Scorecard September/October 2024 Volume 56, No.5

September/October 2024

Volume 56, No. 5

President’s Message

By Jack LaVigne President District 16

Intermediate/Newcomers Online Playing Opportunities

The online D16 Nite Club East games are still going strong. However, they have been relocated to the ACBL Clubhouse. Once there, click on Schedule to see the game times for all the Intermediate/ Newcomer (I/N) games, including Nite Club East. Alternatively, you can go directly to BBO and click on ACBL Clubhouse. There, you will find the 0-100 and 0-200 Nite Club East 7:00 p.m. games. Additionally, there are many other I/N games available to enjoy.

Bylaws

At the July 6 District 16 meeting, the Board of Directors approved the bylaws changes proposed by Rebecca Brown and her committee, which consisted of Scott Humphrey and Tomi Storey. A summary of the changes are:

1. References to Discipline and Appellate chairs were removed.

2. Enabling the D16 Board of

Directors to vote by email.

3. If a unit representative is unable to attend the board meeting, a voting substitute from the same unit may be designated to take their place.

4. The Executive Committee is authorized to spend up to $1,000 on district business between board meetings.

North American Pairs

Larry Davis will chair the North American Pairs 2025 district-level competition. The event will take place on Saturday and Sunday, January 11-12, 2025, at the Bridge Center of Austin, located at 6700 Middle Fiskville Road. Once you have qualified at the club level, you are automatically eligible to play at the district level NAP competition.

“There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.”

– Will Rogers

Upcoming D16 Tournaments

August 27-September 1 Dallas Labor Day Regional

September 5-8 New Braunfels Sectional

September 19-22 BCOH 499er Sectional

September 19-22 Austin Fall Sectional

September 24-29 Ajijic Tequila Land Regional

September 26-28 Beaumont Sabine Neches Fall Sectional

September 30-October 6 D16 STaC

October 8-10 Fort Western Sectional

October 12-13 Austin Fall 0-50 Sectional

October 16-19 San Antonio Diane Olson Electional Sectional

October 25-27 Galveston Halloween Sectional and I/N Regional

October 31-November 2 Denton Local Fall Sectional

November 2-3 Austin Fall NLM Sectional

November 4-10 Puerto Vallarta Regional

November 4-10 D16 STaC

November 6-9 Dallas Fall Sectional and I/N Regional

November 14-17 BCOH 499er Sectional

President Jack LaVigne

District 16 Officers

First Vice President Second Vice President

Jerry Harrington Kristen Onsgard

Secretary Executive Treasurer

BJ Sanders James Southerland

Immediate Past President Betty Starzec

Committee Chairs

Awards Charity

Jerry Harrington Karen Nussbaum

Membership Teacher of the Year

Lauri Laufman Sam Khayatt

Tournament Publications

Tomi Storey Ken Monzingo Coordinators

Education Grand National Teams

Patricia Herrera Scott Nason

Marketing/Publicity

Rachell Jackson Sam Khayatt

STaC North America Pairs

Daniel Jackson Larry Davis

Financial Verifier Recorder

Jim Woodward Larry Davis

Tournament / Sanction Applications

Scott Humphrey

Lecture Series

James Moody, Dolores Aquino (I/N) and Patricia Herrera (Spanish)

Webmaster

Ken Monzingo

District 16

Scorecard Editor

Evvie Gilbert

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

Congratulations

Regional Director's Update

By Paul Cuneo Region 9 Director

Congratulations to Kyo Chen and his team that won Gold in the 8th World Youth Transnational Championships in Wroclaw, Poland in the Under 16 division! Kyo is 10 years old and is a Unit 174 member.

Summer NABC

Toronto, the Convention Center and the host hotels made for a wonderful venue for the Summer NACB and had the highest post-pandemic table count of 9560 ½, besting last summer’s Chicago NABC by over 1200 tables.

Congratulations to the D16 Grand National Teams Flight B Champions: Jessie Lee, Hao Deng (Sugar Land), Mark Pan (The Woodlands), Kalyan Venkat (Round Rock) and Jin Chu (Plano)!

ACBL Financial Status

ACBL continues to have a good year financially with net income over budget by about $900,000. This is a combination of increased revenue and slower than expected spending on activities during the first half of the year. While spending will increase in the second half of 2024, it will still be a very good year financially for ACBL.

Membership

Membership slightly decreased by 0.27% compared with 2023. I remain optimistic that our new initiatives will reverse the decline and bring ACBL into a growth period.

Masterpoints for NAP and GNT

The most significant ACBL board action was to change the masterpoint requirements for flights in the NAP and GNT. These changes to the masterpoint levels will begin September 1, 2024 as that is when club level qualifying for the 2025 GNT begins.

• The flights will be:

Championship – unlimited

A – 6000 maximum

B – 3000 maximum

C – 750 maximum

• The additional flight will be added to NAP for the qualification that begins June 1, 2025 with the finals at the Spring NABC in 2026.

• The board chose not to restrict the 0-750 flights

to Non-Life Masters as the previous requirements at 500 masterpoints did.

The Advisory Council has asked the board to reconsider this action and not allow Life Masters to play in the 0-750 flights. A special meeting is planned in late August to decide whether to restrict the C flight to Non-Life Masters. Watch for the decision in the next issue.

Online Bridge

The Online Provider Task Force continues to work to shape the future of online bridge. Our current contract with BBO expires on June 30, 2025, and BBO has been informed that ACBL does not view a contract with the current exclusivity provisions in the best interests of bridge. ACBL wants to foster innovation and to support teachers and platforms used for teaching by allowing them to award masterpoints. Having said that, I believe we will continue to have a strong partnership with BBO and that a high percentage of online tables will be played on BBO for many years to come.

EDGAR

ACBL has been using EDGAR, the computer based cheating detection system, since February. As of early July, more than 17,000 players have been screened with 242 players determined to be cheating. By now, all those players will have received their notice of charges.

The good news is that we are significantly less than 2% at 1.4%, but that number will grow as ACBL evaluates more players. The current estimate to complete screening for members who have played online is in early 2026. To learn more about EDGAR, there is an excellent article on page 28 of the August Bridge Bulletin

I hope all of you are enjoying the summer and the many tournaments available throughout District 16.

The Most Beautiful Game in the World ♠

By Patricia Herrera D16 Education Coordinator

Bridge is by large and far, still the most beautiful game in the world. In this beautiful game, sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t win and sometimes we just have what is called a bad day. A bad day is not only a day that might involve making bidding mistakes, failing to communicate effectively with your partner, or simply having poor card luck. It is a day that you think that you’re not meant to play this game and that probably all your wins have not been a result of you playing well and knowing how to play but rather luck – or something that you really can’t explain on that bad day. A bad day convinces you that no matter what, you are just not good and probably should quit.

You are Not Alone

If this has happened to you, let me tell you that you are not alone. World champions, national winners and everyone in between, eventually have a bad day. The secret is to just be aware that it’s only a bad day. It may not feel like that on the very same day it happened, but trust me, it is.

The Question: How do we overcome it?

Answer: Here are a few hints that I have applied and see others do.

Acknowledge that it is a bad day.

• Let the Day End. No need to do anything and try not to think about it too much. You will overcome

it, no doubt about it. You just need to realize it.

• Stay Positive.

• Take the Time to review and analyze your mistakes without being too hard on yourself.

• Ensure that you and your partner have a clear system of communication in place. This will help avoid misunderstandings and improve your overall performance

• Stay Calm.

• Talk to Your Partner. After a bad day, communi cate about what went wrong and how you can work together to avoid similar issues in the future.

• Talk to Yourself. Forgive yourself – let it go. Learn From Your Mistakes

Bridge, like any game, has its ups and downs. Stay positive, learn from your mistakes, and keep honing your skills to become a better player. And no matter what, be gentle with yourself. You are learning and things will always improve.

Patricia Herrera is a Mexican bridge teacher and player and the Education Coordinator for the ACBL's District 16. She 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. You can reach her at: herrerapatricia@gmail.com

The Summer Nationals Up North

By Scott Nason D16 NABC Correspondent

Forthose who ventured from Texas or Mexico up to Toronto for the Summer 2024 NABC, about the first thing you noticed was that it was about 25 degrees cooler than back home. If you made it on time, between heavy rain and flooding and then the widespread Internet outage that cancelled thousands of flights, getting to Toronto was not always a piece of cake. But once you arrived, you experienced a Nationals the way it should be: nice hotels, playing venues, restaurants and people.

The 12 day tournament opened on Wednesday, July 17 with the four flights of the Grand National Teams finals, each playing a Swiss qualifier to come down to 16 teams for Thursday’s round of KOs. D16 sent a team in each flight and all four qualified for the second round, led by the young Steele team of Christopher Steele (Pflugerville), Nora Fallon (Austin), Nathan Yee (Spring) and Mariah Stopper (Houston), which qualified 3rd in Flight C and the Lee team of Jessie Lee and Hao Deng (Sugar Land), Mark Pan (The Woodlands). Kalyan Venkat (Round Rock), and Jin Chu (Plano) that qualifed 4th in B. In Flight A, the King team of Tiger King (Plano), Ming Kung Yeh (Dallas), William and Donna Garrard (Irving) put together a big win in the final match to move up to the 14th spot. The Yang team of Hua Yang and Yan Song (Plano), James Zhan and Ying Peng (Sugar Land), and Lunhui Lin (Dickinson) placed 11th in a very strong Championship Flight field.

In the round of sixteen, our teams had some very exciting matches. Yang lost a heartbreaker by 1 IMP in the Championship Flight, while King, who led most of the way, lost by 7 in Flight A. Lee played a topsy

turvy Flight B match, coming out on top by a mere 1 IMP, while Steele led wire-to-wire, winning their Flight C match by 13.

Also on Thursday, the rest of the events got started. Benjamin Klauder (Austin) was the first D16 player to break through with a win in Bracket 1 of the seven bracket Swiss Teams, notching nearly 30 gold points to increase his masterpoint total by more than 3%. Yes, he had fewer than 900 at the start of the day.

In the afternoon side game, Kristen Onsgard (Dallas) finished 1st. Then, that evening Justin Lall was posthumously entered into the Hall of Fame.

