PRO-AM TEAMS

Sunday September 28

Pot Luck at noon

               Yes, we’re having our popular pro-am teams again at 1 pm on Sunday, September 28.  Just bring a favorite dish – dessert, salad, appetizer, or main dish to the pot luck lunch at noon and stay for the Swiss teams. We always divide the players into four groups by master points, then pick one player from each group to make a team. You don’t need to get your team together – we do it while you are finishing lunch. The teams are mostly evenly matched, so anyone can win, It’s fun to try playing with a few different partners for a day – please come and enjoy!

PARTNER WITH THE MASTERS

BID-A-THON

 This month is your chance to play with one of our Life Masters. A silent auction starts now for over twenty of our Life Masters. Just bid on the ones that you want to play with – the high bidder for each LM will get to play with the LM. Bidding has already started. See the bidding board at the Fresno Bridge Center. The Bid-a-Thon continues until September 28 when we announce the winners, just before the Pro-Am team game.

WEIDEL, MYERS, MYERS TOP  

FRESNO NON-LM SECTIONAL

Non-LM players enjoyed the 13^th annual sectional. Attendance was down a few tables from last year, mainly in the afternoon games. Don and Doris Myers and Barbara Wiedel were the top players, a three way tie for most master points won.

Thanks go to tournament chairman Laura Da Costa, who helped in many ways including giving the lunch and learn lessons. Mary Lou Pease arranged several partnerships for the tournament. Of course, the best part of lunch and learn were the meals prepared each day by hospitality chair Jackie Finn and Barbara Davenport. Thanks also go to the many volunteers who brought desserts.

CLUB NEWS

Club Appreciation in October

 Maggie Mahaffey is celebrating the end of a long hot summer with a luncheon. Join her for lunch and bridge on Wednesday, September 3.

               We had several overall winners during the Summer Sectional Tournament at Clubs Week. Farid Assemi and Gerard Laquerriere were fifth. Skip Miller and Barbara Thacker were 12^th. Jill and Bill Wood were 13th. Laura DaCosta and Ray April were tenth in flight B.  Victor Greener and Jay Roll won the Auxiliary pairs. Gary Nelson and Carol Kaufman were second in the Auxiliary pairs. Robert and Tay Cherry were fourth in the 299er pairs, with Don and Marion Austin sixth in flight C. Don and Marion also took sixth in flight C of the Auxiliary pairs. Former Fresno player Marylou Bert won the Sunday afternoon STAC game. She nowlives in Eugene, Oregon. We’ll list the section winners next month.

               Next month is club appreciation month. All clubs can hold a sectionally rated game in October, so the master points will be flying. Clubs can also hold a sectionally rated team game, with 5% of the master points being gold. The Sunday Unit game will host a golden Swiss team game. There is no extra charge for these games – they are to show that the ACBL appreciates the clubs, and the clubs appreciate their players. Be sure to play often in October.

               The top players at the Fresno Bridge Center in July were Steve Sharp, followed by Barbara Thacker, Ray April, George Dalition, and Linda Coppersmith. Ray April leads for 2014, followed by Mark Stern and Steve Sharp. The top 99er  for July was Cyndy Tingey, followed by Nancy Schubert, Bill Burns, and Robert Cherry. Deb Petersen leads for the year, followed by Bill Burns and Jerry Noga.

               The top players in Madera for August were Gary Nelson and Carol Kaufman, followed by Larry and Gay Slates. They also lead for the year.

SHIRLEY BLUM

               Our condolences to the friends and family of Shirley Blum, who recently passed away. She was without a doubt one of the top players in Fresno and in California. She won several regional events and finished second in the 1989 national Women’s Teams. In the days when only the top pros played in knockout teams, she won the 1968 Fresno regional knockouts with the local Cinderella team of Syd Levey, Jean Levey, Ann and Carman Wood, and Marylou Bert.

PLACES AND FACES

At the Castro Valley sectional, Gerard Laquerriere and Farid Assemi were fourth in one open pairs and fifth in another.

