l (annschuyler@gmail.com ).
 

Illini Champaign Regional -- May 20-26, 2014

Make plans for our Unit's annual regional tournament, coming up Memorial Day week in Champaign.

We'll again be playing in the Hawthorn Suites hotel and offering lots of extras, including a speakers program, entry-fee discounts, nightly buffets and a hotel hospitality suite for socializing after the game. Bridge rate is $95 for a suite with kitchen, one or two beds, sleeper sofa and free wifi. Room rate includes daily hot breakfast and Wednesday-night dinner.  

Hawthorn reservations:  217-398-3400.  Please reserve early.

This year's schedule features three of the popular Gold Rush Pair events for 0-750 players. You can check out the 2014 events on the tournament schedule page .

♣   Central Illinois Top 100   ♣

Here are the top masterpoint holders in Central Illinois Unit 208 and their career point totals as of January 6, 2014. The first 20 players  are ranked in the top 100 of all players in District 8 (see the District Top 100 list in this issue).
  

1    2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Colby Vernay, Lacon -- 19,188.34 Gary Kessler, Springfield -- 12,587.26 Chris Benson, Le Roy -- 11,161.89 Karen Walker, Champaign -- 8439.47 James Melville, Springfield -- 8019.54 Mark Kessler, Springfield -- 7712.30 Dan Requard, Springfield -- 7313.03 Michael Halvorsen, Champaign -- 5326.37    Larry Rabideau, St. Anne -- 4595.66 Hugh Williams, Carbondale -- 4546.73 Nate Ward, Champaign -- 4372.15 Robert Butz, Kankakee -- 4328.98 Robert Hayes, Morris -- 4231.37 John Seng, Champaign -- 4157.26 Phyllis Rahn, Dunlap -- 3986.74 Christine Carroll, Champaign -- 3595.25 James Carbaugh, Metamora -- 3570.84 Carl Brueckner, Champaign -- 3544.38 Ron Sholes, Springfield -- 3534.17 Betty Capodice, Bloomington -- 3524.95 Stephen Babin, Normal -- 3068.72 Leonard Kaufman, Peoria -- 3038.23 Henry Schroder, Quincy -- 3017.02 Charles Sheaff, Jacksonville -- 2916.04 Ronald Simmons, Peru -- 2901.67 Deborah Avery, Champaign -- 2825.38 Edward Horton, Champaign -- 2766.78 Elizabeth Zalar, Springfield -- 2645.62 Paul Lindauer, Varna -- 2566.15 Georgia Heth, Morton -- 2470.08 Chloe Trautman, Champaign -- 2402.66 Phyllis Collins, Springfield -- 2402.60 Leah Newell, Springfield -- 2366.33 Patricia Carrington, Champaign -- 2365.50 Betty Primm, Athens -- 2354.45 Robert Sievers, Champaign -- 2329.17 Raymond Russ, Henry -- 2297.75 Carole Sholes, Springfield -- 2294.26 Charles Zalar, Springfield -- 2272.62 Carol Umbach, Havana -- 2240.58 Marciann O'Brien, Decatur -- 2227.03 Martha Leary, Urbana -- 2226.85 Doris Foltz, Springfield -- 2177.67 Margaret Hansell, Champaign -- 2165.37 Joanne Glazebrook, Peoria -- 2156.86 Zach Freehill, Bloomington -- 2135.81 Janice Franz, Springfield -- 2109.95 Roger Sokol, Minooka -- 2108.93 John Kessinger, Decatur -- 2084.72 John Weber, Watseka -- 2053.77