On Friday, Nancy Passell (Plano) and Ellen Hessel (San Antonio) won the morning side game and Ira Hessel (San Antonio) finished 9th in the Open Pairs, but the D16 players were mostly shut out. Several Texans qualified for day two of the Von Zedwitz LM Pairs, with Sam Dinkin (Austin) qualifying highest in the 20th spot.

What a difference a day makes. On day three of the GNT, the Flight B Lee team, which won their previous match by a single IMP, breezed into the semi-finals. They led by a whopping162 IMPs after three quarters, when their opponents conceded the match. In Flight C, the Steele team was locked in a tight match, trailing by 6 IMPs at the half and 15 IMPs with a quarter to play. But while the final quarter was high-scoring, they tied the quarter 40-40 and lost by 15.

On day 4 the Lee team continued their run for the Flight B GNT title. They produced a great fourth quarter to win a close competitive match against a strong District 6 team, after trailing by 4 IMPs with one quarter play.

Mohnish Pabrai (Austin) played on the 2nd place team in Bracket 7 of the Swiss Teams, while the Steele team (from the Flight C GNT) finished 2nd in

Bracket 9. Also, Wiley McMinn III (Austin) and Rebecca Brown (Lakeway) were the sole D16 qualifiers for the third day of the 0-6000 Bruce LM Pairs.

On Sunday, the Lee team faced the D21 team in the finals of the Flight B GNT. They continued their run with a wire-to-wire victory to bring home the National Championship. It was a very impressive win for a mostly inexperienced team. As a sidebar to this column, I have included the story of their championship run and some of the critical hands that led to their big win.

Benjamin Klauder and Lilly Justman (Austin) took 6th place in the two-session Fast Pairs. Mike Passell (Plano) was 2nd in the Top Flight Swiss Teams. Mohnish Pabrai was 4th in the Mid-Flight Teams. And Dianne Kraft (Colllege Station) was 2nd in the B strat in the Sunday evening side game.

In the NABC+ events, Venkatrao Konero (San Antonio) took 9th place in the Open Pairs. And Eric Greco (Frisco) was 17th in the prestigious three day Von Zedwitz LM Pairs.

On Monday Betty Starzec and Jane Armstrong (Sugar Land) won the morning side game.

On Tuesday, Nancy Passell and Kristen Onsgard (Dallas) won the morning side game. And Betty Starzec and Jane Armstrong were 2nd in the afternoon.

The Chen family (Sarah, Steve, Andrew and Charlie from Austin) won the Top Flight Swiss Teams. And in Bracket 13 – yes, there were actually 14 brackets in addition to the Top Flight – Janice Rush (Houston) was 2nd, while Patricia Freeman and Mike Davis (Houston) were 3rd. The gold points she earned in this event were

enough to make Patricia a Life Master.

In Wednesday’s finals of the Wager Women’s Pairs, Shawn Quinn took the lead in the third session, but faded to 5th overall in the final session. Michael Penick (Dallas), who won his first national title in the spring, was on the 3rd place team in the Truscott Senior Swiss Teams.

Mike Passell (Plano) won the Top-Flight Swiss Teams. In the Bracketed Teams, Kathryn Papermaster (Horseshoe Bay) was 1st in Bracket 6. Deborah Armstrong and William Keys (Dallas) were 3rd in Bracket 8, while Patricia Freeman and Mike Davis were 3rd in Bracket 10.

Wednesday night featured a number of fun activities including Jeopardy, hosted by Jeopardy super champion James Holzhauer, and Family Feud, hosted by the Grossack brothers.

Thursday included the conclusion of two NABC+ events, plus the continuation of the Spingold Teams. Several D16 players scored high finishes in the Freeman Board-A-Match Mixed Teams, led by Greg Hinze (San Antonio) in 4th place. Joe and Shawn Quinn (Sugar Land) finished 8th. Ira and Ellen Hessel, Sally Wheeler and Buddy Hanby (The Woodlands) were tied for 12th, while Barbara Ferm (Dallas) tied for 16th. But there were no D16 finishers in the top 20 of the Wernher Open Pairs. Only Eric Greco reached the quarter finals of the Spingold.

In the Top Flight Teams, Finn Kolesnik (Austin) was 1st, while Sam Dinkin came in 4th. Harry Selldin and Sherry Withers (Houston) were 3rd in the MidFlight Pairs. Stefanie Scott (Carrollton) was 2nd in Bracket

GNT Flight B Winners Back Story

Winners of the Sheinwold

GNT Flight B from District 16: Kalyan Venkat, Jin Chu, Jessie Lee (pc) and Mark Pan Led throughout the day and finished 98-56.

TheLee team was the epitome of inexperience, composed of Captain Jessie Lee (with 92 masterpoints, all won this year!), Hao Deng (91 points), Mark Pan (1324 points), Kalyan Venkat (1900 poins), and Jin Chu (927 points), who was added to the District Finals champions team.

The squad got off to a slow start on the first day in the Swiss qualifying. They were below average at the half, but came on strong in the second half, which they attribute in part to arriving in Toronto in plenty of time, while several opponents were delayed getting in, due to the flooding in Toronto, and seemed tired by late in the day. Anyway, they had a good run in the afternoon and earned the right to pick their opponent for the first KO. They picked a team that they had blitzed in the Swiss – nearly a big mistake. It turned out they were actually quite a good team – probably the best team they would face – and nearly beat Lee, losing by a single IMP.

VI of the Bracketed Swiss. Kathryn Papermaster was 1st in Bracket VII.

On Friday, Steve and Sarah Chen (Austin) were 11th in the 0-10,000 Pairs. Steve and Nancy Kornegay (North Richland Hills) were 2nd in the Fast Pairs. Nancy Passell and Kristen Onsgard were 3rd in Bracket 1 of the Bracketed Teams. Kathryn Papermaster was 1st in Bracket 6.

But Eric Greco and the Nickell team was eliminated from the Spingolds, finishing in 5/8, leaving no D16 players remaining for the semis.

On the penultimate day of the tournament, there were no NABC+ events completing, and very little success for D16 players, athough several were in good position for Sunday’s finals. There was a continuation in the Youth Championships and the Chen brothers – Andrew and Charlie – broke through with a 3rd place in the National Youth Open Swiss Teams.

Also, in Bracketed Teams, Stefanie Scott finished 2nd in Bracket 3. And Harry Selldin and Sherry Withers (Houston) were 3rd in the

morning side game.

Sunday, July 28, concluded a great 12 days of competition. It wasn’t the most successful NABC for D16, but was not without its successes, including a strong finish.

In day three of the Roth Open Swiss Teams, Venkatrao Konero (San Antonio) and Eddie Wold (Houston) moved all the way from 15th place after day two to win an NABC+ national championship and 160 platinum points. Finn Kolesnik was 11th.

Gonzalo (Naucalpan, MX) and Patricia Herrera (Mexico City) turned in a strong second day in the 0-10,000 Swiss Teams to capture 2nd place. Mike Passell was tied for 6th in the Top Flight Swiss Teams. Janice Rush was 2nd in the C strat in the Fast Pairs.

Their win in the Roth made Venkatrao Konero and Eddie Wold the top point winners in the district. Congratulations to all of the players, especially those named here. And I look forward to seeing many of you in Las Vegas in November/December.

DALLAS

A key gain in that match – I guess any gain is key when you win by ONE – was a hand in which one opponent held AQJ10xxx opposite partner’s 1NT opener. When Lee competed to 5♥, their opponents couldn’t resist trying 5♠ Since both fail, this was a big swing to the good guys.

After this harrowing escape, they won the next two matches more handily and reached the finals. The Lee team led by only 5 IMPs after the first quarter and 11 at the half. They grew their lead to a more comfortable, but not safe lead of 28 at the three quarter mark before bringing it home.

Here are a couple of key boards from the finals. You hold ♠Jxx ♥J ♦AKxx ♣xxxxx and the auction goes:

1♥-Pass-2♥- you

Do you bid?

Well, Jin Chu “pre-balanced” with 2NT. It led to a 5♣ sacrifice, which would have only gone down for -300 against their vulnerable game, but led the opponents to try 5♥. When that failed, the game swing was 13 IMPs to Lee and this hand was a big part of their lead through much of the match.

The coup de grace came on a hand late in the match in which the Lee team bid to a shaky slam. The opening lead against 6♠ was the ♥7. Dummy tabled ♥AJ10 and third hand held ♥Qxxxxx. The trick went ♥7, ♥10, ♥Q, ♥K. When declarer went after trumps, his RHO somehow failed to work out to jump up with the ♠A and give partner a heart ruff. So the slam came home and the championship was assured.

Team Jack Wins Gold!

By Evvie Gilbert D16 Scorecard Editor

The World Youth Transnational Championships were held in Wroclaw, Poland from July 13 – 17. District 16 is proud of our World Championship Team that took the GOLD. Team Jack (USA) competed in the under 16 age group. The team was a full 10 IMPs ahead of the 2nd place team, The Vikings, a team from Sweden and Norway.

Team Jack:

Steve Chen (coach) – Unit 207 Austin, Charlie Chen (14) – Unit 207 Austin (pc), Andrew Chen (12) – Unit 207 Austin, Kyo Chen (10) – Unit 174 Sugar Land and Jeff Xiao (12) – District 25, Unit 113 Shrewsbury, Mass.

Also of note with this team win Kyo, at age 10, is the youngest World Champion!

Click here to read more.

