Buffalo Niagara duplicate bridge notes: June 13, 2026

News and notes for the Buffalo area duplicate bridge community appear weekly here at http://newsdupli.blogspot.com/, usually by midweek.

Last chance to earn silver master points locally this week in District 5’s Sectional Tournament at the Clubs (StaC) is in the Longest Day games Sunday, June 14, at the Buffalo Bridge Center, 60 Dingens St. off Exit 1 of the I-190. Play starts at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. All proceeds from Longest Day games benefit the Western New York Alzheimer’s Association.

The Buffalo Bridge Center has a regular schedule of in-person games Tuesday through Friday with party games once a month on weekends, usually on Sundays. For more info, visit the club’s 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.

Online games hosted by the Bridge Center at 7 p.m. Monday and Wednesday have been transferred from Bridge Base Online to a new platform, RealBridge. For more info, including a player guide, visit realbridge.online. The Wednesday game, Delaware Wednesday, has been inactive since mid-March.

In addition, the club hosts a supervised play session for players who want experience and advice to improve their game from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays, which has been a great success. Small games now have been added to the session. All are welcome. No pre-registration is required, but things work out better if those interested in supervised play get in touch with Julie Mitchell by calling 845-978-9480 or emailing jkmitchell070121@gmail.com.

Also popular is the club’s social bridge game just for fun at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays. Signup needed for this one. Call Ruth Nawotniak at 716-949-7574 or email at ruth2250@outlook.com. 

The Bridge Center has started its mentoring program again. Experienced players who want to share their knowledge with novices are encouraged to sign up. So should new players who want to pick up tips from the masters. Call Pat Haynes at 716-472-5189 or email phaynes508@roadrunner.com.

Other ACBL sanctioned clubs: Bridge Club of East Aurora games are at 10 a.m. Wednesdays in the Aurora Senior Citizens Center, 101 King St., East Aurora. Contact is 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. 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: Games are held at 12:30 p.m. Mondays and Fridays in the Amherst Senior Center and at 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays in the Tonawanda Senior Center.

Upcoming tournaments

District 5 Sectional Tournament at the Clubs (StaC) – Participating local clubs. Today, Saturday, June 13, and Sunday, June 14. For more info, click this link.

Cleveland All American Regional – Embassy Suites Hotel, 5800 Rockside Woods Road, Independence, Ohio. Tuesday, June 23, to Sunday, June 28. For more info, click this link.

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

Oakville Summer Regional – St. Volodymyr Cultural Centre, 1280 Dundas St. West, Oakville, Ont. Tuesday, July 21, to Sunday, July 26. For more info, click this link.

Rochester Summer Sectional – Gates Community Center, 1605 Buffalo Road (Route 33), Rochester. Saturday, July 25, and Sunday, July 26.

Niagara 0-750 Sectional – Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Center, 14 Anderson Lane, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Friday, Aug. 14, to Sunday, Aug. 16. For more info, click this link.

Great Lakes Sectional – Erie Bridge Club, 1221 Grant Ave., Erie, Pa. Saturday, Aug. 29, and Sunday, Aug. 30. For more info, click this link.

Toronto Labor Day Sectional – St. Volodymyr Cultural Centre, 1280 Dundas St. West, Oakville, Ont. Saturday, Sept. 5, to Monday, Sept. 7. For more info, click this link.

Pittsburgh Labor Day Regional – Doubletree Meadowlands, 340 Racetrack Road, Washington, Pa. Monday, Sept. 14, to Sunday, Sept. 20.

Buffalo Fall Sectional – Buffalo Bridge Center, 60 Dingens St. Friday, Sept. 25, to Sunday, Sept. 27. For more info, click this link.

Rochester Fall Sectional – Gates Community Center, 1605 Buffalo Road (Route 33), Rochester. Saturday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 11.

Niagara Open Sectional – Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Center, 14 Anderson Lane, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Friday, Nov. 6, to Sunday, Nov. 8. For more info, click this link.

