Minnesota mourns the loss of our best. Thursday morning, after a valiant battle against cancer, Jim Hall died.
After Jim's diagnosis, he stayed with us far longer than most thought. But, none of those who knew Jim well were much surprised. Whatever task Jim undertook, he always gave the fight his best. His illness was no different.
Jim's nickname was "The Great Hall." Indeed, he was a great player. Although once in a while after a session, a partner might remark, "Well, today he was more of a moderate meeting room" - most of the time Jim was a huge auditorium.
Throughout his bridge career, Jim partnered and teamed with all of Minnesota's finest players. Jim was 239th on the list of the top 500 masterpoint holders in the ACBL, with 12,331.77 points. And, just about all Minnesotan bridge players know that Jim was Number One on the list in Minnesota.
Few players in Minnesota ever won as much as Jim Hall. He won countless regional and sectional events, and at the premier Minneapolis Grand Slam Club, Jim's name is listed, decade after decade, as a winner in every event offered.
Like any top bridge player, Jim wanted to win a national event - and alas; he got as close as you could without achieving that goal. Nevertheless, three times Jim was a runner-up in bridge's most prestigious national events. With Dave Lehman, Dick Melson and Tom Fox, Jim earned second in the Reisinger once and twice in the Mitchell Board A Match. Just two years ago, Jim and Melody Bi were very close to winning the Mixed Pairs, ultimately coming in third.
Although Jim could come up with the "razzle-dazzle" plays like any bridge player at the top, Jim was better known for his dogged determination to beat the other guy at the table. Many a time, I heard Jim say "It's all about blocking and tackling." Jim knew that many events were won not by coming up with a play that got you into the New York Times, but by keeping focus and not making unthinking errors. If only I had employed the Hall concentration of "blocking and tackling" on a few more hands last night at the Nationals!
Jim's talents were not restricted to the bridge table. Golf was a favored hobby of his, too, and many bridge friends were thrilled on the rare day they could beat Jim on the course.
When Jim played bridge, he was serious. Part of why he won so much was his fierce determination to concentrate and retain energy by forgoing chit chat at the table. Some took this to assume that Jim was aloof and cold.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Although Jim often played with the best, he also was more than willing to play with a wide variety of players who requested him as a partner, many with only a fraction of the ability Jim had. He was generous with his expertise and knowledge, and served in many capacities throughout our bridge world. On a national level, Jim was a member of the prestigious Bridge World's "Master Solver" panel.
On a personal level, Jim's passing is a deep loss, too. For literally decades, Jim met with a number of bridge players for lunch. Every week, we'd discuss bridge, politics, sports and whatever else caught our fancy. Again, despite his tall, imposing exterior, Jim was thoughtful and easy going, and willing to accept friends, irrespective of their background and sex. One of my favorite moments in bridge came while I was kibitizing Jim during a national event. After the hands, someone made a slightly off color remark. Another player mumbled something about me sitting there, a member of the "fairer sex." Jim glanced at me, and responded "Peggy? Oh - she's just one of the guys."
Jim was one of the classiest and most talented bridge players ever to play in our state. His passing leaves an enormous hole in our bridge world and in the hearts of many of us.
I invite others to share their remembrances of Jim here. Either send emails to me at [email protected] or place your thoughts directly in the comment area.
A memorial service for Jim will be held Wednesday morning at 11AM at Normandale Church in Edina. More details are available in this Star Tribune obituary.
Jim is survived by his wife Beth, his daughter Linaya Sorensen, his son David Hall, several grandchildren - and a great many bridge players. To say that we will miss him terribly is an extreme underbid.
Updates:
Murray Appelbaum, an old and dear friend of Jim's, wrote to add:
"Jim was frequently asked to lend his expertise and serve on appeals committees at national tournaments. He also had a remarkable record in District 14 Grand National Teams and North American Pairs as our representative."
Dave Anderson also wrote to alert people that Jim was 6th at the Orlando Nationals in the toughest pair event, the Blue Ribbon Pairs, with Paul Meerschaert.
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