At the Santa Clara Regional, Judy Zimmerer and Judy Nibler were sixth in flight B of the charity pairs and third in bracket 3 KO teams with Cyndy Tingey and Rhonda Hampton. Pete Weber and Dick Powell were third in the Gold Rush pairs. John and Pat Simpson, with Olivia Stockton and Annie Chiljian were third in bracket 3 KO teams. We’ll have more winners next month.

                It’s good to see Bill Coit back at bridge club.

               Get well wishes go to Donna Miller, recovering from hip surgery.

               Sympathy goes to the family of Betty Ann Dunn of Oakhurst, who recently passed away. Sympathy also goes to the family of Lou Vancoevorden who recently passed away. He taught us quite a bit with his book detailing his experiences during the Holocaust of World War II.

INTERMEDIATE LESSONS
Skip Miller will teach more intermediate bridge thinking on Saturday September 6 at 9 am. His last lesson (for a while?) on September 13 will be on 2 over 1 bidding ( 2/1 ). What’s that everyone is playing at tournaments? It’s really not that hard, and Skip can let you in on the secrets. Bring your partner so you’ll learn the same secrets.

WAYS TO HELP OUT

Move the boards to the correct place. If you are taking a break, move the boards before you leave the table.

In a Mitchell movement, with all North-Souths stationary, the boards go to the next lower table, or from table 1 to the last table. There are few exceptions. The director will tell you if there is an exception.

In a Howell movement, with most players moving, the boards go to the next lower table if there are five or more tables. Boards from table 1 go to a bye stand and then to the last table. Only for three or four tables is the movement so complicated  that you should let the director move the boards or just take them to a central table.

If  you are finishing late, move the boards that you have played so that those on time can start. DON’T WAIT FOR THEM TO ASK FOR BOARDS.

When you are done with glasses, cups, plates, etc., take them to the kitchen.  It’s usually OK to put dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Most directors unload the dishwasher before the game.

The same equipment seldom is used in the next game. Take pencils, boards, table markers to the back of the room the at the end of the game.  If you’re in a good mood, sort the boards and table markers.

Don’t make your own rules or let your opponents make the rules. Smile and say, let’s call the director, please.

If a card is played that you weren’t supposed to play – such as in changing when you didn’t follow suit, call the director immediately. You may have options that you didn’t know about that disappear if you wait.

It’s usually not helping out when you tell people what they did wrong. Wait until they ask for help.

WINNERS

NonLM SECTIONAL

SATURDAY MORNING

1A              Jim Parks - Paul Harwood

2A1B          Jerry F. Noga - John Hempel

3A              Stephen Blumberg - Janet Blumberg

2B               Andrew Graves - Gloria Durbrow

3/4B            Debbie Kemp - Steve Johnson

3/4B            Denny Tweed - Cathleen Burden

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

1AB            Don Myers - Doris Myers

2A              Nancy Holley - Bonnie Chan

3A2B          John Barrere - Jackie Finn

3B               Don Austin - Marion Austin

SUNDAY MORNING NONLM
1AB            Linda Town - Barbara Wiedel
2AB            Don Austin - Marion Austin
3AB            Joan Deyager - Marsha Infausto
 
SUNDAY AFTERNOON NONLM
1AB            Mary Ann Clark - Nancy Schubert
2AB            Don Myers - Doris Myers
3AB            John Barrere - Gloria Durbrow
                   

UNIT CHAMPIONSHIP
1A          Margaret Mahaffey - Steve Sharp2A1B      Ray April - Laura Da Costa
3A2B1C James Sweet - Mary Lou Pease
3B           Anthony Toto - Andrea Wheeless
2C           Jackie Finn - Deb Petersen
CHAMPIONSHIP 
1ABC     Gloria Durbrow - Jason McAlexander
2A          Robert Durbrow - Lowell Gist
3A          Victor Greener - Naguib Abdallah
2BC        Dora Gostanian - Robert Cherry
3B           Christina Renna - John Renna
1A              Della Schnell - John Schnell
2A1B          David Ash - Ray April
3A2B1C     Laura Da Costa - Carol Miller
3B               Jay Shapiro - John Simpson
2C               Carol Rodder - Diane Zealear
 
