Buffalo Niagara duplicate bridge notes: Dec. 20, 2025

 

News and notes for the Buffalo area duplicate bridge community appear weekly right here at http://newsdupli.blogspot.com/, usually by midweek. They are no longer carried on the Buffalo News website.

The Buffalo Bridge Center, 60 Dingens St. off Exit 1 of the I-190, will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 24; Thursday, Dec. 25, and Friday, Dec. 26, for the holiday. Otherwise it offers a regular schedule of in-person and online games Monday through Friday with party games once a month on weekends. For more info, visit the Buffalo Bridge Center website at https://buffalobridgecenter.godaddysites.com/ or call 716-424-0014. Fee for games is $8 for members and $12 for non-members. Membership is $80 annually and is due this month.

Other ACBL sanctioned clubs: Contact for the Bridge Club of East Aurora is Dave Larcom at dmocral@verizon.net. Games are at 10 a.m. Wednesdays in the Aurora Senior Citizens Center, 101 King St., East Aurora.

The Bridge Centre of Niagara (BCON) in St. Catharines, Ont., offers face-to-face games six days a week at its club in Tremont Square opposite the Pen Centre shopping plaza off Glendale Avenue. Website is bridgewebs.com/Niagara.

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Bridge Club plays in the Community Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., on Anderson Lane off Mississauga Street on the western end of the village. Open games are at 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. Website is bridgewebs.com/niagaraonthelake.

Non-sanctioned clubs: Tonawanda Senior Center, 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays; Amherst Senior Center, 12:30 p.m. Mondays and Fridays.

Tournament calendar

2026

Toronto Winter Non-Life Master Regional – Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ont. Saturday, Jan. 3, and Sunday, Jan. 4. For more info, click this link.

Toronto Winter Sectional – Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ont. Saturday, Jan. 3, and Sunday, Jan. 4. For more info, click this link.

Cleveland Rock and Roll Regional – Embassy Suites Hotel, 5800 Rockside Woods Road, Independence, Ohio. Wednesday, Jan. 7, to Sunday, Jan. 11. For info, click this link.

Niagara Winter Sectional – Holiday Inn & Suites Parkway Conference Center, 327 Ontario St., St. Catharines, Ont. Friday, Feb. 13, to Sunday, Feb. 15. For more info, click this link.

Toronto Easter Regional – Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ont. Tuesday, March 31, to Sunday, April 5.

Buffalo Spring Sectional – Buffalo Bridge Center, 60 Dingens St. Friday, April 10, to Sunday, April 12. For info, click this link.

 

Scores from ACBL Live for Clubs

Week of Dec. 8 to Dec. 14

Buffalo Bridge Center Monday evening – 0-900 game online. Fran Schmidt and Richard McGowan, 58.33%; Michael and Jim Hassett, 55.56%; Laura and John Houghtaling, 52.78%; Michel Dupuis and Gary Keenan, 47.22%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-1,600 game. North-south, Joanne Nover and David Schott, 64.58%; Betty Metz and Barbara Landree, 57.08%; Jim McClure and Richard McGowan, 50%; east-west, Agi Maisel and Pat Haynes, 58.33%; Gerry Steenberge and Mike Meacham, 53.33%; Carol Licata and Ilene Rothman, 51.25%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Wednesday morning – Open game. Judy Graf and Jim Gullo, 65.40%; Davis Heussler and David Colligan, 60.07%; Jay Levy and Kamil Bishara, 53.59%; Jay Costello and Bud Seidenberg, 52.90%; Mary Ball and Joyce Frayer, 49.04%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Thursday morning – 0-2,000 game. Mary Ball and Joyce Frayer, 56.25%; (tie) Julie Mitchell and Brian Fleming, Joanne Nover and Agi Maisel, 55.63%; (3-way tie) Betty Metz and Maryann Szafran, Paula Kotowski and Walt Olszewski, Joyce Greenspan and David Schott, 51.88%; Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 50.63%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Friday morning – Open game. (Tie) Donna Steffan and Bert Feasley, Linda Burroughford and Judy Graf, 58%; (tie) Martha Welte and Larry Abate, Tova and Andrei Reinhorn, 48%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Saturday afternoon – Open game. Howard Foster and Mike Ryan, 64.02%; Chris Urbanek and Kamil Bishara, 54.76%; Judy Graf and John Ziemer, 50.53%; Joanne Nover and David Schott, 50.26%; Florence Boyd and Dale Anderson, 48.94%; Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 47.62%.

