The Niagara 499er Sectional Tournament, for players with fewer than 500 master points, continues today, Saturday, Aug. 16, and Sunday, Aug. 17, in the Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Center, 14 Anderson Lane off Mississauga Street (Route 55), Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. For more info, click this link.
• • •
Western New York Unit 116 holds
its annual picnic lunch and bridge game next Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Buffalo
Bridge Center. Center, 60 Dingens St. off Exit 1 of the I-190. It begins at
11:30 a.m. with a Weidner's chicken barbecue lunch, followed by the game at
12:30 p.m. Cost is $10 for unit members, $15 for non-members. Pre-registration
is required. Call or text John Bava at 908-256-6466 or email him at jbava@roadrunner.com.
• • •
The Buffalo Bridge Center
offers a regular schedule of in-person and online
games Monday through Friday with party games once a month on weekends. Next
party games are Saturday, Sept. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 18. For more info, visit the
Buffalo Bridge Center website or call 716-424-0014. Fee for games is $8 for members and $12 for
non-members.
Don’t want to clean up the house for
kitchen bridge? The Bridge Center also hosts a social game in its lessons room
on Tuesday mornings during the regular 10:30 a.m. game. Players can go at their
own speed and style. Fee is $5 to cover expenses.
In-person games:
Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. For players
with fewer than 1,600 points. Simultaneous game for players with fewer than 99
points if there are enough tables. Free lesson at 10.
Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. Open to
all players. Simultaneous game for players with fewer than 99 points if there
are enough tables.
Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. Upgraded to
now include players with up to 2,000 points. Simultaneous game for players with
fewer than 99 points if there are enough tables. Free lesson at 10.
Fridays, 10:30 a.m. Open to all
players by pre-registration only. Call 716-424-0014.
Virtual games on Bridge Base Online:
Mondays, 7 p.m. For players with
fewer than 750 points.
Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Delaware
Wednesday game for players with fewer than 2,000 points. For info on this game,
call Ed Harman at 716-480-1666 or email eharmon@roadrunner.com.
• • •
More access to virtual games on Bridge Base Online is being offered by
the Airport Bridge Club, which currently is not holding face-to-face games. It
has affiliated with a new group of clubs, the SE Club of Clubs Online Bridge
Collective, where most games are $5. For more info, click this link.
The Airport Club also continues
to be part of the Alliance Bridge Club, which offers more than a dozen games
every day. Anyone who has played at the Airport Club is automatically a member.
For more info, visit alliancebridgeclub.com or call Airport Club manager Bill Finkelstein at 716-603-6943.
• • •
The East Aurora Bridge Club begins play at 10 a.m. Wednesdays in
the Aurora Senior Citizens Center, 101 King St., East Aurora. Attendance is
generally three or four tables. For more info, email director Dave Larcom at dmocral@verizon.net.
• • •
The Bridge Centre of Niagara (BCON) in St. Catharines, Ont.,
offers face-to-face games five days a week at its club in Tremont Square
opposite the Pen Centre shopping plaza off Glendale Avenue:
Mondays, 1 p.m. Open and 499er
(fewer than 499 master points) games.
Mondays, 6 p.m. Beginner game,
fewer than 50 master points. Register at mon-eve@bcon.club.
Wednesdays, 1 p.m. Open game.
Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. 499er game. Register
at wed-eve@bcon.club.
Thursday, 9:30 a.m. New 99er
game.
Thursday, 1 p.m. 999er game.
Friday, 1 p.m. Open and 499er
games.
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. New open
game. Arrive by 6 p.m. if you need a partner.
Fees are $9 Canadian for members,
$12 Canadian for non-members. $9 Canadian for all players for Monday beginner
game. Membership is $65 Canadian for a year, beginning April 1. For more
information, visit bridgewebs.com/Niagara.
The club has just cut back to a
single virtual game on Bridge Base Online, the one for players with fewer than
750 points at 10 a.m. Tuesdays. Turnout for the other one, an open game at 7
p.m. Thursdays, had gotten too small. For more info, click here.
For online play, BCON recommends
going to the SE Club of Clubs Online Bridge Collective, which appears as “SE
Carolina” on Bridge Base Online. Games run throughout the day. A full lineup of
games can be seen at SE Carolina On-line Bridge.
