Duplicate Bridge: Feb. 25, 2023

The Buffalo Bridge Center in the Boulevard Mall in Amherst has started adding an Online Limited Game to accompany its live face-to-face game on Wednesdays. Starting time is 11 a.m. and Kathy Pollack is director. Designed to accommodate those who are out of town, it's limited to players with fewer than 750 master points.

Those who have not played face-to-face at the Bridge Center during the past three years will need to click on the Competitive line on the Bridge Base Online website, then go to All Tourneys in the lower left of the page and search for Buffalo. It will be listed by 9:30 a.m. Those who have never played at the bridge center should call Kathy Pollack at 716-310-4199 or email BridgeKat@gmail.com to be added to the list of eligible players.

The Bridge Center is continuing to play its open game face-to-face on Wednesdays and because the online game is included in the calculations, the face-to-face contest will award additional master points.

• • •

The club offers other face-to-face games at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday for players with fewer than 1,200 points and at 10:30 a.m. Thursday for players with fewer than 1,600 points. The club also holds two in-person games every week that are open to all players – at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and 10:30 a.m. Friday. In-person games also are held occasionally on Saturdays and Sunday. For more info, visit the Buffalo Bridge Center website or call 716-280-6114.

Other virtual games hosted by the Bridge Center are offered at 7 p.m. Mondays for players with fewer than 750 points. It also directs the Delaware Wednesday game online at 7 p.m. Wednesdays.

• • •

Face-to-face play in non-sanctioned clubs is offered at the Tonawanda Senior Center on Wednesdays and at the Amherst Senior Center on Monday and Friday afternoons. Games have been in hiatus at the Tonawanda Senior Center and will resume on Wednesday, March 1.

• • •

The East Aurora Bridge Club has been holding face-to-face games more than two years. Play begins 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 in St. Catharines, Ont., offers a mix of online games and in-person games at its club in Tremont Square opposite the Pen Centre shopping plaza off Glendale Avenue.

Face-to-face games, both open and 499er, are played at 1 p.m. Monday. Wednesday has an open game face-to-face at 1 p.m. The in-person game at 1 p.m. Thursday is expanded to include players with up to 750 master points. The club’s other regularly scheduled games, including a Tuesday night Swiss teams match, continue on Bridge Base Online. For more info, click here.

• • •

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. It’s limited to players with fewer than 2,000 master points. For info, call Ed Harman at 716-480-1666 or email eharmon@roadrunner.com.

• • •

Tournament calendar

2023

Buffalo Spring Sectional – Buffalo Bridge Center in the Boulevard Mall, 1227 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst. Friday, March 31, to Sunday, April 2. For info, click this link.

Toronto Easter Regional – Sheraton Hotel, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ont. Tuesday, April 4, to Sunday, April 9. For info, click this link.

Rochester Spring Sectional – Gates Recreation Center, 1605 Buffalo Road, Rochester. Saturday, April 15, and Sunday, April 16. For info, click this link.

Cleveland All American Regional – Embassy Suites Hotel, 5800 Rockside Woods Blvd., Independence, Ohio. Tuesday, May 23, to Monday, May 29. For info, click this link.

• • •

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.

• • •

Duplicate scores from Bridge Base Online
Week of Feb. 13 to Feb. 19

Buffalo Bridge Center Monday evening – 0-750 game. David Schott and Larry Himelein, 66.67%; Joyce Frayer and Ruth Nawotniak, 56.25%; Phyllis Wilkinson and Gerry Hooley, 54.17%; (tie) Candace Graser and Cynthia Tashjian, Jennifer and Howard Epstein, 50.69%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-1,600 game. North-south, Usha Khurana and Joe Miranda, 56.25%; (3-way tie) Zakie Nohra and John Marvin, Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, Betty Metz and Carol Bedell, 51.25%; east-west, David Whitt and Ed Morgan, 65.63%; Henry Chudy and David Schott, 61.88%; Gerry Hooley and Brian Fleming, 46.25%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-99 game. Anthony Girasole and Jim Mansour, 60%; Ilene Rothman and Pat Sciandra, 55%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Wednesday morning – Open game. Fred Yellen and Bud Seidenberg, 61.81%; Jay Costello and Jay Levy, 56.94%; John Ziemer and Mike Ryan, 53.47%; Bill Rushmore and Davis Heussler, 50.69%; Donna Steffan and Judy Padgug, 49.31%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Thursday morning – 0-1,000 game. Joanne Nover and David Whitt, 65.63%; Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 62.50%; Pat Haynes and David Schott, 50%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Friday morning – Open game. Chris Urbanek and Kamil Bishara, 65.63%; Judy Graf and Mike Ryan, 59.38%; Davis Heussler and Fred Yellen, 52.08%.

