Minnesota Bridge

Gopher 2019 - Today IS The Day!

 

Two thirty this afternoon!

Crowne Plaza Aire off 494 in Bloomington!

Schedule and details below - see you SOON!

The Worth of a Teacher

 

We are blessed in District 14.  Our five state area is jam packed with superb bridge teachers that help all levels of students and players - we are growing our game!

 

 

And in addition with tutoring in the rudiments of the game, teachers impart the joy of bridge, strategic thinking - along with the camaraderie of local games and tournaments.

 

 

Saturday, May 25th, the Gopher Regional in Bloomington will honor these recipients in the main playing room.

Layne Vinje - Rochester Unit 103

 

MaryAnn Boardman - Dubuque Unit 163

 

University of MN Honors Bridge Coaches

Matthew Bribitzer-Stull, Paul Gutterman, Eric Hendrickson,  Glen Meeden - Minneapolis Unit 178

 

 

 

 

We hope that you can join us to applaud the accomplishments of these fine teachers - and to thank all those in District 14 who instruct our players for their dedication, time and commitment to bridge.

 

 

Sue Greenberg

Acting Chair of the Education Committee

 

Ten Days to Gopher 2019 Regional!

Only ten days from today, and the Gopher Regional begins!

Enjoy a week chock full of an excellent array of events - fine hospitality - minutes to Mall of America for dining and shopping - free parking at the hotel - and much more!

The schedule and flyer are below. We look forward to seeing friends from near and far for this year's premier Minnesota regional!

Gopher Regional Lodgings and Activities

 

The 2019 Gopher Regional will be held at the Crowne Plaza Aire hotel, very close to the Mall of America, light rail, loads of shopping and more.  While we know that many of us will be At the Table for much of the tournament, we invite everyone to stay at the Crowne Plaza Aire.  Amenities are excellent - and - if family members join our players, lots to do and see!

 

 

Enjoy the huge pool, other amenities - and - lovely rooms, too!

 

 

And for friends and family who wish to tour - or - competitors who want a break in the action, lunch or dinner - Mall of America so close by!

We look forward to seeing you soon!  Crowne Plaza Aire details below!

 

CROWNE PLAZA AIRE

American Boulevard & 34th Avenue
Please park on the top level of the Parking Ramp
Room Rate: $99 Single/Double - $129 Suite
For reservations call (952) 854-9000 Please ask for
Minnesota Gopher Regional Bridge Tournament rates!
Use Group Code: MGB
(Please call Patti Stuhlman if you have any Hotel Issues!)

Regional Tournament Events

 

The Gopher Regional draws nearer and nearer!  Events for this year's regional begin at 2:30PM on Monday, May 20th - just about one month from now!

Our "old timers" and long time tournament participants are well familiar with the details of a regional. But for our newer players, organizers thought it might be helpful to share details about the many events that one can enjoy at a regional tournament.

Here you go!  Looking forward to seeing everyone - seasoned veterans and newcomers alike - at Gopher Regional 2019!!

 

A GUIDE TO REGIONAL TOURNAMENT EVENTS

 

WHAT ARE THE PAIR GAME OPTIONS?

Tournament Pair games operate just like those you play at your local club. An I/N (Intermediate/Newcomer) game is limited to players with fewer than 300 masterpoints each, lasts one session, and pays red points, but not gold. The Gold Rush pairs is limited to players with fewer than 750 masterpoints each, lasts two sessions, and pays red or gold points. A side pair game is open to all players, lasts one session, and pays red points. BUT, if you play in two sessions of a “side game series,” it is possible to earn gold points. Feel free to ask for details!

WHAT IS A TEAM GAME?

Two pairs make up a team.  One sits N/S and the other E/W.  You never play each other, but at the end of the match or the game you compare scores. To compare scores, on each board you say something like, “We are plus 50.” “We are minus 110.”  The difference is minus 60. Then you look at the IMP chart (International Match Point scale) on your convention card. A score of 50-60 is worth 1 IMP, so you lose 1 IMP on that board. Let’s say on the next board, one pair is -170 and the other pair is + 620. That is a difference of +450. On the IMP scale, a score of 430-490 is worth 10 IMPS, so you have a +10 on that board. You continue to compare scores, total the plus and minus IMP scores. If you come out on the plus side, you win the match. Every match won is worth some masterpoints. In IMP scoring the emphasis is making your contracts, setting their contracts, bidding your games, and not going for big numbers. For more information, google ‘IMP Strategy by Steven Gaynor’.

