Minnesota Bridge

Unit 178 - October Agenda and Upcoming Meeting

Saturday, October 11th, Unit 178's Board of Directors will meet at 9:30AM.

The agenda for their meeting is posted below.

Thanks to all for making bridge in Minneapolis area great!

In the Spotlight: Tom Hammond

Some of our members contribute so very much to our bridge community - they deserve to have their name up in lights! Tom Hammond is one of those people.

Sandy Casey has submitted this glowing highlight of Tom. Thanks, Sandy!

And thank you, Tom Hammond!

Tom has been a member, teacher, and director at “The Bridge Center of St. Paul” for years.  In addition to being a great player and a sought after partner, Tom does so much to make the bridge center a better place to be. 

For the last several years,Tom teaches at no charge.  He suggests that the students can make donations to a particular cause.  Great charities he and supporters have aided are: Children’s Cancer Research, Alzheimers, the food shelf and many others. 

This year and last, the charity has been the food shelf.  The club received a letter in 2014 thanking us for 257 pounds of food and $510.00 from Tom’s most current class. 

Tom always promises his classes two things:  they will learn something and they will have fun.  It's always true!  His students, who I call FOTS (friends of Tom) have given him the nickname "Mr. Wonderful”.  Tom is truly deserving of recognition from the bridge community. 

Thank you, Tom!

Paul Bunyan 2014 Sectional Results

Another autumn tournament in the Duluth area was a success! Many thanks to organizers, volunteers and directors who made it happen.

Results can be found here; flooding at ACBL headquarters delayed posting.

Congratulations to our "Koch Korner" John Koch. John, along with partner Paolo Ranaldi, headed the list of masterpoint winners with just over 22 points! The full list can be viewed here.

Empty Spaces

If you are looking for a superb declarer from Minnesota, then you'd be hard pressed to find someone superior to John Koch.

In today's column, John highlights how to calculate success in a difficult hand from his fine showing in the Bill Quinn Labor Day Sectional.

John teaches us how to go with the odds in a fascinating hand! Thanks, John!

It's Grand!

For many of us, bidding - and making - a grand slam is a big high. When no one else achieves that and you earn all the matchpoints? Even better!

Congratulations to Greg Caucutt for writing up this hand for us - and for his partnership for their success!

Non-Life Master - 499ers

A tournament especially for our moderately endowed masterpoint holders! This weekend at the Twin City Bridge Center, Friday through Sunday.

The tournament flyer is here; enjoy!

Upcoming Events

Diane Henson does a superb job of alerting the Minnesota bridge community to activities and events on the upcoming schedule. Our thanks to Diane - and - her most recent email info repeated below for your convenience!

MN Bridge Players,                        
                                                                                                                       
Please visit the Minnesota newsletter at www.mnbridge.com often to keep up with current events, great articles, and links to other sites plus links to upcoming tournaments.  As you can see, there are a lot of opportunities to play in some fun tournaments this fall.  

UPCOMING NEWS & EVENTS

                    
                                                              
GNT qualifiers have started at local clubs

The Minneapolis Grand Slam Club has started up for the season on Friday evenings in a new place; the Edina Senior Center.  Please check out the schedule by clicking the link located on the MN Bridge blog.                                                                                                                                                               
                                               
I/N Sectional at the Twin City Bridge Center for those non-life master with fewer than 500 pts.Sept 19-21.In Sectional  All masterpoint awards are silver points

Sioux City Regional Sept. 29-Oct. 5 and NAP District Finals Oct 4th Sioux City Regional

ACBL Wide Instant Matchpoint game Oct 16- Bridge Center of St. Paul at 12:30 , Rochester DBC at 12:30 and St. Cloud DBC - check for time.                     

Autumn Harvest Sectional in Maplewood Oct. 17-19  Autumn Harvest Sectional  Free morning coffee, free pizza between morning and afternoon sessions on Friday & Saturday.  Free lunch during Sunday Swiss.  Special games; Swiss Teams both Friday & Saturday evenings.  Regionally rated pair game on Saturday afternoon.

MN State Sectional  in Shakopee Oct. 31-Nov2  MN State Sectional
Special Bridge hotel rates through October 1st at $79.99.  Free dinner on Saturday evening.  Special games:  Swiss Teams one session on Saturday morning.  Regionally rated pair games on Saturday afternoon and evening.  Swiss teams on Sunday with buffet dinner included in fees for Sunday's game. Separate playing site for I/N players on Friday and Saturday.   The tournament will use Fast Results so you can check pair game results on your phone right after the game.                                      
              
Links and information are also available at www.MNbridge.com
or www.ACBL.org
 
                       
Diane Henson

                                                                                                                                                                        

 

Minneapolis Grand Slam Club

Peg Waller proves bridge really CAN be fun!

September 5th, the MGSC held its first game of the season, Win-A-Membership. With almost a 61% game, Phil and Judy Schwarz did just that.

For those not familiar with the MGSC, it is the longest running club game in Minnesota. For a modest $20 fee, members receive a weekly bulletin, four free Club Night games, and a fun year end party with a hefty subsidy. A membership is not required to play at the MGSC - but if you plan to play a little, it's well worth the investment.

Secretary Dave Neiman & Membership Coordinator Ron DeHarpporte check out the membership list.

Though the MGSC is likely not the ideal venue for beginners, for local experts, wanna-be experts and intermediate competitors, it is definitely the place to play. Many bridge stars with Minnesota roots gained early training at the MGSC; Eddie Kantar, Steve Garner, Howie Weinstein, Joe Grue and Jim Hall are but a few. With great hospitality and a game modeled on Flight A regional events, the MGSC offers a great opportunity not available in many other cities.

