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Tom Hammond of Unit 103 is offering a series of bridge lessons at the St. Paul Bridge Center in Oakdale. A wide variety of topics will be covered.
The cost for the lessons is $50 for the series, or $5 at the door per lesson. The proceeds are going to some very worthwhile charities!
Do some good in the community - and improve your bridge game at the same time!
Thanks, Tom!
The Gopher is underway! Below you can read all about it in Darlene Anderson's daily bulletin.
And also, please enjoy some smiling faces of our directing staff!
This may be the motto of the U.S. Postal Service. Yet it also seems applicable to prolific and astute writer John Koch.
Despite being a holiday week and the midst of the Gopher Regional - John still turns out another of his exellent columns!
Read below and learn. John surely knows what to do with his appointed rounds at the bridge table!
A fine slate of speakers is scheduled for the Gopher Regional. Tuesday night, hear many time North American Pairs Champ and current Grand National Team Champ Kerry Holloway give a talk prior to the first evening session at 6:45PM.
See you there!
The Gopher Regional is less than 48 hours away! Just in case you've forgotten, let me remind you that the highlight of our bridge calendar will be held at the Doubletree Park Place Hotel in St. Louis Park, and all the festivities begin Tuesday at 7:30PM.
If you are a newcomer, you can play in the I/N Pairs - and the event is free for those with under 5 masterpoints! If you are a bit more experienced, then you can choose between the Charity Pairs or Bracketed Knockouts #1. Some events continue for several sessions; new ones begin every day.
Tournament Chairman Patti Stuhlman has a wealth of events, treats, activities, lectures and more planned for everyone throughout the week. I myself plan not to miss a session of the tournament. But, even if you aren't able to partake in all of the events, be sure to compete in at least some of Minnesota's biggest and best. We'll be looking for you!
Comes a great Minnesota sectional!
Whether you consider St. Cloud to be merely one more exurb of the Twin Cities, or a charming town in its own right - be sure to compete in this excellent sectional.
Even though bridge players would rather play bridge than do almost anything else - we do have to eat!
While you're at the Gopher next week, here are some selections for fast and fine dining in the area. Thanks to Kathy Beckman and her committee for putting this together!
There will be good eating at the upcoming Gopher Regional May 22-28. Kathy Beckman and her committee have worked hard to get listings of area restaurants and some of them have donated gift certificates and door prizes for the players. We encourage you to choose the following places who are helping to sponsor our event:
All of them have locations close to the Doubletree.
ARBY'S
BRUEGGERS BAGELS
JJ'S CLUBHOUSE
MAJORS
PERKINS
QUIZNO SUBS
TGI FRIDAYSKathy has also produced a list of all restaurants in the area with serving times and addresses. Check the Hospitality desk when you get to the tournament for your copy!
It is my good fortune to be at the Cavendish in Las Vegas, taking lots of photos and kibitzing literally the best bridge players from all over the world. If you wish to experience incredible bridge in the lap of luxury, then the Cavendish is your destination!
If you go to the Cavendish website, you can enjoy loads of news and photos. If you'd like a few special ones, see here!
Joe Grue; Reisinger champ and world class player.
Our own Christopher Patrias, director extraordinaire.
When I was a small girl, the appearance of the Good Humor man was a high point of the summer.
This new John Koch hand has no Chocolate Eclairs or Strawberry Shortcakes. It does, however, highlight a frozen treat of another sort. And it surely did put John and his partner in very good humor! Talk about a cold top....
Please see below.
As reported, Minnesota essentially swept the field in our recent District 14 Grand National Team qualifiers.
Eric Hendrickson, one of the victors on our Flight B GNT team sent me an exciting hand from his competition. Chock full of wild distribution, this hand from Eric's final match posed opportunities for huge IMP swings.
For details on this turbulent hand and what happened in the Real World, please check out Eric's account below.
Are you a bridge club owner? Do you direct? Do you attend games at a bridge club?
Then you might be interested in this site: www.bridgeclubsites.com
Arne Fokler sent me this site and the document below. We hope that this information is useful to you!
As reported earlier, Evan Sachs is passionate about passing on his love of our game to students at St. Anthony High school.
It's working.
This week, four St. Anthony students competed in a bridge tournament. If you check out the photographs, you'll see that "only" four students, Billy Anstott, Jr., Mitch MacGregor, Jim Goodsell and Tony Madej, played. 
But, what you cannot see is that students from around the U.S. and Canada were also participating in this event. In addition to three Canadian locations, students in Illinois, George, Iowa, California, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina and Texas were vying for a win!
Supported by a grant from Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, as part of their Bridge in a Box program, students from many locales were able to enter this tournament. Goodie bags were supplied for competitors, and the event was matchpointed across the field. Scores were sent by email to organizer Patty Tucker of Georgia.
The Gates-Buffett grant also helps provide resources so that bridge can be taught during a normal school schedule. At St. Anthony, students receive one hour of bridge education a week on Wednesdays as part of a "school enrichment" program. Currently, anywhere from 5 to 8 kids are involved with the program.
It's a sweep!
The last weekend in April saw District 14's finest battling away for the right to represent their flight in the Grand National Teams. The ACBL competition will take place this July in Nashville.
In all four flights: Superflight, Flight A, Flight B and Flight C, teams of Minnesotans will be representing our district!
Congratulations to all! We wish you good fortune and wisdom as your quest for victory continues this summer.
Please see below for the victors in each flight.
