Minnesota Bridge

Holiday Events Tomorrow!

The Holiday Sectional in Oakdale begins on Friday.  Here's the schedule; hope that you indulge!  Man doesn't live by holiday shopping alone......

The Champ and His Dad

Now that Joe Grue has won the biggest prize of them all, the Reisinger Board-A-Match teams, finding someone unaware of his bridge prowess will be tough.  You cannot own that title and fail to be a true expert's expert.

But Joe isn't only a champion at the bridge table.  He's a true champ away from the table, too.  Those of us who know Joe well know that he is a generous, honorable and all around very good guy. 

Some of us at a nationals stick only to national events, in an effort to conserve energy and brain cells.  Joe, however, is happy to compete in an Educational Fund KO event with his dad Tom Grue, along with stars Jeff Meckstroth, Geoff Hampson, John Kranyak and Joel Woolridge.  Ah, youth!  And a super spirit, too.

Twin City Bridge Center

When I first began to play bridge in Minneapolis, it was at the Minneapolis Bridge Center at 60th and Nicollet. 

The name may be slightly different now:  The Twin City Bridge Center.  And some of the "old timers" that were around when I started are, alas, no longer with us. 

But if you are looking for daily duplicate bridge games, then this Club is the place to go!  Here's a link to the TCBC - and one is listed under our club directory link on the side, too.

Aloha, Minnesota!

Players with Minnesota origins did us proud at the Hawaii Nationals.

In the first major event, Howie Weinstein and Steve Garner won the Open Pairs.  While winning is not new for this partnership - they most recently snagged the right to represent the U.S. in the 2007 Bermuda Bowl - snapping up the top spot is always a kick.

Speaking of top spots ... our child prodigy, Joe Grue, is grown up and grown in bridge world stature.  Sunday evening, Joe, along with partner Curtis Cheek and teammates Gary Cohler and "Pepsi" from Poland, won the most prestigious event held at the nationals:  the Reisinger Board A Match.  Joe and his team were the last qualifiers for the final day, and thus had no carryover.  This makes their win all the more impressive, and also higlights the old  saying that "if you're there, you can win."

It is very tough to find nicer people in the bridge world than Steve, Howie & Joe.  As you can well imagine, it's also difficult to find better competitors!  Congratulations to these Richfield and Golden Valley raised boys!  And a special "kudos" to Joe for his first major win; the biggest prize of 'em all.

Bridge in Rochester

A new link has been added for Rochester bridge.  For game and result information, check this out!

Jerry Lee, Platinum Life Master

We earlier announced the coming of a second Platinum Life Master in Minnesota.  Now, however, we have a live report about the lovely party held at the Twin City Bridge Club in honor of Jerry Lee.

Our thanks to Marv Riedesel, President of Unit 178, for this rundown on the festivities!

Happy Holidays!

St. Paul is not to be outdone in the tournament department!  Whether you're returning from the Nationals in Hawaii, or from a joyful Thanksgiving celebration somewhere, be sure to make it to Oakdale and the Holiday Sectional! 

A Blast in Minnesota

If you live in Rochester, you got a blast of winter over the weekend.  Snow already?  I'm not ready!

But if you came to Mystic Lake Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you were able to enjoy a well run, well attended tournament, chock full of treats and education, too. 

Our thanks to organizers Marv Riedesel and Mary Johnson; wonderful production!  And congrats to Cindy and Bob Balderson.  They headed up the list of masterpoint achievers for the tourney.  See here for how everyone fared.

Ode to Bridge

While enjoying all the festivities at the Minnesota Tourney this weekend at Mystic Lake, longtime player and youth education guru Evan Sachs gave me this.  As you can see, Evan's talents are not restricted to the bridge table.

A Paeon of Love

This Bridge, in all its complex ways

The sands of time does mock.

Competitors, at every age

Ignore the ticking clock.

It's here we shed our adult years

For pseudo-mortal strife

"Bang,bang--you're dead!" then on we go

Restored once more to life.

To teach young minds, so keen to start

So masterpoints be earned

With subdued tone they say to me

"It's too much to be learned."

And there's the nugget they've unearthed

T'was waiting to be found

Their youthful eyes ahd spotted it

Just lying on the ground.

If we did nothing but play Bridge

Until our heavenly call

It still would be impossible

For us to learn it all.

This game has given so much to us

We must reciprocate

Expose young minds to Bridge's lore

Before it is too late.

We'll pass the siren song of Bridge

To youth's receptive heart

And know, that in the scheme of things,

That we have done our part.

So point by point I inch along

To scale that lofty ridge

Just once to view, with all of you

The Majesty of Bridge.

Need A Pard?

One way in which this blog can be used is to help people find games.  The Minnesota State Sectional at Mystic Lake starts tomorrow.  Do you have all your games lined up yet?

If not - then go to the comments section, and let folks know what games you'd like to make!  Can't guarantee you'll find someone this time.  But, if people utilize it, it can work!

Good luck.

From Richfield to The World

Richfield, Minnesota.  Does this have the ring of world class bridge to you?

It should.  Not one, but two of the best players in the world happen to be from this suburb on the prairie:  Steve Garner and Joe Grue.

The former star traveled back home this past weekend to greet the newest member of his family, nephew Liam Garner.  (We'll have to wait a few years, I'm afraid, before we can test Liam's talents at the table!) 

Little Liam's uncles' abilities, however, have been tested at the highest levels, and have been shown to be superb.  Steve's most recent triumph was winning the 2006 Team Trials in New York.  Playing against the toughest teams in the U.S., Steve, along with partner Howie Weinstein and teammates Ralph Katz, George Jacobs, Michael Rosenberg and Zia won the right to represent our nation in China next year in the Bermuda Bowl.  Well done!

While back home in the Twin Cities, Steve gave a bridge seminar to a number of local players.  Intriguing duplicated boards from real matches in which Steve competed were provided for participants.  After testing our mettle with these toughies, Steve afterwards counseled what to do in bidding, play and defense.  Did some of our local competitors do better than the champs?  You bet!

Our thanks to Steve, both for this wonderful opportunity to improve our games - and for giving us a world class champ about whom we can be most proud.

Minnesota State Tournament

Our almost-winter tournement will be here in a few days.  If you'd like the details, see below.

Mystic Lake is an excellent venue for this tourney.  We'll have great competitions, interspersed with educational lectures.

Do not miss it!

Play Bridge in Minnesota!

People have begun to send me links to bridge clubs in Minnesota.  If you're in St. Paul, please stop by the Bridge Center of St. Paul.  Further north, don't miss Duplicate Bridge in Duluth.  Note that these clubs are listed on the left column of the blog, too.

If you'd like your game or club listed at Minnesota Bridge, send me the link. 

What Is the MN Bridge Blog?

Many people have asked me this question.  The answer?

The blog can be whatever our Minnesota players want it to be!

Here are but a few ideas about what we can do with our blog:

• Bridge news stories
• Links to MN bridge clubs, MN bridge teachers' websites, online playing sites, the ACBL, other bridge blogs, tournament info & schedules
• Stories about players
• Well played hands, interesting hands, amusing hands
• Information about education
• Bidding problems
• Opinion about conventions and bidding systems
• Photographs

We really are limited only by our imaginations!

If you have something that you believe would be worth sharing with our community, then please send it to me:  [email protected]. 

The MN Bridge Blog is a marvelous way for us to communicate with one another, leave comments, discuss bridge and keep up to date.  Feel free to do all this - and more!