51    52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

Terry Goodykoontz, Champaign -- 2038.86 Larry Wilcox, Springfield -- 2022.82 Mike Tomlianovich, Bloomington -- 1992.41    Kris Maillacheruvu, Peoria -- 1943.78 David Hanna, Springfield -- 1942.51 Clay Cuthbertson, Quincy -- 1942.14 Aldo Mancinelli, Decatur -- 1930.85 Mary Allen, Peoria -- 1894.80 Eunice Patton, Bloomington -- 1850.12 George Veenstra, Springfield -- 1834.27 Martha Stutz, Springfield -- 1825.43 Bernard Riley, Pekin -- 1795.39 John Parsons, Springfield -- 1782.36 Mark Daily, Charleston -- 1778.37 Patrick Moos, Peoria -- 1764.85 Henry Hoffman, Bloomington -- 1755.58 Tim Cull, Springfield -- 1689.43 Sharon Ertz, Hull -- 1659.93 Beverly Bakunas, Decatur -- 1624.76 J. Nanda, Charleston -- 1592.33 Martha Neal, Mattoon -- 1544.62 Shirley Judy, Urbana -- 1526.90 Bobbie Straker, Pekin -- 1523.21 Marilyn Stickel, Lacon -- 1513.62 C Joan Green, Springfield -- 1510.79 Larry Richardson, Springfield -- 1497.59 Sherry Steigmann, Urbana -- 1488.60 Duane Gronau, Bloomington -- 1488.03 Ann Caparros, Springfield -- 1458.56 Alan Stutz, Springfield -- 1442.29 Dennis Fitton, Urbana -- 1426.97 Dariel Richardson, Rochester -- 1425.07 Arlene Drablos, Savoy -- 1393.31 Marjorie Hanner, Springfield -- 1379.58 D Atteberry, Mattoon -- 1367.19 James Scott, Rantoul -- 1365.47 Mary Anne Parsons, Springfield -- 1357.66 Gary Schechter, Springfield -- 1339.85 Robert Shair, Champaign -- 1314.83 Robert Steigmann, Urbana -- 1314.21 Jay Poling, Decatur -- 1312.02 Peg Lock, Decatur -- 1311.87 Stephen Borbely, Dewey -- 1304.69 John Maloney, Champaign -- 1297.59 Madhu Viswanathan, Champaign -- 1281.22 Sylvia Lowry, Springfield -- 1270.84 Daniel Taylor, Manteno -- 1253.22 Charles Young, Peoria -- 1231.90 Stanley Gutzman, Normal -- 1230.44 Ann Schuyler, Bloomington -- 1205.60

In Memory: 

Dick Gibons of Princeton passed away on December 11 at the age of 87.

I have known Dick for more than 50 years at the bridge table. I first came in contact with him when I was a young player at Harry Ross's game in LaSalle IL. Dick was playing with his regular partner Chuck Clickner, a large man about 6'4" and well over 300 lbs. Dick was about 5'7" and 150 lbs, so they formed an unusual pairing physically. At that time, they were the best pair and demonstrated it by winning most games. In those days, winning a small fractional point was a considerable accomplishment.

There are other stories I could relate when we played in the Grand National Teams. Dick played with his partner Margaret Corless and I played with my friend Bud Novero. We had never played as a team were inexperienced, but Dick knew what was going on so we competed and as luck would have it we were successful and finished first. Not a big accomplishment -- in those days, the Grand National was new and something that was worth playing in, and while it was considered an upset at the time, we were able to do it again the next year.

Thank You,
   Ronald W. Simmons

Coming up on the Club Calendar

♣  ACBLwide Senior Pairs -- Monday afternoon, March 3

This annual event, open to ages 55+, offers extra masterpoints, pre-dealt hands and online hand analyses after the game. The same hands are being played at clubs around the nation and will offer District-wide and nationwide awards. The sanction fee is $1 more than your club's regular entry fee. Central Illinois clubs that will be hosting this game are:

    Champaign:  Bridge at Ginger Creek  (12:30 pm) -- Karen Walker  (217-359-0042)   kwalker2@comcast.net

    Springfield:  Bridge Club of Springfield -- Ann Capparos  (217-726-9456)

    Bloomington:  Monday Morning Duplicate -- Dennis Moll  (309-663-4719)

♣  2013-14 North American Pairs -- Club qualifying games in June, July & August

Cheer on our Unit winners:  The 2013-14 North American Pairs concludes in March when District winners play in the national championship in Dallas. Four pairs from our Unit will be representing District 8 in the national finals. 

     Flight B:  Kenneth Koh & Peter Yeh, Champaign   
                    Bob Shair & Gary Dell, Champaign 
                    Clay Cuthbertson, Quincy & Norman Goldman, Florissant MO

     Flight C:  Milt Epstein & Marsha Woodbury, Urbana IL

Play begins on March 19. You can check on their results in the online Daily Bulletins from Dallas.

Visit the ACBL Unit Awards page to view lists of the top ten Unit players in each category (type 208 into the box that asks for your Unit number). Official results will be posted in mid-February. Year-end results for our Central Illinois Unit will be published in the April issue of this newsletter.