The scoring is different from Board-A-Match team scoring used in Pair/Team games. The philosophy here is the same as match points or taking as many tricks as you can.  Each board is a win, loss, or tie. If one pair is +110 and the other pair is -110, it is a tie. If one pair is +110 and the other pair is -120, it is a loss.  If one pair is +110 and the other pair is -50, it is a win. The size of the win or loss does not matter, whereas in IMP scoring, the size matters a lot!

 

WHAT IS A SWISS TEAM EVENT?

A Swiss movement means that all teams play the same number of matches.  After each match, teams with similar records are matched up against each other. Usually there are four matches in one session of bridge (four 6 board matches is common).  You use IMP scoring and win masterpoints for each match you win. If you have enough big wins, you will place in the overalls, which is worth more master points than the points won for each match.

 

WHAT IS A BRACKETED SWISS TEAM EVENT?

In this event, teams are first divided according to masterpoint levels and then teams only play other teams in their bracket. The masterpoint awards are higher in the upper bracket, but players in the lower bracket do not have to “worry” about winning an early match and then having to play a team of experts.

 

WHAT IS  A KNOCKOUT (KO)?

A KO match is one full session played against one team (commonly 24 boards). In a KO, only the winning team in each match advances.  If you enter a 4 session KO, that means that if you win the 1^st session, you play against another team the next session. If you win again, you play the 3^rd session. Finally, if you win again, you play in the 4^th session. The longer you stay in the event, the more master points you win. If you enter that event, the whole team must be willing and able to play for as long as you keep winning.

 

WHAT IS A BRACKETED KO? 

IN a bracketed KO, the teams are put into groups based on the Masterpoint holdings of the players on each team.  The brackets can be 7-16 teams based on how many teams enter the event.  That way, teams with few masterpoints only play other teams close to their experience level.

The Gopher Regional will again include a NEW, experimental type of Bracketed KO. In this game, all teams play the first two sessions. They play all (or most) of the other teams in their bracket using Swiss Team format and scoring described above. At the end of the second session, the four teams with the highest scores advance to to Semi-final (3^rd session) match. Then the 2 winning teams play in the Finals to win the event and the two losing teams play a Consolation Match for 3^rd Place. If you enter that event, the whole team must be willing and able to play all 4 sessions.

 

WHAT IS A 2, 3, OR 4 SESSION EVENT VS. A SINGLE SESSION EVENT?

At the club or most sectionals, you will play in single session events.  The winner is determined after the one session is played.  At regional tournaments, multi-session events are common.  You can win masterpoints for placing in either session. If you do well in all sessions, you can place overall for more masterpoints.

If can win gold points in two ways: 1) place in the overalls; 2) place first in your section in one session. Then, even if you are dead last in the next session, you get some gold.

 

ARE PAIR SIDE GAMES SINGLE OR MULTIPLE SESSION EVENTS?

The answer is ‘yes’ to both.  You may play in only one session of a side pair game.  Any points you win are red.  However, if you play in a second session of the same side game series, you will be eligible for a gold point overall award.  You can play with a new partner or the same one, and you may play in as many sessions of the same series as you desire.  Most side game series are 4 to 6 total sessions.  If you have a section top, it will be paid in gold points ONLY if you play in another session of the same series. 

 

DO SINGLE SESSION TEAM GAMES OFFER GOLD POINTS?

Single session team game are separate events and your score does not add up for overall awards if you play in two or more.  No gold is possible in single session team games.

 

Gopher 2019 - Name That Game!

 

The Gopher features two annual events for icons of our game:  Jim Hall and Larry Oakey.

This year, the Gopher regional will honor Carol Cummings with an event named after her.

And for those looking to recognize someone special, as either a fun treat or as a memorial, a name for other games is available!

