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The Minnesota State Sectional Tournament begins today at 10AM! If you want to TRICK your opponents and get TREATS from them, better head on over to the Oak Marsh Golf Club with your favorite pards!
No better way to spend Halloween than playing bridge today through Sunday!
Free coffee - free parking - no smoking!
The tournament flyer is below with more details. Come one, come all and compete!
Paul Meerschaert is one of Minnesota's finest competitors. Having earned both two 2nd places in national events and almost 11,100 masterpoints, clearly Paul is a talented and superb player!
Paul is also an excellent teacher and writer. If you want to learn how to think about bridge, how to craft a bridge system that works for you - then please enjoy this article that Paul has kindly crafted and shared with all of us.
Bridge is a great game! Paul can help you make your game even greater!
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Everyone has a favorite bidding system. We supplement this system with a variety of our preferred conventions, and mix these two components together with our own unique bidding style, to craft together a convention card to do battle with. No matter what your preferred bidding methods are they all have the same thing in common. They attempt to navigate through the roughly 650 Billion different hands we might hold, in an attempt to bid as many of those hands as accurately as possible. A daunting task to say the least!
In the early 1950’s Olle Willner of Sweden published a series of articles on the effectiveness of transfer bids after NT openers. Oswald Jacoby introduced English speaking players with a Bridge World article in 1956 with Olle’s ideas of using transfer bids and Walla! Jacoby Transfers were born. The widespread acceptance with both duplicate and rubber bridge players increased the accuracy and effectiveness of our bidding after a Notrump opener.
Over the years other transfer bids have taken hold. The majority of bridge players use 1 or more of these transfer bids to increase their accuracy. Thereby cutting down on the number of those 650 Billion hands they can now bid more accurately.
I myself have been using a variety of transfer schemes for the majority of the past 20+ years of my bridge career. Recently one of my regular partners Rob Schachter and I started using a version of the short club with transfers in an attempt to increase our effectiveness when bidding. This is a revisit of sorts for me as many years ago I used a version of this with Bob Balderson, which Bob affectionately called the Minnesota Polish Club.
I would like to introduce a simple outline of its purpose and show a fun hand that Rob and I were able to bid effectively, utilizing this innovative idea.
We are all familiar with the NT ladder. For most players the ladder looks like this:
Now with all NT hands with strength other than 15-17 we now open a club.
After-all when you think about it when we have a balanced NT hand, whether its with better diamonds or better clubs, the best description of what we have is a NT opener with its designated strength.
Now watch what happens to our NT ladder with the use of transfers.
1C-1D (showing hearts)-1H = 11-14 NT
1C-1D (showing hearts) -1NT = 18-19
1C-1H (showing spades) - 1S = 11-14 NT
1C-1S (denying a major) – 1NT = 11-14
Etc., etc.
With this simple interpretation we have freed up a whole round of bidding which allows to cut into that mountain of 650 Billion hands in our effort to cover as many of them as we possible can. This may not seem like much to you, but we now have simplified a great number of hands into one easily understandable hand type.
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Many of Minnesota's bridge players began playing bridge decades ago. Lots of decades ago! Some have 50 years of competing under their belts; some even longer.
In today's world, however, the number of activities, sports, entertainment, competition and so much more has grown exponentially. Thus too many of our younger people not only don't learn bridge - they've never heard of it!
Yet, some of us are not sitting back and doing nothing about this. Some of us who love our game deeply, want it to be sustained, grown - and be enjoyed by more of all ages - are working hard to "grow bridge." And - efforts are paying off handsomely!
Matt Bribitzer-Stull, Dean of the Honors Program at U of Minnesota, along with a number of our other talented bridge playing professors, have been involved in teaching our honors bridge students at the U of MN. (Yes, you can take bridge courses at the U!) Students at Carleton College have an active bridge club, and your webmaster has the honor of being their bridge coach. Like at U of MN, more than a few of the students at Carleton are quite talented and already shining at our game.
The ACBL has been doing a superb job, also, at promoting our game to junior players. Students have the opportunity to compete in events and win trips to the Summer NABC Collegiate games. Multiple years now, we have had students from both U of MN and Carleton win trips, compete and do well. Additionally, the College Initiative has frequent College Bridge Games online - like the one below. Students can have a great time competing - then potentially win prizes, too!
We are thrilled that one of our U of MN students came in FIRST place in the most recent competition! Additionally, our U of MN students and Carleton students came in 2nd and 3rd overall in the October 15th game - ahead of some of the most elite universities in the nation. U of MN and Carleton students; we are so very proud of you! Great going!
Yet, we'd like to see more and more younger people competing.
Minnesota has other fine colleges and universities. Perhaps we have other players in our state who would like to become a coach or teacher at a school near where you live.
And - to our friends outside of Minnesota - just think if every state had one or two programs at their colleges and universities! I'm betting that the number of college students and young people playing bridge would skyrocket!
