Greater St. Louis Bridge News

News from Greater St. Louis Unit 143

Editor:  Mary Dolan, 10806 Charlton Way, St. Louis, MO 63146     dolanmary@sbcglobal.net 
 

“Bridge is the most entertaining and intelligent card game the wit of man has so far devised."

 -- W. Somerset Maugham

St. Louis Spring Sectional 

Spend your spring break at the St. Louis Sectional, May 19-21, Blanchette Memorial Hall, St. Charles MO. Enjoy fabulous hospitality and earn masterpoints in an atmosphere of friendly competition. Click here for session details.

Kenny Bland achieves Emerald LM

Becoming an Emerald Life Master is no small achievement. To get there, you must hold over 7500 masterpoints, including at least 750 gold or platinum points and at least 1500 silver, red, gold, or platinum points. In the February 2017 issue, the Bridge Bulletin recognized Kenny Bland, St. Louis bridge teacher and bridge columnist for Town and Style Magazine, for reaching this milestone.

When asked, Kenny shared some thoughts about his bridge-playing history:

“Playing bridge has been a 50-year avocation, always looking forward to playing whenever I could. Bridge for me is not 'just a game'.  I have developed lifelong friendships, learned how to socialize in a competitive environment, and learned the value of teamwork. Bridge for me is a panacea, a quiet escape, if you will. I tell my students (yes I teach bridge now) to ‘play bridge, focus on the cards, and get away from your everyday pressure for 3 ½ hours and it is cathartic’. The best thing about bridge – there’s always another game.”

(Photo by Colin Miller/Strauss Peyton)

Congratulations to these Unit 143 Advancers

     Gold Life Master:  Jane Ettelson and George Marvin

     Life Master:  Regina Schlueter

Five Unit 143 Members on 2016 Barry Crane Top 500 list

Congratulations to  the following members of Unit 143 who made the Barry Crane Top 500 list for 2016 (see March 2017 ACBL Bridge Bulletin  for complete list):

Ron Ashbacher  #118 with 921 MP

En Xie  #211 with 733 MP

Jack Bryant  #247 with 687 MP

Mark Boswell  #367 with 571 MP

Clay Cuthbertson  #423 with 534 MP

Milt Zlatic  #443 with 527 MP

Spring 299er Tournament

A good time was had by all at the two-day Unit 143 Spring 299er. Thanks to tournament chair Mark Ziegelman and director Beth Percich, participants enjoyed a welcoming venue, good food, and the chance to compete at 58 tables on Saturday and 20 tables on Sunday.

Congratulations to all the participants. Below are pictures of the overall winners. 

Big Games