Please contact Sue Jackson (sjackson@msmn.edu) for more information!

 

Gopher Regional - 2019

We may have just finished with Hannukah; Christmas and New Year's Day will be here soon.  Yet - time marches on and before you know it, spring will arrive and with it - the Gopher Regional 2019!

Patti Stuhlman and Sue Jackson, our co-chairs, are already working hard with their volunteers to present a great tournament next May. 

The schedule is here.  Not too early to be grabbing your favorite partner, putting together your teams and aiming at a loads of fun and success at Gopher Regional 2019! May 20th through 26th; save those dates!

Minnesotans Go BIG with Gold!

 

 

Kim Hayward, director at the Gopher and at the Bridge Center of St. Paul, alerted us to another very fun Gopher story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Betty Santa of Duluth, played in several Gold Rush events. And - congrats to Betty for bringing in some gold, aided and abetted with her partner Karen Siegfried, also from Duluth!

 

Yet, Betty was not the only Minnesotan who earned gold.

 

Betty's granddaughter, Jesse Diggins of Afton, MN won a gold medal in South Korea for cross country skiing!

 

 

 

 

 

Congrats to Betty and Jesse!  Proud of both of you!

 

(And now only wondering when grandma Betty is going to teach granddaughter Jesse BRIDGE!) 

 

 

 

Gopher Highlights - and - Final Results!

 

One of our area's super star couples - Bob and Cindy Balderson. Grandkids Louisa and Joseph are not yet to be found at the bridge table. Yet they are both fierce War competitors!  Sure Grandpa and Grandma are going to get 'em ready soon; watch out, world!

 

 

And - a quiet bridge hero. Warren Cedarborg, who joins wife Suzanne along with Sharon and Roger Anderson for many (frequently) successful team games, faced our team one round. Our side claimed down one on a part score hand - and - Warren paused for a bit.  "I think we only took 4 tricks," Warren commented.

We went through the play - and - Warren was correct. Yes, all players are supposed to let the opposition know when a trick goes to their side and yet it is not warranted. But we all know that not all players would speak up.

Kudos to Warren for not only being an excellent player - but - a most ethical one, too!

And now - Gopher 2018 results can be found here. 

Kudos to all who won, who placed, who learned more about our game. Thanks to Mike Cassel for highlighting successes throughout the week in his Bulletins. 

Overall masterpoint winners list shows that again, your webmaster is one of the most fortunate players on the planet.  Big thanks from me to our super father-son duo, Vern and Monte Evans, along with long suffering partner Bill Kent, for dragging me across the finish line with 105 and change.

It was a blast! Let's do it again next year, everyone!  

 

Gopher 2018 - The Wrap Up!

 

Gopher 2018 is now history!  Our triumphs are saved for posterity at ACBL Live; our disasters can be deposited in dust bins. 

"Keep calm and play bridge" is a wise choice for us all!  And - we could not enjoy a fine venue and tourney without the hard work of so many.

 

 

Another big shout out to co-chairs Patti Stuhlman and Sue Jackson for their months of tireless and wonderful efforts with the Gopher.  Yet another super job; applause!

 

 

To Peter Wilke and our other hard working directors - and caddies - thanks for getting the game going and keeping it running smoothly all through the week!

 

 

SO many volunteers that we appreciate!  One shot of a fine group; we thank them and all the others, too!

 

 

A treat, too, to have visitors from near and far!  Thrilled to see Kenji and Ayako, gracing us with their presence, all the way from Tokyo!

 

Below - our final Gopher Bulletin from editor Mike Cassel - and more photos, too**!

We appreciate you all - especially the competitors from near and far!

Gopher 2018 Bulletin - Sunday May 27

 

One final day remaining for the Gopher Regional 2018!  And - one final Gopher Bulletin to share with you.

Mike Cassel has done a superb job of thanking the many people who contributed mightily to having a fine tournament. Big thanks to our tournament chairmen, Patti Stuhlman and Sue Jackson. Of course, without our directing staff, headed by Peter Wilke, our many volunteers and our caddies, the show could not go on!

