Coordinators

Education Grand National Teams

Patricia Herrera

Bob Holliday

Marketing/Publicity Intermediate/Newcomer

Lauri Laufman

Sam Khayatt

STaC North America Pairs

Daniel Jackson

Larry Davis

Financial Verifier Recorder

Jim Woodward

Larry Davis

NABC Correspondent Tournament / Sanction

Lynn Baker Applications

Scott Humphrey Lecture Series

Dolores Aquino (I/N), Patricia Herrera (Spanish) &

James Moody (Zoom®)

Website Team

Beth Tobias, Ken MacMorran, Sue Caufield & Evvie

Gilbert

District 16

Scorecard Editor

Evvie Gilbert

For Submissions, Omissions or Errors, send an email to: D16-ScorecardEditor@d16acbl.org

Regional Director's Update

By Rebecca Brown

Region

9 Director

The ACBL Board of Directors held its spring in-person meetings in St. Louis from Monday, February 23, through Thursday, February 26. The board, committees, and task Forces continue to meet regularly online via Microsoft Teams® and Zoom®.

Finance

The ACBL concluded the 2025 fiscal year in a stable position, with net assets increasing by $1.367 million to a year-end total of $12.58 million. While operating revenue of $17.98 million finished slightly below budget (primarily due to a $1.1 million shortfall in club table fees) this was offset by strong NABC performance (+$358k) and steady membership dues. Disciplined cost management across operations and administration resulted in total expenses finishing $992k under budget, ensuring a positive bottom line. Strategic reinvestment remains a priority, with $640k dedicated to capital projects. Most of these funds ($553k) were used to continue the modernization of the AS/400® back-office system, securing the foundation of the membership and scoring infrastructure for the future.

Membership

The February 2026 report indicates a 5% decline in total membership, falling from 124,076 last year in February to 117,813.

This is accompanied by a slight dip in new member acquisition; year-to-date (YTD) sign-ups reached 701, down from 1,508 in 2025. However, these figures are balanced by a significant expansion in new guest memberships, which rose from 914 last year to 2,482 this year – a growth of 171.55%. This interest provides a path for growth as guest members transition to longterm commitment.

Strategic Alignment & Execution

For 2026, the primary strategic focus remains centered on membership growth and retention. The board and management are collaborating on a framework that synchronizes strategic oversight with the effective delivery of member-facing programs.

Growth Framework & Reporting

Management’s approach to expanding the membership base focuses on the 5-5-5 program and specific membership pathways. Key strategic pillars include:

• Retention-First Strategy: Prioritizing the retention of existing members as the most sustainable engine for growth.

• Funnel Expansion: Broadening participation by opening the funnel to new players, ensuring a more diverse entry point into the organization.

• Systems Integration: Improving tracking by reconciling legacy and back-office reporting data to ensure outreach to lapsed members is based on accurate metrics.

• Engagement & Recognition: Updates were provided about the Sapphire program, which serves as the primary vehicle for tracking and recognizing member engagement.

Online Ethical Oversight

The ACBL continues to utilize EDGAR (Everyone Deserves a Game Above Reproach) to detect online cheating. Since December, the processing of approximately 20,000 additional player numbers was completed, with another 10,000 currently nearing completion. Two final large batches will be submitted to EDGAR to finish screening all individuals who have played online since 2020. These final runs and their subsequent processing are expected to conclude by May.

Processing Statistics & Outcomes

Since February 2024, 50,795 players have been submitted for screening and fully processed.

• Total Screened: 50,795.

• Disciplinary Actions: 1,812 players identified by EDGAR have been charged or issued Official Warnings.

• Current Cheating Rate: Approximately 3.5%. This figure includes members, nonmembers and inactive accounts. The estimated final rate is projected to be approximately 3%.

Disciplinary actions have included Official Warnings (498); Fast Track Discipline (FTD) (939);

Negotiated Resolutions (NR) (54); Management Adjudications (10); Institute of Bridge Arbitration (IBA) resolutions (44); with 41 resignations with charges pending, and 154 pending cases. To view Hearing Reports and the Under Discipline List, go to the ACBL's ethics page. This information is updated several times daily.

Tournament Task Force

The Tournament Task Force focused on how to achieve appropriate tournament staffing, scheduling of tournaments, and schedules of events for regional tournaments of all sizes.

Working closely with management, the flagship accomplishment of this task force in 2025 was the creation of an updated Regional Tournament Planning Guide. This comprehensive "nuts and bolts" guide includes checklists and best practices for sponsoring organizations and Tournament Chairs and is currently being distributed to district and unit host organizations.

To help ensure that recommendations and regulations are readily available to those who need them, the task force will continue to work closely with management on the development of Tournament Trails. This initiative aims to gather all tournament-level information into a centralized, user-friendly website space – like a Club Corner for tournaments – to improve accessibility for players, organizers, and teachers alike.

Also in 2026, this task force will continue its forward-looking efforts to ensure that the current mix of sectionals, regionals, and NABC-level events meet player needs. This effort will include understanding how local sectionals, Sectional-Tournaments-at-Clubs (STaCs), Non-life Master sectionals and regionals, and other hybrid tournaments contribute to encouraging player participation through ACBL. Key to this focus will be ensuring flexibility to accommodate geographic differences across ACBL while retaining the high standards of the ACBL brand.

Real Deal Update

The Board received an update on The Real Deal digital initiative, which transitions the ACBL from a transactional gaming model to a community-centric Digital Clubhouse.

Utilizing the RealBridge™ platform, the program replicates the social interaction of in-person play through integrated audio and video, eliminating the isolation of traditional online bridge and providing a high-quality home club experience.

With over 1,200 unique players engaged in a single month, the initiative has already demonstrated strong interest. Current efforts focus on streamlining technical onboarding and developing teaching programs to build a long-term player pipeline.

You can find more information here.

International

Through various agreements, the ACBL has restructured its financial contributions to international bridge organizations and World Bridge Federation (WBF) dues.

ACBL will continue its $50,100 annual contribution to the North American Bridge Federation (NABF) from operating funds. Additionally, specific entry charges from North American Bridge Championship+ (NABC+) events will be remitted to the NABF, earmarked specifically for Zone 2 WBF dues.

NABC Site Selection & Fiscal Oversight

The NABC Site Selection Committee presented a comprehensive review of the current selection process, focusing on the infrastructure required for future NABCs. Key considerations included:

• Operational Requirements: Evaluating technical and logistical needs for modern tournament play.

• Space & Hospitality: Assessing venue capacity and hotel infrastructure to ensure high-quality player experiences.

• Strategic Alignment: Ensuring future sites reflect projected attendance trends and evolving event delivery models.

Please feel free to email me with questions and concerns at Region9Director@acbl.org

See you at the table!

The Most Beautiful Game in the World ♠

By Patricia Herrera D16 Education Coordinator

Bridge is the most beautiful game in the world – and perhaps one of the greatest teachers of self-regulation.

Last time, we spoke about confidence and the emotional environment we create for our partners. But confidence alone is not enough. To become the kind of partner others want to sit down with, we must also learn how to manage ourselves.

In bridge, how we behave is strategy. Being a good partner begins long before the first board is in play. It begins with preparation.

Here are a few hints to be a better partner and have a better partnership (and therefore a winning one!):

• Learn the system –This is one of the simplest and most generous things we can do for our partnership: make notes, know your methods, review your conventions, clarify your agreements

• Bring a full convention card – A complete convention card is not merely a tournament requirement; it is an act of respect

• Self-regulate – This is one of the most important skills in partnership bridge. Sometimes the most valuable thing we bring to the table is composure. Every visible reaction has consequences

• Be a team player – This means remembering that this is never about who was right on Board 7. It is about improving your chances of winning on Boards 8 through 26. Sometimes that means adapting to your partner’s style. Sometimes it means accepting that partnership harmony is worth more than being technically “correct” in isolation. Sometimes (many) it means choosing collaboration over ego

• Be nice. Be kind. – Sometimes partnership begins with the smallest gestures. It may be as simple as

bringing your partner their favorite croissant (mine does that for me, and I love it). Never underestimate how one thoughtful act can shift the entire energy of the day

We all want to win. The goal is for decisions to become clearer, judgment to become sharper, and for confidence to naturally follow. The pairs that succeed over time are often not the most brilliant on paper, but the most disciplined in spirit.

In bridge, every small act of discipline is also an act of generosity.

The more, the merrier. Bring a friend, teach someone, post something. We are always better together.

Patricia Herrera is a Mexican bridge teacher, player, coach and the Education Coordinator for the ACBL's District 16. She is part of the Women's team representing Mexico in the World Championships. Patricia is also the President of the Mexican Bridge Federation. When she is not playing bridge, she runs a nonprofit consulting firm based in Mexico City called Pontis, and is also designs itineraries for people that want to visit Mexico. You can reach her at: herrerapatricia@gmail.com

North American Pairs (NAP)♠

By Larry Davis D16 NAP Coordinator

TheNorth American Pairs (NAP) is an ACBL-wide event held annually. Players must qualify to advance to the next level of competition. The event starts each summer with club-level qualification. Players may qualify at any club NAP game in the ACBL with any partner. (The club is not required to be in your district or unit.) One may play in any number of club-level NAP games, even after qualifying.

Flights

There are four flights – Championship, A, B and C. Championship is 6000+ masterpoints, Flight A is 3000+ masterpoints. Flight B is 700-3000 masterpoints, and Flight C is any Non-Life Master with less than 750 masterpoints. You are not required to play with someone in your flight, although the flight status of the pair is determined by the player with the higher number of masterpoints. If you earn a Flight A (B) qualification, you automatically earn a Flight B or C (C) qualification, provided that you are eligible for the lower-level flight.

District-Level Qualification

Some districts require unit-level qualification (District 16 does not). The district-level qualification event (in District 16) is currently held in October or November in Austin (odd-numbered years) and San Antonio (even-numbered years) sometimes in conjunction with an open sectional tournament. In 2026, the district-level NAP will be held October 31- November 1 in San Antonio during the Diane Olson Election Sectional. It is a two-day event (usually, see *Exceptions below) with two sessions per day. After

the first day, about half of the field is eliminated. At the district-level, both players of a pair must play in a flight for which they qualified. The pair may choose to play in a higher-level flight if both players earned a qualification for that higher-level flight. (For example, two flight C players who have earned a Flight B and a Flight C qualification may elect to play in Flight B even though they could play in Flight C.) You may enter only one flight. You do not have to play with a partner with whom you qualified at a lower-level competition. Both players must be residents of the district in which they resided on June 1 of the current year.

National-Level Advancement/Stipends

Pairs qualifying at the district-level advance to the national-level. There are three or four qualifiers at the district-level. The national-level event will be held at the 2027 Spring NABC (Dallas). There are stipends paid by the ACBL to help defray player expenses. If some of the district-level qualifying pairs are not able to attend the NABC, the ACBL contacts other district-level pairs in order of place and offers such pairs the opportunity to represent their district at the nationals. (No stipend is paid by the ACBL to such substitute pairs. Districts and units might still pay stipends to such pairs.) Some districts provide additional stipends (District 16 currently does). Some units provide additional stipends. (Check with your unit board.) District 16-level stipends are paid after the national event is held and might be (wholly or partially) withheld if the pair had Zero Tolerance violations at the district and/or national levels.

*Exceptions: If 16 or fewer pairs enter the District 16 NAP finals for a given flight, such flight will have a one-day, two-session play-through final to determine the national-level qualifiers for that flight.

Grand National Teams District 16 Finals ♠

By Scott Nason D16 GNT Coordinator

District 16 conducted its Grand National Teams District Finals in two locations in March and April. Flights A and C competed in Dallas in March while the Championship and B Flights were held in Houston in April.

Flight A

In Dallas there were 15 teams competing for the two spots in the NABC. Nine Flight A teams held a round-robin qualifier on day one, with four teams making it to day two. The Lin team (Lunhui Lin, Jin Chu, Kalyan Venkat, and Kurt Zhang) led all qualifiers and selected the Lee team (Jessie Lee, Sarah Chen, Hao Deng and Mark Pan) as their day two opponents. The Chen team (Steve Chen, Danny Feng, Andrew Chen and Charlie Chen) qualified in the second spot and played their semi-final match against Hanus (Pawal Hanus, Ari Sippola, James Zhan and Ying Peng). The Lee and Chen teams won their Saturday morning matches, setting up a Finals face-off between Sarah Chen on the Lee team and her husband/sons on the Chen team. Chen emerged victorious, earning them 40 gold masterpoints and an expenses-paid trip to Minneapolis in July to compete in the GNT Nationals.

Flight C

In Flight C, the qualifying round was very competitive for the second, third and fourth spots on Saturday. The Lang team (Laura Lang, Paul Flynn, Sydney Puddicombe III and Ruth Nelson) easily led the field on day one to earn the top seed on Saturday, while the other three spots were virtually tied (and less than one victory point ahead of fifth.) The Lang team selected Schubert (Linda Schubert, Cassie Stern, Loralee Berg, Myra Hammond, Debbie Taylor and Pam Myers) as their semi-final opponent, while the Atchison team (Michael and Gwendolyn Atchison, Donna Saltz and Jody Westland) faced off against Degenhardt (Patty Degenhardt, Elizabeth Brown, Stephanie Strom and Bonnie Keene).