172 Margaret E Altizer

172 Emily Sparks

172 Richard D Walker

173 Estibaliz Delgado Amaya

173 Claudia Morales

173 Cristina Webb

174 Tedra Black

174 Chris Davis

174 Junhui Du

174 Christine A Feng

174 Amy Schuh

Junior Master (5 MPs)

174 Dmitry Braverman

174 Mrs. Claire P Caudill

174 Mrs. Trish P Chambers

174 David J Connan

174 Sandy Lantz

174 Vicki Lyda

174 Chris L Manley

174 Melinda H Nickens

174 Debra Oakes

174 Wei Xu

174 Shuangxing Yu

174 Xiaoxing Yu

174 Deborah Zissman

176 Mrs. Alice C Collerain

183 Brad Book

183 Karin S Book

183 Alison McStravick

183 Laura Odom

187 Christy Linsley

207 Kim Bunch

New Members

June 2024 - July 2024

174 Dori Wind

174 Shuangxing Yu

174 Xiaoxing Yu

176 Vicki Behrend

176 Carol J Cox

176 Deborah Gunter

176 Christal Moomaw

183 Roxana Caero

183 Karen J Nichols

187 Carolyn Hansen

197 Judy Taylor

197 Sandra K Wallace

207 Sherry R Brown

207 Steven Emmerich

207 Terri Fann

207 Robert I Myers

207 Michael Nipper

207 Karen K Stotts

207 Karen Swenson

225 Sassy Crookshanks

225 Rand James

254 Timothy M Fisher

Masterpoint Milestones

June 2024 - July 2024

207 Steven Emmerich

207 Bruce Raven

207 Shanker Reddy

207 Tom R Smith

207 Nathan Thane

Club Master (20 MPs)

172 Courtney Mayer

172 David A Mayer

174 Shayne E Bell

174 Keith S Bozarth

174 Loretta N Cross

174 Ms. June M Cullum

174 George W Edwards

174 Lorraine Hart

174 Robert Krusemark

174 Sandy Krusemark

174 Joan Land

174 Patricia D Leavesley

174 Debra Oakes

174 Gunjan Singh

176 Cal W Chappell

183 Ann H Jaglowski

197 Sappho H Charney

201 Mrs. M Grant

207 Matt Claflin

207 Delta L Gahimer

207 Rebecca Lamar

207 Joyce K Mackay

209 Gwyndolyn J Sparks

225 Mrs. Bonnie Oberg

225 Sarah L Wages

Sectional Master (50 MPs)

174 Cherie M Baer

174 Ms. Sandy E Belsan

174 Randall Clements

174 Mr. Hao Deng

174 Betsy E Himmel

174 Noella Lambert

174 Jessie Y Lee

174 Kiran Oberoi

174 Joshua Roberts

174 Mrs. Bobbie J Sherrill

174 Jinrong Wang

174 Rita Zwartkruis

176 Richard Eshelbrenner

176 Yvonne Holman

176 Jose Portela

183 Julie R Dahlquist

183 Lynda Garrett

183 Mr. David B Hobson

183 John L Nairn

183 Jon R Sears

187 Ron G Coulston

187 Anita Moore

204 Troy D Harvey

204 Barry Jackson

204 Julie J Moorman

207 Mrs. Georgia Bea Eden

207 Joyce Francis

207 Mr. Philip Klempay

209 Mary K Burkholder

209 Thomas M Knox Jr.

209 Larry Pitts

Regional Master (100 MPs)

174 Penny Grassedonio

174 Lesley Kellet

176 Nancy Goble

176 Mrs. Mary Huck

176 Mrs. Paula E Schulz

176 Mr. Mike Zhu

183 Elizabeth C Furman

197 Rita K Lancet

201 Dean Domec

201 G Maxine M Moye

205 Frank H Colvett

207 Paul A Alford

207 Ms. Gaye A Campbell-Baker

207 Sheldon L Markowitz

207 Adele Pendergrass

207 Mr. Glenn Rudd

207 Mr. Charles H Welch

209 Mark R Beckstrom

NABC Master (200 MPs)

174 Beverly J Gebhart

174 Kathleen C Hubbard

174 Diane W O Neill

174 Paula L Towner

174 C J Tsai

174 Judi Whaling

176 Jyoti Boppana

176 Hanuman P Goel

176 Ms. Virginia A Hines

176 Eldon Joersz

176 Fran Shelton

176 Bonnie Sweat

176 Mr. Ming Kung Yeh

207 Kristin Andersen

207 Jody Westland

225 Mrs. Gail Cogbill

225 Selma R Dawson

225 Jane A Gerik

237 Mr. William D Hucker

Advanced NABC Master (300 MPs)

172 James F Sutter

176 Karim N Abuhamad

176 Paramjeet S Ahluwalia

176 James Bishop

176 Mrs. Jane Canning

176 Gari L Martin

176 Mark Meiches

176 Marcia B Messinger

187 Marion C Beeler

207 Steve Luning

207 Cindy McCauley

207 David Sechrest

207 Mr. Christopher B Steele

Life Master (500 MPs*)

174 Mrs. Ann L Bragg

174 Ken Russell

176 Mr. Wayne Evans

176 Margie Portela

176 Mrs. Louise E Shanley

183 Mrs. Judy B Crabtree

183 Mr. Robert R Dixon

183 Mr. Michael J Tiernan

187 Marjorie Norton

225 Mr. Charles T Spradlin

Bronze Life Master (750 MPs**)

172 Roxi L Raaf

174 174 Mrs. Ann L Bragg

174 Robert R Burridge

174 AJ James

176 Mr. Wayne Evans

176 Gail Wingfield

183 Mrs. Judy B Crabtree

183 Mr. Robert R Dixon

207 Mr. Michael T Chow

207 Tim Elsea

207 Judy I Alpert

207 Ms. Annetta L Hughson

207 Lois Kertesz

207 Rita Schaulat

207 Curt Wyman

225 Melba J Lee

225 Ms. Jackie M McElhaney

225 Mr. Charles T Spradlin

Silver Life Master (1000 MPs)

172 Ann McMullan

172 Dr. Jim McMullan

174 Jenelle W Chamberlain

174 Ms. Norma B Porter

174 Ms. Danuta Parzych

174 Mr. Victor P Tong

176 Mr. Dan Kahn

176 Patricia Stille

176 Nicolas L Weis

183 Mr. Douglas B Berke

183 Mr. David C Branch

204 Mrs. Marcie Perlman

207 Mrs. Sandy Jomini

207 June B Mattila

207 Mrs. Juanita G Painter

207 Ms. Patricia J Webb

225 Mr. Jeff C Brown

Ruby Life Master (1500 MPs)

173 Ninfa Sada

176 Dr. H S Norville

183 Mr. Neal E Shores

187 Mrs. Carita K Gould

207 Richard Day

207 Mr. John A Gauss

Gold Life Master (2500 MPs)

174 Nancy A Carlin

174 Ms. Lucy G Hofmann

174 Mrs. Kyle J Lueders

174 James C Sells

183 Mrs. Patricia A Sears

204 Dr. Carl D McGill

207 Mr. R Harry Akin

Sapphire Life Master (3500 MPs)

197 Mr. Gary Blaiss

174 Dana C Brown

209 Mrs. Sandra K Rhodes

Emerald Life Master (7,500 MPs)

207 Mr. Sam Dinkin

*Prior to January 1, 2010 - 300 MPs

**Prior to January 1, 2010- 500 MPs

D16 + Club

Gloria Rowland & Jimmy Parker 76.92%

Athens – Dottie Pirkle’s DBC

Gloria Rowland & Judy Adams 76.04%

Canton – Van Zandt DBC

Mike Graham & Ann Haynes

Longview – Longview DBC

Martha Sigler & Arlene Myers 75.5%

Beaumont – Beaumont Bridge Studio

Dotsy Miller & Jackie McElhaney 75%

Pittsburg – Pittsburg DBC

Gary Blaiss & Robbie Butts 73.51%

Lubbock – LLano Estacado

Marvin Simpson & Bonnie Beasley 73.27%

San Angelo – San Angelo Bridge Club

Dotsy Miller & Jackie McElhaney 73%

Pittsburg – Pittsburg DBC

Mike Graham & Shirley Shelton 73%

Longview – Longview DBC

Nancy & John Smalley 72.5%

Beaumont – Beaumont Bridge Studio

Will Anthony & Robbie Butts 72.45%

Lubbock – LLano Estacado

Steve Shirey - Kara Jean Hawthorne 72.22%

Arlington – Arlington DBC

Jane Turner & Marvin Harris 72.22%

College Station – Star Bridge Club

Max Walton & Gavin McGown 71.88%

Nacogdoches – Nacogdoches DBC

Mark Reynolds & Gay Roach 71.88%

Nacogdoches – Nacogdoches DBC

Stephen Kornegay & Nancy Kornegay 71.85%

Arlington – Arlington DBC

Bonnie Keough & Marvin Harris 71.37%

College Station – Star Bridge Club

Gary Blaiss & Greg Loran 71.33%

Lubbock – LLano Estacado

James Evans & Puddin Barnes 71.3%

College Station – Star Bridge Club

Fred Mueller & Richard Double 71.3%

College Station – Pebble Creek Bridge Club

Virginia Noelke & Judy Wilde 71.1%

San Angelo – San Angelo Bridge Club

Wayne Outlaw & Martha Oliver 70.64%

Beaumont – Beaumont Bridge Studio

Carl McGill & Neal Perlman 70.15%

San Angelo – San Angelo Bridge Club

Stephen Kornegay & Nancy Kornegay 70.9%

Arlington – Arlington DBC

Anne Halsell & Margaret Kirkland 70%

Wichita Falls – Bridge Club of Wichita Falls

Reporting D16 70% + Games

TheD16 70% + Club recognizes members who have scored 70% or higher scores in one of the district’s club masterpoint game that is open or non-restricted. (For example, masterpoint-restricted games or country club games restricted by membership do not qualify. Nor do cruise games, sectional or regional games.) At least four tables with at least 16 boards must be in play.

70% + Games must be reported to the Scorecard. These results are not automatically picked up from club files. The club director, manager or any player may send an email to:

D16-ScorecardEditor@d16acbl.org 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 basis as space is available.

Unit 176 McKinney

By Nancy Connors

Salute Maj. General Al Joersz

The McKinney Duplicate Club has some fascinating members but none more so than Maj. General Al Joersz who is known as the “fastest man alive.” Most people remember the name Chuck Yeager who broke the sound barrier in 1947. But, not so many people know the names Al Joersz and his co-pilot George Morgan who obliterated that record in 1976 when they flew at an altitude of 80,600 feet at a speed of 2,193 mph-- more than three times the speed of sound or Mach 3. That’s more than 33 miles per minute or faster than a speeding bullet! Even more impressive, that 48-year-old record still stands today.

