Minnesota Bridge

Minneapolis Grand Slam Knockouts - Old Codgers VS College Up & Comers!

 

For roughly 40 years, your webmaster has been competing in the Minneapolis Grand Slam Knockouts. The KO event is held outside of regular September-May Friday night sessions. It is a super fun way to get in some extra competition against many of the top players in our area.  Above you see one of them; my team's captain, Kerry Holloway.

This year, we are very excited to have a team of students in the MGSC KO - five players from Carleton College and one from University of MN. While it is tough to face players who have played for decades when you yourself have only been playing a year or so - or less - the college competitors are tough and smart.  They appreciate that one of the most successful ways to improve your game is to play against good and experienced players.  And thus - that is exactly what they are doing.

 

Captain Thomas Scruggs, before the battle begins

 

Four members of my team (Captain Kerry, Mike Flader, Chuck Cummins and myself) headed down to Carleton last week. There, we played four of their six teammates:  Captain Thomas Scruggs, Jackson Wahl, Allie Clark and Owen Barnett.

 

Chuck Cummins and Mike Flader, finishing up their convention card and waiting for game time!

 

The teams sat the same direction each half, with Kerry and I competing against Thomas and Jackson, as Allie and Owen took on Mike and Chuck.

 

Allie Clark and Owen Barnett - reviewing notes and weighing their team's lineup

 

At our table, I was quite impressed with Thomas and Jackson. As the coach of their college team, I already knew that they had learned a lot with all their practice and study. Still, throughout our first half, they performed far better than one might expect from players without years of experience. Indeed; at the half our match was fairly close.

 

Kerry and Jackson, in the heat of battle

 

The second half went better for the Holloway team. Some of it I would chalk up to experience - and note that Owen is so new to the game I had not yet met him. Still, some of the reason our team won the match was that always present factor for every player:  luck.

For example, Hand #25.

BOO to YOU from Rochester!

 

What a day in Rochester! 

We had seventeen tables for our Instant Matchpoint Game!

AND... we had our annual costume competition!

 

 

Alice Ernster and June Lamb-Kmiecik as the Bridge Fairy and Queen of Card

 

  Marie Nelson as our resident witch

 

Our favorite Mountain Man, John Ryder

 

Genny Rice with her sticky web

 

Additional treats were people from Northfield, LaCrosse and other communities in southern Minnesota.  All, of course, were welcomed by the Rochester Players.

Dick Estry and Al Larson topped the field with a hefty 62.73% game!

Come to our club and join us for a great session!

 

Sue Greenberg, Club Manager

 

Non Functioning Links to Clubs

Many of you have contacted me to let me know that the links at MN Bridge for clubs are not functioning.  Thank you for letting me know.

I will search for solutions and get this repaired as soon as I am able.  BUT - I just arrived at the Nebraska Regional and may not be able to get this accomplished immediately!

In the meantime, if you go to this link at ACBL, you can search for your club and get results and other club information there.

Thank you for your forbearance; we hope for all links to be up and running as soon as possible!

 

Rochester Duplicate and IBM

 

For years, IBM has been a major employer in Rochester.  Many employees would gather over lunch and enjoy a bridge game!  As IBM employees retired, they became active members of Rochester Duplicate Bridge Club. 

Many play multiple times a week, and there is an evening game to accommodate bridge players still working.

Recently, a photo was taken of IBM alumni and spouses to send to the alumni publications/social media.  The photo shows only a fraction of those that play on a regular basis - but what a great sampling of engineers, programmers, technical writers, coders, administrative assistants, sales people, manufacturing, and more!

We are very lucky to have these individuals adding to the vitality of our club and state bridge scene!

Sue Greenberg, Club Manager

Minneapolis Grand Slam Club - the 81st (!!!) Year!

 

With eighty years of fine bridge and camaraderie, the Minneapolis Grand Slam Club must be one of the ACBL's longest running and most excellent places to play bridge in North America.  September 7th will herald the Club's 81st year of existence.

David Neiman has been providing a wonderful job as president of the MGSC.  Above, we see David celebrating another year of great bridge at one of the MGSC's year end parties.

David's "welcome letter" for the 2018-2019 season is below.   If you're a long time MGSC competitor, welcome back.  If you haven't played at the MGSC, then please do consider checking it out.  You will be glad you did! 

As President of the MGSC, I am pleased to invite you to the 2018-2019 season of the MGSC Bridge Club.  Affectionately called (by us) the “best bridge game in town” (and hopefully the friendliest!), the MGSC meets most Fridays during the school year at the Edina Senior Center. Games begin at 7:15pm and will feature a variety of pair and team games.  Players of all skill levels are welcome and a partner is guaranteed for all single-session pair games. Member card fees remain at $6 per session ($5 for full-time students) while non-members pay $7 for regular games and slightly more for special games. (The Club absorbs extra fees for members.) 

Oh, and coffee and treats are free at every game! 

