Duplicate Bridge: July 10, 2021

 

Western New York Unit 116 says yes, there will be a Fall Buffalo Sectional Tournament Sept. 17 to 19. Meanwhile, face-to-face play in the bridge clubs is expected to return before that.

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The East Aurora Bridge Club has been holding face-to-face games for quite some time now, the only ACBL sanctioned club in the area to hold live competition. Play begins at 10 a.m. Wednesdays in the Aurora Senior Citizens Center, 101 King St., East Aurora.

Director Dave Larcom says that players have their temperatures checked upon arriving and must wear masks. For more info, email him at dmocral@verizon.net.

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In the meantime, ACBL master points can be earned online. More info can be found at acbl.org or bridgebase.com.

The Airport Bridge Club is linked on Bridge Base Online with the Alliance Bridge Club, the ACBL’s largest bridge club, which offers more than a dozen games every day and which has recently reduced the fee for its games. 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 603-6943.

The Buffalo Bridge Center, formerly the Bridge Center of Buffalo, offers games at least three days a week – Monday, Tuesday and Thursday – on Bridge Base Online. Open games have been added the games for beginning players on BBO at 7 p.m. Monday and noon on Tuesday and Thursday. Winners in the open games receive larger point rewards since they are based on the total table count from both sections. For more info, visit the Buffalo Bridge Center website, call 691-6201 or email acting club manager Terry Fraas at tmfraas@gmail.com.

The Delaware Wednesday Club plays under auspices of the Bridge Center of Buffalo on Bridge Base Online at 7 p.m. Wednesday. For info, call Ed Harman at 480-1666 or email eharmon@roadrunner.com

Another option is the Rust Belt Bridge Group, which invites players from Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh to play. Games for 499er novices are held at 10:05 a.m. Monday to Thursday. Open games begin at 9:50 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The club also takes part in ACBL special games. To visit the group’s homepage, click this link. For other info, call Dian Petrov at 688-1226 or email dpetrov@roadrunner.com.

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Tournament calendar

2021

CANCELED: Southwest Ontario Regional – Bingemans Conference and Convention Centre, 425 Bingemans Centre Drive, Kitchener, Ont. Today, Saturday, July 10, to Sunday, July 11. 

CANCELED: Rochester Regional – RIT Inn and Conference Center, 5257 W. Henrietta Road, Henrietta. Monday, Aug. 2, to Sunday, Aug. 8. 

REMOVED FROM THE ACBL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: St. Catharines 299er Sectional – Bridge Centre of Niagara, 6-2E Tremont Drive, St. Catharines, Ont. Saturday, Aug. 21, and Sunday, Aug. 22. 

CANCELED: Pittsburgh Labor Day Regional – DoubleTree Pittsburgh-Green Tree, 500 Mansfield Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. Tuesday, Aug. 31, to Monday, Sept. 8. 

Great Lakes Sectional – Erie Bridge Center, 1221 Grant Ave., Erie, Pa. Saturday, Sept. 11, and Sunday, Sept. 12. 

Buffalo Fall Sectional – Main-Transit Fire Hall, 6777 Main St., Amherst. Friday, Sept. 17, to Sunday, Sept. 19. 

RESCHEDULED: Buffalo Regional – Millennium Hotel, 2040 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga. Was Tuesday, Oct. 19, to Sunday, Oct. 24. Rescheduled to Tuesday, Oct. 5, to Sunday, Oct. 10.

REMOVED FROM THE ACBL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: Niagara Falls Regional – Crowne Plaza Hotel, 5685 Falls Ave., Niagara Falls, Ont. Tuesday, Nov. 9, to Sunday, Nov. 14. 

REMOVED FROM THE ACBL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: Unit 255 Sectional – Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Centre, 14 Anderson Path, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Friday, Nov. 13, to Sunday, Nov. 15. 

District 5 Winter STaC – Local clubs. Monday, Dec. 6, to Sunday, Dec. 12. 

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Bridge club websites:

Click names for links.

Bridge Center of Buffalo.

Bridge Club Meridian.

Western New York Unit 116.

The Airport Bridge Club does not have a website. For info, call 716-603-6943.

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The Duplicate Bridge column is compiled weekly by News Staff Reporter Dale Anderson. The print version stopped appearing Saturdays in The Buffalo 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.

If you can’t get to it there, go to 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.

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Now a Gold Life Master, Dale Anderson is playing online these days and has a career total of more than 2,800 master points. Online play doesn’t provide as much drama for his bridge blog as face-to-face competition, but he still writes about his quest for the next measure of achievement, Sapphire Life Master (3,500 points), and other bridge adventures here.

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Duplicate scores from Bridge Base Online
Week of June 28 to July 4

Buffalo Bridge Center Monday evening – 49er game. Joann and Gary Keenan, 71.53%; Fran Schmidt and partner, 61.11%; Meena Rustgi and Phyllis Stasiowski, 60.42%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday afternoon – 999er game. North-south, Agi Maisel and Pat Haynes, 64.29%; Richard McGowan and Jim McClure, 61.90%; Audrey Ray and Carol Roth, 55.65%; Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 49.40%; east-west, Amita Arora and Jim Lanzo, 64.29%; David Schott and Bill Noltee, 59.23%; Gary Keenan and Jim Hassett, 57.74%; Mary Ball and Joyce Frayer, 57.14%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Thursday afternoon – 299ers. Larry Himelein and David Schott, 72.22%; Jim Hassett and Gary Keenan, 55.56%; Betsy and Jim Greno, 54.76%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Thursday afternoon – Open Game. Mary Ball and Joyce Frayer, 65.48%; Tova Reinhorn and Agi Maisel, 60.71%; Miriam Regnet and Jim Lanzo, 56.55%; Usha Khurana and John Marvin, 52.38%.

Bridge Club of East Aurora Wednesday morning – Pat and Dick Rasmus, 76%; Pat Haynes and Joe Miranda, 53%; Bill Feasley and Paul Zittel, 52%.

Delaware Wednesday evening – Walt Olszewski and Sushil Amlani, 62.50%; Jan O’Mara and Bill Rich, 52.78%; (tie) Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, Henry Chudy and Jeff Bender, 50%.

Twentieth Century Club Invitational Friday Morning – Anne Allen and Mary Ellen Cotter, 69.44%; Donna Starnes and Sheila Hess, 57.41%; Elaine Idzik and Martha Townson, 54.63%.