Schubert and Atchison won the two semi-final matches to face each other for the championship. In a very close match, Schubert won by two IMPs to earn 20 masterpoints (10 gold) and the trip to Nationals in July.

Winners

Debbie Taylor, Linda Schubert, Loralee Berg, Pam Meyer, Cassie Stern & Myra Hammond (Unit 176 - Dallas)

Championship Flight

In April Houston hosted the other two flights. The Championship Flight had four entries, including last year’s winner and three teams that had competed in Flight A in March. On day one, the field was cut to two teams, with the Hanus team – the same four players from March – leading the qualifiers and the Chen team – who won Flight A in Dallas – finishing second. On Sunday the two faced off and the Chen

GNT Flight A Winners

Danny Feng (Unit 176 - Frisco), Steve Chen, Andrew Chen & Charlie Chen (Unit 207 - Austin)

GNT Flight C

team (Steve and Sarah and Andrew and Charlie) got off to a fast start. They built a big halftime lead and when Hanus was only able to win the third quarter by 2 IMPs, they resigned, conceding the win to Chen.

Flight B

In Flight B there were ten teams. They played a Swiss qualifier on Saturday to cut the field to four. The four teams: Nguyen (Lysa Nguyen, Stuart Litwin, Jerek Langer and Benjamin Klauder), Genovesi (Mary Lynn Genovesi, Bob Holliday, and Dale and Val Remmers), Steele (Christopher Steele, Nathan Lee, Kas Rangan, and Chih-Kuang Lee) and Sandberg (Janice and Eric Sandberg, Robert Reichek, and Herbert Kalman) faced off in a round robin to determine the two teams that would earn a trip to Minneapolis. The Austin-based Nguyen team easily came in first, while the second-place spot came down to the final match, where the Houston-area Steele team defeated the Dallas-area Genovesi team to capture second.

Nathan Yee, Kas Rangan, (Unit 174 - Spring) Chih-Kuang Lee (Unit 174 - Houston) & Christopher Steele (NP) (Unit 207 - Pflugerville)

Congratulations to all and good luck in Minneapolis.

GNT Championship Flight Winners

Sarah Chen, Steve Chen, Andrew Chen, & Charlie Chen (Unit 207 - Austin)

GNT Flight B Winners

Stuart Litwin (Unit 207 - Round Rock), Lysa Nguyen, Jarek Langer & Benjamin Klauder (Unit 207 - Austin)

GNT Flight B 2nd Place Winners

A Cure for the St. Louis Blues ♠

The Spring NABC in STL

By Scott Nason D16 NABC Correspondent

They are called the Spring Nationals, but the calendar said February and some players were stranded in the Northeast by a multi-foot snow blizzard. Still, St. Louis was ready for take-off when the tournament started on February 25 with the two top flights of the North American Pairs. District 16 sent three pairs in each flight:

Championship Flight: Lynn Baker (Austin) and Cenk Kuncok (Dallas), Daniel Jackson and Bill McCaty (San Antonio), and Mark Bumgardner (Murphy) and Kimmel Jones (Euless).

A: Scott Nason and Gary Bush (Dallas), Steve and Andrew Chen (Austin), and Lunhui Lin (Dickinson) and Kalyan Venkat (Round Rock).

On day one, each flight ran Qualifying, cutting the field to 28 pairs for the Finals. In the Championship Flight, only the Jackson/McCarty pair qualified. In A, Lin/Venkat turned in two above average rounds to easily qualify, the Chens mounted a big comeback in the second session to earn their spot in the Finals. Nason/Bush also launched a comeback after a poor first session but finished 29th … for 28 spots.

In the Finals, all three D16 qualifiers had strong performances. Jackson/McCarty took 12th in the Championship Flight, while Lin/Venkat were 3rd and the Chens were 5th in Flight A.

Thursday, February 26

The Tournament officially opened on Thursday with the first batch of open events. In Bracketed Teams, the Bumgardner/Jones pair teamed up with recent D16 departee Milt Neher to finish 2nd in a tough top bracket. In the Top Flight Pairs, Nason/Bush finished 7th (and 2nd in the X strat), Jim Johnsen (Frisco) was

10th and Mike Passell (Plano) was 13th. Martin Fitch and Wanda Mikhail (New Braunfels) won the first side game in all three stratifications.

Friday, February 27

On Friday, the National events got underway. In the prestigious Platinum Pairs, Eric Greco (Frisco) qualified at the top of the field. Finn Kolesnik (Austin) was 15th, while Thomas Rush (Houston) qualified 16th. The District’s strong showing in the qualifiers continued in the other National events. Jim Johnsen (Frisco) was the top qualifier in the Lebhar IMP Pairs. Shangyou Nie (Houston) and Mark Pan (Celina) were 9th. In the Senior Mixed Pairs, Sally Wheeler and Buddy Hanby (The Woodlands) qualified 2nd, Betty Starzec (Sugar Land) and Robert Morris (Houston) were 9th and Scott Nason and Tomi Storey (Frisco) were 13th.

In Bracketed Teams B2, Mary Chaffin and Erica Walker (Dallas), Linda McReynolds (Houston) and Sarah Springer (Katy) were 2nd.

Saturday, February 28

On Saturday, two National events concluded and two started or continued. In the Lebhar IMP Pairs, Jim Johnsen was the only high finisher from D16 with a very impressive 2nd place. In the Senior Mixed Pairs, Rosemary Kelley (San Antonio) and Bill McCarty turned in 61% and 58% scores in the two session finals to finish 4th. Scott Nason and Tomi Story rode a first session 64% to 8th place and Sally Wheeler and Buddy Hanby bounced back with a final session 62% to capture 11th place. Eddie Wold (Houston) was 14th.

The Platinum Pairs continued on day two and Eric Greco slipped to fifth place, while Cenk Tuncok and Lynn Baker moved up into the 11th spot. And on the first day of the NABC+ Open Pairs, Greg Hinze and Venkatrao Koneru (San Antonio) led D16 qualifiers in 10th place.

In Top-Flight Teams, Bob Hamman (Dallas) was 2nd. And with the Top-Flight separated from the Bracketed Teams, the Chaffin/Walker/McReynolds/ Springer team were moved up to B1 where they were 3rd. Amy Salisbury (Austin) was 3rd in B4. Karen Nussbaum (Houston) won the afternoon Side Game.

Sunday, March 1

The first weekend ended on Sunday with the finals in two NABC+ events and the first day in another. In the three-day Platinum Pairs, Cenk Tuncok and Lynn Baker took 11th place. Eric Greco was 17th and Finn Kolesnik was 24th. In the NABC+ Open Pairs, Andrew and Steve Chen were 10th, Greg Hinze and Venkat Koneru were 30th and Ira Hessel(San Antonio) and Joe Quinn (Sugar Land) were 36th.

The Leventritt Silver Ribbon Pairs got started and the top D16 qualifiers were Buddy Hanby and Sally Wheeler in the 18th spot. And having complained (above) about just missing qualifying in the NAPs by one spot, I must “admit” that this time we got the very last qualifying spot (104th out of 104 qualifiers.)

Jeff Mckee (Livingston) was 12th in the Sunday Open Pairs.

Monday, March 2

On Monday the Leventritt Silver Ribbon Pairs concluded. Sally Wheeler and Buddy Hanby turned in four strong sessions to finish 7th. Jim Johnsen was right behind them in 9th.

In the Top-Flight Open Pairs, Cenk Tuncok was 5th, Rosemary Kelley and Jeff McKee 15th, Ellen Hessel (San Antonio) and Ira Hessel 17th, and Norman Beck (Dallas) 18th. In Bracketed Teams B2, Sarah Springer, Linda McReynolds, Ann Goodman (Fairview) and Janet Meyer (Dallas) were tied for 4th. In B6 Renata Frutiger (Tiki Island) was 3rd.

Tuesday, March 3

On Tuesday, the Rockwell Mixed Pairs qualifying was competed, with several high finishes by D16 players, led by Nancy Boothe (Houston) in the 13th position. The NABC 0-3000 Swiss Teams also held firstday qualifying, led in first place by Suvabrata Biswas (Katy).

Sam Dinkin (Austin) won the Top-Flight Swiss. In the Mid-Flight Swiss, Lauri Laufman and James Woodward (Houston) were 5th in B and 3rd in C. Diane Atteberry, James Atteberry, Michael Frederick (Fort Worth) and Michael Blanchard(Benbrook) were 7th in B and 4th in C. John Luebkemann (Aubrey) was 9th in B and 6th in C.

Barbara Morgan (Katy) and Roxie Tom (San Antonio) were 15th in the Open Pairs, while Karen Nussbaum was 5th in B.

In the Tues-Wed KOs Bracket 3, Susan Bates, Ruthie Shor and Jane Kirby (Dallas) qualified for the Semi-Finals.

Finally, in the Vanderbilt round of 32, only Eric Greco made it through to the round of 16.

Wednesday, March 4

On Wednesday Suvabrata Biswas completed a wireto-wire lead in the 0-3000 Swiss, winning this national event with teammates from both coasts. James Moody was 6th.

The Rockwell Mixed Pairs concluded with many D16 players in the running, but none broke the top 30. In the Open Pairs, Shangyou Nie and Mark Pan were 11th. James Breihan (Houston) and Linda Drake (Fulshear) were 13th. In the Mid-Flight Pairs, Gary Koenig and John Olson (Georgetown) were 6th overall and first in B. Sam Dinkin was 5th in the Top-Flight Swiss.

The Bates/Shor/Kirby team won their semi-final match to take 2nd place in the Tues-Wed KOs B3. Rebecca Brown (Lakeway) won the Wednesday morning Side Game. In Bracketed Teams Kathleen McDougall (Richmond) was 3rd in B3. Lauri Laufman, James Woodward and Janice Rush (Houston) were 2nd in B4. In B5, the team of Michael Blanchard (Benbrook) and Diane and James Atteberry and Michael Frederick (all Fort Wort) were 2nd. Diane and Peter Clive (Fort Worth) won B6.

And in the Vanderbilts, Eric Greco’s team was knocked out, leaving no D16 players in the quarter-finals.

Thursday, March 5

Three national events kicked off on Thursday: the Silodor Open Pairs, the Smith Women’s Pairs and the NABC 0-3000 Pairs, but only one D16 player cracked the top twenty qualifiers in any of the three. Michael Heymann (Fort Worth) qualified 9th in the Silodor. Robert Evers (Fair Oaks Ranch) won the TopFlight Swiss Teams, while Sam Dinkin was 5th. Mother/daughter pair Petra Hamman and Stefanie Scott (Carrollton) won the Thursday Afternoon Side Game and Rebecca Brown won the Wed-Thurs Side Game Series. The Atteberry/Blanchard/Frederick team was 4th in B5 of the 0-4000 Bracketed Teams.

Friday, March 6

The Smith Women’s Pairs concluded on Friday, with several D16 women turning in high finishes. Barba-

ra Morgan (Kyle) and Roxie Tom were 12th, Kristen Onsgard (Dallas) was 13th, and Shawn Quinn (Sugar Land) was 19th. In the Silodor Open Pairs, Bob Hamman was the top D16 finisher in 35th.

Jeff McKee and Phillip Grothus (Bucerias Mexico) won the Top-Flight Open Pairs. Michael Peirce (San Marcos) and Wes Peirce (The Woodlands) were second in the Mid-Flight Pairs. Linda Drake and Judi Whaling (Houston) were 11th. Renata Frutiger (Tiki Island) was 2nd in the Gold Rush Pairs, while Mary Keeney and Karen Atchley (Austin) were 1st in strat C.

Sam Dinkin won the Top-Fight Swiss Teams. Eddie Wold was 4th and Mike Passell was 7th. In the 0-4000 Bracketed Teams, John Luebkemann was 4th in B2. Alex Han (Katy) won the Friday Evening Side Pairs.

Saturday, March 7

On the Final Weekend, several national events got started on Saturday, including the final two flights of the North American Pairs. Flight B is the closest thing to an event in which D16 has dominated, having won this event four times out of the last 13 years, including last year when the Chen brothers took home the trophy. Keeping up with our event prowess, all three D16 pairs easily qualified for day two. Phillip Jaeger (Austin) and Thomas Hackenberg (Round Rock) qualified 14th, Mark Rosen and Daniel Baker (Austin) were 16th, and father/son pair Wes and Michael Peirce were 30th. In the Flight C President’s Cup, Boyu Liao and Girish Altekar (Austin) qualified 4th. Mary Keeney and Karen Atchley and Christopher Steele (Pflugerville) and Victoria Collins-Becker (Austin) also Q’d.

In the NABC+ Women’s Swiss Teams, Sherry Zheng (Sugar Land) and Jessie Lee (Sugar Land) led D16 qualifiers in 7th. Ira Hessel led D16 qualifiers in the Jacoby Open Swiss Teams in 7th.

Melody Gann (Arlington) and Nancy Peterson (Euless) were 2nd in the Saturday Morning Side Pairs. In the Saturday Afternoon 499er Pairs, Leon Daily (Houston) was 2nd overall and 1st in B.

In Bracketed Teams, Charlene Coor (Austin) won B3. Rohan Srivastava (Denton) was 3rd in B4.