Eldon W. Joersz, known as Al, was born and raised in Hazen, North Dakota. He cultivated an interest in aviation when he was a teenager. After graduating from North Dakota State University in 1966 with a B.S, in math, he received an ROTC Air Force commission. He completed his pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas. During the Viet Nam Conflict he flew 158 combat missions, completed more than 450 combat hours, and served as an instructor pilot. Over the next few decades his illustrious career earned him numerous citations and awards, such as the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Distinguished Flying Cross. He also held numerous positions at the Pentagon and served as

Chief of Staff at NATO’s Allied Air Forces Southern Europe (AIRSOUTH) as well as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs. After 31 years in the Air Force, Al retired in 1997 and went to work for Lockheed Martin where he remained until his permanent retirement in 2011. Since that time, he has been a featured guest speaker and honoree at various occasions related to his distinguished Air Force career. He even has an airfield named after him in North Dakota where his hometown holds him in high esteem as a “favored son” and icon.

Al has been married to his wife Carol for 53 years. She is a supportive and loving helpmate as they have moved 27 times since college graduation! They have three children and seven grandchildren and now reside in McKinney.

As for his bridge background, Al first learned to play bridge at his fraternity while attending North Dakota State. After graduation, he was too busy with family and career to continue playing the game. Like so many retirees, he put bridge on a back burner until his life allowed him more leisure.

It was in 2018 that he picked up the game again when he saw an online posting by the late Stu Nelan looking for bridge players in the Country Ridge Community. Al met Stu at their community club house and became his protegee as he learned all the changes and conventions that weren’t around when he first learned the game in the 1960s. Soon Al was playing bridge at a variety of venues

Al joined the McKinney Duplicate Club in 2018 and served on the board as director of equipment. He plays there weekly where he is known not for being the fastest man alive but for being a modest, kind, and caring gentleman.

Nancy Connors, Plano, is secretary of the McKinney Duplicate Bridge Club.

Al Joersz

Contributors

Clear Lake Bridge Club Bests Itself Again!

Unit 174 Houston

By Evvie Gilbert

The Clear Lake Bridge Club (CLBC) is in Unit 174 in the Bay Area of the Greater Houston Area. It is a member-owned club that survives because of its many volunteers and membership. Boy, what an understatement!

CLBC often participated in ACBL’s The Longest Day Fundraiser but all we did was hold two open and one point-limited games on the designated day and serve pizza between the morning and afternoon games. Many of our members donated more than the game fee but the club really didn’t make a big event out of our participation.

Then in 2018, something changed. Marsha Shortt took the cover of the ACBL Bridge Bulletin and had it made into a banner and put it up on a wall at the club. Just that step started an awareness in which most of us previously had not engaged.

The same year CLBC heard what Bert Onstott’s club (Westside Bridge Academy – no longer in existence due to the pandemic) did on The Longest Day. They had a silent auction where some of their top players agreed to play with the winning bidder. So, that gave us the idea that CLBC should do something similar and try to engage those who were almost unaware of the event and who played in the afternoon point-limited game to participate.

Nancy Guthrie was a member of CLBC and was also serving on the Unit 174 board so she had clout! She presented a proposal to the club’s board requesting that we adopt what Bert was doing and hold a "Bid for a Star" silent auction where all the proceeds would be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.

This proposal was approved and so it began.

By the end of May 2018, we had what we liked to call our “Baker’s Dozen of Stars” who agreed to be auctioned. We only had an auction for the morning open game. We still had the usual pizza between the games and all proceeds were donated. CLBC raised just over $3,000.00. Paula Wissman agreed to direct the games and waived her director fees so they could be included in the donation. Tomi Porterfield (our resident game money taker) made the table assignments so our Stars and their bidders were evenly balanced at the tables. Evvie Gilbert prepared the bid sheets and made the calls to let the winners and their Star know the outcome. Nancy Guthrie in the meantime kept the bidding process lively by outbidding folks every time she walked by the sheets.

Planning started earlier for the 2019 event. We extended the Bid for a Star auction to include both the morning and the afternoon games. We raised $6001.00.

Due to the pandemic in 2020, we only had four online games that were dedicated to Cindy and Nicole Cox and Family in memory of their father, Dean Cox. Dean had recently died from Alzheimers’s disease. We did not hold an auction but our membership was still generous. We still raised $4,845.00.

Back on track for 2021, the Bid for a Star event raised $10,566.00 placing us 20th in the ACBL Top 40. Moving along to 2022, the club raised $6700.00 to stay in the ACBL Top 40. In 2023 it was $6885.00 still there! So now in 2024 we’re back on track with $10,538.00 due in part to this year’s Team Captain and Chair, Edna Rice. We hope to make the top 40 list but won’t know that until October. Ignore Edna’s eye make up, she was just trying to coordinate with her T-shirt!

Edna Rice

Nancy Guthrie

Throughout the years besides our members and stars, Tomi Porterfield (past team captain and chair and always committee member), Paula Wissman (director of all The Longest Day games), CLBC our lunch provider handled by Yvonne Pierce and Darlyn Dusek) and our very generous membership have been our constants.

Enjoy our 2024 The Longest Day Event photos.

Paula Wissman

Tomi Porterfield

Yvonne Pierce & Darlyn Dusek

Unit 172 - San Antonio

By Ellen Hessel

Fifteen teams showed up for the July 27th Pro Am Team Unit Game.

The winners were:

Flight A – Bill McCarty, Daniel Jackson, Lelia Jackson and Deborah Jackson.

Flight B – Karen and George Fillis, Leigh Primerano, and Ann Perry.

Flight C – Gordon Hardin, Sally Sanders, Dick Powell, and Belo Kellam.

Hope you’re all planning to attend our sectional in New Braunfels September 5-8. This sectional is wellknown for its outstanding hospitality and its fabulous playing area at the New Braunfels Convention Center. There are quite a few restaurants near the convention center where you can grab a quick bite for lunch or enjoy a more leisurely dinner after the last set. Don’t tell everybody (well, I guess I am), there is a fabulous farmer’s market within walking distance of the Convention Center on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in case you’re an early bird. It’s located at 186 S. Castell, a close 5-6 minute walk from the playing site. For more tournament details, click here to view the flyer.

Our Diane Olson Election Sectional is set for October 16-19 at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church at 1416 North Loop 1604. Diane was a beloved longtime bridge teacher and bridge advocate for our unit. A Fairfield Inn & Suites is located just a block away from the playing church at 80 Trailcrest Street (210491-9595). More tournament details can be found here. Please come join us as we continue to keep our table count moving in a positive direction. Hope to see you all at both tournaments!

Unit 174 - Houston

By Jack LaVigne

TheFuture 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.

FLM hosted its second Central Houston 99er game on August 18. We will report about this game in the next issue.

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.

299er Games

299er games are held on last Monday of the month. Next games will be on September 27 and October 25.

Closures

No game will be held on Friday, October 4. The club will also be closed October 21 - November 5 for early voting.

Bridge Academy of West Houston

The Longest Day Recap

The Longest Day is an annual fundraising event by the Alzheimer’s Association that supports the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. The Bridge Academy of West Houston supported this effort with an online auction to play with our better players such as Joe Quinn and Georgiana Gates, a raffle for 10 free plays and our generous membership made donations. We held The Longest Day game on Wednesday, June 19 and over $3800 was raised.

Thanks to all the volunteers and players who made this event a success.

Eddie Wold – 80,000 Masterpoint Milestone Party

On Wednesday, June 26, a celebration was held in honor of Eddie Wold, who achieved the incredible milestone of 80,000 masterpoints. Eddie's numerous students and partners organized a fantastic party filled with food and fun. A big thank you to everyone who joined in and played!

Dianna Gittelman, Steve Reichek, Barbara Grantham, Betty Starzec, Bobbi Kauffman Daily, Patti Mullendore, Jane Armstrong, Eddie Wold, Hallie (Peaches) Eads and Marsha Bernstein

James Sells – Gold Life Master & Kay Johnson – Birthday Party

On Wednesday, July 24, Sandy Clark and Audley Karrasch hosted a combination Gold Life Master party for James Sells and a Birthday party for Kay Johnson. Everyone had a great time.

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, September 3 and October 1. 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 & Future Life Masters Pairs

The Eight is Enough Swiss Teams and Future Life Masters Pairs are held once a month on Sundays at

1:30 p.m. The upcoming games are September 29 and October 13.

Weekly Game Schedule

The Bridge Academy of West Houston has a combined Open and 0-299er Pairs every Wednesday and an Invitational Pairs every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. The games are held at the Arabia Shriners.

International Fund and Club Appreciation games are scheduled for September and October.

Bridge Club of Houston

Tuesday Tidbits

Build a solid foundation with Julie Halperin, Diamond Life Master and ACBL Teacher, and enjoy a free lesson from 9:30-10:10 a.m. The game to follow begins at 10:30 a.m. We will set up partnerships for those who need it. Text Julie at 713 857-8004 with questions or concerns. Lessons are open to all.

Mentor/Mentee F2F

Mentor/Mentee games are held the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 10:30 a.m. Sign up at club or contact Judy Cupps at judy_n_al@yahoo.com or by phone 713 320-5592 or Bob Zeigler 713 829-6928 with any questions.

BBO Mentor/Mentee Games

BBO 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.

Eight is Enough Swiss Teams Games

Swiss Teams games are held the first and third Tuesday of each month at 10:30 a.m. Register at the club, check the website calendar for more information.

Saturday F2F 299er and Open Games

Saturday F2F 299er and open game are held every weekend with potlucks and points each week. Check the website for more information.

Special Games

The planned special games for September and October are:

• Labor Day Celebration – September 2. 50% Red and 50% Black points will be awarded. Hotdogs will be served at 11:00 a.m. (please bring a side to share) Open and 299er games begin at 11:55 a.m.

• Pizza Fridays – September 16 and October 11. Enjoy a free pizza lunch while you play.

• 499er Tournament – September 19-22. Check out the flyer for more details.

• 20 Table Saturday – October 19. Lunch will be provided, extra points will be awarded and a silent auction will be held. Don’t miss out on the fun check the

BCOH website for further details.