The full schedule is available at our website: http://grandslammn.org.  Click on the Calendar link on the left side for the schedule. (Note:  2018-19 schedule will be posted soon.) 

MGSC membership remains at $20/person and, while not a requirement to play, is about the best bridge deal you’re going to find in the upper Midwest. For your membership you get to play FREE at 4 “Club Nights”, a heavy discount to the End-of-Year Bridge BacchanaliaParty, and a subscription to our weekly newsletter, which is filled with club results and instructive & insightful articles. The newsletter is the best way to keep up-to-date on club news and results if you happen to miss one of the weekly games. The Board approved a $10 membership and $5 card fee for full-time students. 

Please join us for our first game of the season on Friday, September 7.

                          David Neiman, President MGSC

Fun AND Games

 

 

Is bridge fun AND games?  You can bet that it is!

The Wednesday night game at the Bridge Center of St. Paul celebrated Peter Solberg's 75th birthday.

Let him eat cake - and - let everyone have fun IN addition to their bridge game!

Happy 75th, Peter!

 

Rochester Bridge Club Supports ARC

 

The Rochester Duplicate Bridge Club has local charity games in December.  This year, they are supporting ARC and Bear Creek Services.  both provide assistance to individuals with disabilities.

On July 30th at the ARC golf fundraiser, two teams competed (one achieving 4th place!) - and the 9th tee was anchored by a bridge playing table!  Decks of cards were also handed out with information displayed on the packaging.

 

 

Many thanks to Arne, Bar and Ann for their organization of these events and worthy causes!

 

Sue Greenberg

Club Manager

Last Chance GNT Qualifier!

WE WERE SNOWED OUT ON APRIL 15  - SO HERE IS YOUR

 

LAST CHANCE GNT QUALIFIER

MAY 2, 2018 at the TCBC

TAKE A STEP TOWARD WINNING $2000!

 

We will explain how four teams, including one Non-Life Master team, can each win $2000 and play in the National Finals in Atlanta, Georgia this summer.

Super flight = At least one team member over 6000 lifetime points

Flight A = no team member with more than 6000 lifetime points

Flight B = no team member with more than 2500 lifetime points

Flight C = Non-Life Masters no team member with more than 500 lifetime points

Superflight, A and B flights will play as a group.  Overalls are stratified.  Strata for all four flights are determined based on your MP holding that showed on your September 2017 ACBL Bulletin.

Flight C will play separately if there are 4 teams in that group and at least 4 other teams total.

 LESSON AT 6:45 PM

GAME STARTS AT 7:15 PM

 

COME WITH A FULL TEAM OF 4 OR JUST WITH YOUR PARTNER—

TEAMMATES GUARANTEED. 

$32 ENTRY FEE PER TEAM

 

THE GAME IS A SECTIONALLY RATED GRAND NATIONAL TEAM QUALIFIER.

MASTERPOINT AWARDS ARE ½ RED AND ½ BLACK.

TWIN CITY BRIDGE CENTER

6020 NICOLLET AVE

MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55419

612-861-4487

White Out = Out for the Swiss

 

With visibility close to nil and winds that are sideways, Steve Gaynor has wisely decided to cancel the pizza and Swiss team scheduled for tomorrow, the 15th.

When the weather becomes more rational - it shall be rescheduled!

More Pizza - More Bridge!

Unit 178 is having another Swiss team game on Sunday, April 15 at the TC Bridge Center.

Entry fees for all current college students will be lowered to $2 per person!

Pizza shall be served at 12:30 - with a short talk at 1PM.

Game time is 1:30!

Enjoy fine competition and toughen up for the Big Event in Atlanta! Looking forward to seeing you Sunday!

 

Steve Gaynor

      

St. Paddy's Day in St. Paul!

 

Not to be outdone, The Bridge Center of St. Paul had a fine St. Patrick's Day celebration, too!

Congratulations to winners John Allen and Joe Browan!

St. Paddy's Day in Rochester!

 

Folks at the Rochester Duplicate Bridge Club know how to have fun!

The "bling sisters" - Alice Ernster and June Lamb Kmiecik in all their green finery!

Hope everyone in Minnesota is having a great St. Patrick's Day!

 

 

Bring on the Bots!

Bob Bonine and David Newhall take on the BBO pair!

  

 

The Bridge Center of St. Paul has some new members:  the bot friends!  Bridge Base Online (BBO) has opened new frontiers, allowing players to participate at regional tournaments and now NABC's from home!

 

And, when we hear about bots eliminating sit-outs, especially for smaller games with 4 and 5 board rounds, we inquired about them. Apparently it is easy to set up and players are (for the most part!) welcoming our new friends. After a short learning curve, I'm betting we'll forget when we didn't have them.

 

To have the bots, we need only a little set up and two computers. In our case, i-Pads are what we are using. The bots sit at a table where there is no N/S pair. E/W pairs arrive, play their boards, enter the scores into the Bridgemates and - voila!  No sit outs!

 

The bots do get scores, but they are marked as ineligible. Today, the bots came in last!