Sunday, March 8

On the final day of the tournament, the Jacoby Open Swiss Teams Mike Passell was 14th, Ariel Smid (Huixquilucan, MX) was 20th and Eddie Wold was 26th. In the Women’s Open Swiss Teams Kristen Onsgard was 3rd.

In the Goldner Flight B NAPs, the Peirces were

19th and Jaeger/Hackenberg were 21st. In Flight C Liao/Altekar were 13th.

In the Top-Flight Swiss Bob Hamman was 6th, while the team of Sarah Springer (Katy), Linda McReynolds, Bobbi Kaufman (Houston) and Linda Drake was 3rd in the Y strat.

In the Morning Side Game, Robert Morris and Chris Kollenberg (Houston) were 3rd, while John Schwartz (Plano) was 4th. In the Afternoon Morris and Kollenberg finished first. In the two-session Fast Pairs, David Goldfarb (Houston) was 10th.

Wrap-up

The tournament wrapped up on Sunday night and everyone went home, hopefully planning to be in Minneapolis in July. But more important, we all are looking forward to next Spring when the NABC will return to Dallas’s Hyatt Regency Hotel.

D16 did not win any NABC+ titles, but there were many strong performances. Jim Johnsen led all D16 players, winning 114 masterpoints, keyed by his 2nd place in the Lebhar IMP Pairs. Eric Greco was 2nd on the strength of his high finishes in the Kay Platinum Pairs and the Vanderbilt. Kristen Onsgard rode high finishes in the Smith Women’s Pair and the Women’s Open Swiss to 3rd among D16 competitors.

Hope to see you in Minneapolis and next year in Dallas.

New Members

February - March 2026

173 Ma. Guadalupe Garza

173 Maria Teresa Garza

173 Patricia Garza

173 Balbina Sada

173 Rebeca Salinas

174 Jim Christen

174 Shirley Cusack

174 Charles Li

Junior Master (5 MPs)

172 Michael Byrne

172 Kathy Schlosberg

174 Elizabeth B Callaway

174 Qunhong Chen

174 Steve Ho Lung

174 Terry D Knab, Keith Koenig

174 Brenda Leydens

174 Frank Ni

174 Dongfeng Tan

174 Ms. Marion M Usher

174 Pat Wetuski

174 Yi Yang

176 John Dee Swope

183 Mrs. Mary-Ralph Lowe

183 Beatrice Michael

187 Rick Howard

197 Richard Dickerson

201 Rj Cheslak

207 Jo Vonnie D Cole

207 Jane E Culbertson

207 Ann Graham

207 Brent Hensley

207 Katherine A Miller

174 Genevieve Osullivan

174 Kemberly Warren

176 Ramesh Kulkarni

176 John Torrisi

183 Thomas Cison

183 Patrick Colgan

183 Molly Smith

183 Roland Stegall

197 Paula Kelly

204 Steven Bouissey

207 Doris Bovio

207 Lynn Taylor

209 Nick Collins

209 Sheri Hobbs

225 Jamye Dehaan

225 Ann K Mattas

Masterpoint Milestones

February - March 2026

207 Karen Swenson

207 John West

209 Sheri Hobbs

225 Peggy Bopp

225 Stina M Brown

225 Sharon Thomas

Club Master (20 MPs)

172 Frank R Hedges

173 Ma. Laura Madero

174 Vickie L Balchunas

174 Milton Dunnam

174 Michael J Balchunas

174 Jim Christen

174 Christine A Feng

174 Ann B Muffeny

174 Frank Ni

174 Yunong Qi

174 Pamela H St Claire

174 Sandy H Tomich

174 Bernard M Weintraub

176 Bruce W Bowman

176 Mooki Harris

176 Paul Flynn

176 Mr. Tom Misteli

183 Ms. Amberly C Griffin

197 Tricia Grimstead

197 Mr. Lewis E Sessums

204 Carol G Bennett

Sectional Master (50 MPs)

173 Enrique Cepeda

17 Alex Han

174 Mr. Jeff S Hutton

174 Mr. Brian R Kashiwagi

174 Chih-Kuang Lee

183 Bruce Bent

183 Susan R Shaw

204 Michelle R Anderson

207 Jay Carnegie

207 Michael J Duggan

207 Allan L Frank

207 Mrs. Marcia L Houston

207 Joyce K Mackay

207 Deloris Rensch

207 Ellen B Schaeffer

207 Anita Thadani

207 Gina Williams

225 Rebecca A Phillips

Regional Master (100 MPs)

172 Martin Fitch

172 Anita L Ramirez

173 Roxane Christoferson

174 Roslyn H Pittsford

176 Caye Cook

176 Ruth H Nelson

176 Belynn Whatley

183 Julie R Dahlquist

205 John F Gray

207 Karen Atchley

207 Assel Garcia

201 Rita G Moss

207 Ms. Mary A Keeney

207 Patti J Klein

207 Joseph Remonte

254 Mr. Don G Craft

NABC Master (200 MPs)

174 Mr. Leon Gertsch

174 Mrs. Marit Hornes

174 Marci Keller

174 Marilyn R Knatz

174 Dr. Gay T McAlister

174 Mrs. Kathleen A Naylor

174 Shangyou S Nie

174 Roxie A Walker

174 Mrs. Aureliane Wise

176 Margaret Jo Duff

207 Claire Hays

Advanced NABC Master (300 MPs)

174 Debbie J Ballard

174 Ms. Gay V Conner

174 Bill F DeGeorge

174 Mrs. Daryl L Dunn

174 Carolyn A Hardy

174 Dennis D Sucec

183 John Burgess

205 Dr. Ivan Sherman

205 Cristian Valenzuela

Life Master (500 MPs*)

174 Rubin Chang

174 Cindy D Hillman

174 Mr. Douglas Kincannon

174 James McElhinney

174 George McKinley

174 Amy W Puchot

174 Mrs. Cindy Schaefer

174 Mrs. Mary T Vagnoni

176 Ms. Maitland W Dade

176 Mrs. Linda B Schubert

183 Kamal Das

183 Kim Satterfield

183 John S Saylor

237 Mr. David G Ochs

Bronze Life Master (750 MPs**)

174 Mr. Robert D Lane

174 George McKinley

174 Judi Whaling

174 Robert K Frisch

183 Lori J Slocum

201 Susan V Pennington

207 Mr. Gary Koenig

237 Mr. David G Ochs

Silver Life Master (1000 MPs)

172 Mrs. Mary H Harrington

174 Rubin Chang

174 Ms. Julie G Connor

174 Mr. Larry Cossey

174 Mr. Ira Garrison

174 Mr. Kenneth G Hudson

174 Mrs. Lynn Luster

174 Mr. Evan S Marti

174 Mr. Robert J Ziegler

176 Ms. May L Sebel

183 Darrel VanDyke

187 Ms. Frances S Couvillion

205 Mr. Julian Palinski

207 Tim Elsea

207 Dr. Larry N Smith

209 Mrs. Nancy L Harris

225 Carol A Sanderson

225 Mr. Sanjay Santhanam

Ruby Life Master (1500 MPs)

172 Mrs. Linda G Banks

174 Ms. Jennifer C Breihan

174 Mark Incerto

174 Joyce R Wormser

207 Charlie Chen

207 Mr. David N Davis

207 Mr. William N Zelle

Gold Life Master (2500 MPs)

174 Geri McKallip

174 Mrs. Susan S McLaurin

176 Dr. H S Norville

176 Mr. Iraj Rastegar

Sapphire Life Master (3500 MPs)

207 Ms. Rebecca G Brown

207 Mr. Wiley W McMinn III

207 Mr Jerry B Murray

New Diamond Life Masters (5000 MPs)

183 Dr. Margot E Hirsch

204 Ms. Suzanne C Dorris

209 Mr. Charles G Grimes

New Emerald Life Masters (7500 MPs)

172 Mr. Bill McCarty

176 Ms. Martha Young

201 Mrs. Nancy Smalley

205 Mr. Boyce M Robbins

*Prior to January 1, 2010 - 300 MPs

**Prior to January 1, 2010- 500 MPs

Masterpoint Milestone Messages

Paul Alford Advanced NABC Master Unit 207 – Austin

Checking back, I realized it's been exactly a three-year trip to get to Advanced NABC Master after joining Sally Sassen’s introduction to bridge class at the Bridge Center of Austin in September 2022. I had played in the UK about 20 years before but that was rubber/party bridge using the ACOL system – I guess my ACOL origins mean I'm still not too panicked by a 7-card trump fit or a ropey 1NT contract!

I made some strategic plans early about how I was going to target the points I needed to move through the master levels as quickly as possible. A) Play as much as I could. B) Play with different people and learn from each of them. C) Be open to adding new conventions but not to be in too much of a rush to do so. D) Play in the open games and team games – as a 'C' player if you have a good day you can really crop some points, plus you can ask the experienced players what they would have done differently after the hands are over. E) Target the pigmented points early – again it's just easier to pick them up when you are a 'C' player with very few points. F) Get my head around the scoring, it always feels like it's the Cinderella sister next to bidding and play of the hand, but I think it's equally as important.

I've felt fortunate to have had the wonderful Sally Sassen as a teacher and both Jim Ferguson and MacDonald Kempf as regular partners in Austin, and at being able to play at the Bridge Center of Austin, which is really super supportive of new players. I've just earned the last pigmented point I need for life master, a silver one at the recent 0-700 sectional – still another 150 points of any color to go but it's going to be fun. Fortunately, when I move to Colorado in May this year the bridge club in Boulder is on the right side of town for me to cycle, in fact I've already played there a few times and grabbed a few points!

Girish Altekar Regional Master Unit 207 – Austin

Iamnot sure what to say for "my story" – Except that bridge is a great game and I enjoy playing it. I also thank Charlene Sands for pairing me up with Boyce Liao, we might not have otherwise found a partner. There are other people looking to find their partners, I don't know if the Bridge Center of Austin (BCOA) can do anything more to help others find a partner.

I had never played duplicate until I joined BCOA and the ACBL. I found that there is greater focus on finding the right bidding system than just playing naturally and finding a partner to do it with, which is what I did the first six months.

I am now learning other conventions but for most of the 0-200 games new conventions are not necessary. Learning how to play the hands is far more important than learning sophisticated bidding conventions, in my opinion. Having said that I’m unsure other than playing more, how one can be taught how to improve the play of the hand.

Feza Buyukdura Gold Life Master Unit 176 – Fairview

IjoinedACBL seven years ago. My previous bridge experience was party bridge in university years based on Goren bidding. When I walked into the BAND bridge club the first time shortly before COVID-19 pandemic, I had no idea what duplicate bridge was, and watching the players I got a sense of how the bidding boxes work, how boards move around and why people are putting their played trick cards at different angles. I had no idea about weak 2s, transfers, etc.

The staff and leadership in BAND were very helpful, teaching me modern bidding and they provided great mentorship. I also found great partners and made good friends at BAND. It is great to see new clubs like Friendly, Valley View, and McKinney filling their

void, and seeing old friends and meeting new partners/ friends.

I want to sincerely thank all the people who have partnered with me. You all made me a better player, and you are still making me better.

RoxAne Christoferson Regional Master Unit 173 – San Miguel de Allende

Thankyou [Rebecca Brown] for your note and for the congratulations. I was honestly a little surprised to hear that I had reached Regional Master status.

I am 78 years old and have lived in San Miguel de Allende for nine years. I started playing bridge about eight years ago, not long after I moved here. Moving to another country later in life is a wonderful adventure, but it also means starting over in many ways. Bridge helped me meet people and find a sense of community fairly quickly and that has meant a lot to me.

One thing I’ve really enjoyed is that bridge travels well. I’ve had the chance to play in several places besides the United States, including Mexico, Sicily, and Colombia. Even when the language or customs are different, the bridge table feels familiar. You sit down, pick up your cards, and suddenly you’re among friends.

What I like most about bridge is that there is always something new to learn. I still come home thinking about hands and wondering what I could have done differently. Some days the cards cooperate and some days they definitely do not, but that’s part of the game.

Bridge has also been a wonderful way to keep my mind working and to stay engaged. At this point in my life, that feels pretty important.

I’m grateful that bridge has become part of my life here. My goal now is simply to keep learning, keep improving a little, and keep enjoying the game and the people who play it.

I appreciate the role that the ACBL and District 16 play in supporting bridge and encouraging players at all levels. The structure of the masterpoint system gives players something to work toward, but more importantly, it helps keep the game vibrant.

Thank you again for your thoughtful note. You are very welcome to share this story if you feel it might encourage others.

Daniel Jackson Platinum Life Master Unit 172 – San Antonio

Onenight I was returning to the dorm from a chess tournament with some friends, when one of them mentioned the game of bridge. “I’d like to learn that”, I said, and my life changed. That was in 1986, forty years ago. Time flies! My friends and I were too poor to take [bridge] classes, so we had to bootstrap our knowledge of the game. I read a lot of books and played a lot.

A year later, I was playing in the 0-20 game at the Bridge and Games Studio of Houston when a beautiful woman wrote her phone number on my scoresheet and asked me to call her, and my life changed again. Debbie and I have been married for almost 37 years, and we have two grown children.

I won the 1987 Rookie of the Year award in Houston, and I became a Life Master in 1990. But with work demands and two young children in the early 90s, I had to cut back on bridge playing at the club and in tournaments. But I never quit playing altogether during this break.