Jean Boettcher and Peg Mitchell promote the KO event.

Games begin at 7:15 every Friday during "the season." A player pool is offered many nights for those who aren't able to snag a partner prior.

President Mike Cassel prepares to do battle!

Please check out the MGSC website! If you're an old timer, we know we'll see you. If you haven't had the pleasure of competing here yet, come on down!

Paul Bunyan Sectional 2014

A reminder that Duluth's Paul Bunyan Sectional begins tomorrow, September 12th!

Enjoy autumn's beautiful colors on your way to Duluth - and great competition at the table!

Details about the weekend tournament are here.

Unit 103 - Board Meeting Minutes; July & August 2014

The board of Unit 103 shall start posting minutes from their meetings at MN Bridge. July and August can be found below.

Our thanks to Unit 103's board members for all their efforts toward improving bridge in St. Paul and throughout our state!

Gerald Anderson - 1933-2014

Darlene Anderson shared with us that her husband of 52 years, Gerald, passed away on Wednesday, August 27th. He had fought COPD and died of lung cancer.

 

His memorial service will be Monday, September 15th, at 11AM in New Brighton at Christ the King Lutheran Church. More details about the service and his obituary can be found below.

 

Jerry learned to play bridge at the Game Room at the University of Minnesota. He was in august company; Eddie Kantar, Morrie Frier, Farrell Greene and Murray Appelbaum were all part of the group.  Jerry was an engineering student and also completed two degrees in mathematics. 

 

For some time in the 1950's, Jerry and Jerry Ballinger were partners. He left the game for some time, until he taught Darlene how to play. Then, the two enjoyed both club games and tournaments together.

 

Jerry taught math at White Bear Lake High School and retired in 1994. 

 

Our condolences to Darlene and her family. Jerry will be missed.

Executive Secretary - Unit 103

Unit 103 is searching for an executive secretary. We need someone who can maintain and update Unit records, handle correspondence and respond to telephone inquiries.

Attendance at the 4-6 annual board meetings is necessary. All meetings are in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. Additional duties can be performed at home, or where convenient.

Compensation for required duties is $15 per hour. Materials will be compensated at cost. Basic computer skills are necessary.

Should you be interested, or know of someone else who would like to be our executive secretary, please contact John Allen at 651.773.1247.

 

Thanks!

Bill Quinn Labor Day Silver Point Sectional Results

Bill Cummings, looking pretty happy as his team wins the Labor Day Swiss!

Labor Day and the conclusion of summer saw a fine sectional at the Twin City Bridge Center. John Koch and Paolo Ranaldi led the pack for masterpoint winnings with a very impressive 32.24 total!

Full results from the events can be found here. Our thanks to everyone who contributed to a great way to lead into autumn, and the TCBC for hosting!

Play with an Expert

When Unit 178 held its August charity game to support Tree Trust of Minneapolis, a whopping $4275 was raised for this fine organization.  Part of those dollars came from people who chose to bid on and win a game with a local expert.

One of the generous individuals who bid was Lynne Castoldi. Since your blogmaster had the privilige of being selected by Lynne, I was most fortunate to be able to enjoy a game with her at the Twin City Bridge Center yesterday, September 4th.

Lynne usually plays in 299er games. So, choosing to play in the Big Boy game and having a partner who has played for decades was a brave step. Lynne showed her additional yearning to learn and improve her game as we went over our convention card. Although I didn't wish to add or alter too many items to the system to overpower her memory, Lynne much enjoyed listening to explanations about the bids and added some of what we discussed.

Having the opportunity to play with someone as interested in bridge and pleasant at the table as Lynne was a true treat for me!

So - my thanks to Lynne for a fun afternoon - and to all the other thoughtful and generous members of our bridge community. We so appreciate your giving to a fine cause - bidders and experts alike. And we hope that everyone has as excellent an experience at the table as Lynne and I did!

Expert	Winning Bidder
Barry Purrington	Sue Jackson
Randy Mertens	Diane Warner
Peg Kaplan	Lynne Castoldi
Kerry Holloway	Christine Garner
Bob Balderson	Liz Hughes
Ron DeHarpporte	Mary McIntyre
Joe Rice	John Crouch
Peg Waller	Diane Warner
Paul Meerschaert	Barb Zipoy
Jonathan Cohen	Kerry Holloway
Steve Gaynor	Shelly Husebo
Mike Flader	Sandy Fisher
Dave Gronbeck	Carol Ann Paulson
S Christensen	Carol Ann Paulson
Larry Oakey	Marguerite Cowles
Larry Oakey	John Crouch
Chip Blu	Marguerite Cowles
Scott Lutgens	Marguerite Cowles
Sue Jackson	Clay Moore
Mike Hoffmann	Norrie Thomas
Joe Koester	Marguerite Cowles
John Westrom	Tom Racciatti
Jaime Rodriguez	Shimon
Evan Sachs	Norrie Thomas

 

 

Unit 178 - Board Meeting August 2014 Minutes

Keeping up with Unit 178 board activities? Minutes posted below!

Now What?

The auction completes and we are declarer. We wait anxiously for the opening lead and to see dummy. Are we in the right contract? Do we have "a claimer" - a hand with reasonable play - or a major challenge?

Sometimes what appears to be a fairly good contract when we first see dummy can soon turn into a hand with twists and turns. When we are in slam - the stakes are much higher.

This past weekend at the Labor Day Sectional, John Koch had such a hand. Watch how John remains calm, reasons throughout - and achieves success.