Bridge Club of East Aurora Wednesday morning – Open game. Mary Terrana and Dave Larcom, 61%; Pat Haynes and Joe Miranda, 55%; Linda and Paul Zittel, 54%.

Delaware Wednesday evening – 0-2,000 game. Violet and Jasbeer Makhija, 70.14%; Seema Bhagwat and Beena Deshmukh, 56.25%; Richard McGowan and Bill Rich, 54.86%; Madhav Deshmukh and Sushil Amlani, 54.17%; Ed Harman and Bob Ciszak, 50%.

Other clubs

Amherst Senior Center Monday afternoon – North-south, Jill and Bruce Brown, 58%; Shirley Cassety and George Mayers, 56%; east-west, Elaine Wegrzyn and Jim Cook, 58%; Rolene Pozarny and Gerry Hooley, 51%.

Amherst Senior Center Friday afternoon – North-south, Mike and Ed Rupp, 61%; Shirley Cassety and George Mayers, 59%; east-west, Elaine Wegrzyn and Bill Westley, 66%; Karen Synor and Jeff Peters, 59%.

• • •

Unit 116 Master Point Leaders for Club Play

Jan. 1, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2023

0-5 Points – Brian Fleming, 0.85; Anthony Girasole, 0.61; Elaine Rubinstein, 0.57; Maxine Seller, 0.46.

5-20 Points – Zakie Nohra, 3.08; (tie) Gini Sicignana, Jeannine Dupuis, 0.61.

20-50 Points –Pepe Justicia-Linde, 2.84; Molly Morris, 2.31; (tie) Jo Ann Smith, Lorey Repicci, 1.42.

50-100 Points – Susan Cardamone, 4.04; Carol Licata, 0.88; Maureen Cancilla, 0.56; Howard Epstein, 0.40.

100-200 Points – Joan Ciszak, 1.34.

200-300 Points – David Whitt, 6.72; Joanne Nover, 5.03; Pat Haynes, 3.50; David Schott, 2.64; Laurie Foster, 2.29; Bob Ciszak, 1.34.

300-500 Points – Jim McClure, 3.15; Larry Himelein, 1.80; Linda Milch, 1.55.

500-1,000 Points – Betty Metz, 4.76; Marilyn Wortzman, 3.34; Joyce Frayer, 2.95; Dave Larcom, 2.44; Wilson McClaren, 2.40; Bonnie Clement, 2.12; Jo Nasoff-Finton, 1.74; Paul Zittel, 1.73; Usha Khurana, 1.67; Sharon Wilcox, 1.54.

1,000-1,500 Points – John Marvin, 4.97; Sue Neubecker, 3.40; Jim Easton, 3.34; Kamil Bishara, 3.27; Mary Ball, 2.95; Joanne LaFay, 2.54; Bob Kaprove, 2.46; Howard Foster, 1.12.

1,500-2,500 Points – Judy Kaprove, 2.78; Gay Simpson, 1.67; Pinky Regan, 1.64; (tie) Paula Kotowski, Nancy Kessler, 1.27.

2,500-3,500 Points – Fred Yellen, 1.86; (tie) Bill Rushmore, Art Morth, 0.32.

3,500-5,000 Points – Mike Ryan, 9.64; Donna Steffan, 6.19; John Ziemer, 5.33; Judy Graf, 4.31; Judy Padgug, 3.18; Martha Welte, 1.67.

Over 5,000 Points – Chris Urbanek, 4.91; Jay Levy, 4.29; Jay Costello, 3.09; Bud Seidenberg, 2.04; Dian Petrov, 1.80.

• • •

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.

• • •

A Gold Life Master, Dale Anderson has career total of more than 2,940 master points. Still playing primarily online these days, he hasn’t encountered as much drama for his bridge blog as there was in face-to-face competition, but he occasionally writes about his quest for the next measure of achievement, Sapphire Life Master (3,500 points), and other bridge adventures here.