When the Bridge Club of Houston started a mentor game, I signed up. In 2006 I was assigned a promising student, Bill Gervais. He and I did well, we won a national championship in 2009. Once my children were (mostly) out of the house, I was able to resume my bridge career with full force, winning two more national events in the 2010s.

In 2017 I had a problem. I was a Flight A player with 3,500 points but I did not have enough masterpoints to get into the highest bracket in bracketed events. I was stuck in bracket 2. My solution to this problem was to play robot bridge. I quickly realized that I could play bridge any time I wanted and earn masterpoints doing it! I was diligent about playing robot bridge, earning three ACBL-wide Mini-McKenney awards, and in February of 2022 I went over 10,000 points. I got my last twenty platinum points this year, in St. Louis, earning the title of Platinum Life Master.

I served on the board of directors of Unit 174 before moving from Houston to San Antonio, and I am currently the STaC coordinator for District 16 and the webmaster of Unit 172. After retirement, I hope to expand my service to the bridge community.

I made a list of people who contributed to my bridge career. There are over twenty names on it. Thank

you all, with a special thanks to Bill McCarty who's been a regular partner since 1988, and to my precious Debbie for her tolerance of my absences!

James McElhinney Life Master Unit 174 – Houston

Istartedplaying bridge 20 (or more) years ago while working in Fort Lauderdale. I really didn’t play much until I retired last year. I had accumulated around 250 - 270 masterpoints, although I didn’t pay much attention to masterpoints. Along the way I’ve played bridge in Nashville, Dallas, Los Angeles and others.

With encouragement from my family, I started playing again in sectional tournaments and the Houston Lone Star Regional at the Marriott. I’ve enjoyed finding new partners and playing at the Bridge Club of Houston (a friendly place with great lunches) and at the Bridge Academy of West Houston at the Arabia Shriners, also a friendly place. I have even talked to one partner about playing in a regular game on Saturday!

Jerry Murray Sapphire Life Master Unit 207 – Georgetown

My story starts back in 1971 when I decided sitting in the student union building playing bridge all day was much more fun than going to accounting classes.

I discovered duplicate bridge in 1973, joined the ACBL, played every chance I could and was fortunate to make Life Master within three years…many readers may recall that this was back in the day when the masterpoints for winning were a fraction of what they

are today plus there were no stratified events and no colored points. You just jumped in the deep end and swam with the sharks!

Speaking of sharks, the best memory I have from those early years was sitting down against the famous Barry Crane and Kerri Shuman (Sanborn) in the 1974 Nationals open pairs in San Antonio.

There were eight kibitzers sitting around the table, my wife was so nervous she could barely sort her cards....so I said to myself...."What t[he] hell", so I psyched a 1♥ opening bid holding zero points and three hearts.

Now for the part I never figured out – believe it or not, Barry and Kerri ignored my bid and rolled into a solid 6♥ contract. To say the least they were not amused but at least the kibitzers had something to giggle about.

Over the decades we have had special partners along the way. So, I'd like to offer a special shout-out to Hemant Lall, Hugh Hillaker, Mike Bukala, Kimmel Jones and Mary Pat Frick for being special partners who carried me to sectional and regional success during those early years.

Well from here on it gets pretty boring:

I played regularly up until 1992 when I married my current wife who hates bridge. Can you believe that? What was I thinking?

Anyway, we retired from the Fort Worth area in 2021 and landed in Sun City (Georgetown). After 30 years of not playing bridge, I took up the game again in 2022 and played catch-up on changes to the game such as 2/1.

We're fortunate to have some pretty strong players in Sun City and I would like to offer special thanks to one of my regular partners, Anne LaCour, for her patience in helping me knock the rust off.

I know many readers have much more interesting stories but thanks for taking the time to relive some glimpses from my past.

D16 + Club

John Smalley & Earl Pittman 77.08%

Beaumont – Beaumont Bridge Studio

Lou Rising - Jerry Heckman 75%

Beaumont – Beaumont Bridge Studio

Brian Eaton & Ross Ramsey 72.86%

Jeff Brown and Carol Ann Sanderson 70.5%

Texarkana – Sheila Bell DBC

Phyllis Kuchta & Lawrence Brough 70.5%

Pittsburg – Pittsburg DBC

Greg Michaels & Glen Okui 70.4%

Denton – Robson Ranch Denton Bridge Club

John Smalley & Earl Pittman 72.22%

Beaumont – Beaumont Bridge Studio

Shyanne Merritt & Gretchen Evanco 72.2%

Tyler – Rose City DBC

Gerry McKim & Jerry Derby 72.11%

Plano – Friendly Bridge Club

Susan Gore & Janis Williams 71.35%

Beaumont – Beaumont Bridge Studio

Jeanie Nutte & Carol Anne Sanderson 71.5%

Texarkana – Sheila Bell DBC

Dee Payne & Martha Oliver 70.83%

Orange – Orange Community Bridge League

Phyllis Kuchta & Clifford Smith 70.83%

Pittsburg – Pittsburg DBC

Stanton & Florence Beaird 70.57%

Dallas – Friendly Bridge Club

Anita Rothfuss & Faye Vincent 70.51%

Conroe – Lone Star Bridge Club

San Miguel de Allende – Bridge Studio of SMA

Mary Seggerman & Gerdur Kristjansdottir 70.31%

San Miguel de Allende – Bridge Studio of SMA

Jo Bryan & Alice Wright 70.14%

Denton – Robson Ranch Denton Bridge Club

David Worrell & Sanjay Santhanam 70%

Pittsburg – Pittsburg DBC

Reporting D16 70% + Games

TheD16 70% + Club recognizes members who have scored 70% or higher scores in one of the district’s club masterpoint games that is open or non-restricted club game. 70% + Games must be reported to Scorecard. The club director, manager or any player may send an email with the subject: D16 70% + Club. Be sure to include the club’s name and location. Games will be reported on a first come, first served.

Nominations are Open for the 2026 Jacoby Award

The Oswald and James Jacoby Service Award was established in 1982. It is designed to honor those volunteers who have worked diligently at the unit level and risen to recognition at the district level after many years of outstanding service. It is District 16 Premier Service Award. The Awards Committee only considers volunteers nominated by a unit. Although the district only presents one award annually, qualified nominations of those not selected in a current year are still available for consideration in the future.

Nominations for the 2026 Oswald and James Jacoby Award must be received by the Awards Chair, Jerry Harrington (m_jharrington@yahoo.com) by July 1,2026. The Jacoby Award will be presented at the Dallas Labor Day Regional on Saturday before the second session.

Unit 172 - San Antonio

By Ellen Hessel

As spring turns to summer, and the dog days to come are ahead, our unit and seemingly the ACBL as a whole continues to struggle with how best to promote our wonderful game and bring in new duplicate players. Like the saying in the film Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.” We are working hard here in Unit 172 to do just that. Having no brick and mortar in our unit presents probably our biggest challenge.

A rising star in promoting non-life masters in unit 172 is Matt Giffin. He has been instrumental in raising the number of 499er tables we have on Fridays at the Fiesta Bridge Club and recently put together a special Under 750MP game at the Jewisn Community Center. It’s my understanding that he personally called everyone in our unit with under 750MPs. Now that’s some serious dedication! We need more like you, Matt. Keep it coming!

AtUnit 174 - Houston

By Jack LaVigne

Message from Unit 174 President

Brigitte Sandifer

tables, including an impressive 28.5 tables of 299ers. Four 299 pairs even joined the Sunday afternoon open game. We had a brief hiccup on Saturday when bottled water ran out, but DoorDash bridged the gap until we restocked for Sunday. Financially, the tournament was also a success, with a solid profit anticipated even as final numbers are pending.

Nearly Summer Sectional

The tournament will again be held at the Shriners. The Daughters of the Nile will provide box lunches –sandwich, chips, and cookies – at a reduced price of $10, with proceeds benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children. Although our flyers list the price as $11, players will receive a $1 discount at the event. You can read more details on the flyer

Other News

The Mini-McKenney and Ace of Club awards for 2025 were presented at the Election Sectional. The winners are:

Mini-McKenney

the Unit 174 Board meeting after the Election Sectional, Betty Starzec thanked outgoing board members Karen Nussbaum and Hallie “Peaches” Eads for their service. We welcomed newly elected members Carol Jewett and Wolf Schroeter, along with returning member Lesley Kellet. With Betty’s term concluded, the board elected me as your new president. I will do my best to uphold the high standards Betty set; they are big shoes to fill, but I will try.

Lauri Laufman Appointment

Although her term had not yet expired, Betty Starzec resigned from the board. To fill the vacancy, the board appointed Lauri Laufman to complete the term through April 2027. Lauri’s experience and prior service to Unit 174 and District 16 will help guide us moving forward.

Steve Vaughn Election Sectional

The tournament was very successful, with 259.5

Kas Rangan, Jimmy Breihan, Eddie Wold, Lois McCalisster & Bob Domsalla

Brigitte Sandifer

Joe Quinn, Bob Driskell, Louis McCallister, Courtney Coffman, Paul Nimmons, Jim Ochsner & Kas Rangan

Future Life Masters

The fun is just beginning! 99ers

Unit 174 has a vibrant Future Life Masters program with many opportunities in our area clubs. If you know new players, please encourage them to take advantage of the many opportunities to play limited games and tournaments F2F at our unit’s clubs. As you peruse the news from our various clubs, you will see the offerings each has for new players. We are always excited to welcome new players into the fold.

New players in Unit 174 or District 16 are cordially invited to explore the resources available on the Unit 174 Future Life Masters website. Unit 174 has an active role in encouraging our new players, so come on and join the fun.

The Future Life Masters (FLM) of Unit 174 is a

board sponsored program with the mission to support and develop the newest players (0-99 masterpoints) in Greater Houston Bridge. FLM is a resource center featuring information about classes, games and tournaments with a freestanding website.

F2F Games for FLMers

49er Game

Play in Person Every Sunday Afternoon Game time: 1:30 p.m.

Bridge Club of Houston 4876 Louetta, Spring 77388

$5.00

99er Game

Play in Person Every Thursday Morning Game time: 10:30 a.m.

Bridge Academy of West Houston 10510 Harwin (Shriners) 77036

$7.00

All Clubs Welcome Singletons! EVERYONE PLAYS!

News from Unit 174 Clubs

Apple Duplicate Bridge Clubs

Weekly Game Schedule

Open games are held on Monday and Friday at 11:30 a.m. at the Tracy Gee Community Center, 3598 Westcenter.

Bridge Academy of West Houston

The Bridge Academy of West Houston (BAWH) is located at 10510 Harwin (Shriners).

• 499er NLM Sectional Tournament

A 499er Sectional tournament was held Thursday, February 26 through Saturday, February 28. You can see tournament winners in this issue. Everyone had a wonderful time. The table count grew from 40 tables in 2025 to 58 tables in 2026, a welcome positive trend.

• Mentor/Mentee

Mentor/Mentee games are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 10:30 a.m. The next games are scheduled for Tuesday, May 5 and June 2.

If you have not yet signed up, you can register online by clicking here. Mentees must have fewer than 300 masterpoints.

Eight is Enough Swiss Teams

The Eight is Enough Swiss Teams are held once a month on Sundays at 1:30 p.m. The upcoming games are May 17 and June 28.

Linda McReynolds has worked tirelessly to ensure the Swiss Team events are successful. If you have never participated want to join the fun, please send Linda a note at lindamcreynolds@comcast.net and she can fix you up!

Weekly Game Schedule

The Bridge Academy of West Houston hosts games at 10:30 a.m. at the Arabia Shriners.

• Tuesdays: Open pairs game. On the first Tuesday of each month, a mentor/mentee pairs game is also held.

• Wednesdays: Open and 0–299er pairs games.

• Thursdays: Open and beginner pairs games. Come early to the club and take advantage of Joe Quinn’s mini-lessons – they start at 10:00 a.m. and run about 15-20 minutes.

Bridge Club of Houston Bridge Lessons

• Learn Bridge in a Day – FREE Unit 174 sponsored lesson on: Sunday, June 14 1:00 – 7:00 p.m., at Bridge Club of Houston. Spread the word! If every bridge player encouraged one other person to come and get addicted to bridge, imagine what we could do. You can register at LBIAD

Practice for I/N Players

FLM

0-99 Game

The FLM 0-99 Game is on Sundays at 1:30 p.m. Game fee is $5.00. Please see the FLM section of the Unit 174 report for more details. For questions, you may contact via email or call BridgewithCarol@gmail. com or call 936-650-8180.

Mentor/Mentee F2F

Mentor/Mentee games are held the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 10:30 a.m. To be matched with a mentor for the second Tuesday game, call or text Judy Cupps at 713 320-5592. For the fourth Tuesday game, call or text Bob Zeigler at 713 829-6928.

Online Mentor/Mentee Games

Online Mentor/Mentee games are held the first and third Mondays at 7:00 p.m. (The Mentee should invite and pay for the mentor). Contact Mike Linkins at mlinkins@swbell.net if you have any questions.

Online 0-99 Games

The Online 0-99 games are held the first and third Mondays at 7:00 p.m. and occasionally on Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. (usually). You can check game times on the FLM website.