750 MEMBERSHIP 
1AB        Cynthia Tingey - JoAnn Huebner
2AB1C   Bill Burns - Marilyn J. Kendall
3A          Bonnie Dalition - George Dalition
3B2C      Edward Grootendorst - Therese Grootendorst
3C           Don Myers - Doris Myers
 750 CHAMPIONSHIP
1AB            Mary Ann Clark - Gay Berry
2AB1C       Don Myers - Doris Myers
3/4AB         Janet Blumberg - Stephen Blumberg
3/4AB2C    Barbara Wiedel - Kathryn Miller
3C               Rhonda Hampton - Renee Laquerriere

299ER CHAMPIONSHIP 

1A JoAnn Huebner - Donna Miller

2A1B      Bill Burns - Bonnie Burns

3A2B1C Pamela Pigg - Sue Comporato

3/4B        Jane Willson - Joyce Aiken

3/4B2C   Steve Johnson - Bill Ward

99er SPECIAL

Suzanne Sobenes - Steve Johnson

Sue Comporato - Pamela Pigg[B]

Fred Schellack - Joyce Furnas[C]

OAKHURST WINNERS

Karen McCartin - Paul Mertens

Joseph Fox - Corey Cole

Claire Molnar - Karen McCartin(3)

Joseph Fox - Ken Doig(3)

Karen Henning - Nancy Hays

Claire Molnar - Ken Doig(2)

Gary Smith - Judy Smith

Glen Ford - Terri Anderson

Al Crane - Jean Stafford

Karen McCartin - Paul Mertens

JoAnn Olivier - Ken Olivier

INDIVIDUAL

1             James Sweet

2             Carol Kaufman

3             Anthony Toto

4             Nancy Schubert

5             Mary Ann Clark

1             Jay Shapiro

2             Paul Messner

3             John Barrere

4/5          Linda Coppersmith

4/5          Mary Ann Clark

SPECIAL

Lowell Gist - Victor Greener[2]

Virginia Hailey - Judith Hecht

Margaret Mahaffey - Steve Sharp[2]

Barbara Thacker - Steve Sharp

Byron Steinert - Anthony Toto

Lowell Gist - Avis Morse

Rhonda Hampton - Judy Nibler

Mark Stern - Victor Greener

Margaret Mahaffey - Mark Stern

Barbara Thacker - Jim McKoane

Steve Sharp - Mark Stern

Gerard Laquerriere - Mun Takeda

Mark Stern - Victor Greener

Dora Gostanian - Avis Morse

Lowell Gist - D Zody

Mary Lou Da Costa - Judy Nicholson[B]

Linda Coppersmith - Ray April[B]

Larry Miller - George Efthemon[B]

Patricia Creede - Paul Messner[B]

Ray April - Jay Shapiro[B]

Anthony Toto - Andrea Wheeless[B]

JoAnn Huebner - Donna Miller[C]

Renee Laquerriere - Judy Zimmerer[C]

Laura Da Costa - Carol Miller[C]

Gwen Davey - George Dalition[C]

Marilyn J. Kendall - Ruby Buttereck[C]

John Barrere - Jackie Finn[C]

Robert Cherry - Stephen Blumberg[C]

750 SPECIAL

Patricia Creede - Sue Gearhart

Joan Deyager - Marsha Infausto[C]

Renee Laquerriere - Rhonda Hampton

299er SPECIAL

Jane Willson - Madeline Lynes

Marge Field - Nancy Jones

Donna Miller - JoAnn Huebner

Pamela Pigg - Sue Comporato[B]

99er

Steve Johnson - Debbie Kemp(2)

Suzanne Sobenes - Walt Kelso

Steve Johnson - Debbie Kemp

Brenda Ward - Walt Kelso[B]