 

Duplicate Bridge: Feb. 18, 2023

 

Congratulations to Chris Urbanek and Kamil Bishara, who did the best among the Buffalo players at the St. Catharines, Ont., Sectional Tournament Feb. 10 to 12. They collected 16.91 points and were tied for eighth overall. Other Buffalo area players doing well included Chongmin Zhang, 16.22; and Judy Padgug, 7.43.

• • •

The Buffalo Bridge Center in the Boulevard Mall in Amherst offers face-to-face games at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday for players with fewer than 1,200 points and at 10:30 a.m. Thursday for players with fewer than 1,600 points. A new series of lessons will begin following the games on Tuesdays next week, Feb. 7. The club also holds two in-person games open to all players – at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and 10:30 a.m. Friday. For more info, visit the Buffalo Bridge Center website or call 716-280-6114.

The Bridge Center continues to offer a virtual game on Bridge Base Online at 7 p.m. Mondays for players with fewer than 750 points. It also hosts the Delaware Wednesday game online at 7 p.m. Wednesdays.

• • •

Face-to-face play in non-sanctioned clubs is offered at the Tonawanda Senior Center on Wednesdays and at the Amherst Senior Center on Monday and Friday afternoons. Games currently are in hiatus at the Tonawanda Senior Center until March 1.

• • •

The East Aurora Bridge Club has been holding face-to-face games more than two years. Play begins 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 in St. Catharines, Ont., offers a mix of online games and in-person games at its club in Tremont Square opposite the Pen Centre shopping plaza off Glendale Avenue.

Face-to-face games, both open and 499er, are played at 1 p.m. Monday. Wednesday has an open game face-to-face at 1 p.m. The in-person game at 1 p.m. Thursday is expanded to include players with up to 750 master points. The club’s other regularly scheduled games, including a Tuesday night Swiss teams match, continue on Bridge Base Online. For more info, click here.

• • •

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. It’s limited to players with fewer than 2,000 master points. For info, call Ed Harman at 716-480-1666 or email eharmon@roadrunner.com.

• • •

Tournament calendar

2023

Buffalo Spring Sectional – Main-Transit Fire Hall, 6777 Main St., Amherst. Friday, March 31, to Sunday, April 2.

Toronto Easter Regional – Sheraton Hotel, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ont. Tuesday, April 4, to Sunday, April 9. For info, click this link.

Cleveland All American Regional – Embassy Suites Hotel, 5800 Rockside Woods Blvd., Independence, Ohio. Tuesday, May 23, to Monday, May 29.

• • •

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.

• • •

Duplicate scores from Bridge Base Online
Week of Feb. 6 to Feb. 12

Buffalo Bridge Center Monday evening – 0-750 game. Fran Schmidt and Richard McGowan, 62.64%; Carol Licata and Stephane Ronget, 58.47%; Michel Dupuis and Gary Keenan, 56.25%; David Schott and Larry Himelein, 52.78%; Jim Hassett and Terry Camp, 50.14%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-1,500 game. Gerry Hooley and Brian Fleming, 63.49%; Jim Lanzo and Ed Morgan, 58.73%; Maria and Sushil Amlani, 56.35%; Joanne Nover and Zakie Nohra, 47.62%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-99 game. Paul Ziebarth and Bob Hilburger, 68.33%; Pat Doyle and Mary Jo Pfeiffer, 58.33%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Wednesday morning – Open game. Chris Urbanek and Jay Levy, 65.63%; John Ziemer and Mike Ryan, 53.13%; Betty Metz and David Whitt, 52.08%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Thursday morning – 0-1,500 game. Sue Neubecker and Wilson McClaren, 72.22%; (tie) Joanne Nover and David Whitt, Ed Drozen and Walt Olszewski, 55.56%.

Bridge Club of East Aurora Wednesday morning – Open game. Bert Feasley and Paul Zittel, 66.07%; Martha Townson and Jim Lanzo, 64.88%; Linda Zittel and Joanne LaFay, 51.79%.