Saturday F2F 299er Game

Saturday F2F 299er game is held every weekend at 12:00 p.m. (noon). To find a partner or to register please contact Kas Rangan at kas.rangan@gmail.com or call at 539-210-1333.

Game Schedule Recap

F2F Open Pairs

Mondays: 10:30 a.m.

1st and 5th Tuesdays: 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday & Fridays: 10:30 a.m.

Saturdays: 12:00 p.m. (noon)

F2F Swiss Teams

1st Sunday: 1:30 p.m.

3rd Tuesday: 10:30 a.m.

Online - Choose Houston on BBO

1st & 3rd Mondays: 7:00 p.m.

Thursdays: 7:00 p.m.

See the SE Carolina Club of Clubs for more information.

2nd Saturday: 9:00 a.m. (usually) You can read more about all of our games at the BCOH website.

May 1-2 Grass Roots

May 3 Handicapped Teams 0-99

May 4-9 Club Championship

May 10 Closed for Mother’s Day

May 11 $5 Member Game

May 13-16 Grass Roots

May 18-24 Stardust Gold – 25% Gold

May 19 8 is Enough Teams

May 25 Memorial Day Hot Diggity Dog, Grass Roots

May 27-29 Grass Roots

May 30 Gold Club Pot Luck! – 100% Gold

June 1-6 NAP

June 7 Team Game 0-99

June 8, 10 Fund

June 12-14 Closed for Nearly Summer Sectional

June 15-20 District 16 StaC

June 20 Do What You Love to End ALZ (formerly The Longest Day)

June 22, 24-27 NAP

Good Times with Good Friends

Clear Lake Bridge Club

CLBC is located at 16614 Sea Lark, Houston 77062. We close for Unit 174 tournaments, Thanksgiving and Christmas. You can reach us at 281-480-1911.

Game Fees

Our game fees are $6.00 for members ($7.00 for guests). If you are a frequent guest, it is probably a good idea to become a member because our annual dues are only $25.00/year.

Weekly Game Schedule

Games are held every day of the week. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before game time.

Open games are held Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 10:00 a.m., and Thursday and Saturday afternoons at 1:00 p.m.

I/N games are offered five days per week as follows:

0-199 games are on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

0-299 games are on Monday and Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Saturday at 9:30 a.m. is a free mini-lesson with a Q&A after the game.

0-499 games are on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday at 1:00 p.m.

Swiss Teams games are on Sunday afternoons at 1:00 p.m.

If you are interested in playing in the teams games, please register by calling the club or signing up in person at least one day prior to the game so that the director can set up the game on time. Chuck Ensor will assist anyone to organize a team for any teams game. You can call Chuck at (713) 501-0282 or email him at cwensor@sbcglobal.net

Eight is Enough Teams games are usually held on the second Sunday each month, unless otherwise stipulated. Check the CLBC website for accurate calendar information.

The Swiss Teams stratifications are:

Level 1 – 0-749 masterpoints (1)

Level 2 – 750-1999 masterpoints (2)

Level 3 – 2000+ masterpoints (3)

Example: A team with one Level 3, two Level 2 and one Level 1 players total is 8 (3+2+2+1). The requirement is that the team’s total must be less than or equal to 8.

Check the BCOH Website for more including details, potlucks and points each week.

Mentor/Mentee (M/M) Open games are the third Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. each month.

Mentees must be Non-Life Masters with less than

Twenty Table St. Patrick's Day

March 499er Tournament Overall Winners

Turner & Roslyn Pittsford

500 masterpoints. The game is held after the morning Open game. Sandwiches are served for lunch between the games. Reservations must be made no later than noon on the Monday prior to the game. Mentees pay the game fee for both the M/M. For Information please visit mentor-mentee program or contact Susan L. Hanna, M/M coordinator, at s.l.hanna@gmail.com

Bridge Labs (Supervised Play)

Bridge Labs are Sundays and Tuesdays from 2:005:00 p.m. The table fee is $8.00. Please check out the website for new classes offered in 2026.

UpComing

CLBC is participating in the ACBL's Do What You Love to End ALZ (formerly The Longest Day) on Wednesday, June 17. Both games will be in support of the Alzheimer's Association.

Silent auctions will be held to allow our membership to play with one of our Stars as well as other surprises. Drawings will be held as well.

Snacks will be available all day and sandwiches will be served between the morning and afternoon games. Please plan to attend the entire day. Enhance masterpoints will also be awarded. Game fees ($10.00/ person) and any other donations are all charitable. Look forward to seeing you then!

Lone Star Bridge Club

Lone Star Bridge Club holds games at St. Paul Methodist Church at 1100 West Semands Street, Conroe.

Open games are held on Mondays at 11:45 a.m. and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.

A Mentor/Mentee game is held the third Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Game Fee is $5.00.

Free Lesson

Diamond Life Master Jeff Kroll gives a free lesson the first Monday of every month at 10:50 a.m. He is an inspirational teacher and everyone should take advantage of his presentations. Lucky for us, there is an archive! Click here if you are unable to attend his lessons.

Beginner Bridge Lessons will start May 5. For more information visit our website or contact Club Manager Mary McDonald 281-964-7212.

Northside Bridge Club, LLC

Games are held every Friday at Restoration Church, 107 Fish Creek Thoroughfare, Mongomery. As you enter the parking lot, drive around to the back of the property and enter at the lower level. The game begins at 10:30 a.m., with a $5.00 entry. Snacks are offered along with coffee and ice tea, and players are welcome to bring treats to share with fellow players. There is a break for lunch, so bring your sack. A microwave, ice maker and refrigerator are available for use.

All May and June games are open and special so extra points will be awarded.

If you need a partner, please contact Carol Meade at 281-543-4541 or email her at meadecm@icloud. com and she will do her best to assist you in getting a partner.

Please contact Norm (281-795-6664) or Joyce Gautier (713-249-8767) or email them at Gautier39@ comcast.net for further information.

Star Duplicate Bridge Club

The Star/Pebble Creek Duplicate Bridge Club has their games in a beautiful venue, with spectacular views of the Pebble Creek Country Club golf course. Games are held on Mondays and Fridays at 9:15 a.m.. For more information, contact Club Manager Richard Duble, 917-3248421, Richard.duble@yahoo.com.

Sugarland Bridge Club

Games are every Tuesday beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Lago Mariscos Mexican Seafood Restaurant, 2329 Hwy 6, Sugar Land. This club is host to a small but enthusiastic and growing group of bridge players. Since the play is in a restaurant you can order beverages (including wine!) to enjoy while you play. Come on out and enjoy a morning of fellowship, cards, and food! Players are invited to stay for lunch at the restaurant following the game.

If you have questions about the games, you can contact Mariah Stopper at 713-817-6899 or email her.

Unit 176 - Dallas

By Jackie Brown Dallas Spring Sectional

Unit176 held our second Sectional tournament of 2026 in March. All went well until the last day when there was a power outage at the venue. The morning session was and instead a single Open Pairs session and a “mini” Swiss event were held in the afternoon. On Friday and Saturday, the GNT team event for Flights A and C ran concurrently. There were 15 tables overall. If you missed Scott Nason’s column about the two winning team, you can find it here

2025 Helen Shanbron Ace of Clubs Awards & Mini McKenny Awards

Both Awards are given for masterpoint groups starting with 0-5 and ending with over 10,000. They were due to be presented on the last day of the Spring Sectional but due to the power outage, certificates will be mailed.

The Ace of Clubs award is given to the player who wins the most masterpoints at club games. The winners for the Ace of Clubs are:

Belynn Whatley, Bhushan Sanghi, Michael Mansfield and Jenny McCall (tied), Jose Portela, Patty Degenhardt, Robert Neal, Loralee Berg, Walter Netschi, Burton Shepherd, Robert Holliday, Paul Taylor, Bob Scallan, Martha Young, Michael Penick, and James Thurtell.

The Mini McKenny award is given to the player who wins the most masterpoints overall. The winners of the Mini McKenny are:

Belynn Whatley, Ruth Nelson, Laura Lang, Jose Portela, Sandy Lantz, Robert Neal, Loralee Berg, Walter Netschi, Burton Shepherd, Robert Holliday, Kristen Onsgard, Gary Bush, Norman Beck, Bill Osborn, and Jim Johnson.

Unit Game winners February

1st in A & B, N/S - Mary McGinnis and Judy Jacoby

1st in C, N/S - Janet Meyer and Gail Wingfield

1st in A & B E/W - Robert Scrimale and Paul Taylor

1st in C E/W - Laura Lang and Cheryl Brunson

Unit Game Winners March

1st in A, N/S - James Thurtell and James Bauer

1st in B, N/S - Rex Vardeman and Brent McDaniel

1st in C, N/S - Liz Williams and Barbara Pittenger

1st in A, E/W - Pawel Hanus and Ari Sippola

1st in B, E/W - Paul Taylor and Robert Scrimale

1st in C, E/W - John Redfern and Loralee Berg

St. Louis NABC

Scott Nason and Tommie Storey finished eighth in the Senior Mixed Pairs and claimed 24.62 Platinum points! You can read more about how the district players fared in Scott’s report.

Do What You Love to End ALZ

(formerly The Longest Day)

Friendly Bridge Club will hold their game on Monday, June 15 at their location in Plano.

Valley View Bridge Club will hold a game at King of Glory on Wednesday, June 17. They will also host a second event on Friday, June 19 at Edgemere. Lunch will be provided on both days. The Edgemere game will be $40 per person and all proceeds go to benefit Alzheimer’s Association.

750 Sectional at Friendly

Friendly Bridge Club will hold their first 750 Sectional on July 30, 31, and August 1. The games will be at Disciples Christian Church, 2001 Independence Parkway, Plano on Thursday and Friday and at King of Glory Lutheran Church, 6411 LBJ Freeway, Dallas on Saturday, August 1. It is open to all players with less than 750 points no matter whether or not you are a Life Master. There will be two sessions per day at 9:30 and 1:30. We hope to see many of you there! Make sure to check out the flyer in this issue for more details.

The normally scheduled games will be held as usual at 10:30 a.m. during the tournament on Thursday and Friday and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

May 11-17

Unit 183 - Fort Western

By John Coe Robbins

Fort Western Regional

Unit 183 will be hosting a regional tournament at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at DFW airport. Play begins Monday at 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. for teams and stratified pairs. The tournament concludes on Sunday with two sessions of team play beginning at 10:00 a.m. The flyer is available for more information.

Annual Awards Day

The annual unit awards day in April celebrated, among others, the winner of this year’s Mini-McKenney awards for most points gained in their respective masterpoint levels. The top finishers are Bruce Bent, Brandon Buchanan, Suzy Stout, Kimberly Lee, Brenda Schrader, Kamal Das, Michael Frederick, Chuck Mogged, John Luebkemann, Ross Ramsey, Khalifa

Ahmed, Nancy Peterson, Gary Neisler, Cent Tuncok and Nancy Kornegay.

The Ace of Clubs awards for the most masterpoints won in club games went to many of these same folks along with David Hammer, Jan Vanhummel, Cheryl Glenn, Brian Eaton, Carol Welch, Pat Cassidy and Stephen Kornegay.

Bridge Lessons

Bridge lessons are resuming at the Fort Worth studio every Monday 9:30-11:30 a.m. On the first and third Mondays of each month Kathy Coleman will teach lessons for beginners who have some experience playing bridge (kbcoleman8@gmail.com). The second and fourth Mondays will feature lessons for beginners with very little or NO bridge experience taught by Gloria Fields. All lessons will be followed by an optional game at noon.

The Denton Bridge Studio has resumed a series of free beginner bridge lessons at 4:00 p.m. on Thursdays. You can see details at dentonbridgestudio.com. The club recently hosted a Unit Championship Swiss Teams game that drew 14 tables including players from Unit 176.

Do What You Love to End ALZ (formerly The Longest Day)

The Granbury Bridge Club will celebrate Do What You Love to End ALZ (formerly The Longest Day) on June 22 this year with all donations going to the Alzheimer’s Association

Victor Mollo's Hand

As a final note, one of bridge writer Victor Mollo’s most famous hands is the one below. His fictional club’s Senior Kibitzer Oscar the ‘Owl’ observed: “Curious hand. Both sides can make 4♥. Very unusual.” Was he right?

(Looks like N/S could be set but probably wouldn’t be.)

Unit 201 - Sabine Neches

By Linda Briggs

Spindletop Sectional

The Spindletop Sectional was held March 5-7. Chairs were Val Townley-Smith and Susan Pennington; Linda Briggs handled partnerships.

Linda Briggs Partnership & Tournament Co-Chairs

Susan Pennington & Val Townley-Smith

Unit 201 members provided lunch, snacks and chances on “Split the Pot” lottery. Dean Domec and Val Townley-Smith each won a pot. Jenny Shuffield won the gift basket.

Results from the Spindletop Sectional: Top Pairs in A- Wilbur and Verna Dahlquist (2 sessions); Bob and Val Townley-Smith; John and Nancy Smalley; Wayne Outlaw and Susan Pennington; Mark Reynolds and Paulette Schwiart; B - Bob and Val Townley-Smith; Wayne Outlaw and Martha Oliver; Tim Stelly and Susan Pennington; 499’er pairs: LaRue Smith and Margaret Jackson; Dean and MIchele Domec; Anne Miraglia and Marilyn Knatz, Mark Reynolds and Paulett Schwiart; Earl Pittman and Rita Moss.