• • •
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Bridge
Centre 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. Fee is $5 Canadian for members, $7 Canadian for non-members. Annual
membership is $20 Canadian. For more information, visit bridgewebs.com/niagaraonthelake.
• • •
Face-to-face play in non-sanctioned clubs is offered
at the Tonawanda Senior Center at 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays and at the Amherst
Senior Center at 12:30 p.m. Mondays and Fridays.
• • •
Tournament calendar
2025
Niagara 499er Sectional – Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Center, 14
Anderson Lane, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Today, Saturday, Aug. 16, and Sunday,
Aug. 17. For more info, click this link.
Pittsburgh Labor Day Regional
– Greater Pittsburgh
Masonic Center, 3579 Masonic Way, Pittsburgh, Pa. Wednesday, Aug. 27, to
Monday, Sept. 1. For more info, click this link.
Great Lakes Sectional – Erie Bridge Club, 1221 Grant Ave., Erie,
Pa. Saturday, Sept. 6, and Sunday, Sept. 7. For more info, click this link.
Buffalo Fall Sectional – Buffalo Bridge Center, 60 Dingens St.,
Buffalo. Friday, Sept. 12, to Sunday, Sept 14. For more info, click this link.
CANCELED: Buffalo Regional – Millennium Hotel, 2040 Walden Ave.,
Cheektowaga. Tuesday, Oct. 21, to Sunday, Oct. 26.
Niagara Regional – Holiday Inn & Suites, 327 Ontario
St., St. Catharines, Ont. Tuesday, Nov. 11, to Sunday, Nov. 16. For more info,
click this link.
• • •
Bridge club websites:
Click names for links.
The Airport Bridge Club, which continues to be on hiatus, does not
have a website. For info, call 716-603-6943.
• • •
Duplicate scores from ACBL Live for Clubs
Week of Aug. 4 to Aug. 10
ACBL Affiliated Clubs
Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-1,600 game. North-south, Betty Metz and Paul Zittel, 62.30%; Bonnie Clement and Larry Himelein, 60.32%; Jim McClure and Richard McGowan, 58.33%; Joanne Nover and David Schott, 54.37%; east-west, Linda Milch and Linda Zittel, 64.68%; Adrian Figliotti and Audrey Ray, 59.52%; Mary Ball and Joyce Frayer, 52.78%; Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 51.59%.
Buffalo Bridge Center
Wednesday morning – Open
game. Chris Urbanek and John Sinclair, 64.58%; Donna Steffan and Judy Graf,
58.33%; Davis Heussler and David Colligan, 52.78%.
Buffalo Bridge Center Sunday afternoon – Open game. Linda Burroughsford and Davis Heussler, 58.89%; Judy Graf and John Ziemer, 56.30%; Chris Urbanek and Kamil Bishara, 52.59%; Donna Steffan and Jay Costello, 52.22%; Ruth Nawotniak and Betty Metz, 51.86%; Terry Fraas and Cathy Majewski, 51.48%; Jo Nasoff-Finton and Martha Welte, 49.26%.
Bridge Club of East Aurora
Wednesday morning – Open
game. North-south, Linda and Paul Zittel, 54.44%; Donna Starnes and Pepe
Justicia-Linde, 51.64%; Jan and Carl Hasselback, 50.20%; Mary Terrana and
Gordon Crone, 48.68%; east-west, Joanne LaFay and Joe Miranda, 60.68%; Kathy
Donnelly and Maureen Cancilla, 57.25%; Maureen Piasecki and Wilson McClaren,
46.19%.
Delaware Wednesday evening – 0-2,000 game online. Jeff Bender and Henry Chudy, 58.33%;
Mark Chasse and Jason Carter, 56.25%; Maria Schory and Mike Metzger, 54.17%.
Other clubs
Amherst Senior Center Monday
afternoon – North-south,
Violet and Jasbeer Makhija, 59%; Shirley Cassety and George Mayers, 56%;
east-west, Jack Cukierman and Mel Mesnekoff, 57%; Mary and Jim Atwood, 56%.