Many of us who have played bridge for years are aware of how incredible it is. It truly is The Greatest Game.
Let's all do what we can so that the Greatest Game flourishes and grows. We can have our club games and tournaments pump up the number of players. And we can insure that many are competing at bridge for decades and decades to come, too!
Plus - let's please give all our students and their coaches, professors, teachers and others a round of applause! Thank you for keeping the Greatest Game greater still!
The Bridge Center of St. Paul celebrated Oktoberfest during its Saturday Night Game and Party this month.
The potluck before the Club Appreciation Team Game featured Wurst, Red Cabbage, and Potato Salad. Additionally, a plethora of dishes both ethnic and not to share that included an over the top Chocolate Cherry Layer Cake made by Jim Essex.
Nine teams continued to munch throughout the game. And the ultimate winners were: Judy Hammond, Janet Williams, Paski Paskaradevan, and Dave Gustafson.
A super time was had by all!
Zum Wohl!
(And our thanks to Larry Huiras for the report and photos!)
Minnesota is graced with another autumn tournament in October!
This tournament is two single sessions on October 26th in Rochester. For non-Life Masters with 500 or fewer masterpoints.
An opportunity to earn silver points - enjoy snacks and coffee - and hear a lecture from professional Platinum Life Master Jade Barrett.
The tournament flyer is below. Please attend; have fun - do well and learn!
And our bridge community contributes!
In August, 2019, Unit 178 sponsored a local charity fundraiser to support the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness is a non-profit organization which raises funds to benefit medical research into the causes, treatments and (hopefully) cures for retinal diseases such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.
An FFB representative presented a brief overview of the organization’s work at three of our bridge games. Players learned about FFB and generously contributed a total of $1160 to support research efforts.
Big thanks to all who contributed, and special thanks to Tony Ames, Scott Smith and the Twin Cities Bridge Center for allowing this event at their games. And to Susan Sanger for bringing forward FFB.
Minnesotans often shine in District 14's NAP qualifier for spring's NABC. This year's District Finals did not disappoint.
Congrats to all qualifiers! Best of luck this coming spring!
And a special shout out to Jackson Wahl and Sarah Emmons, students at Carleton College, for their qualification to go to Ohio. Bridge for young people is alive and well in Minnesota! May the successes of our college students spur more youth to also become bridge competitors!
NAP Flight A
John Koch - Terry Beckman
Leon Blackwell - Grant Broadwine
Bob Balderson - Cindy Balderson
Vern Swing - Bruce Boie
NAP Flight B
Debra Tyrdik - Lynda Peterson
Del Swanson - Gene Brandl
Gerald Burdeski - Mark Sinner
Diane Henson - Larry Henson
NAP Flight C
Peter Bock - Beverly Meyer
Katie Albers - Brad Albers
Jackson Wahl - Sarah Emmons
Another fine Minnesota tournament is drawing closer and closer!
If you want to take lots of TRICKS and have a tournament filled with lots of TREATS - then be sure to attend the sectional at Oak Marsh Golf Club in Oakdale, starting on October 31st (yes; that's Halloween!) and running four days through November 3rd.
The events are great, with something for everybody. Treats will be present - and a popular Swiss will be held on Sunday.
The flyer for the sectional is below. If you have questions, contact co-chairmen John Schlundt or Kerry Holloway. And if you are in need of a pard, Maureen Weiman can help you.
We hope to see all of you - and watch you have a BOOtiful time at the tourney!
Connie Nelson from St. Cloud has been simply marvelous in sending us updates and photos about activity at the St. Cloud Bridge Club. Please join me in thanking Connie and all the others who are devoting time, effort and fun to players in their area!
Connie has offered to write future stories about bridge in St. Cloud. Please give her and everyone else doing their best to grow and improve Minnesota bridge!
And my best to all the players who are ramping up their games, learning and having a wonderful time with it all!
Do the best players at your Club partner with only other good players?
This seemed to be the norm at our St. Cloud Bridge Club – which meant that those players on a learning curve were left playing with others who were also learning. But earlier this year, we decided to shake that up a bit! “What if we intentionally paired the learners with more experienced players?”
That question became the impetus for six months of Mentoring Games that Wayne Reynolds has spearheaded since May. Wayne explains his original intentions, “We were hoping to improve the quality of our learners’ bridge play. Roger Melaas and I were already teaching lessons each Tuesday. With this new program, we hoped that an experienced player could help the learner apply those lessons and improve their skills as part and parcel of playing a sanctioned game.”
Shown here, from left: Sue Knauss, Wendy Hennes, Saundy Fedor and Wayne Reynolds.
How did Wayne and Roger go about organizing the initiative? People were first asked if they were interested in either being a mentor or being mentored. The learners were given the opportunity to request a particular mentor. Wayne and Roger then arranged all the partnerships, trying to match those requests whenever possible. The response was overwhelmingly positive! Wayne reflected: “I expected about 7 or 8 people to express an interest in being mentored, but the response was much greater. We ended up with twenty partnerships!”