Bob and Val Townley-Smith won the Nancy and John Smalley trophy for the highest points (14.96 masterpoints) by Unit 201 members in the tournament.

Nancy Smalley and Val Townley-Smith won the Silver Senior District 16 Award, getting 15 silver points.

Check out the D16 70%+ Club to see all our members who scored 70%+ games since our last report.

Unit 204 - Fort Concho

By Troy Harvey

It has been an exciting and energetic spring for Unit 204, highlighted by our first sectional tournament since the COVID-19 pandemic, memorable award ceremonies, and plenty of outstanding play at the tables.

Texas Independence Sectional

We begin with our tournament, held in mid-March at the iconic Cactus in downtown San Angelo. We are incredibly grateful to Lee and Candice Pfluger for their generous use of the penthouse, which provided a spectacular setting for the event.

Thanks to strong support from our members and visitors, we exceeded our attendance goals and are already planning next year’s tournament. Mark your calendars now for March 25–27, 2027 when we will return to The Cactus, this time on a Thursday through Saturday schedule to avoid Easter Sunday. Details are already in the works,

so stay tuned.

The tournament opened on Friday the 13th, but any superstition was quickly set aside. Tournament Chair Joy Foster had an incredible showing, winning both sessions with her partners. Travis Woodward from the Permian Basin achieved Life Master status by earning her final silver points right here in San Angelo, making this milestone even more special. Our Swiss Teams event featured the best caddies we have ever had, Emma and Bryson, whose help was appreciated. In total, 84 players competed across 96 tables, earning 688.68 masterpoints.

You can also see tournament winners in this issue.

Caddy Emma with a Smile on Her Face

Notable Game Results

This period also brought several outstanding game results worth celebrating. On March 29, Michelle Anderson and Marty Simpson posted a 70.35 percent game in a four-table field.

On February 16, John Osborne and Norma Walker scored 69.05 percent in a four-table game, certainly worthy of recognition.

On February 23, Suzanne Dorris and Vicky Fisher delivered an impressive 76.56 percent performance in a six-table game.

On March 2, Neal Perlman and Carl McGill followed with a strong 73.61 percent game in a five-table field.

Congratulations to all for these exceptional results.

It is also a perfect time to recognize Suzanne Dorris for achieving Diamond Life Master status. Suzanne continues to serve the club as both manager and treasurer, and we congratu-

Candice & Lee Pfluger

late her on this outstanding accomplishment.

Tuesday & Wednesday Games

Julie Moorman’s Tuesday and Wednesday games continue to thrive, drawing strong attendance and creating a fun and welcoming atmosphere. A highlight of her games is the monthly birthday celebration, where members are recognized and celebrated together.

Slam Pot Winner

Now is a good time to recognize Jerre McAfee and Pat Bitner for recently winning the slam pot with a 7♦ bid. Congratulations ladies

Sunday Games

Sunday games under the direction of Barry Jackson are steadily growing and bringing new players into the club, exactly as intended. The 0-499er format provides a comfortable and encouraging environment for newer players to gain experience.

It is also exciting to see the next generation getting involved, as Barry’s grandson Bryson has moved from caddying at the tournament to regularly playing in club games. This photo is from Bryson’s first contract declaration – many more to you! It is wonderful to see the future of bridge developing right before our eyes.

Tournament Trail

On the tournament trail, Carl McGill and Joe Smith of Abilene represented our area well at the Fort Worth tournament in mid-February. They placed in top positions across multiple sessions and brought home 9.03 silver points.

Many of our members are also looking ahead to the Lubbock spring tournament, where we expect strong participation from Unit 204 players.

Club House Improvements

Back at the club, improvements continue to enhance the playing experience. Recent upgrades include new carpeting and a flat screen to support both training and game results.

Annual Awards Ceremony

We recently held our annual awards ceremony, celebrating achievements across several categories. Recognitions included the Mini-McKenney award, Ace of Clubs, Online, and Virtual categories.

At the club level, the McCandless Award was presented to Marty Simpson for holding the most masterpoints in the club without yet reaching Life Master status.

MariFrances Watson was again recognized for her District Star Award (featured in the previous issue).

Barry Jackson

We were also pleased to honor Terri Tedford and Barry Jackson with the Unit Goodwill Awards for their contributions to the spirit and success of our club.

Unit 205 - Amistad

By Mary Ann White

Whenever I tell people that I live in Mexico, I invariably get two questions: “How’s the healthcare?” and “Do you feel safe there?” So, I want to assure everyone that the healthcare in Mexico is excellent and very affordable with many world-class hospitals and highly trained physicians. And I have never felt concerned about my safety! Yes, we have cartels. No, they are not interested in harming civilians or tourists! The recent clash between law enforcement and the cartel in Jalisco was highly sensationalized in the media – no surprise there. True, there were casualties among the authorities and the gangs. But only one civilian tragically lost her life when caught in some crossfire – wrong place, wrong time. It could happen anywhere. So please don’t be afraid to visit Mexico! We’ll take good care of you.

Puerto Vallarta Regional

And on that note, it’s time to start making your reservations to attend the Puerto Vallarta Regional Tournament! The tournament will be held from November 9-15 at the Melia Puerto Vallarta Resort. This is a lovely all-inclusive property in the Marina area of Puerto Vallarta, close to the airport with lots of restaurants nearby. But you might not be needing those because we are offering all-inclusive rates at the hotel –$220 single/$258 double for a garden view room, or $270 single/$316 double for an ocean view room, including your food, drinks, taxes, and gratuities! That’s a pretty good offer, so why not join us? Visit our website at pvregional.com for all the details.

Big Games

There were some big games at the Lake Chapala Club in February and March. On February 13, Morley Goldberg and Marcia Schnoor scored 70.83% in the 499r game (3½ tables). Mike Roney and Dagmar Rettberg posted 72.92% on February 17 (8½ tables). Lane Galloway and Nicci Beninger hit the mark with 71.36% on February 26 (9 ½ tables), and Nicci did it again on March 16 scoring 71.53% with Carla Hickey (4½ tables). Susan Case and Dave Swanson have been on a hot streak in the 499r game, scoring 73.96% on February 10 (4½ tables), 70% on February 27 (6 tables), and 71.88% on March 13 (4½ tables). Still waiting for my turn…

In Puerto Vallarta, John Fosnaught and Katie Hauck scored 70.99% on February 3 (14 tables), while

Stuart Hall and Elaine Ford posted 72.88% on March 18 (5 tables). And in Mazatlan, it was Rita Cannon and Barbara Schultz with 71.43% on February 6 (8 tables). Finally, Richard and Pat Eddy also had a big game with 72% on March 11 (3 tables). Congratulations to everyone for their fine play.

The Lake Chapala Club participated in the District 16 STaC on April 2 with some very nice results. Congratulations to Peter Jones and Andrew Small who finished first in the District with 70.37%. Charles Chartier and Rob Rich were 7th overall with 62.43% and Helen Lawson and John Olsen came in 8th with 61.64%. In the C flight, Carol van Parys and Bruce Richman finished second with 55.03%. Fantastic showing for Lake Chapala!

Unit Championships at the Lake Chapala Club were won by Ray and Carla Hickey on February 5 with 68.29%, Susan Case and Dave Swanson on February 25 with 65.28%, and Cindy Thomson and Charles Chartier on March 25 with 63.54%.

Shout Out

Here’s a shout out to Rob Rich – a very fine player who helped me win the San Miguel Regional Tournament in March. Thanks, Rob! Somehow, we prevailed.

Masterpoint Milestones

Congratulations to John Gray who advanced to the rank of Regional Master, and Ivan Sherman and Christian Valenzuela who achieved Advanced NABC Master status. Keep up the good work!

Birthday Milestones

Several members of the Lake Chapala Club got together at Tatehauri Restaurant in Ajijic to celebrate with everyone’s favorite director, Michael Farebrother, for his 57th birthday. Happy birthday Michael – you’re a mere child! Mary Ann White and Lane Galloway hit milestones this year, celebrating 70 years young. That’s 70 years each, not in total, in case you were wondering. And 80 was the number for Carla Hickey and Norinne Nelson in 2026. I’m sure I’ve left some people out. So happy birthday to anyone I missed!

Happy birthday Michael Farebrother (with Ellen Kuiper)

Unit 207 - Texas Capital Bridge

By Susanna Busico

Unit

207 is located in the Texas Hill Country and has six clubs scattered throughout the area so there are plenty of playing opportunities. You can learn about some of our clubs below:

HIBridge is a small club with all the big-club bridge features. Games are at 11:00 a.m. on Mondays in San Marcos and 11:55 a.m. on Wednesdays in Kyle.

The club uses Common Game pre-dealt boards and Bridgemate scoring, so results are ready immediately. The games are at restaurants, so plenty of fine food is available! Results are posted before players get home via Common Game plus are available on the Unit 207 website!

The highest award games available are scheduled. All are welcome and a partner is promised if players arrive before game time!

June is the start of the North American Pairs (NAP) qualifiers, so four of these games have been scheduled. Additionally, there are two charity, games plus Do What You Love to End Alz (formerly The Longest Day) game filling out the month in support of Alzheimer's Research

The Georgetown Texas Duplicate Bridge Club (GTxDBC) hosts games on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. at $6 per session. Partnership Services are provided; contact Bill Horton at (847) 779-2872. Nine months a year they play in the Georgetown Rec Center, 1003 N. Austin Avenue, Georgetown Phone: (512) 930-3596. Their 2025-2026 season has its last meeting on May 20, 2026. The 2026-2027 season has its first meeting on August 19, 2026.

For summer 2026 they are meeting at the Cowan Creek Amenity Center in the Georgetown Room, 1433 Cool Spring Way, Georgetown on the following Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.: May 27, June 17, June 24, July 15, July 29, and August 12. Everyone, including non-Sun City residents, are welcome. Summer session rates are $7 to help pay for the room. Coffee is included.

The Bridge Center of Austin (BCA) offers a variety of friendly beginning, intermediate, and open games, and a full array of classes. All games feature pre-duplicated boards, hand records, and tabletop scoring devices at 6700 Middle Fiskville Road, Suite 408, Austin, (512) 300-2743.

The BCA website has a list of days and times for their nine regular weekday games and instructions on game registration and partnership requests.

BCA upcoming Special Events:

• The Spring Sectional April 30-May 3, games at 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. You can read the details on the flyer.

• Gold Week at BCA May 18-22: Play any game and win 25% gold masterpoints.

Unit-Sponsored Upcoming Events:

• Eight is Enough Team Game: Saturday, May 9 at 1:30 p.m. following the Unit Lecture at the BCA.

• Sun City Sectional 0-750 NLM: June 6 & 7 (Saturday/Sunday) at the Cowen Creek Amenity Center in Georgetown. Look for the flyer in this issue for more details.

Unit 209 - Great Permian Basin

By Ann Parish

Passing of Ann Servatius

First, our condolences to the family, partners, and friends of Ann Servatius, who passed away in April at age 92. Ann played bridge as often as she could – several times a week –for many years. She enjoyed giving bridge lessons and bringing homemade cakes to bridge events. She will be missed.

Parties

We had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day party on March12, but I don’t have any pictures (boo!). Winners were N/S Robin Hughes and Linda Buzan and E/W Sheri Hobbs and Kay Sewell.

We also had a wonderful Easter/Spring party on April 9. Winners were N/S Dale Linton and Kay Sewell and E/W Travis Woodward and Kelly Jamerson.

One Bunny with Eggs

A Bunch of Bunnies Three Purple Bunnies

Great times at San Angelo’s Texas Independence Sectional

At the San Angelo Sectional, we had 13 Midland-Odessa winners, who earned .45 to 11.47 silver masterpoints. We accounted for 7 of the 81 tables who played during the tournament. Congratulations to the team of Kay Sewell, Kay Arrell, Patti Heard, and Sandy Hill, who placed fourth in the Sunday Swiss game. Masterpoint Races

Hurray for the Unit 209 winners in the Ace of Clubs and the Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Races.

Non-Life Master Players of the Month

The Non-Life-Master Players of the Month are Kay Arrell and Patti Heard, who are often partners together.

Kay Arrell

May Player of the Month

Family: My family? How much time do I have? I have a son and a daughter and five fabulous grandchildren. Unfortunately, no one lives in Midland or plays bridge!

Career/job: Professionally I am a retired secondary math teacher. Currently, I’m a professional mother and grandmother.

Non-bridge activities: As we know, bridge can take a lot of time. I also enjoy gardening, birding, and reading (I belong to two book groups). I am a member of the Holy Trinity Handbell Choir, a volunteer with the Historical Society, and a member of a garden club. In my spare time I try to stay connected with friends and family.

How I learned bridge: I first played bridge with my parents and sister on a disappointing vacation listening to the rain in a New Mexico National Park cabin. I played occasionally through the years and in 2013 was finally convinced by a friend to join her at the Permian Bridge Club in Midland. We could be partners, she said. The rest is history. Bridge may be the activity, but the friendships formed are the reward.

Patti Heard

June Player of the Month

Family: My husband Jed, a retired car dealer, and I have two daughters, one in Kentucky and one soon to be in The Woodlands, and five grandchildren.