Delaware Wednesday evening – 0-2,000 game. Henry Chudy and Jeff Bender, 61.67%; Richard McGowan and Madhav Deshmukh, 58.89%; Amita Arora and Jim Lanzo, 58.33%; Jennifer and Howard Epstein, 54.44%; Mary Ball and Joyce Frayer, 53.33%; Gary Keenan and Jim Hassett, 52.22%; Beena Deshmukh and Bill Rich, 50%.

Other clubs

Amherst Senior Center Monday afternoon – Shirley Cassety and George Mayers, 71%; Anita Fink and Freda Brummer, 54%; Jill and Bruce Brown, 53%.

Amherst Senior Center Friday afternoon – North-south, Mike and Ed Rupp, 55.33%; Jill and Bruce Brown, 55.26%; east-west, Karen Synor and Jeff Peters, 66%; Linda Vassallo and Walt Olszewski, 64%.

• • •

Unit 116 Master Point Leaders for Club and Tournament Play

Jan. 1, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2023

0-5 Points – Brian Fleming, 0.85; Anthony Girasole, 0.61; Elaine Rubinstein, 0.57; Maxine Seller, 0.46.

5-20 Points – Zakie Nohra, 3.08; Karen Dearing, 0.88; (tie) Gini Sicignana, Jeannine Dupuis, 0.61.

20-50 Points – Jo Ann Smith, 3.14; Jose Justicia-Linde, 2.84; Maria Schory, 2.61; (tie) Anne Slater, Kathleen Vogt, 2.54; Molly Morris, 2.31.

50-100 Points – Jim Greno, 5.09; Carol Licata, 4.74; Betsy Greno, 4.09; Susan Cardamone, 4.04; Cynthia Tashjian, 3.59; Candace Graser, 3.26; Howard Epstein, 2.66.

100-200 Points – Joan Ciszak, 2.28; Fran Schmidt, 2.15; Judith McDermid, 1.18; Jim Hassett, 1.15.

200-300 Points – David Whitt, 9.81; Joanne Nover, 9.06; Kusum Phadke, 8.64; (tie) Pat Haynes, David Schott, 3.50; Bob Ciszak, 3.14; (tie) Gerry Hooley, Laurie Foster, 2.29.

300-500 Points – Larry Himelein, 3.67; Jim McClure, 3.15; Ruth Nawotniak, 2.15; Linda Milch, 1.55.

500-1,000 Points – (Tie) Jim Lanzo, Martha Townson, 10.34; Betty Metz, 7.85; Joyce Frayer, 6.60; Bonnie Clement, 6.34; Marilyn Wortzman, 5.72; Vic Bergsten, 4.65; Larry Abate, 4.16; Sharon Wilcox, 3.97; Dave Larcom, 2.44.

1,000-1,500 Points – Amita Arora, 16.15; Kamil Bishara, 8.95; Howard Foster, 6.10; Jim Easton, 5.72; John Marvin, 5.54; Mary Ball, 4.55; Terry Fraas, 3.75; Sue Neubecker, 3.40; Bob Kaprove, 3.36; Joanne LaFay, 2.54.

1,500-2,500 Points – Gay Simpson, 12.25; Sandi England, 11.14; John Bava, 7.31; Judy Kaprove, 2.78; Nancy Wolstoncroft, 2.58; Elaine Kurasiewicz, 2.12.

2,500-3,500 Points – Ken Meier, 17.20; Fred Yellen, 9.40; (tie) Bill Rushmore, Art Morth, 5.29; Allen Beroza, 4.04; Mike Silverman, 3.17.

3,500-5,000 Points – Davis Heussler, 43.65; Donna Steffan, 17.44; Mike Ryan, 15.17; John Ziemer, 10.67; Barbara Libby, 10.43; Judy Graf, 7.90; Judy Padgug, 4.62; Martha Welte, 4.40.

Over 5,000 Points – Saleh Fetouh, 76.65; Dian Petrov, 44.49; Jay Costello, 19.87; Bud Seidenberg, 13.22; Chris Urbanek, 10.27; Sharon Benz, 5.41; Jay Levy, 4.29.

• • •

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.

• • •

A Gold Life Master, Dale Anderson has career total of more than 2,940 master points. Still playing primarily online these days, he hasn’t encountered as much drama for his bridge blog as there was in face-to-face competition, but he occasionally writes about his quest for the next measure of achievement, Sapphire Life Master (3,500 points), and other bridge adventures here.