• Halloween Costume Party – October 30. Bring finger food or snacks to share. Costume judging will be held during the break.

Clear Lake Bridge Club

P r e v i o u s l y. . .

The Longest Day Recap

Many thanks to our extremely generous members who made our 2024 The Longest Day a huge success! Clear Lake Bridge Club donated $10,528.00 directly to the Alzheimer’s Association (plus $147.00 given to the ACBL for the table fees).

On Wednesday, June 19, we had 15 ½ tables in our morning game and 13 tables in our afternoon game; all proceeds were donated to the Alzheimer’s Association. We also had bidders for four games to be played at a later date, an online class and a play with a star at the 2025 Lone Star Regional.

This was truly a group effort by so many. Checkout the the article and photos in this issue.

Mentor/Mentee

Our Mentor/Mentee game was played on July 24, a week late due to hurricane Beryl. The overall winners were Russ and Sharon Hall. First place East/West were Klaas Tadema and Mark Incerto.

1st

Local Milestone

Clear Lake Bridge Club closed to support the Unit 174 Awesome August Sectional August 8 -11. CONGRATULATIONS to Barb Sweeney for obtaining her Life Master during this tournament.

Games

North American Pairs qualifying games continued in August. CLBC also had club championship games and Jr. Fund games.

U p c o m i n g. . .

Clear Lake Bridge Club plans to be open on Labor

Day. ACBL has designated September as International Fund month. These games help support North American participation in international events.

CLBC is located at 16614 Sea Lark, Houston 77062. We hold games every day of the week. We close for Unit 174 tournaments, Christmas and Easter. You can reach us at 281-480-1911.

Weekly Game Schedule

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 four days per week as follows: 749er games are on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday at 1:00 p.m.

299er games are on Monday and Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.

Swiss Teams games are on Sunday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. On the second Sunday of the month the game is an Eight is Enough Swiss Teams.

Mentor/Mentee Open games are on the third Wednesday each month.

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.

Come see us and play some bridge!

Fort Bend Bridge Club

Fort Bend Duplicate Bridge has a game on Tuesdays at:

Arabia Shriners Center

10510 Harwin Drive

Houston

Please arrive by 10:15 a.m. as the game starts at 10:30 a.m. We offer:

• Bridge Mate II Scoring

• At Least 36 Upgraded Games a Year

• Hand Records after Every Game

• A Nice Balance of Friendly A, B, & C Players

• Coffee and Substantive Snacks

• Fully Sanctioned ACBL Game

• Results Available Immediately

• Fully Qualified and Experienced Directors Due to rent expense entries are $7.00.

Please call 832-287-9170) or email (ewat2004@aol. com) John Eric Watson in advance so we can start on time.

Overall Winners

Russ & Sharon Hall

East/West Mark Incerto & Klaas Tadema

Unit 176 - Dallas

By Bill Driscoll

We are excited about our running Dallas Labor Day Regional, August 27-September 1 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Allen. Please read on for more information.

News from Recent Events:

GNT Finals in Toronto

Kudos to Jin Chu, Plano, whose team won GNT Flight B, earning 70 gold points each! You can read the team’s back story in the NABC report in this issue. Thanks and congratulations to all. Unit 176 players who represented District 16 at the Grand National Teams Finals in Toronto included:

Championship Flight: Hua Yang and Yan Song

Flight A – Tiger King, MK Yeh, Donna Garrard, and William Garrard

Flight B – Jin Chu

All GNT results can be found on ACBL Live with the Toronto NABC results for July 18, Toronto NABC Results

The Longest Day Recap

Four of our unit clubs had The Longest Day games supporting 2024 ACBL Alzheimer’s fund-raising. Open Pairs games were held at Friendly BC (12 ½ tables), Lariat BC (2 ½ tables), McKinney DBC (12 ½ tables), and Valley View BC (3 games totaling 22 tables). VVBC also had two 499er Pairs games totaling 9 tables. Results can be found at the following links: Friendly BC, Lariat BC, McKinney DBC, Valley View BC (See games 6/17-6/21).

Unit Game Summaries

Our unit games are now being alternately hosted by Valley View BC and Friendly BC both held at the King of Glory Lutheran Church. Thanks to VVBC and FBC for conducting these events and to all who have been coming out to play. Turnout has been great!

The June 16 unit game by FBC had 20 Open Pairs and seven 499er Pairs tables.

Congratulations to Open Pairs winners Bob Hamman & Kristen Onsgard and John Luebkemann & Sharon Tomnitz, Click here for the results.

Also, congratulations 499er Pairs winners Susan Pharr & Carey Pharr and Fran Shelton & Liz Williams, Click here for the 499er Pairs Results.

The July 14 unit game by VVBC had 25 ½ Open Pairs and four 499er Pairs tables. Congratulations to

Open Pairs winners Jim Thurtell & Jim Bauer (Section A and overall) and Gerry McKim & Mike Hout (Section B), Click here for the Open Pairs Results. Also, congratulations to the 499er winners Bonnie Keene & Denise Patterson, Click here for the 499er Pairs Results.

The August 4 unit game by FBC had 21 ½ Open Pairs tables. Congratulations to winner Tiger King & Jianbo Chen (Section A) and Dale Remmers & Kashi Singh (Section B and overall). Click here for the Open Pairs Results.

Upcoming Events

The Dallas Labor Regional is just ending August 27 -September 1 at the Courtyard by Marriott Dallas-Allen at the Event Center, 210 E. Stacy Road, Allen, 75002. For more information, see the flyer.

Another 2024 Unit 176 tournament is the Dallas Fall Sectional and I/N Regional (November 6-9). More details about the events are available on the Unit 176 Website. Also check out the Intermediate/Newcomer's Corner on the unit website featuring opportunities for our newer players.

Unit 176 Bridge Clubs and Games

Please join us at any of the Dallas area bridge clubs games.

Unit 183 - Fort Western

By John Robbins Arlington DBC

TheArlington Duplicate Bridge Club reports a successful The Longest Day Event in June, with a total of $2065 raised for Alzheimer’s research, easily surpassing its goal of $1500. The club will be closed Labor Day weekend for the Dallas regional tournament.

Fort Worth Bridge Studio

Unit 183 has completed its relocation to 3417 Wellington Road, Suite 105 in Fort Worth, just across Wellington from our previous location. Games are running as usual. We landed the new space just as the lease on our former suite was running out and the owner of a larger space we had negotiated failed to sign our contract. Expansion within the building or elsewhere remains a possibility. For now, we are committed to only one month at a time, while our contract provides availability of the suite for up to two years. Currently we have eight tables set up, with space for one more, along with a small kitchenette area and

two bathrooms. Maintenance upgrades are underway and should be completed by the time this report is published.

New Sectional Location

The unit will hold its next sectional October 8-10 at the Arborlawn Methodist Church on Briarhaven Road in eastern Fort Worth.

Bridge Lessons

Of course we are always looking for new players. Diane Dillman’s new lesson series in Fort Worth is going well, and anyone wanting to begin playing bridge is invited to join at any time.

Dorothy Moore is offering bridge refresher lessons for people who have played bridge before, along with limited games Tuesday and Sunday in Arlington. Having re-started bridge myself in one of her games, I can guarantee you will learn and enjoy the process.

Unit 201 - Sabine Neches

By Florence Ferguson

We had a very busy summer in Beaumont!

The Longest Day Recap

Our The Longest Day game was a great success as always. It was organized by Linda Briggs with Cleo Martin and Lou Rising as hostesses. This year our club raised over $3,000 dollars. Our club is dedicated to the research and support provided by the Alzheimer’s Association, raising a total of over $65,000 since we began these games in 2013.

Board of Directors

Our board added three new members and elected Val Townley-Smith, president, Theresa Copper, secretary, and Paulete Schiwart, vice president as new officers. Along with Theresa, Judy Mattingly and Susan Pennington are also new members to the board. Thank you to these members, as well as returning members,

for their willingness to serve on the board and support Unit 201.

Local Milestone

In addition to assuming the demanding job of board president, Val achieved Life Master status last spring. A celebration with lunch and a game was held in her honor. It is evident that Val is an invaluable member of our bridge family and worked diligently to achieve this status. Congratulations, Val! And congratulations on receiving your director’s certification, along with your husband, Bob. Val now directs our Thursday night mentor game and Friday open games. Bob gives lessons before the mentor game. Can you tell how lucky we are to have them in our bridge family?

Parties

And, of course, we had our annual 4th of July celebration. This year Susan and Jerry Gore provided our hot links and members supplied all the fixings. The membership was a sea of red, white and blue, and we gave thanks for our liberties and freedoms.

Tournament

Make plans now to attend the Sabine Neches Sectional, September 26 -28. Entry fee includes refreshments and lunch. As always, it’s a great time to play bridge in Southeast Texas.

In the next issue, results of our 499 Tournament will be reported. Hope to have seen you there!

Unit 204 - Fort Concho

By Troy Harvey

TheSan Angelo Bridge Club has continued participation in all the games with close to 37 games since last report in mid-June. What's even more exciting is numerous times there are eight tables. I'm sure that is because we have so many members who are passionate about bridge not to mention how super hot it is outside. We also want to thank Nancy Greer who brought fresh peaches to us all the way from Colorado.

Nancy Greer

Linda Briggs

Hostesses Lou Rising & Cleo Martin

Bob and Val Townley-Smith

Local Milestones

The club wants to recognize Carl McGill who has achieved Gold Life Master which is over 2500 MPs! Marcie Perlman earned Silver Life Master which is over 1000 MPs.

Congratulation to you both for these milestones!

While on the topic of milestones, John Osborne a “club personality” has recently retired after 41 years of AG teaching. John started at the age of 21 in Menard, then to Wall and finishing his last 11 years in Eldorado. If you do the math that is many students and livestock shows. He now has more time for bridge and tending to his ranch. John is also a Life Master and director.

Notable Scores

Now it’s time to mention some notable scores at the club. Originally, I was going to mention scores of 62% or higher, but that list is too long. Therefore, here are pairs in recent weeks with impressive scores >70%:

July 20: Bonnie Beasley and Marvin Simpson 73.27% (5 tables)

July 29: Carl McGill and Neal Perlman 70.15% (8 tables)

August 12: Virginia Noelke and Judy Wilde 71.1% (7 tables)

Parties

Our club has no shortage of monthly parties to celebrate birthdays and holidays. Here are few pictured the celebrations.