Amherst Senior Center Friday afternoon – North-south, Marilyn Steffan and Judy McDermid, 57%; Shirley
Cassety and George Mayers, 56%; east-west, Jill and Bruce Brown, 62%; Mary and
Jim Atwood, 59%.
Tonawanda Senior Center Wednesday
afternoon – Rose Bochiechio and Edna Fill,
71.2%; Mike and Bob Rupp, 68.7%.
• • •
Unit 116 Master Point Leaders for Virtual Club Play
Jan. 1, 2025, to July 31, 2025
0-5 Points – Julie Mitchell, 9.55; Joan Warren, 1.80;
Maureen Piasecki, 1.58.
5-20 Points – Mike Rupp, 5.16; Fran Holmes, 3.44; Devon
Marlette, 1.80; David Taylor, 0.63.
20-50 Points – Dennis Daly, 3.91; Maxine Johnson, 2.57; Karen
Dearing, 1.57; Maureen Saab, 1.34.
50-100 Points – Brian Fleming, 20.14; Mike Metzger, 12.43;
Amy Habib, 11.88; Gary Keenan, 11.13; Cynthia Tashjian, 9.26; Candace Graser,
8.32; John Houghtaling, 8.24; Ilene Rothman 4.73; Carole Sedita, 4.29; Elaine
Idzik, 4 even.
100-200 Points – Maria Schory, 14.53; Fran Schmidt, 11.60;
Jim Hassett, 9.53; Jim Greno, 4.90; Carol Licata, 4.50; Betsy Greno, 4.27; Joan
Ciszak, 0.42.
200-300 Points – Maria Amlani, 39.73; Laura Houghtaling,
8.24; Patty Porter, 1.55.
300-500 Points – Pat Haynes, 7.09; David Schott, 7.03;
Kusum Phadke, 5.44; Bob Ciszak, 5.05; Ruth Nawotniak, 1.60; Agi Maisel, 0.68; Eugen
Giorgini, 0.48; Joanne Nover, 0.36.
500-1,000 Points – (Tie) Terry and Bram Hamovitch, 47.18;
Martha Townson, 22.04; Ed Harman, 16.21; Sushil Amlani, 16.11; Richard McGowan,
11.86; Joyce Frayer, 9.66; Diana Smith, 4.28; Phyllis Wilkinson, 3.36; Brian
Block, 2.52.
1,000-1,500 Points – Jim Lanzo, 75.15; Vic Bergsten, 49.08;
(tie) Jim Easton, Marilyn Wortzman, 13.04; Bill Rich, 12.38; Mary Ball, 3.32;
Paul Zittel, 2.93; Bert Feasley, 1.99; Larry Abate, 0.35.
1,500-2,500 Points – Walt Olszewski, 13.96; Pinky Regan, 3.59;
Rajat Basu, 3.04; (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, 2.07; Elaine Kurasiewicz,
1.90; Linda Burroughsford, 0.84.
3,500-5,000 Points – Chongmin Zhang, 9.39; Martha Welte, 8.42;
Barbara Libby, 4.64; Ken Meier, 3.36; Davis Heussler, 0.84; Mike Silverman,
0.23.
More than 5,000 Points – Saleh Fetouh, 82.98; Dian Petrov, 25.26;
Jay Levy, 20.03.
• • •
The Duplicate Bridge column has been compiled weekly by Buffalo News
Staff Reporter Dale Anderson for more than 20 years. The print version stopped
appearing Saturdays in The News in March 2020 when the pandemic forced local
bridge clubs to halt face-to-face play.
These days you can find it in two
places online. Google “Duplicate Bridge” plus the current Saturday date and
that should bring up a link to it on buffalonews.com, the Buffalo News website, beginning at
5:30 p.m. Fridays. Another place to find it anytime is on Dale Anderson’s
bridge blog at http://newsdupli.blogspot.com/
Deadline for submission of scores
and notices is Tuesday night. Email danderson@buffnews.com or dahotwings@aol.com. Office phone is 716-849-4420.
• • •
A Gold Life Master, Dale Anderson has a career total of more than 2,990 master points. One of his New Year’s resolutions for 2025 is to write more regularly about his bridge adventures here.