Duplicate Bridge: Feb. 11, 2023

 

The St. Catharines Sectional Tournament continues today, Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Holiday Inn and Suites, 327 Ontario St., St. Catharines, Ont., with pairs games at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and concludes with Swiss teams at 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 12. For info, click this link.

• • •

The Buffalo Bridge Center in the Boulevard Mall in Amherst is holding a "Roses Are Red, My Love" party Sunday with refreshments at 11:30 a.m. and the game at noon. Pop and wine will be available. Donations of snacks will be welcome. A prize will be given to the player whose attire is the reddest. For partner, call Pat Haynes at 716-202-1155 or email phaynes508@roadrunner.com.

The club offers face-to-face games at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday for players with fewer than 1,200 points and at 10:30 a.m. Thursday for players with fewer than 1,600 points. A new series of lessons will begin following the games on Tuesdays next week, Feb. 7. The club also holds two in-person games open to all players – at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and 10:30 a.m. Friday. For more info, visit the Buffalo Bridge Center website or call 716-280-6114.

The Bridge Center continues to offer a virtual game on Bridge Base Online at 7 p.m. Mondays for players with fewer than 750 points. It also hosts the Delaware Wednesday game online at 7 p.m. Wednesdays.

• • •

Face-to-face play in non-sanctioned clubs is offered at the Tonawanda Senior Center on Wednesdays and at the Amherst Senior Center on Monday and Friday afternoons. Games currently are in hiatus at the Tonawanda Senior Center until March 1.

• • •

The East Aurora Bridge Club has been holding face-to-face games more than two years. Play begins 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 in St. Catharines, Ont., offers a mix of online games and in-person games at its club in Tremont Square opposite the Pen Centre shopping plaza off Glendale Avenue.

Face-to-face games, both open and 499er, are played at 1 p.m. Monday. Wednesday has an open game face-to-face at 1 p.m. The in-person game at 1 p.m. Thursday is expanded to include players with up to 750 master points. The club’s other regularly scheduled games, including a Tuesday night Swiss teams match, continue on Bridge Base Online. For more info, click here.

• • •

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. It’s limited to players with fewer than 2,000 master points. For info, call Ed Harman at 716-480-1666 or email eharmon@roadrunner.com.

 

Congratulations to Jay Costello, the overall master point winner at the Buffalo Winter Sectional Tournament Jan. 20 to 22 in the Bridge Center of Buffalo. He collected 16.78.

Runners-up were Saleh Fetouh with 13.29; Donna Steffan, 11.25; Bud Seidenberg, 11.18; and Davis Heussler, 8.99. Also doing well were Dian Petrov, 8.03; Fred Yellen, 7.54; Kamil Bishara, 5.68; Mike Ryan, 5.53; Chris Urbanek, 5.36; and John Ziemer, 5.34. 

• • •

Tournament calendar

2023

St. Catharines Sectional Tournament – Holiday Inn and Suites, 327 Ontario St., St. Catharines, Ont. Today, Saturday, Feb. 11, and Sunday, Feb. 12. For info, click this link.

Buffalo Spring Sectional – Main-Transit Fire Hall, 6777 Main St., Amherst. Friday, March 31, to Sunday, April 2.

Toronto Easter Regional – Sheraton Hotel, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ont. Tuesday, April 4, to Sunday, April 9. For info, click this link.

Cleveland All American Regional – Embassy Suites Hotel, 5800 Rockside Woods Blvd., Independence, Ohio. Tuesday, May 23, to Monday, May 29.

• • •

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.

• • •

Duplicate scores from Bridge Base Online
Week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 5