Labor Day this year falls on one of Marifrances Watson's games, and there are plans to have a celebration. If you're interested in helping with the festivities, please contact Joy Foster our activities director and club president.

Tournament Bound

Julie Moorman has the tournament bug and is promoting and recruiting members to join in the fun. Currently she is planning to go the one in New Braunfels early September, Las Vegas after Thanksgiving and a Cruise as well. Please reach out to Julie or Joy if interested. Our club continues to recruit new members. If there are any suggestions to further that recruitment, please let me know and I will take the lead. Make sure to check out our website for our weekly game schedule.

Daisy & Julie Mormon

Joy Foster

Carl McGill

Marcie Perlman

John Osborne

Neal Perlman

Carl McGill

Marvin Simpson Bonnie Beasley

Virginia Noelke

Unit 207 - Texas Capital Bridge

By Barbara Clements

We hope everyone’s summer is going well. We’ve had pretty good participation this summer in our clubs, and even welcomed some out-of-towners to join our games.

Our Austin Firecracker Regional had a great turnout July 1-7. We had 57 team winners over the course of the week. Click here for the winners.

We were especially excited and honored to have Margie Kintz from Waco (Unit 233) come with friends to help her make Life Master at our regional. Ann Denton from New Braunfels (Unit 172) also made the trip and earned Life Master at the regional. And we can’t forget our own Pam Beck who also earned her Life Master. Fantastic, Margie, Ann and Pam.

Upcoming Events

We have two events coming up in September and October. On September 19-22, the Bridge Center of Austin is hosting a sectional. On October 12-13, there is a 0-50 sectional at the Bridge Center of Austin (1:30 p.m. on both days)

Local Milestones

In July and August we had a number of members reach Life Master Milestones.

Emerald Master: Sam Dinkin

Ruby Master: John Gauss, Richard Day

Silver Master: Sandy Jomini, June Matilla

Gold Master: Harry Akin

Silver Master: Juanita Painter, Patty Webb

Bronze Master: Michael Chow, Tim Elsea, Annetta Hughson, Rita Schaulat, Judy Alpert, Lois Kertesz, Curt Wyman

Advanced NABC: Cindy McCauley, Christopher Steele, Steve Luning, David Sechrest

NABC Master: Jody Westland, Kristin Anderson

Sectional Master: Georgia Bea Eden, Joyce Francis, Philip Klempay

Club Master: Matt Claflin, Delta Gahimer, Rebecca Lamar, Joyce Mackay

Regional Master: Paul Alford, Glenn Rudd

Junior Master: Bruce Raven, Shanker Reddy, Kim Bunch, Steven Emmerich, Tom Smith, Nathan Thane

Lastly, we are sorry to note the passing of Ted Pontius and June Knaus.

Unit 209 - Great Permian Basin

By Ann Parish

Belated 4th of July Party

Unit 209 has had a quiet summer of bridge. We had a belated 4th of July Party with hotdogs and all the trimmings. Ann Servatius and Kay Sewell were first in A North/South. Cliff Hair and Joan Rice were first in A, B, and C (!) East/West.

Bridge Lessons

Director Belle Harris and friends hosted Goodwill Ambassador lessons with the local YMCA on July 1 and August 26. ACBL helped the club financially with these events. Belle is also giving lessons at Allison Bridge Center twice on Mondays.

NAP Player Recruitment

Lonnie Yee is our new NAP guru, and he is actively recruiting players who would like to play in NAP games beyond the club level.

Parties

We are planning a Halloween Party in October with costumes, prizes, and an evening breakfast. We celebrated the birthday of director Marlene Blumentritt.

Play bridge in the summer! It’s cool inside!

Paula Bayley & Marlene Blumentritt

Unit 225 - East Texas

By Deb Pascoe Nacogdoches DBC

Congratulations to Suzanne Smith, Sanjay Santhanam, Gay Roach, and Melba Lee for their 2nd place finish in Bracket I Swiss Teams at the Shreveport Regional, which took place from June 26-28. As an added bonus, Melba Lee achieved Bronze Life Master as a result of points earned at the tournament – congrats, Melba! The Shreveport tournament attracts players from Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Unit 233 - Central Texas

By George & Pam Holmes

Unit 233 would like to recognize our newest Life Master, Margie Kintz of Waco. She completed her quest to obtain the rank of Life Master at the Austin Firecracker Regional in July of this year. Congratulations, Margie on a job well done.

We’re sorry about Jack Yarbrough’s passing. Please see his tribute in the In Memoriam section of this issue.

Pittsburg DBC

The Longest Day Fundraising Exceeds Goal Pittsburg showed its commitment to Alzheimer’s research this year by holding not one, but two, fundraising events. The first event – The Longest Day game - occurred on Friday, June 21. Pittsburg DBC had 5 tables for a Mitchell movement and lots of fun for the players.

The second event – a silent auction and game – occurred Friday, July 19, with 6 tables and lots of competition. Linda Harrison, club manager, approached local merchants, who were happy to participate. Local players also donated interesting and unique items. This, along with The Longest Day game, enabled us to raise $2500 exceeding our fundraising goal by $1000.

Congrats to the Pittsburg DBC for their enthusiastic support for Alzheimer’s Association!

Local Milestones

Melba Lee, Pittsburg, Bronze Life Master

Tom Spradlin, Longview, Bronze Life Master

Make sure to check out the Unit 225 website for more details about our clubs and their game schedules.

Meanwhile Unit 233 continues to muddle along with its regularly scheduled games. The Waco 0 to 500 club has recently upped its top masterpoint level to 750 but has kept its name. Hope to see everyone at the bridge table.

Unit 353 - Wichita Falls

By Marsha May

InJune and July Unit 353 had several special event games: NAP, Grass Roots, two STaCs, The Longest Day and the ACBL-wide Instant Matchpoint Game. A big Thank You goes out to David Herzog, owner of Bridge Club of Wichita Falls, for running all these special games for us.

The first STaC game was held on Tuesday, June 11. Anne Halsell and Margaret Kirkland came in 2nd in D16 with a 66.07% game winning 6.61 silver points. Marsha May, Faye Morrison, Nancy Purcell and Lois Roberson won 1.02 silver points and Pat Robinson and Cathy Zinn won .64 silver points.

The second STaC game was held on Saturday, June 18. Nancy Purcell and Bennie Young came in 1st in D16 with a 69.05 % game winning 12 silver points. Faye Morrison and Lois Roberson won 1.50 silver points, Anne Halsell and Margaret Kirkland won .85 silver points and Nell Lister and Suzanne Sosa won .64 silver points.

2nd Bracket I Swiss Teams Winners

Suzanne Smith, Sanjay Santhanam, Gay Roach, and New Bronze Life Master Melba Lee

Margie Kintz New Life Master

The ACBL-wide Instant Matchpoint Game was held on July 9. The winners of the gold point were Tomie Johnson and David Hertzog (N/S) and Carolyn Bell and Suzanne Sosa (E/W). Carolyn Bell and Suzanne Sosa have been partners since they took lessons from Kathleen Brown in 2014, but Carolyn can only play once a week. This was Carolyn’s first gold point. Congratulations to all our winners.

Calling All District 16 Artists

D16 doesn't have a logo. As you know our district comprises most of Texas and all of Mexico.

Winner receives a free day at a D16 Tournament.

• All submissions should be emailed as attachments to D16-ContactAdmin@d16acbl.org in either pdf, png, jpg formats or all of the above.

• Submission deadline is October 15th.

• Entries will be identified by number only and submitted blind to the D16 Executive Committee who will decide the winner.

• Individuals may submit any number of potential logos.

• The winning logo will be unveiled in the November/December Scorecard and the eblast announcing it will include the attribution.

• Winner selects the tournament in which they want their freeplay day.

Carolyn Bell & Suzanne Sosa

Games & Classes for Newer Players - Come Join us!

D16 0-50 Masterpoint Game: Every Monday at 4:00 p.m.

District 16 is offering to all 0-50 masterpoint players a 12-board game on BBO for $3.00 every Monday at 4:00 p.m. You can ask a partner to play, or sign in at the partnership desk and pick up a new partner. Practice, practice, practice. Your experiences at the table can be your best teacher. A director and assistants will be on hand to offer guidance during the game.

For more information email Beginner20Bridge@gmail.com

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 at 6:05 p.m. (CT)

The 199er Nite Club! games are offered seven days a week at 6:05 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 D16 0-50 and the Nite Club Games Lecture Series

Zoom® Spanish Lecture Series - Third Saturday of every month at 12:00 p.m. (México CT), 1:00 p.m. (CT)

September 21 – Santiago Semberoiz

October 19 –Alejandro Bianchedi

November 16 – Guera Belden

December 21 - Patricia Herrera sobre "Michales: Cuando y como usarlo"

Zoom® Intermediate/Newcomer Lecture Series - Fourth Saturday of every month at 12:30 p.m. (CT) 11:30 p.m. (Mexico CT)

September 28 – Scott Nason on “Bridge Ethics”

October 26 – Donna Compton on “Defender’s Number Rules”

November 20 – Thomas Rush on “Ogust, Feature or Both”

December 28 – Mary Jane Orock on 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. Here is the link where they are located on the D16 website.

Sept 19th – 22nd, 2024

4688 Louetta Rd, Spring, TX | 281-651-6550 | thebridgeclub@sbcbglobal.net

Need a Partner?

Contact Kas Rangan 539-210-1333 kas.rangan99@gmail.com

Ambassador available for all Pairs Sessions.

Stratification*

A (300 to 499) B (100-300) C (0-100)

* Strats may be modified by director

Entry Fees

(Per Session - Cash Only)

Current ACBL Members $10

Lapsed ACBL Members $14

ACBL number required to play. 120 day guest membership available free at https://www.acbl.org/membership/

Snacks / Lunch

Free snacks and drinks all days. Lunch available for $7 Cash on Thurs, Fri., and Sat. if ordered by 10am. No Sunday meal.

