Tournaments

Everyone enjoyed the Unit 239 Regional in June. The turnout was good and the weather cooperated. 319 people won points! One gentleman who played went over the 20,000 point level.

I hope you make it to the Rockford Sectional Tournament this month.  It will be held at the Tebala Event Center at 7910 Newburg Road in Rockford on September 10th, 11th, and 12th. This is the first time Unit 239 has hosted an open sectional combined with a 0-750 Non-Life Master regional. The Rockford people always put on a great game!

Please put the Turkey Bowl Silver Sectional on your calendar, too. It will be held on Friday and Saturday, November 24 & 25, at the Prisco Center, 130 Illinois Ave. in Aurora IL. 

Unit 239 loves welcoming new members!  Do you have friends who should be brought to the table? More participation means more fun. Since the last Pairfare, we have gained an enthusiastic player: Daniel Mihalcea (Montgomery)

Rank Advancements: We can all celebrate with these players who have achieved new levels:

NEW JUNIOR LIFE MASTERS: Alan Burt (Rockford,) Nancy Schmidt (Crystal Lake,) James Potts (Geneva,) and Trish McGeady (Harvard)

NEW CLUB MASTERS: Donald Sullivan (Rockford) and Daniel Mihalcea (Montgomery)

NEW SECTIONAL MASTER: Beth McClure (St. Charles)

NEW NABC MASTERS: Bruce Jasper (Rockford) and Gail Torgersen (Rockford)

NEW ADVANCED NABC MASTERS: Lela Lowe (Geneva) and Steve Lowe (Geneva)

NEW LIFE MASTER: Ray Tower (Crystal Lake)

NEW BRONZE LIFE MASTERS: Fran Fey (Rockford) and Joseph Lepscier (Aurora)

NEW SILVER LIFE MASTERS: Douglas Giloy (Rockford,) Cindy Musser (Winnebago,) and Bob Dekeyser (Rockton)

NEW RUBY LIFE MASTER: Charlene Whitney (Winnebago)

Ray Tower is a Life Master!

Ray played a little bridge during and shortly after college and then not at all for forty years. He took up the game again in 2011 playing at the Crystal Lake senior sanctioned games. He plays there three times a week as well as once a week in BBO open games.

He earned the final points toward Life Master at the Crystal Lake Summer Regional. Ray appreciates duplicate bridge because regardless of the cards, the competition is still interesting.  Ray has made many bridge friendships and remembers Ray Parnell as a great teacher who was always a gentleman.

I asked Ray for a humorous bridge story. He recalled that when he was starting duplicate in college, his confused partner redoubled his double! He advises new players that many times, the best bid is to pass.

Bob Dekeyser is a Silver Life Master! 

I have been playing duplicate for 20 years and now play 3-4 times per month. When I was a beginner, I played in limited games; and the Director, Kathy Owens, gave mini lessons which helped me learn the game. 

Playing duplicate bridge helps keep the brain sharp, and the 3 clubs that I play at have wonderful people. I enjoy the conversations before the game and between games. I enjoy reading “Ruling the Game” in the Bridge Bulletin. 

I earned my points for Silver Life Master at a club game at the Rockford Bridge Center, which is my main club. I spend much time in Wisconsin where I enjoy playing in Sturgeon Bay and Egg Harbor. 
 

Cindy Musser is a Silver Life Master!

Starting with Covid is not where I wanted to start, but Covid has changed bridge for all of us. I got my silver life masters playing at home with a robot while I was sitting on my couch. I had all the colored points I needed since before Covid arrived. I was very thankful to have BBO to allow me to keep playing. Even though this article is celebrating my silver life masters I have all the colored points I need for my ruby life masters should I live long to achieve that rank.

Tournaments are starting back up again and I have been going to the tournaments. I thoroughly enjoy tournaments. My advice to starting players is to get to tournaments as soon as you can. As they say, it is easier to get colored points when you are a novice player. 

During the time I was working on my silver life masters, I also took the course to become a club director. I direct a non-life masters game once a week. I am not interested in becoming a full-time director, but our club needed another director so I volunteered to help out.

The online course to become a director teaches you about the laws of duplicate bridge. The course does not teach you about the computer. There are quite a number of programs you need to learn in order to direct the game. I want to thank Will Engel and Burt Moore for answering all my many computer questions. Will gets a question from me about every Monday morning as he walks in to direct the afternoon game, and I am finishing up the Monday morning game.

The biggest thing that changed for me as a result of Covid is this: Before Covid I arranged my life around bridge. After Covid, I now arrange bridge around my life.

Charlene Whitney is a Ruby Life Master!

 I’ve played duplicate for a little over 20 years, having updated my play from college days with lessons with Mary Jo Sargent at the Bridge Center in Rockford. I was amazed and grateful when anyone would agree to play with me.

One kind of funny story is when I was playing at a tournament in Crystal Lake with Sue Tunelius, and I thought I’d opened one club. After my partner bid, to my horror and mortification, I saw I’d actually put out the bidding card for 2 clubs. It went downhill from there.  Another time I took Sue to game in hearts, thinking I had Axx, but when I put my hand down, the Ace turned out to be a diamond, not a heart.

I don’t remember the circumstances surrounding my getting Life Master, but my dear, patient, wonderful current partner Dave Jenkins dragged me across the Ruby line.