Career/job: In 2008, after more than thirty years teaching (in California, New Jersey, Indiana, Saudi Arabia, and Texas), I retired. The last 15 years I taught Spanish at Midland HS.

Non-bridge activities: Each grandchild is involved in team sports, so we go to many sporting events. This activity is most welcome because I'm an avid sports fan and am especially into basketball, softball, tennis, and horse racing. I’m also an avid reader.

How I learned bridge: Shortly afterward I retired, Dorothy Baird, who was taking Belle Harris’s bridge classes, asked if I played bridge. I hadn't played since college, so I read Belle's beginner's book, and we started. At first, we played only on Tuesday afternoons, but now I play three or even four times a week, and I love it.

Finally, the Tall City Sectional will be held in Midland on June 5-7. We are looking forward to seeing players from all over the place! Make sure to check out the flyer in this issue for all the details.

Unit 225 - East Texas

By Gary Britt

We have reports from the following clubs in our unit:

Sheila Bell DBC From Lisa Looney

St. Louis NABC

Sheila Bell DBC was well represented at the Spring NABC in St. Louis

In February, 13 members of the Sheila Bell Duplicate Bridge Club in Texarkana traveled to the Spring NABC in St. Louis.

Kay Arrell

Patti Heard

WOW! What an experience!

We played lots of bridge, met lots of people and bridge celebrities, enjoyed lots of food and drink, learned lots of things but most of all had lots of fun!

2026 Beginner Bridge Class in Texarkana

The Beginner Bridge Class of 2026 is nearing an end. We started in January and have completed 12 weeks of lessons (the Basics, No Trump, Majors, Minors, Preempts, Overcalls, Doubles, Stayman, Transfers, Strong Opening Bids, Modern Slam Bidding and a lot in between)!

Crazy Hat Day

The day was a filled with fun, festivities, slam hands, popcorn, chocolate and 100% participation at Crazy Hat Day!

We welcomed David Worrall from Quitman as our guest speaker and incredible instructor.

Nacogdoches DBC

From Gay Roach

Max Walton

Our Club is saddened by the recent passing of Max Walton. If our Club had a “card shark,” that would have been Max. He had just turned 89 when he died and his mind was as sharp as when he first started playing with us about 15 years ago. We referred to him and Gavin McGown, his regular partner, as “The Boys.”

Baylor Boys

My highlight for March was getting to play again with my Baylor Boys (Jonathan Ernest, Charles Newton, and Dave Farris) at the Austin Mardi Gras Sectional. We did great! We played in four single-session Swiss Teams events winning 2nd OAs in A, 1st OA in B, and a 4th OA in A in the other. Jonathan and Dave played in Open Pairs before Charles and I got to the tournament and won 1st OA in that!

We are planning a repeat for the 4th of July Firecracker Regional in Austin. Hope to see you there.

Pittsburg DBC

From Linda Harrison Do What You Love to End Alz

Pittsburg DBC will continue its annual participation in Do What You Love to End Alz (formerly The Longest Day) Event starting June 16. All player table fees for June will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association.

Players will be decked out in purple to support the event. We will have our annual silent auction that includes items generously donated from local merchants and lots of our talented players.

Last year Pittsburg DBC raised a total of $3,000. We hope to meet or exceed what we brought in last year as we continue supporting this very worthy event!

Lisa Looney with Legendary Bob Hamman

Debbe Harris, Bob Touchstone, Allan Wren, Jenny Thompson, David Worrall, Lisa Looney, Stella Sharp, Emily Cutrer, Becky Phillips, Terri Peavy, Nancy Smith, Puddin Rochelle & Megan Schroeder

Unit 233 - Central Texas

By Jean Lara

Unit

233 has clubs both in Waco and in Temple, giving our members many opportunities to play bridge. You can read about each below.

Waco Clubs

Waco clubs meet at the Harrison Senior Citizen Center, 1718 N. 42nd St.

Monday Slammers – Managed and Directed by Cathy Valentine

Monday games are open to all and games are stratified. Games begin at 1:00 p.m.

Unit Goodwill Award

We celebrated Cathy Valentine's recent Unit Goodwill Award. The District 16 Awards Committee annually recognize members who demonstrates exceptional volunteerism and promotion of bridge. Cathy contributes significantly to the enjoyment and ethical spirit of bridge by upholding fair play and inclusiveness at all games. She assists and advocates for members with disabilities. The Unit Goodwill Award does not focus on the individual’s tournament performance or masterpoints but the long-term and selfless contributions to the bridge community for reflecting the values of respect, sportsmanship and community service cultivated by ACBL.

Congratulations, Cathy, for this well-deserved

William D. Bonham, Houston

* Robert M. Craig, Boerne

Bill F. Degeorge, League City

* Mrs. Jean J. Jensen, Austin

Gerald Kissner, Houston

Maureen P. Mallory, Willis

honor.

Sul Ross Bridge Club – Managed and Directed by Cathy Valentine

These games are offered on Tuesday and Friday. They begin at 1:00 p.m. and are stratified.

Waco 0-500 – Managed and Directed by George Holmes

The Waco 0-500 club continues with 3 to 5 tables and invites all as new members. This is a limited game that recently increased the upper masterpoint from 500 to 750, allowing more potential players to attend. This game is played on Thursday and begins at 12:30 p.m.

Temple Club

Bridge Studio of Temple (BSOT) – Managed and Directed by Gene Thompson

The BSOT is located at 1712 North 3rd Street, Temple. Games are played on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. They begin at 1:00 p.m.

Congratulations to all members who received 2025 masterpoints awards from ACBL.

In Memoriam

Ray E. Ramer, Spring

Rosalie Reeder, Lewisville

* B J Sanders, Austin

* Dr. Mark H. Zeitlin, Denton

*Life Master

Games & Classes for Newer Players - Come Join us!

0-99 Masterpoint Game: Every day at 6:00 p.m. (CT)

The 99er Nite Club East games are offered seven days a week at 6:00 p.m. If you are a 99er, ask your club if they are participating. Your club must "opt in."

0-199 Masterpoint Game: Every day at 6:00 p.m. (CT)

The 199er Nite Club games are offered seven days a week at 6:00 p.m. If you are a 199er, ask your club if they are participating. Your club must "opt in."

For more information email Janice_Hardcastle@hotmail.com

Click here to see the flyers for the Nite Club Games

Lecture Series

Zoom® Spanish Lecture Series - Third Saturday of every month at 12:00 p.m. (México City), 1:00 p.m. (CDT) May 16 & June 20 – TBD

Zoom® Intermediate/Newcomer Lecture Series - Fourth Saturday (Except December will be the Second) of every month at 12:00 p.m. (CDT), 11:00 a.m. (Mexico City)

May 23 – Presenter: Sam Dinkins Topic – TBD

June 27 – Presenter: Daniel Jackson, Topic – TBD

Click Zoom® Link for either lecture.

Remember that if you are unable to attend the live lecture, all are recorded so you can watch when you have the time. They are located on the D16 website under the Lectures & Training menu.

JUNE 6-7

Saturday, June 6th Sunday, June 7th

9:30am & 2:00pm 9:30am & 2:00pm Single-Session Stratified Pairs All Events are Single Session. Play in One or Both Entry Fee Free Coffee & Snacks $10 per session THIS IS A $14 for unpaid ACBL members CASH ONLY TOURNEY

J Strat A: 200 - 750 K Strat B: 50 - 200

Ö Strat C: 0 - 50

Chair: Judy Devore 512-415-7375 judydevore@gmail.com

Par tner ships: Colin Everitt 512-819-1325 bridge-partners@foxfall.net

Director: Charlene Sands

Friendly Bridge Club hosts a 0-750 Sectional

If you have less than 750 masterpoints come on out and pla y duplicate bridge in a friendly but competitive environment, awarding 100% silver masterpoints.

Thursday 7/30/26 and Friday 7/31/26

Saturday 8/1/26

Disciples Christian Church King of Glory Lutheran Church 2001 Independence Pkwy Plano TX 75075 6411 LBJ Freeway, Dallas TX 75240

Two days in Plano, and the final day in Dallas

Each day there will be Stratified Pairs (single sessions) at 9:30am and 1:30pm. Entry is $15 per session – cash or check only

Snacks and drinks each day, light lunch ser ved between rounds on Friday

Stratifications:

A- 500-750

B- 200-499

C- <200

The director reserves the right to change the strats as needed for equity.

www.bridgewebs.com/friendlyllc

Tournament Chairperson/partnerships:

Valarie Remmers –vjremmers@gmail.com

Thursday, February 19 - Friday, February 20 - Open Pairs Games

Thursday AM - A

Friday AM - A

Thursday AM - B

Thursday PM - A

Friday, February 20 - 0-499 Pairs

A

Saturday, February 21 - Stratified Swiss Teams

Michael Hayman, Mary Jane Orock

Mike Frederick, Mike Tiernan

Michael Hayman, Mary Jane Orock

Thursday PM - B

Donna Gibbs, Virginia Boudreau

Friday PM -

Kim Lee, Brenda Darby

Friday PM - A Jill Rejeanne, Rebecca Barton

Jimmy Justice, Alan Copeland

Friday AM - B

Mike Blanchard, Brian Eaton

Friday PM - A Lorraine Little, Mary Jane Orock

Friday PM - B Verlyn Stahlecker, Milt Birmingham

Friday PM - C David Branch, Mike Frederick

B Jan Mogged, Chuck Mogged, Mike Blanchard, Lynn Trigg

Sue Brown, Susan Shaw, Diane Robbins, Arlene Bond

Jimmy Justice, Alan Copeland, Jo Smith, Carl McGill

Thursday, February 26 - Saturday, February 28 - Pairs

Thursday AM - A & B

Greta Etnyre, Frank Posada

Thursday AM - C

Xingwei Wu, Dong Dong

Saturday AM - A

Thursday PM - A & B

Larry Cheung, Raymond Orriss

Thursday PM - C, Pamela Greenwood, Therese Perez

Saturday AM - B

Saturday AM - C

Saturday PM - A & B

Friday AM - A & B

Ronda Kelly, Mary Hartman

Friday AM - C

Kai Liu, Yunong Qi

Friday PM - A & B

Stacy Lodden, Kimberly Sunderland

Stuart Traver, Lesley Kellet

Rita Swartkruis, Pamela Greenwood

Marci Keller, Jerry Sloss

Yunong Qi, Xueqian Lin

Monday, May 11

• Bracketed Teams (2 sessions) 12:00PM & 5:00PM

Brackets by Team Average MP

• Stratified Pairs (2 Sessions) 12:00PM & 5:00PM

A = 3000+ B = 1000-3000 C = 0-1000

• Pair Entries can be Purchased for 1-Session Only

Tuesday-Saturday, May 12-16

• Bracketed Teams (2 sessions) 10:00AM & 2:30PM

Brackets by Team Average MP

• Gold Rush Pairs (2 sessions) 10:00AM & 2:30PM

A = 500-750 B = 200-500 C = 0-200

No player over 750 MPs

• Stratified Pairs (2 Sessions) 10:00PM & 2:30PM

A = 3000+ B = 1000-3000 C = 0-1000

• Pair Entries can be Purchased for 1-Session Only

• Director May Adjust Brackets/Strats to Balance Field

Sunday, May 17

• Bracketed Teams (2 sessions) 10:00AM & ASAP

Brackets by Team Average MP

Contacts:

Tournament Chair: Randy Eads

682-701-4813 or eadswr@icloud.com

Partnership Chair: Gloria Fields

817-266-2096 or partners183@outlook.com

Online Request Links on Next Page

Director in Charge: Kevin Perkins

Hyatt Regency Hotel

• Location: DFW Airport 972-453-1234

• Bridge Room Rate: $155.66 includes tax If you reserve by April 27

• Booking link: https://www.hyatt.com/events/enUS/group-booking/DFWAP/G-RGBG

• Free Parking and DFW Entry w/ Validation at the Front Desk or by Concierge

• You Must Enter DFW Airport in a “Ticket Only” Lane and Exit in a “Cash Only” Lane to Avoid an Automatic Toll Charge

Entry Fees

• $16 per Session on All Days

• On Saturday an Additional $1 Collected for NABC Fund

• Unpaid ACBL Members $4 Extra

• Credit Cards Only

Registration Stickers

• We will Print Sticker Sheets Before the Tournament if You Send Info by 4 May

• Pick-up at Hospitality Desk

• Email Name, ACBL #, City, State to unit183labels@gmail.com

• Or Use Online Request Link on Next Page

♥ Beaumont Spindletop Sectional Winners ♦ Unit 201

Thursday, March 5 - Saturday, March 7 - 0-499 Pairs

Thursday - AM & PM

Friday - AM (Tie)