Buffalo Bridge Center Monday evening – 0-750 game. Candace Graser and Cynthia Tashjian, 68.75%; Joyce Frayer and Ruth Nawotniak, 63.75%; Phyllis Wilkinson and Gerry Hooley, 60.56%; Fran Schmidt and Richard McGowan, 58.89%; Jim Hassett and Terry Camp, 52.78%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-1,500 game. North-south, Susan Cardamone and Jim McClure, 57.50%; Usha Khurana and Joe Miranda, 55.63%; Joanne Nover and Laurie Foster, 51.88%; east-west, Ed Morgan and Paul Zittel, 58.13%; Betty Metz and David Whitt, 53.13%; Gerry Hooley and Brian Fleming, 48.13%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-99 game. Shyam and Sarmishtha Kumar, 69.24%; Jo Ann Smith and Lorey Repicci, 59.80%; Anthony Girasole and James Monsour, 58.16%; Pat Bukaty and Maxine Seller, 53.29%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Wednesday morning – Open game. Barbara Landree and Saleh Fetouh, 60.12%; Chris Urbanek and David Schott, 54.17%; John Ziemer and Mike Ryan, 53.57%; Gay Simpson and Martha Welte, 48.81%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Thursday morning – 0-2,000 game. Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 55%; Joanne Nover and David Whitt, 53.75%; Nancy Kessler and Joyce Greenspan, 51.25%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Sunday afternoon – Open game. North-south, Howard Foster and Mike Ryan, 54.17%; Joanne Nover and David Whitt, 53.33%; Judy Graf and John Ziemer, 52.92%; east-west, Chris Urbanek and Kamil Bishara, 66.25%; Donna Steffan and Jay Costello, 57.50%; Betty Metz and Barbara Landree, 53.33%; Linda and Paul Zittel, 52.92%.

Delaware Wednesday evening – 0-2,000 game. (Tie) Walt Olszewski and Vic Bergsten, Violet and Jasbeer Makhija, 61.81%; Terry Camp and Richard McGowan, 61.11%; Gary Keenan and Jim Hassett, 53.47%. 

Other clubs

Amherst Senior Center Monday afternoon – North-south, Shirley Cassety and George Mayers, 67%; Jill and Bruce Brown, 50%; east-west, Gerry Hooley and Dan Blatz, 59%; Tim Hartnett and David Young, 52%.

Amherst Senior Center Friday afternoon – North-south, Jill and Bruce Brown, 63%; Shirley Cassety and George Mayers, 61%; east-west, Ellen Lochead and Bill Westley, 56%; Elaine Wegrzyn and Marge McMillen, 53%.

• • •

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.

• • •

A Gold Life Master, Dale Anderson has career total of more than 2,940 master points. Still playing primarily online these days, he hasn’t encountered as much drama for his bridge blog as there was in face-to-face competition, but he occasionally writes about his quest for the next measure of achievement, Sapphire Life Master (3,500 points), and other bridge adventures here.

Duplicate Bridge: Feb. 4, 2023

The St. Catharines Sectional Tournament begins Friday, Feb. 10, in the Holiday Inn and Suites, 327 Ontario St., St. Catharines, Ont., and continues through Sunday, Feb. 12. For info, click this link.

• • •

The Buffalo Bridge Center in the Boulevard Mall in Amherst is holding a "Roses Are Red, My Love" party Sunday with refreshments at 11:30 a.m. and the game at noon. Pop and wine will be available. Donations of snacks will be welcome. A prize will be given to the player whose attire is the reddest. For partner, call Pat Haynes at 716-202-1155 or email phaynes508@roadrunner.com.

The club offers face-to-face games at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday for players with fewer than 1,200 points and at 10:30 a.m. Thursday for players with fewer than 1,600 points. A new series of lessons will begin following the games on Tuesdays next week, Feb. 7. The club also holds two in-person games open to all players – at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and 10:30 a.m. Friday. For more info, visit the Buffalo Bridge Center website or call 716-280-6114.

The Bridge Center continues to offer a virtual game on Bridge Base Online at 7 p.m. Mondays for players with fewer than 750 points. It also hosts the Delaware Wednesday game online at 7 p.m. Wednesdays.

• • •

Face-to-face play in non-sanctioned clubs is offered at the Tonawanda Senior Center on Wednesdays and at the Amherst Senior Center on Monday and Friday afternoons. Games currently are in hiatus at the Tonawanda Senior Center until March 1.

• • •

The East Aurora Bridge Club has been holding face-to-face games more than two years. Play begins 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 in St. Catharines, Ont., offers a mix of online games and in-person games at its club in Tremont Square opposite the Pen Centre shopping plaza off Glendale Avenue.

Face-to-face games, both open and 499er, are played at 1 p.m. Monday. Wednesday has an open game face-to-face at 1 p.m. The in-person game at 1 p.m. Thursday is expanded to include players with up to 750 master points. The club’s other regularly scheduled games, including a Tuesday night Swiss teams match, continue on Bridge Base Online. For more info, click here.