 

 

 

 

Kim Hayward, Club Manager

Bridge Center of St Paul

651-490-5430 w

       651-271-3500 c

Sunday Swiss at the Twin City Bridge Center

 

As advertised, Sunday, February 18th, was the first of three GNT Swiss team events that features a yummy pizza lunch and a half hour lecture for our newer players. Following this was a 4 round Grand National Team qualifier. Organizer and lecturer Steve Gaynor had a delish pizza and salad spread.

 

 

 

As a bonus, Eric Hendrickson and his daughter, Annabelle, provided baked goods and the opportunity to hire a local expert, all to aid the cause of battling leukemia and lymphoma. Our thanks to Eric and Annabelle for their efforts, to our experts who donated their services and to others who contributed by selecting their favorite expert for an upcoming game!

 

 

After players enjoyed lunch and discussed convention cards, many were entertained and enlightened by Steve's lecture.  Then - the games began!

As your webmaster was delighted to play with her long time partner, Kerry Holloway, and up & coming junior players Morgan Johnstone and Sean McNally, we (alas) have no playing shots to show.

 

 

That being said, seeing more of our new generation competing in the Swiss, and sons playing with dads was yet another treat!

Congratulations to one of the Twin Cities most winning teams: Eric Hendrickson - Paul Gutterman - Richard Lawson - Andy Caranicas for grabbing 1st place. And congratulations to almost all our teams earning their GNT "Q" - and aiming at the District GNT Finals later this year!

More photos are below. And - more Sunday GNT's are upcoming! March 4th and April 15th are on the calendar.  If you like pizza, team bridge, a great crowd of players and FUN - be sure to attend both!

Pizza - Swiss Teams - FUN!

 

Don't forget!  This Sunday, at the Twin City Bridge Center, pizza begins at 12:30PM - along with Swiss teams for players of all levels - and a charitable event, too!

Here are the details. If you are free on Sunday - be sure to get a team and attend!  Don't miss all the FUN!

International Fund Game

 

If you were not in the mood to battle cold, drifting snow and slick roads, then spending the afternoon at the Twin City Bridge Center and enjoying an International Fund Game was the place to be! Your webmaster isn't able to attend many games at the club as she was in days of yore - so - a treat for me to play with my very long time partner and dear buddy, Kerry Holloway, see friends and meet new ones. Very special to see my friend Peder Langsetmo, appearing above with son Arne.  Yes; of course they played!

One of the special aspects of an International Fund Game is hand analysis by fine writer and expert Frank Stewart. Even if you did not play this afternoon, we hope you will enjoy Frank's wise advise (PDF below the break).

Congratulations to Eric Hendrickson and Paul Gutterman, leading pair for the event, and to Mark Krusemeyer and Harry Sapienza, who led the N/S contingent. All results are here.

Rochester Chat Bridge in the News!

 

We know that Minnesota is the happiest state in the nation. 

Is it our love of bridge that contributes to that?!

Great article about Chat Bridge in Rochester - and how players there feel about our game!

(Thanks to Greg Caucutt for the article!)

Youth WILL Be Served!

 

Last Friday was the first night of play for the 2017-2018 season of the Minneapolis Grand Slam Club. Lots of "regulars" came out to compete.

Of course, great to see familiar faces and long time competitors at the MGSC. Yet also a great treat to see some new - and younger - faces, too!

Sean McNally and Morgan Johnstone, students who participated at Dean Matthew Bribitzer-Stull's Honors Bridge class last semester, were in attendance, battling away. From the look of their broad smiles above, it appears they had a fine time!  We sure hope that they - and others - return throughout the season.

Check out the MGSC's web page. This coming Friday is "Win-An-Entry." Perhaps it shall be YOU!

Minneapolis Grand Slam Club - 2017-2018 Season

 

 

MGSC President David Neiman, helping with treats at last May's season end party, invites long time members and new players to the Minneapolis Grand Slam Club 2017-2018 year!  Details from David below!

How quickly the summer has flown by! Kids are back in school, Labor Day is here, and the State Fair is in full stride.  That means that September is coming up quick, and with it, the return of the Minneapolis Grand Slam Bridge Club. 

 

This is just a quick note to let you know that our first game of the season will be Friday, September 8th at 7:15pm at the Edina Senior Center.

 

More information and an updated web page coming soon.

 

See you at the table!

 

Oh, if you would like to bring treats to our first bridge night, that would be awesome!  Just let me know by email.  Thanks!

 

David Neiman

MGSC President 2017-2018

gscbridgeclub@gmail.com

 

 

 

The Bridge Center of St. Paul - STAC Games & Longest Day

The Bridge Center of St Paul is running STAC games all week including Sunday late afternoon  except on Wednesday when they have a day long series of 5 18-board matchpoint games to support the Longest Day. 

 

Cost is $5 for each game.

 

Games at:

 

8am

11am

2pm

5pm

8pm

 

Free food will be available  between each session!