Bridge Club of East Aurora Wednesday morning – Open game. Linda Zittel and Joanne LaFay, 70%; Dan Clark and Dave Larcom, 50%; Bert Feasley and Paul Zittel, 47.50%.

Non-sanctioned clubs

Amherst Senior Center Monday afternoon – North-south, Shirley Cassety and George Mayers, 67%; Edna and Ron Fill, 55%; east-west, Connie Wilson and Miriam Regnet, 56%; Judie Bailey and Paul Orosz, 55%.

Amherst Senior Center Friday afternoon – North-south, Violet and Jasbeer Makhija, 59%; Nancy Wolstoncroft and Paul Orosz, 58.9%; east-west, Mary and Jim Atwood, 55%; Karen Synor and Jeff Peters, 54%.

Tonawanda Senior Center Wednesday afternoon – Mike and Bob Ruff, 58.3%; Ann Dunlop and Kay Brinkman, 50%.

 

Unit 116 Master Point Leaders for Virtual Club Play

Jan. 1, 2025, to Nov. 30, 2025

0-5 Points – Julie Mitchell, 9.66; Joan Warren, 1.80; Maureen Piasecki, 1.58; Amy Licata, 1.36.

5-20 Points – Mike Rupp, 6.32; Devon Marlette, 3.88; Fran Holmes, 3.83; David Taylor, 0.63.

20-50 Points – Dennis Daly, 4.43; Maxine Johnson, 3.06; Karen Dearing, 1.57; Maureen Saab, 1.34.

50-100 Points – Brian Fleming, 27.06; Gary Keenan, 14.83; Mike Metzger, 14.09; Amy Habib, 11.88; Cynthia Tashjian, 10.22; John Houghtaling, 10.16; Candace Graser, 9.28; Carole Sedita, 6.33; Kathleen Voigt, 4.86; Ilene Rothman 4.73.

100-200 Points – Maria Schory, 16.55; Fran Schmidt, 14.41; Jim Hassett, 12.84; Jim Greno, 5.24; Carol Licata, 4.84; Betsy Greno, 4.61; Joan Ciszak, 0.42.

200-300 Points – Maria Amlani, 63.02; Laura Houghtaling, 10.16; Patty Porter, 1.55.

300-500 Points – Pat Haynes, 12.49; David Schott, 7.03; Bob Ciszak, 6.38; Kusum Phadke, 6.14; Eugene Giorgini, 2.01; Ruth Nawotniak, 1.60; Agi Maisel, 0.85; Joanne Nover, 0.36.

500-1,000 Points – (Tie) Terry and Bram Hamovitch, 65.70; Martha Townson, 33.94; Sushil Amlani, 24.29; Ed Harman, 21.75; Richard McGowan, 16.77; Joyce Frayer, 10.89; Diana Smith, 7.64; Phyllis Wilkinson, 4.24; Jeff Bender, 4.20.

1,000-1,500 Points – Jim Lanzo, 121.75; Vic Bergsten, 65.59; Bill Rich, 15.26; (tie) Jim Easton, Marilyn Wortzman, 13.38; Mary Ball, 4.55; Paul Zittel, 2.93; Bert Feasley, 1.99; Larry Abate, 0.35.

1,500-2,500 Points – Walt Olszewski, 14.44; Pinky Regan, 10.59; Rajat Basu, 6.28; (tie) Paula Kotowski, Nancy Kessler, 2.03; Martin Pieterse, 1.12; Sandi England, 0.98; John Bava, 0.20.

2,500-3,500 Points – Art Morth, 4.07; Elaine Kurasiewicz, 1.90; Linda Burroughsford, 0.84.

3,500-5,000 Points – Chongmin Zhang, 14.81; Martha Welte, 8.42; Barbara Libby, 6.12; Ken Meier, 3.36; Davis Heussler, 0.84; Mike Silverman, 0.23.

More than 5,000 Points – Saleh Fetouh, 105.90; Jay Levy, 39.26; Dian Petrov, 38.61.

Dale Anderson fell in love with this wonderful game as a teen and compiled the local duplicate bridge notes column in The Buffalo News every week for more than 20 years. He's a Gold Life Master and reached a career milestone, 3,000 master points, at the Buffalo Fall Sectional Tournament in September. He can be reached by phone or text at 716-860-2305 or by email at dahotwings@aol.com.