Tournament Chair

Susan Domsalla 281-732-2508

sdomsall@msn.com

Event Schedule

Thursday thru Saturday Sept 19th – 21st

499er Pairs 10am

499er Pairs 2pm

Sunday, Sept 22nd Swiss Teams

499er Swiss Team 1:30pm

Hand Review

On Sunday, Sept 22nd, from 12:30 to 1:15pm, an expert will answer your questions on tournament hands.

Notes

BCOH is a fragrance free facility. Life Masters less than 500 pts can play.

Lodging

SpringHill Suites by Marriott 20303 Chasewood Park Dr., Houston, TX 77070 has a discount rate of $105 + tax per night, and free cancellation 24 hours before check-in. Contact hotel directly at 832-953-2228 and ask for Imagine Peels and mention BCOH Bridge Tournament.

By Ken Monzingo

Responding to an Opening Suit Bid for ♠ Intermediate/Newcomers ♣

This lesson begins when your partner is first to make a call and opens the auction by bidding

1♣, 1♦, 1♥, or 1♠. Following this, your position at the table can be defined as partner to the opening bidder or simply responder. Lately bridge jargon has added “advancer,” so you have any of three titles. I also refer to your position as “captain,” whose job is to steer us home. Now that’s a chore and a half, but a knowledgeable captain leads us to victory – hopefully.

Where are We Going?

After the opening bid by partner and assuming the opponents are silent throughout, the captain may be saddled with the huge responsibility of steering the partnership toward the best contract. Goals to aim for:

1. The correct suit to play in or to play notrump.

• An 8-card major suit fit between the partners is usually best: 4-4, or 5-3 work well.

2. What level is safe to not overbid.

• Bidding 2♠ and taking eight tricks to score +110 is usually good.

• Bidding 3♠ and taking eight tricks to score -50 or -100 is usually not good.

3. What level is too timid so you may miss a valuable game bonus.

• Bidding 3♠ and taking 10 tricks is usually not good. (Unless the opponents misdefended.)

Bidding 4♠, trying for a game bonus, and taking only 8-9 tricks is rarely good.

4. The strategy of match points versus IMPs.* Match points is more a game of plus scores, or minimum minus scores. IMPs is more about total points awarded for game bonuses. In match points I suggest you bid cautiously, at IMPs most experts will stretch a little to hopefully get game bonuses by bidding and making contracts worth +100: 3NT (100), 5♦/5♣ (100) or 4♠/4♥ (120).

System Agreements

The navigational tools you have in your arsenal are dependent on the general approach your partnership has agreed to abide by: standard bidding using the time tested AKQJ 4-3-2-1 honor card values, or 2-Over-1 (2/1) Game Force using the same high card values. Standard has all but disappeared and 2/1 is king, so we will assume that’s what you play.

2/1 System

The 2/1 system is very similar to standard bidding with two distinctive differences:

1. The bid of 1NT in response to 1♠ or 1♥ (major suits) by an unpassed advancer is limited and non-forcing in standard, and mostly limited but absolutely forcing in 2/1. Some partnerships extend that forcing rule to even passed hand responses.

Not my favorite treatment.

2. But the BIG difference in 2/1 versus standard is when an unpassed advancer responds with a non jump 2/1 response to an opening 1♠, 1♥, or 1♦ which in standard bridge is a hand of about 9-10 HCP+. In 2/1 that bid is unequivocally a game forcing bid and both opener and advancer must continue the auction until game is reached: 4♠/4♥, 3NT or 5♦/5♣

The response of 1NT to 1♦ or 1♣ openings like standard is 6-9 HCP, non-forcing, and denies four hearts or four spades.

2/1 Examples:

Partner Opp Advancer

1♠1/♥ Pass 2♦/2♣ – Natural and game forcing 1♦ Pass 2♣ – Also natural and game forcing

Forcing 1NT example:

Partner Opp Advancer

1♠1/♥ Pass 1NT – Artificial and forcing for one round

But ...

Advancer Opp Partner Opp Pass Pass 1♠/1♥ Pass 1NT(?) – Some play this is forcing. I don’t.

Experts and many regular partnerships have added fun quirks and whims to the 2/1 system, the most common of which is probably Inverted Minors. I suggest reading about them in either Max Hardy or Mike Lawrence books and writings on the subject.

District 16

Teacher of the Year

Is there a bridge teacher who has inspired you? Now is the time to reward that individual’s enthusiasm, passion and patience! Celebrate your teacher! Nominate your teacher for the D16 Teacher of the Year award.

The nomination process works like this:

1.You ask your teacher if he/she would like to be nominated.

2.Your teacher agrees.

3.You send an email to district16TOY@gmail.com with your teacher’s contact information.

4.We take it from there.

Please submit nominations by November 30, 2024,so that your teacher has time to put together a portfolio by December 31, 2024.

The winner will be announced at the 2025 Lone Star Regional.

How the Captain Leads the Auction

Playing 2/1 the advancer (and sometime partner) should keep in mind that in its simplicity the unimpeded auction is elementary addition and a four step process: Opening, Response, Description, Placement.

1. Opening: The opening one bid: 12+ HCP

2. Response: The response by advancer: May be as low as 6 HCP or 5 HCP with a fit or long suit.

3. Description:Further description of opener’s holding as to distribution and strength with rebid.

4. Placement: Advancer now has enough information to pass, place the contract, or explore more.

Adding partner’s strength to advancer’s suggests where and what level to play the contract.

1. Play in a part score if partnership is limited to a combined 24 or less points.

2. Opener’s second bid often decides in what suit to play if we have a fit. If not, notrump.

3. Advancer should view their holdings as minimum, good, and very good and distributional.

a) Minimum: With 6-9 advancer should be looking for best part score.

b) Good: With 10-11 (or 12) advancer should be looking to invite a game.

c) Very Good: With 13 or more advancer will get the partnership to game in the best fit.

d) Distributional: Shortness or extra length is used in evaluating strength.

Bridge is often just simple arithmetic.

* I asked a friend and top player, Mitch Dunitz, why he preferred match points to IMPs since most experts choose IMPs. His answer: “In match points if the opponents bid and make a lucky low point slam, or if I go for -800 against a part score, I can still win the event – it’s just one board. But in IMPs if either happens I’m out of the event and my day is ruined.”

Nest Lesson: Flannery 2♦ Opening Bid

Thur s Sept 19th - Sat, Sept 21st

Stratified Swiss Teams, single session

10am, 2:30pm

Open Pairs, single session 10am, 2:30pm

299er Pairs, single session 10am, 2:30pm

Sun, Sept 22nd

Stratiflighted A/X & BCD Swiss Teams

10am & TBD

$140 per 4 per son team, includes lunch

Additional player s, $6 each

Entry Fees: $14/session

Students and players with 0-5 Masterpoints pay

$7 per session Thursday-Saturday

($4 additional per session for unpaid & non-ACBL members)

This is a CASHLESS ONLY Tourney

STRATIFICATIONS

(Pair & team games based on average MPs)

Open Pairs & Stratified Swiss Teams: (Thursday – Saturday)

A: 3000+, B: 750-3000, C: 0-750

299er Pairs:

A: 200-300, B: 100-200, C: 0-100

No player may have over 300 MPs

Sunday Stratiflighted Swiss Teams:

A: 3000+, X: 0-3000

B: 1500-2500, C: 500-1500, D: 0-500

No player with over 2500 MPs can play in the BCD Swiss

All stratifications are at the director’s discretion

Basic Chart for 299ers

Basic+ Chart for BCD Swiss Open Chart for all other events

Mrs. Sue D. Freeman, Port Arthur

Clarence W. Hough, San Antonio

* Mrs. Susan J. Lafountain, Waco

* Dr. Robert L. Matcha, Sugar Land

Mrs. K. Mitchell, Wills Point

J. Jack Yarbrough 1937 | 2024

By Deb Pascoe

TheIn Memoriam

William H. Norvell, San Antonio

Joe D. Payne, Orange

* Stephen Popham, Tyler

Beth Rosener, Laredo

* Jean B. Yolish, Nantucket MA

*Life Master

Nacogdoches Club suffered a great loss with Jack Yarbrough’s passing. As a member of the Nacogdoches Duplicate Bridge Club since 1967 and a Gold Life Master, Jack accumulated a wealth of experience and knowledge of the game of duplicate bridge.

His roles as a player, club director and certified director, along with his organization of 12 sectional tournaments in Nacogdoches further highlight his dedication to the bridge community.

Jack’s involvement and achievements span decades, reflecting a deep passion for the game and its community. He will be missed in many ways by all of us.

Joan Mayfield Hataway 1930 | 2024

By Florence Ferguson

Joan Mayfield Hataway was a Gold Life Master and a well respected and loved member of our Bridge Studio family in Beaumont. In addition to her love of duplicate bridge, she was also devoted to historic preservation. Joan served as president and chair of the board of the Texas Historical Foundation and chair of the Jefferson County Historical Commission. She also served as president of the Tyrrell Historical Library Commission, the Texas Gulf Historical Society, the Beaumont Heritage Society and served on the board of the Jefferson Theatre during its restoration.

She will be missed by us all.

Sabine Neches

Local Sectional

September 26-28, 2024

Local Director Ed Rasmussen

Tournament Location

Beaumont Bridge Studio

950 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77701

409-838-2447

Host Hotels

MCM Eleganté Hotel and Convention Center

2355 I10S, Beaumont 77705 409-842-3600

**Ask for Beaumont Bridge Tournament** Free WiFi and Parking (8 minutes from BBS)

Fairfield Inn and Suites

2265 I10S, Beaumont 77705 409-840-5751

**Ask for Beaumont Bridge Tournament** Free WiFi, Breakfast, Parking (8 minutes from BBS)

Entry Fees

Sessions: $12 per person per session Note: $16 per session for unpaid ACBL member

Stratification and Awards

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

499er: A (300-500) B (100-300) C (0-100)

**This is a Zero-Tolerance & No-Fragrance Tournament. **

Schedule of Events

Thursday, September 26th

Stratified Open Pairs (Single sessions) 9:30a & 1:30p

Stratified 499er Pairs (Single sessions) 9:30a & 1:30p

Friday, September 27th

Stratified Open Pairs (Single sessions) 9:30a & 1:30p

Stratified 499er Pairs (Single sessions) 9:30a & 1:30p

Saturday, September 27th

Stratified Open Pairs (Single sessions) 9:30a & 1:30p

Stratified 499er Pairs (Single sessions) 9:30a & 1:30p

Tournament Chairs

Paulette Schiwart 409-363-2259 accentps@yahoo.com

Earl Pittman 409-291-3078 epittman@gt.rr.com

Partnership Chair

Lucille Armintor 409-893-1404 larmintor@gt.rr.com

Join Us for a great time Playing Bridge in Southeast Texas !