And - our thanks to all the competitors who played in the Gopher, ranging from new I/N competitors to our long time experts - and - everyone inbetween.  With many tournaments over the holiday week, we are delighted that you chose the Minnesota Gopher to compete and meet with all your friends!

Have a fun last day of the tournament - and a meaningful and fine Memorial Day with friends and family.

Mike's bulletin is below (a final wrap up will appear tomorrow).

See you next year at the Gopher!

Gopher Regional 2018 - Thursday May 24 Bulletin

 

A hot time in the Twin Cities with temps soaring into the 90's - and - a hot time at the bridge table, too!

Today's Gopher Bulletin is posted below. Congrats to all our winners and those who performed well.  

More events, hospitality and FUN waiting for you on Thursday!  Good luck to all!

Gopher Regional 2018 - Wednesday May 23 Bulletin

 

Two days of Gopher Regional 2018 and lots of great events under our belt! Yet plenty more to come!

Our Wednesday Gopher Bulletin is below - Enjoy!

Good luck to all today - and have a wonderful time!

Gopher Regional 2018 - Tuesday May 22 Bulletin

 

Enjoy a new day of great events and hospitality! And - our Tuesday Daily Bulletin below!

Gopher 2018 Bulletin #1 & Regional Info

 

The Gopher Regional 2018 will be here in just five days! We're looking forward to a great tournament and a great turn-out!  If you don't have all your games set, we have a welcoming partnership desk that is ready and able to help.

Daily Bulletin editor Mike Cassel has already produced our first Bulletin; it is posted below. And, Mike has additional information he'd like to share.  (A copy of the Gopher 2018 flyer is also below.)

We are doing all we can to make sure YOU have a super tournament!  Hope to see you Monday afternoon and every day of Gopher 2018!

 

All primetime pair and teams are now morning afternoon with the KOs and 2 session swisses moving from aft./evening.

 

Morning Swiss dwindled... it has been replaced with a pair of 2-session Evening Swiss Teams

Tue Wed and Thu Fri.  Single session team entries will NOT be accommodated.  Folks need to plan to play both sessions... they will be paying for both!!

 

To do so the single session evening Swiss is gone.  The only single session evening team game is a Pair/Team event on Saturday.  That will be the only event in that time slot and gives people two chances to win masterpoints.

 

The evening I/N game has been taken off the schedule.  I/N players up to 499 MPs can play as Flight C in the evening side series. Even better for them, if they score well in two of the side games they can win gold points.

 

The big news regards a new KO format.  With the help of the ACBL we have an event that will NOT be handicapped in one bracket.  The ACBL, with our input, has a KO experiment this year with KO brackets  fewer than 9 teams that don't penalize the overall awards.  There is an information sheet already published on the blog describing the first day complete round-robin qualifying four teams to a KO semifinal.  Semifinal losers will play off for 3/4 overall.  Even a bracket as small as 5 (hopefully we won't have such small ones) will qualify four teams to the semifinal and ALL 4 TEAMS will receive overall awards.

 

The side series have become horizontal during the week:  morning, afternoon, and evening.

A new weekend side series includes two NEW sessions on Sunday.  This series, like the evening series, will have an expanded Flight C up to 500MPs.

 

The last page of Bulletin #1 has a FAQ section describing the changes.

 

        Mike Cassel

 

Gopher Regional - New Knock-Out Format!

 

Steve Gaynor has shared the new format that will be in place for the Gopher Regional this month.  

Thanks for the explanation, Steve!  Good luck to all our team competitors - enjoy and do well!

 

NEW EXCITING KNOCKOUT FORMAT AT 2018 GOPHER REGIONAL

 

The Gopher schedule committee has devised a way to improve the Knockouts by lowering the number of teams in each bracket.   The ACBL has approved it for use in this year’s regional.  Here are some of the new features:

1. Fewer teams per bracket so players have a better field of their peers against whom to compete.
2. Two sessions to qualify for the ‘final four’. More chances to win master points.
3. Higher percentage of teams get to the overalls.
4. Round robin format for the first two sessions means not worrying about a tough draw to start. You play everyone in the bracket.
5. Pair style movement means you play all teams in your bracket, everyone plays the same hands and we can give you hand records at the end of each session.