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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. It’s limited to players with fewer than 2,000 master points. For info, call Ed Harman at 716-480-1666 or email eharmon@roadrunner.com.

 

Congratulations to Jay Costello, the overall master point winner at the Buffalo Winter Sectional Tournament Jan. 20 to 22 in the Bridge Center of Buffalo. He collected 16.78.

Runners-up were Saleh Fetouh with 13.29; Donna Steffan, 11.25; Bud Seidenberg, 11.18; and Davis Heussler, 8.99. Also doing well were Dian Petrov, 8.03; Fred Yellen, 7.54; Kamil Bishara, 5.68; Mike Ryan, 5.53; Chris Urbanek, 5.36; and John Ziemer, 5.34.  

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Tournament calendar

2023

St. Catharines Sectional Tournament – Holiday Inn and Suites, 327 Ontario St., St. Catharines, Ont. Friday, Feb. 10, to Sunday, Feb. 12. For info, click this link.

Buffalo Spring Sectional – Main-Transit Fire Hall, 6777 Main St., Amherst. Friday, March 31, to Sunday, April 2.

Toronto Easter Regional – Sheraton Hotel, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ont. Tuesday, April 4, to Sunday, April 9. For info, click this link.

Cleveland All American Regional – Embassy Suites Hotel, 5800 Rockside Woods Blvd., Independence, Ohio. Tuesday, May 23, to Monday, May 29.

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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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Duplicate scores from Bridge Base Online
Week of Jan. 23 to Jan. 29

Buffalo Bridge Center Monday evening – 0-750 game. Phyllis Wilkinson and Gerry Hooley, 67.22%; Larry Himelein and David Schott, 57.50%; Nancy Craige and Audrey Ercolini, 56.11$; Maria Schory and Terry Camp, 55.56%; Carol Licata and Stephane Ronget, 53.89%; Jim and Michael Hassett, 51.67%; Jennifer and Howard Epstein, 50.83%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-1,250 game. North-south, Joanne Nover and Laurie Foster, 59.52%; Carol Licata and Betty Metz, 56.35%; Susan Cardamone and Jim McClure, 51.59%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-99 game. North-south, Jeannine Dupuis and Gini Sicignano, 55.85%; Shyam and Sarmishtha Kumar, 48.77%; east-west, Jo Ann Smith and Lorey Repicci, 65.83%; Caryl Brent and Marion Brush, 55.43%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Wednesday morning – Open game. (Tie) Donna Steffan and Jim Gullo, Gay Simpson and Martha Welte, 55%; Judy Graf and Fred Yellen, 54%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Thursday morning – 0-1,750 game. Joanne Nover and David Whitt, 65.28%; Pat Haynes and David Schott, 59.72%; Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 55.56%; Sue Neubecker and Janet Frisch, 51.39%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Friday morning – Open game. Bud Seidenberg and Jay Costello, 60.42%; Judy Graf and Mike Ryan, 56.25%; Chris Urbanek and Kamil Bishara, 54.17%; Sharon Benz and John Marvin, 52.08%.

Delaware Wednesday evening – 0-2,000 game. Ed Harman and Bob Ciszak, 60.19%; Jennifer and Howard Epstein, 59.26%; Terry Camp and Bill Rich, 51.85%; Amita Arora and Jim Lanzo, 50%. 

Other clubs

Amherst Senior Center Monday afternoon – North-south, Shirley Cassety and George Mayers, 66%; Edna and Ron Fill, 53%; east-west, Joan Stankiewicz and Judie Bailey, 54%; Tim Hartnett and David Young, 51%.

Amherst Senior Center Friday afternoon – North-south, Shirley Cassety and George Mayers, 61%; Joan Stankiewicz and Rolene Pozarny, 55%; east-west, Elaine Wegrzyn and Bill Westley, 56.2%; Christine Whiting and David Young, 55.6%.

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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 has career total of more than 2,900 master points. Still playing primarily online these days, he hasn’t encountered as much drama for his bridge blog as there was in face-to-face competition, but he occasionally writes about his quest for the next measure of achievement, Sapphire Life Master (3,500 points), and other bridge adventures here.