As always, entry fee includes coffee, snacks and lunch !

Thursday AM - A

James La Fountain, Pat McMullin

♥ Awesome August Sectional Winners ♦ Unit 174

Thursday, August 8 - Saturday, August 10 - Open Pairs

Thursday PM - A

Susan Kaplan, Alfred Fortier III

Friday AM - A

Susan Kaplan, Alfred Fortier III

Saturday PM - A

Mark Howard, Clif Rice

Thursday, August 8 - Saturday, August 10 - 0-299 Pairs

Thursday AM - D

Lesley Kellet, Marci Keller

Thursday AM - F

Sally Ward, Kelly Harp

Saturday PM - D

Greta Etnyre, Bradley Etnyre

Saturday PM - C Fali Tamboly, Gunjan Singh

Thursday, August 8 - Sunday, August 11 -Bracketed Swiss Teams Games

Thursday - Bracket 2

Carol Lombardino, John Montgomery, Teresa Bolen, Zane Bolen

Saturday - Bracket 2

Joe Siqueira, Carol Jewett, Iris Siqueira, Daksha Adhia

Friday-Bracket 1

Timucin Erkoc, Shawn Quinn, Eddie Bass, Joe Quinn

Saturday - Bracket 3

Chloe Ella Fackenthall, Lesley Kellet, Thomas O'Donnell, Dennis Sucec

Friday -Bracket 2

Dianne Kraft, Mike Davis, David Wicks, Terry McGarrity (np)

Sunday - Bracket 1

Pat McMullin, James La Fountain, Susan Kaplan, Alfred Fortier III

Saturday - Bracket 1

Ralda St Pierre, John Erickson, John Zilic, Thomas Rush

Sunday - Bracket 2

Carol Wilson, Janice Sandberg, Sheryl Thomas, Eric Sandberg

Playing Site

New Braunfels Civic Center 380 Seguin Ave New Braunfels, TX 78130

Thursday, September 5, 2024 – Cost $14 / person / session

10:00 am Stratified Pairs

3:00 pm Stratified Teams

10:00 am & 3:00 pm 499er Stratified Pairs

Friday, September 6, 2024 – Cost $14 / person / session

10:00 am & 3:00 pm Stratified Pairs

10:00 am & 3:00 pm 499er Stratified Pairs

Saturday, September 7, 2024 – Cost $14 / person / session

10:00 am & 3:00 pm Stratified Pairs

10:00 am & 3:00 pm 499er Stratified Pairs

Sunday, September 8, 2024 – Cost $144 per team

10:00 & TBA Nell Morgan Stratified Swiss Teams Meal served between Sunday’s session

Tournament Chair: Ann Kuehler (830) 708-0001 annkuehler@gmail.com

499er Game (3 Table Minimum) Thursday-Saturday

Hotel:

$99 / Night

Comfort Suites, 1489 N IH 35 (830) 643-1100 Deadline Sept. 1

Thursday, Friday & Saturday are Single Sessions

Door Prizes

$7 Discount for Students

$4 additional per session for unpaid/lapsed ACBL members

Non-members: must sign up for a FREE 120-Day Guest Membership go to acbl.org/membership

Stratifications: A: 2500+ B: 0-2500 C: 0-750 All Events Average MP’s Strats changes at the discretion of the DIC Director: Kevin Perkins

Cashless Entry Only

Tournament Co Chair: Cindy Cummins (214) 695-2126 cindy.cummins56@gmail.com

Guest Speaker on Saturday at 2:30 pm

Partnership Chair: Rita De Hoyos (830) 660-8370 mrdehoyos@satx.rr.com

Hospitality Chair: Elisabeth Kay (210) 482-9340 sqk2009@gmail.com

Nearby

San Antonio TEXAS

Nearby Hotel

Playing Site

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Cost $14 per person per session

10:00 am Stratified Pairs

3:00 pm Stratified Teams

10:00 am & 3:00 pm 499er Stratified Pairs

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Cost $14 per person per session

10:00 am & 3:00 pm Stratified Pairs

10:00 am & 3:00 pm 499er Stratified Pairs

1 block away: Fairfield Inn & Suites-North/Stone Oak On exit ramp of N Loop 1604 E 80 Trailcrest St *** (210) 491-9595

St. Thomas Episcopal Church 1416 North Loop 1604 East San Antonio, TX

Friday, October 18, 2024

Cost $14 per person per session

10:00 am & 3:00 pm Stratified Pairs 10:00 am & 3:00 pm 499er Stratified Pairs

Saturday, October 19, 2024

Cost $144 per team

10:00 am & TBA Stratified Swiss Teams Includes Meal served between session

499er Game (3 Table Minimum)

Stratifications: A: 2500+ B: 0-2500 C: 0-750 All Events Average MP’s Strats may be changed at the discretion of the DIC

$7 Discount for Students

Cashless Entry Only

$4 additional per session for unpaid/lapsed ACBL members Non-members: must sign up for a FREE 120-Day Guest Membership-go to acbl.org/membership

Guest Speaker on Friday 2:30 pm

Tournament Chair: Karen Fillis (210) 884-5613 & Susan Hernandez (210) 710-8240

Partnership Chair: Jo Neesvig (210) 508-1448 josephineneesvig@aol.com

Director in Charge: Melody Euler

Thursday October 31, 2024

9:30 AM Stratified Open Pairs

1:30 PM Stratified Open Pairs

Friday November 1, 2024

9:30 AM Stratified Open Pairs

1:30 PM Stratified Open Pairs

Saturday November 2, 2024

9:30 AM Stratified Open Pairs

$12/Person/Session Cash or check only. Lunch offered $6/day.

1:30 PM Stratified Open Pairs Open Stratifications Flight A Open Flight B 300-1500 Flight C 0-300

Tournament Chair

Ken Javor kdjavor@yahoo.com

Partnership Co Chair Lynda Bradley DentonBridgeStudio@gmail.com Virginia Boudreau

Pre-register by sending an email to dentonbridgestudio

at Denton Bridge Studio. The director reserves the right to change the stratifications, if needed for equity.

Austin Firecracker Regional Winners ♦

Unit 207

Tuesday, July 2 - Friday, July 5 - Open Pairs

Tuesday - X

Mark Craig, Brett Leach

Tuesday - Y Sue Breeding, Pravina Jani

Thursday - A

Rosemary Kelley, Jeff McKee

Tuesday, July 2 - Friday, July 5 - Gold Rush Pairs

Tuesday - B&C

Tuesday - Bracket 2

Joe Volanski, Ted Bain, Kas Rangan, Steve Bell

Thursday -

Friday - A Hal George, Ron LaCour

Friday - B

Monsday, July 1 - Sunday, July 7 - Swiss Teams

Monday - Bracket 3

Paula Towner, Penny Dougherty, Jeanie Stone, Laura Chandler

Tuesday - Bracket 3

Cindy Cummins, Ann Kuehler, Elisabeth Kay, Hazel Medellin

Wednesday - Bracket 2

Tuesday - Bracket 4

Mike Atchison, Tom Banet, Dian Atchison, Jo McDaniel

Wednesday - Bracket 4

Monday - Bracket 4

Mike Atchison, Tom Banet, Dian Atchison, Jo McDaniel

Tuesday - Bracket 5

Wilson Haddow, Sheldon Markowitz, Mike Edwards, Michael Schwimmer

Wednesday - Bracket 5

Sue

Diana Clive, Peter Clive

Liz Hinkle, Linda Vincent

Margie Kintz, Nell Carpenter

Sandy Stevens, Kathy Rolfe, Sarah Sentman, Ray Franks

Kathy McDougall, Betty Westbrook, Johara Nour, Linda Drake (np)

Angle, Pam Holmes, George Holmes, Earnestine Broyles (np)

Thursday - Bracket 3

Brigitte Sandifer, Sarah Springer, Paddy Florino, Linda McReynolds

Friday - Bracket 2(Tie)

Kathy Rolfe, Sandy Stevens, Ray Franks, Sarah Sentman

Saturday - Bracket 1

Sally Wheeler, Budd Hanby, Ellen Hessel, Ira Hessel

Thursday - Bracket 4

Virginia Miller, John Olson, Jim Wallace(np), Mike Edwards(np)

Friday - Bracket 4

Sharon Dameron, Karen Dameron, Mary McCarron, David McCarron(np)

Saturday - Bracket 2

Tiger King, M. K. Yeh, Donna Garrard, William Garrard

Sunday - A/X/Y A

Phillip Grothus, Linda Drake, Jimmy Breihan, Judi Whaling

Thursday - Bracket 5

Bob Mendel, Tonya mcNabb, Tom Brown, Kathy McCougell

Friday - Bracket 5

Lauri Laufman, Johara Nour, Jim Woodward, Betty Westbrook

Saturday - Bracket 3

Rosalee Hacker, Karen Jennings, Jan Mogged, Chuck Mogged

Sunday - A/X/Y X&Y

Bill McIndoo, Tom Banet, Rita Wiegenstein, Jo McDaniel

Friday - Bracket 6

Mike Atchison, Dian Atchison, Pam Beck, Virginia Miller

Saturday - Bracket 4

Judy Whaling, Ed Cosman, Jackie King, Marcia Chambliss

Sunday - Bracket 2

Nora Fallon, Mark Alpert, Chris Steele, Judy Alpert

Margie Kintz, Unit 233, Waco

Ann Denton, Unit 172, New Braunfels

New Life Masters

Pam Beck, Unit 207, Georgetown