Thursday, January 6, 2022

Duplicate Bridge: Jan. 8, 2022

 


How badly has Covid-19 depressed attendance at tournaments? Consider the Rock & Roll Regional in Cleveland this week. 

On the first day, Wednesday, the only results posted on the ACBL website are for an afternoon open pairs game with 12 tables. Two years ago, opening day saw more than 50 tables in several games. 

In compliance with current ACBL rules, all players must provide proof of vaccination and wear masks in the playing area.

Still on the calendar, pandemic permitting, is the Buffalo Winter Sectional Tournament, scheduled for Friday, Jan. 21, to Sunday, Jan. 23, in the social hall of the Main-Transit Fire Hall, 6777 Main St., Amherst. For more info, click this link.

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Face-to-face games in the bridge clubs have closed down because of Covid again. The Bridge Center of Buffalo has moved its game at noon Thursday back to Bridge Base Online. Master point limit is 1,500. For the moment, the club is continuing its other face-to-face games – a 999er game at noon Tuesday, an open game at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and an open game at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Attendance is ranging from three to five tables.

Continuing on Bridge Base Online are the club’s 0-750 master point game at 7 p.m. Mondays and the Delaware Wednesday game at 7 p.m. Wednesday for players with fewer than 2,000 points. For more info, visit the Buffalo Bridge Center website, call 716-691-6201 or email acting club manager Terry Fraas at tmfraas@gmail.com.

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The Bridge Centre of Niagara in St. Catharines, Ont., has stopped holding its in-person games on Wednesdays and Thursdays due to Covid-19. All of the club’s games are back on Bridge Base Online.

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The East Aurora Bridge Club has been holding face-to-face games for more than a year. Play begins at 10 a.m. Wednesdays in the Aurora Senior Citizens Center, 101 King St., East Aurora. Players must wear masks. Attendance is generally three or four tables. For more info, email director Dave Larcom at dmocral@verizon.net.

Also back to in-person play is the Lockport Duplicate Club. Games begin at 1 p.m. Saturdays in the Dale Center, 33 Ontario St., Lockport. For info, call Dian Petrov at 716-668-1226.

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Players who aren’t comfortable with face-to-face play or who are not vaccinated can earn ACBL master points in a variety of games sponsored by local clubs on Bridge Base Online. Info can be found at acbl.org or bridgebase.com.

The Rust Belt Bridge Group, which invites players from Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh to play on Bridge Base Online, has novice games at 9:45 a.m. Monday to Saturday, with open games at 9:50. To visit the group’s homepage, click this link. For other info, call Dian Petrov at 716-688-1226 or email dpetrov@roadrunner.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. 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 Delaware Wednesday Club plays on Bridge Base Online under auspices of the Buffalo Bridge Center at 7 p.m. Wednesday. For info, call Ed Harman at 716-480-1666 or email eharmon@roadrunner.com.

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Tournament calendar

2022

Cleveland Rock and Roll Regional – Embassy Suites Hotel, 5800 Rockside Woods Blvd., Independence, Ohio. Today, Saturday, Jan. 8, and Sunday, Jan. 9. For more info, click this link.

Buffalo Winter Sectional – Main-Transit Fire Hall, 6777 Main St., Amherst. Friday, Jan. 21, to Sunday, Jan. 23. For more info, click this link.

St. Catharines Sectional – Holiday Inn & Suites Parkway Conference Center, 327 Ontario St., St. Catharines, Ont. Friday, Feb. 11, to Sunday, Feb. 13. For info, click this link.

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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. Another place to find it 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.

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A Gold Life Master, Dale Anderson is celebrating the new year by reaching a career total of 2,900 master points. Playing exclusively online these days 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 Dec. 27 to Jan. 2

Buffalo Bridge Center Monday evening – 0-750 game. David Schott and Larry Himelein, 62.78%; Violet and Jasbeer Makhija, 61.11%; Susanne Kissane and Krishna Tadepalli, 58.89%; Margaret Zhou and Joyce Frayer, 56.11%; Paula Rosen and Linda Milch, 53.33%; Jo Ann Smith and Maria Schory, 51.67%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Wednesday morning – Open game. Chris Urbanek, 67%; Mike Ryan and John Ziemer, 58%; Carol Bedell and Sue Neubecker, 50%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Thursday morning – 0-1,500 game. Agi Maisel and Tova Reinhorn, 61%; Violet and Jasbeer Makhija, 60.50%; Mary Ball and Joyce Frayer, 59%; Denise Slattery and John Bava, 58.50%; Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 57.50%; Linda Milch and Jim McClure, 53.50%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Friday morning – Open game. Judy Graf and Mike Ryan, 61.46%; Christy Kellogg and Bert Hargeshimer, 63.13%; Judy Padgug and John Sinclair, 50%.

Bridge Club of East Aurora Wednesday morning – Joan and Bob Ciszak, 67.50%; Linda and Paul Zittel, 57.50%.

Delaware Wednesday evening – North-south, Gabe Tannenbaum and Bill Rich, 72.22%; Mary Ball and Joyce Frayer, 66.11%; Carol Licata and Stephane Ronget, 55.56%; Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 53.89%; Fran Schmidt and Terry Camp, 51.67%.

 

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