Each pair was asked to make a six-month commitment - to play together at least once a month on the third Thursday. Six months of Mentor Games were then organized.
Each month’s Mentor Game started with a half-hour lesson. At the initial session of May 16, the first half hour was used by each partnership to complete their pair’s unique convention card. At each subsequent month, a singular topic was covered:
The October 17th game will be the final game of this first six-month mentoring commitment. Wayne is eager to start the next six months! (Care to join us?) However, because the St. Cloud Club loses many of its members in the winter months, he knows the program will need to be reconfigured or taken to a smaller scale. He’d like to retain the six-month commitment of partnerships. He’d like to see the learners try out new mentors. Otherwise, he’s open to suggestions.
I decided to ask a sampling of both mentor and learner participants for their “lessons learned” (i.e. what they liked and what they’d like to see different). I wanted to capture ideas while they were fresh to both inform our club’s future program, and to possibly be useful to another MN club wishing to start a Mentor Game program.
Lessons Learned - What Worked Well?
People were universally positive. Following are the key themes of what was appreciated:
The dedication shown
Starting with a shared convention card at the level of the learner’s play – and then build!
The short, focused lessons
The pairings
Teaching at the “instructional moment” in the play
Lessons Learned – Improvements To Consider
Points! - A “Point” of Tension
A difference of opinion surfaced over whether to sanction the game. Some thought that if the game was non-sanctioned (i.e. no master points), even more learning could occur because all tables would allow open, ongoing questions and discussion. Others thought if points weren’t awarded, we would lose some participants. One person suggested keeping the points, but playing fewer hands.
Align the Lessons with the Play Even More
Have Both Mentors and Learners Teach
And - For something completely different!
In sum, while we already offered lessons coupled with “chat bridge” on Tuesdays, this was the first time we tried formal pairings of experienced players with learners – across a half year. To us, this has been one more example of the commitment to bridge excellence at the St. Cloud Bridge Club!
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The following picture shows mentors at the Sept 19th Mentor Game. Standing, front row: David Boushek, Char Thul, Roger Melaas, Kory Solarz, Sandy Hatch, Steve White, Joan Pickard, Jane Curtis and Sue Knauss. Standing, back row: Greg Nastrom, John Melancon, Jim Schnepf, and Wayne Reynolds. Sitting in front: Connie Nelson. Not pictured: Rick Bredlie, Dan Finn, Gloria Mize, Paul Sitz and Jerry Westby.
The following picture shows individuals being mentored. Standing, from the left: Ruth Sundby, Darlene Nastrom, Liz Hammer, Charlie Maternus, Amy Roske, Judy Mosford, Wendy Hennes, Ginger HInkemeyer, Bobbie Eich, Shari Pretzer, Saundy Fedor, and Marlene Schroeder. Not pictured: Mark Anderson, Tom Allen, David G. Hanson, Judy Knutson, John Mahowald, Tom Minor, Rhonda Rossman and Nancy Schnepf.
After more than 3 decades without a regional tournament in the medical mecca of the nation, Rochester enjoyed a fine one this past week. Many people deserve applause for all the efforts put into organizing a regional in a location that has not scheduled a regional in many years. Above (left to right) are tournament chairs par excellence Layne Vinje, Sheri French and Barbara Wijdicks.
And speaking of "fabulous" - Wisconsonites Paolo Ranaldi and Lee Prellwitz put on quite the show! Their partnership tied for 1/2 overall, with an impressive 89.03 masterpoints each. In 3rd, 4th and 5th overall respectively were Darlene Anderson, 44.71 mps, Terry Beckman, 41.72 and Henry Thibault, 40.59 The entire list of masterpoint winners is here. Details of each event's overall competitors can be found here.
In addition to success in the tournament events, other big achievements occurred. Above is a photo of Carole Mataya of Rochester. Carole, along with Pam Baker and Bev Berg of St. Cloud achieved the goal at which all bridge players aim: Life Master status. Congrats to Carole, Pam and Bev (sorry only one photo!)
As always, we are so grateful for our directors, DNC Peter Wilke, along with Kim Hayward and Tony Ames, for their fine efforts from start to finish in Rochester.
We are extremely grateful to them, along with all the other volunteers and contributors to the Med City Regional that made is so much fun and successful.
We know that in addition to being great fun, an intellectual challenge and exciting - bridge can be exhausting, too! Above, Carol Mahoney takes a little snooze inbetween the excitement.
Your webmaster was quite sad she could not partake in all the competition and fun in Rochester. Yet my thanks go out to all who made the tournament so wonderful, our pinch hitter photographers, Sue Greenberg and Kathy Beckman - and - of course! - all of YOU - our great competitors! Big thanks to all!
More photos below the line!