Ideally there will be 7 teams in each bracket.  You will play six rounds of four boards each in the first session and repeat that in the second session.  That will total 8 boards versus each of the other 6 teams.   Each match will be scored by IMP’s on the 20 victory point scale but use a pair game style movement. 

The top four teams by Victory points will advance to the head to head semi-final session the next day.  All four teams will pay for two sessions.  The winners of that session will play each other for their bracket championship.  The losers will play off for third/fourth place.  This event pays four overall awards.

FAQ:   

            Why 7 teams?

            Based on last year’s entries, this will give us the chance to run at least two brackets.  The movement is very easy with an odd number of teams.   Even numbers are complicated.  

            Why a playoff for 3^rd place?

            One of the points of the experiment is that there would be a playoff for 3^rd/4^th place. 

            Can we still have 5 or 6 player teams?

            Yes.  As long as each player plays at least 50% of all boards each day.  If a player sits out a full session, they must play the entire amount of the next session.  Right now there will be no substitutions during a session.  Either you play the whole session or none of it.

            Will the pair games be playing the same hands?

            Yes.  Compare results with friends in the pair game.  You can discuss the strategic differences playing pairs versus IMP’s.  It may be a great and fun learning experience.

            What if we lose the semi-final and do not want to play for 3^rd place?  Do we get our money back, or can we enter another event?

            No.  However, the difference in payoff for 3^rd place over 4^th will most likely be worth more than you could get in a one session event, and it is for Gold points.

Eleven Days to GOPHER REGIONAL 2018!

 

Spring has sprung - Minnesota is gloriously gorgeous - and - the Gopher Regional will be here before we know it!

A new venue right by the Mall of America! Loads of treats every day!  Free parking!

And... a great schedule with Something for Everyone and fine events!

Don't have all your Gopher plans in place yet?  Be sure to get going as this is a tournament you do not want to miss!

All the details are here!  See you soon!

Name Names! Gopher 2018

 

 

The Twin Cities survived the excitement of the Super Bowl. So now it's time to focus on our bridge "Super Bowl" of the year:  the Gopher Regional!

Starting on May 21st, we promise beautiful weather along with an excellent new site! Near the Mall of America, convenient to MSP airport and loads of restaurants and shopping, the Gopher will be held at the lovely and spacious Crowne Plaza Aire. 

Get ready for great events, hospitality and bridge. And - take advantage of another superb opportunity at the Gopher:  honor a friend, relative, bridge buddy or whomever you like with the gift of a Named Event!  Sue Jackson (sjackson@smumn.edu) can give you all the details about how to put your special someone up in lights.

 

Before you know it, the Gopher will be here! More details here!

 

Gopher 2018 News!

The Minnesota Gopher Regional has a new location in Bloomington

near the Mall of America and Airport!

 

Crowne Plaza AIRE

3 Appletree Square (I-494 and 34th Ave)

 

Room Rate:  $95 Sgl/Dbl 

$125 Suite

 

For reservations call 952-854-9000 ask for the MN Gopher Regional Bridge Tournament rates

 

Team Games, Pair Games, Gold Rush, Intermediate/Newcomer Games every day!

 

Join the fun at the MN Gopher Regional!

Youth WILL Be Served!

 

There's no doubt that the bridge world in the U.S. is an aging community. And for many of us, it's a puzzle. College was a common place for students to pick up the game. Lots of young marrieds did, too, enjoying home games as their new babies slept through set after set.

In the last decades, however, something changed. While many of us play on and on as we age, not seeing fresh faces at club games and tournaments has been a disappointment.

We are thrilled, however, at programs like Dean Matthew Bribitzer-Stull's Honors bridge classes at the University of Minnesota. And seeing students from other colleges and universities this week at the Gopher was a treat!

 

 

My apologies for not having the names of these intent students who traveled to Minnetonka for regional events this past week. I hope that they know, however, how glad we were to see them!  And - we hope, too, that they will continue to play and learn and compete - as many of us have for over half a century.  

Game on!