Friday - PM

Friday - AM (Tie) Anne

Saturday - AM

Thursday AM - A

Verna DahlQuist, Wilbur Dahlquist

Friday AM - A, B

Bob Towley-Smith, Val Townley-Smith

Thursday, March 5 - Saturday, March 7 - Open Pairs

Thursday AM - B

Bob Townley-Smith, Val Townley-Smith

Friday PM - A, B

Thursday PM - A

Nancy Smalley, John Smalley

Saturday AM - A Verna Dahlquist,

Thursday PM - B

Wayne Outlaw, Martha Oliver

Saturday AM - B

Tim Stelly, Susan Pennington

Saturday PMA, B, C

Tournament Co-Chairs

Susan Pennington & Val Townley-Smith

LaRue Smith, Margaret Jackson

Dean Domec, Michele Domec

Miraglia, Marilyn Knatz

Mark Reynolds, Paulette Schwiart

Rita Moss, Earl Pittman

Wayne Outlaw, Susan Pennington

Wilbur Dahlquist

Mark Reynolds, Paulette Schwiart

midland

TALL CITY SECTIONAL

DUPLICATE BRIDGE TOURNAMENT

June 5-7, 2026 | Manor Park

2208 Loop 250 West | Midland, Texas 79705

Stratified Pairs Single Session 199er Game (3 Tables Minimum)

Stratified Pairs Single Session 199er Game (3 Tables Minimum)

Stratified Swiss

Friday – June 5, 2026

Saturday – June 6, 2026

Sunday – June 7, 2026

STRATS: A (2000+) B (750-2000) C (0-750)

All Strats determined by average master points

Non-smoking / No Perfume policy Located in a larger, more spacious facility

Entry Fee: $15.00 per person / SWISS $120.00 per team

All players must be ACBL members. $4.00 additional per session for expired ACBL memberships or a one-time free 120 days guest pass to be obtained before the tournament

Lunch between sessions on Sunday Free co ee & refreshments

HOST HOTEL • Fairfield Inn & Suites

2300 Faulkner Drive | Midland, Texas 79705

(432) 570-7155 Cuto – May 16, 2025

2:00 pm & 7:00 pm 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm

9:30 am & 2:00 pm 9:30 am & 2:00 pm

10:00 am & TBA

TOURNAMENT CHAIR

Mark Beckstrom mark.r.beckstrom@gmail.com (832) 922-1642

PARTNERSHIP CHAIR

Lonnie C. Yee LCYee56@gmail.com (432) 352-8882

DIRECTOR Scott Humphrey

Rates: King or 2 Queens $94.00/Night + taxes. (Book online) Check web site for registration and latest updated info at https://permianbridgeclub.com

Unit 207

Thursday, March 12 - Sunday, March 15

Stratified Swiss Teams

Thursday AM - A

Robert Donathan, Dave Swarthout, Charlene Sands, Donna Swarthout

Thursday PM - A

Cent Tuncok, George Watkins, Nancy Joe, Lynn Baker

Saturday PM - A

Stephen Wood, Louis Sachar, Kim Brinkman, Anita Albert

Friday AM - A

Stephan Wood, Kim Brinkman, Lee Stokes Hilton, Jim Hilton

Sunday - A

Donna Swarthout, Dave Swarthout, Charlene Sands, Matthew Rippin

Saturday AM - B

Pam Beck, Virginia Miller, Barbara Robinson, Pam Pannel

Sunday - X Paul Tobias, Beth Tobias, Pam LaShelle, Kathryn Bailey

Thursday, March 12 - Friday, March - Open Pairs

Thursday AM - A

Pam LaShelle, Beth Tobias

Friday PM - A Ann LaCour, Pam LaShelle

Zulu Queen Jean Durocher

Nearly Summer Sectional

Arabia Shriners

A: 300-499 B: 100-299 C: 0-99

Pairs

A: 4000+ B: 2000-3999 C: 0-1999

Note: Stratifications for all events are based on average MPs. If an event has an upper MP limit, every player must fall within that limit. All Strats may be adjusted by the director to balance for strength of players" 499er Pairs

10 am & 2:30 pm 10 am & 2:30 pm 10 am & 2:30 pm

Stratified 499er Pairs Stratified Open Pairs Bracketed Swiss Teams Single Sessions Single Sessions Two Sessions

Stratified 499er Pairs

Stratified Open Pairs Bracketed Swiss Teams

Single Sessions Single Sessions Two Sessions

Friday, March 13 - Saturday, March 14 - 0-499 Pairs Games

Friday PM - A

Beverly Jooston, Jill Rejeanne

Friday PM - B

Suzy Stout, Norma Slocum

Friday EVE - A

Kimberly Lee, Norma Slocum

Saturday AM - A

Prissy Griffis, Lois Harrison

Friday, March 13 - Saturday, March 14 - Open Pairs Games

Friday PM - A

Carl McGill, Joy Foster

Saturday AM - A

Neal Perlman , Troy Harvey

Friday EVE - A Joy Foster, Neal Perlman

Saturday AM - B

Candyce Pfluger, J oy Hardy

Friday EVE - B

Catherine McGaffie, Hazel Medellin

Saturday PM - A Kathryn Evans, Scott Vaughan

Sunday, March 15 - Stratified Swiss Teams

A

Neal Perlman, Carl McGill, Vicky Fisher, Suzanne Dorris, Norma Walker (np)

Saturday PM - A Suzy Stout, Norma Slocum

Saturday PM - B Terri Tedford, Marvin Simpson

B Kimberly Lee, Danny Lee, Norma Slocum, Suzy Stout

Austin 2026

FIRECRACKER REGIONAL FIRECRACKER REGIONAL

June 29th - July 5th

STRATIFICATION & FLIGHTING

All games stratified by average masterpoints. Director has discretion on strat and mp breaks for all sessions.

q Open Pairs:

A: 3000+, X: 1500 – 3000, Y: 0 – 1500

q Gold Rush Pairs:

(No players may have more than 750 mps)

B: 300 – 750, C: 100 – 300 D: 0 – 100

q Monday – Saturday Bracketed Swiss Teams

q Sunday Swiss:

A: 4000+; X: 2500 – 4000; Y: 0 – 2500 (A/X/Y play together);

q Sunday Bracketed Swiss:

0 – 2000 (no player may have over 2000 mps)

q Entry Fees (ACBL Members) q THIS IS A CASH-FREE TOURNEY

MONDAY – SATURDAY

$30/ Pair Per Session, $120/ Team

SUNDAY

$160/4 -Person Team + $10/player over 4

MEAL PROVIDED SUNDAY BETWEEN SESSIONS

$4 additional per session for unpaid ACBL members

Note: Evening Side Game is not Regionally rated

q This is a Fragrance Free Tournament q

SCHEDULE

GOLD RUSH & OPEN PAIRS

(Single or Double Session q)

q Note: To Win Gold, You Must Play in Both Sessions q

Monday – Saturday: 9:30am & 2:30pm

SWISS TEAM GAMES (2 Session)

Monday – Saturday: 9:30am & 2:30pm

Sunday: 9:30am & TBA

EVENING SIDE GAME (Black Points only)

Tuesday, June 30th; Thursday, July 2nd: 7:15pm

$7 per person; Larry Davis, Director

DoubleTree by Hilton

6505 IH-35 N, Austin Reservations (512) 454-3737 q (800) 866-3126 q http://tinyurl.com/ReserveDT

Booking Code: CBA

Room Rate: $124 q Cut-0ff Date: June 7th

qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq Tournament Chairs:

Mark Craig: 512-496-8190

Raymond Borrego: 512-317-1322

Partnerships: Brett Leach: 512-294-0901

Director In Charge: Scott Humphrey

For E-Mail Partnership Requests or General Tourney Questions: unit207contactus@gmail.com

q Online Partnership Requests For This Tourney Open June 8th, 2026. Use this link: http://tinyurl.com/atxbridge q

♥ Dallas Spring Sectional Winners ♦ Unit 176

Wednesday, March 18 - Friday, March 20 - 0-499 Pairs

Wednesday AM - A

Michael Mansfield, Jenny McCall

Thursday PM - A

Diana Clive, Pete Clive

Wednesday AM - A

Norman Beck, Burton Shepard

Wednesday PM - Al

Brandon Buchanan, Francey Parnel

Thursday PM - B (Tie)

Hanuman Goel, Bhushan Sanghi

Thursday AM - A

Hanuman Goel, Bhushan Sanghi

Friday AM - A

Brandon Buchanan, Marilee Schmelzer

Thursday AM - C

Melinda Maxwell, Wes Lynch

Friday PM - A

Melinda Maxwell, Wes Lynch

Wednesday, March 28 - Saturday, March 21 - Open Pairs

Wednesday AM - C

Blll Driscoll, Wayne Evans

Thursday PM - A

Nancy Felman, Marilyn Florin

Wednesday PM - A

Suresh Agrawal, Marilyn Florin

Friday AM - A

Sanjay Santhanam, Mark Leighton

Wednesday PM - B

Bob Holliday, Mary Lynn Genovesi

Saturday PM - A

Michael Murphy, Stephen Sinclair

Thursday AM - A Ross Ramsey, John Luebkemann

Saturday PM - C

John Fee, Brenda Schrader

Wednesday, March 18 - Thursday, March 19 & Saturday, March 21

Bracketed Swiss Teams

Friday, March 20 - Stratified Swiss Teams

Wednesday - 1

John Bromberg, Gary Bush, Michael Penick, Barry Schaffer

Wednesday - 2

Walter Netschi (np), Athena Leung, Reg Watt, Patty Stille

Thursday - 1

Barry Schaffer, Gary Bush, Kimmel Jones, Bill Staats

Thursday - 2

Stuart Litwin, Alan Josephson, Leonard Epstein, Dan Butler

Thursday - 4

Caye Cook, Fran Shelton, John Redfern, Loralee Berg

Friday - A (Tie)

Nancy Kornegay, Sheri Bumgardner, Mark Bumgardner, Steve Kornegay

Wednesday - 3

Gari Martin, Marsha McNatt, Noreen Warwick, Louise Shanley

Thursday - 3

Judy Wood, Amy Anderson, Kathy Russler, John Peart

Saturday - 1

Jacqueline Brown, Mary Chaffin, Rebekah Hahn, David Salem

Tournament of Roses

Sectional & Non-Life Master Regional

July

23-25,

2026 Tyler, TX

First Christian Church, Disciples Hall 4202 S. Broadway Ave, Tyler TX 75701

THURSDAY, July 23, & FRIDAY, July 24, 9:30 am & 2:00 pm

NLM Gold Rush Pairs: 1 or 2 Sessions (Gold/Red) (must play in 2 sessions daily and place in overalls for Gold)

OPEN Sectional Pairs: Individual Sessions (Silver)

SATURDAY, July 25, 9:30 am & TBD

Stratified Swiss Teams: 2 Sessions (Silver) Strats based on team average Master Points Lunch will be provided

STRATIFICATIONS: avg MPs or DIC

FEES: credit and debit cards only GOLD RUSH (NLM): Pairs: $15 per session for ACBL members

A: 0-100 B: 100-300 C: 300-750

I/N Regional is limited NLM less than 750 MP

Student (under 27): $8 per session

Swiss Teams: $152 per team OPEN: A: 0-1000 B: 1000-2500 C: 2500+

Tournament Co-Chairs: Hotel

Sandra O’Bannon

Holiday Inn sobann715@suddenlink.net 5701 S. Broadway 75703 903-312-7520 $114 by 7/8/2026

Includes full breakfast buffet Linda Gurasich for reservations: lindagurasich100@gmail.com

1. Call 903-579-8202 ask for Vicki 480-570-7814 or 2. Call 800-465-4329 ask for block code U15

Partnership Chair: Lunch to purchase

Sassy Crookshanks Available Thursday and Friday oscarsicecream@yahoo.com

832-724-2602

Director in Charge: Carolyn Pinto

Hospitality: Coffee, snacks, water

Sanction # 2607325/2607326

ACBL Membership Requirements: All tournament players must have an ACBL member number to participate (even if expired). Lapsed members do not have to rejoin but will pay a $4 surcharge per session. Full membership may be purchased from tournament Director or online at www.acbl.org/join 120-day Free Guest Membership available (visit www.acbl.org/membership to obtain prior to tournament).

♥ Steve Vaughn Election Sectional Winners ♦ Unit 174

Friday, April 10 - Sunday, April 12 - Bracketed Swiss Teams

Friday - Bkt 1

Cenk Tuncok, Finn Kolesnik, Lynn Baker, Sam Dinkin

Saturday - Bkt 1

Anthony Bianchi, Gary King, Eric Snow, Dianna Gittelman

AM OP - A

Saturday - Bkt 2

Pamela White, Linda Drake, David Littmann, Hasin Jinna

Friday - Bkt 2

Andrew Remson, Susan Domsalla, George Dabney, Robert Domsalla

Sunday - Bkt 1

Sally Wheeler, Buddy Hanby, Mike Doyle, Joe Quinn

Friday - Bkt 3

Alan Schaefer, Cindy Schaefer, Richard Jackson, Sandra Jackson

Sunday - Bkt 2

Barbara Dabney, Carl Hogan, George Dabney, Andrew Remson

Friday, April 10 - Sunday, April 12 - Pairs Games

Friday AM OP - C

Friday AM 0-299

Friday PM 0-299

Gary Kerr, Ben Ball

Marci Keller, Jerry Sloss

Anne Miraglia, Marilyn Knatz

Friday

Betty Starzec, Robert Morris

Saturday PM OP - A

Pat McMullin, James la Fountain

Saturday PM OP - C

Henry Kollenberg, Jeffery Parker

Sunday AM OP - A Thomas Jahnke, Brigitte Sandifer

Sunday PM OP - A

Marilyn Leiman, Beverly Fanarof

Sunday PM OP - BC

Rony Klein, Dennis Sucec