Minnesota Bridge

Unit 178 - May Board of Directors Meeting Agenda

What is on the agenda for Unit 178's BOD meeting this coming May 7th?

Please see below!

C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-I-O-N!

What comes after John Koch earning his final few points to go over 10,000 - and become a Grand Life Master?

Celebration!

Thanks to Terry Beckman for sharing photos from St. Cloud's April 18th party honoring John for becoming a GLM!

Unit 103 - April BOD Minutes

John Koch "Over the Top" Player!

Elaine Mulcahy, Board Secretary, shared Unit 103's Board minutes from their April meeting, held in Rochester during their recent sectional.  They are posted below.

Special thanks to Sue Jackson and Patti Stuhlman for finding a fine replacement site for the upcoming Gopher Regional.  Their rapid and well researched response "saved the day"!

We also appreciated commentary that Elaine included when she emailed her minutes:

I am a fairly new player and after reading the Blog, I get excited about this terrific game called "Bridge"! I am super excited for the achievements of our very own MN bridge players.  Actually, my mind cannot comprehend how one can accumulate 10,000 points!  It is sooooo over the top in my mind!  Great job to all these winners!

Elaine, it is rather amazing how a player - John Koch to be specific - can do so very well. Especially when John has been a practicing attorney so many years!

We are so glad that Elaine enjoys MNBridge!  We hope it continues to be a useful resource for bridge players throughout Minnesota, and beyond!

John Koch - Grand Life Master!

Bridge players are competitive beings.  We not only love to do well and win when we can - we love to earn masterpoints!  And - along with masterpoints, we can rise in ACBL rankings.  From Rookie, with a maximum of 5 masterpoints, on to levels such as Regional Master, Life Master, along with different Life Master rankings (Bronze, Silver, Gold and so forth) - we love to go higher and higher.

Eventually, the highest rank available is achieved by a very few:  Grand Life Master.  What must a player do to earn this title?  The ACBL explains:

It requires 10,000 Masterpoints and one victory in a North American Bridge Championship with no upper Masterpoint restriction or an Open Team Trials (includes CNTC) or its equivalent or a Women’s Team Trials (includes CWTC) or its equivalent or any of the following WBF events: Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup, Rosenblum Cup, McConnell Cup, Open Pairs, Women’s Pairs, Olympiad, Women’s Team Olympiad, WBF Senior Pairs event, WBF World Swiss Teams, WBF World Mixed Teams, and WBF Senior Teams.

How tough is it to achieve this?  To start, only .40% of ACBL members ever earn 10,000 points or more. So - already, we are at a very lofty bar. Add in the requirement of a non-restricted NABC Championship, Team Trial or certain World Bridge Federation events, and you cut the class to only .20% of the ACBL.

Now, we are most proud to announce that this elite ACBL class has a new member:  John Koch.

If you play bridge in Minnesota, the odds are high that you know John Koch. John serves on Unit 103's Board of Directors. He competes at various levels of play  - most of the time, quite successfully!  And, many of us have enjoyed John's superb writing and bridge analysis in his "Koch Korner" columns.  In "real life," John is a successful attorney, great husband and dad.

Many of us, including your MN Bridge webmaster, have been fortunate to either partner John or reap the rewards of having him as a teammate.  John is unfailingly competitive, insightful, pleasant, friendly and highly ethical at the table. 

I will stop, however, with my own accolades about John.  I could go on and on; John deserves so much praise!

Instead, allow me to share John's own words about his path to Grand Life Master.  But before I present his story below, one more caveat.  John is too humble!  Believe me, someone who knows....  John is someone who never disappoints, as a partner or a teammate - or a friend.

Congratulations, John Koch!  We salute you as Minnesota's second Grand Life Master - and as only one of seven in District 14!  Very well done!

And - heeeeeeeeere's John! 

Unit 178 - Board of Director Minutes - March 2016

Our thanks to Unit 178's hard working board members for all their efforts!  Details of their most recent board meeting below!

Unit 103 Board of Directors and Contributors

Unit 103's Board and list of contributors has had a new addition.  Welcome to Keith Thompson!

New list below!

Hiawatha Bridge Sectional 2016 - Results

Spring has hit Minnesota - and the results for the Hiawatha Bridge Sectional in Rochester are in!  View this link to see overall scores in each event.

At the top of the list, earning 43.01 masterpoints each, we find Paolo Ranaldi and John Koch.  A pair from Dubuque, Mark Patton and Joseph Pieper, snagged the 3rd/4th spots with just under 31 masterpoints.  Terry and Kathy Beckman earned a hair under 30.

Terry also informs me that one of his regular partners, John Koch, is drawing ever nearer to the 10,000 masterpoint total.  Since John is a national winner (Senior Knockout Teams) - when John crosses this milestone number, he will become a Grand Life Master!  We greatly look forward to that day; at the speed with which John is earning lotsa points, 10K will arrive soon!

Our thanks to Tournament Chair Barbara Wijdicks, tournament director Tony Ames - and all the volunteers who contributed to this fun tournament!

New Digs for the Gopher!

As many of you have heard, our site for the Gopher Regional for many years shall soon be no more.  Which means that the Ramada by Mall of America is history for our 2016 site.

But - good news!  We have just learned that the lovely Sheraton Minneapolis West, situated in Minnetonka, just east of Ridgedale, shall be the site for the Gopher this year.  When you're not competing, plenty of restaurants and shopping are available, a great place to stay - and convenient to major roads and highways.

Our schedule with our new site is below. See you at the Gopher in Minnetonka!