Scores from ACBL Live for Clubs

Week of June 1 to June 7

Buffalo Bridge Center Monday evening – 0-900 game online. Fran Schmidt and Richard McGowan, 70.83%; Michel Dupuis and Gary Keenan, 54.17%; (tie) Laura and John Houghtaling, Susan Mann Dolce and Jim Hildebrand, 48.61%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Tuesday morning – 0-1,600 game. North-South, Jim McClure and Richard McGowan, 59.28%; Paul Zittel and Robert Mampe, 54.23%; Betty DeFeo and Adrian Figliotti, 53.51% Paula Rosen and Maryann Szafran, 51.30%; east-west, Dennis Daly and Brian Fleming, 58.24%; Carol Licata and Ilene Rothman, 58.01%; Mary Ball and Joyce Frayer, 56.85%; Nathan and Bill Kross, 50.04%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Wednesday morning – Open game. (Tie) Mike Ryan and John Ziemer, Jay Costello and Bud Seidenberg, 60.42%; Chris Urbanek and Kamil Bishara, 58.33%; Davis Heussler and David Colligan, 50.69%; Martha Welte and Howard Foster, 50%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Thursday morning – 0-2,000 game. David Schott and Larry Himelein, 63.86%; Audrey Ray and Adrian Figliotti, 63.24%; Judy Zeckhauser and Bonnie Clement, 58.62%; Joanne Nover and Agi Maisel, 53.33%; Richard McGowan and Jim McClure, 53.24%.

Buffalo Bridge Center Friday morning – Open game. Terry Fraas and Ed Morgan, 57.14%; Judy Graf and Linda Burroughsford, 53.57%; Jay Costello and Bud Seidenberg, 52.98%; Martha Welte and Larry Abate, 52.38%.

Bridge Club of East Aurora Wednesday morning – Open game. Joanne LaFay and Sandi England, 60%; Nancy Kessler and Paula Kotowski, 53%; (tie) Bert Feasley and Denny Webb, Linda and Paul Zittel, 52%.

Non-sanctioned clubs

Amherst Senior Center Monday afternoon – North-south, Joe Huber and Fritz Schweiger, 59%; Edna and Ron Fill, 55%; east-west, Violet and Jasbeer Makhija, 62%; Ellen Lochead and Joan Stankiewicz, 57%.

Amherst Senior Center Friday afternoon – North-south, Bobbi and Joe Huber, 65.37%; Paul Orosz and Nels Larson, 65.13%; east-west, Carol Neuhaus and Fritz Schweiger, 64%; Shrikant Joshi and Ron Helfman, 59%.

Tonawanda Senior Center Wednesday afternoon – (Tie) Judy White and Fritz Schweiger, Lynda Petitt and Ann Dunlop, 56.9%; Joanne Biondo and Ron Fill, 56.2%.

Unit 116 Master Point Leaders for Club Play

Jan. 1, 2026, to May 31, 2026

0-5 Points – Karl Bauer, 2 even; Jane Arnold, 1.25; Art Ziller, 0.74; Mike Segal, 0.10.

5-20 Points – Frank Dluhy, 7.57; Susan Mann Dolce, 4.85; Maureen Piasecki, 4.50; Linda Marsh, 3.60; Amy Licata, 3.27; Joan Warren, 1.68; Ann Bonte, 1.49; Amber Dixon, 0.72; John Brennan, 0.65.

20-50 Points – Julie Mitchell, 18.25; Gini Sicignano, 3.98; Bill Kross, 3.64; Devon Marlette, 3.40; Anthony Girasole, 1.85.

50-100 Points – Molly Morris, 9.06; Mary Berlow, 4.60; Susan Burns, 4.15; Susan Cardamone, 3.32; Elaine Idzik, 1.21; (tie) Cherry Searle, Nancy Deneen, 0.55; Fran Riordan, 0.53.

100-200 Points – Brian Fleming, 12.99; (tie) Ilene Rothman, Carol Licata, 5.73; Dennis Daly, 3.76; Candace Graser, 3.70; Pam Righter, 2.98; Mike Meacham, 2.97; Donna Starnes, 1.98; Maureen Cancilla, 1.63; Joan Ciszak, 0.79.

200-300 Points – Betty DeFeo, 2.70.

300-500 Points – David Schott, 21.10; Joanne Nover, 14.98; David Whitt, 6.03; Ruth Nowatniak, 5.17; Carl Hasselback, 4.67; Maryann Szafran, 4.51; Agi Maisel, 4.23; Linda Milch, 3.80; Maria Amlani, 1.59; Eugene Giorgini, 0.84.

500-1,000 Points – Larry Himelein, 36.11; Jo Nasoff-Finton, 35.17; Joyce Frayer, 15.86; Pat Haynes, 14.21; Linda Zittel, 11.80; Wilson McClaren, 9.03; Sharon Wilcox, 8.66; Paula Rosen, 8.38; Ruth Wurster, 7.91; Jim McClure, 7.80.

1,000-1,500 Points – Bert Feasley, 24.23; Paul Zittel, 18.22; Mary Ball, 14.83; Tie) Jim Easton, Marilyn Wortzman, 14.17; Joanne LaFay, 11.50; Terry Fraas, 5 even; Judie Bailey, 4.96; Betty Metz, 4.84; Ed Morgan, 4.55.

1,500-2,500 Points – Paula Kotowski, 28.71; Pinky Regan, 22.20; Howard Foster, 12.52; Kamil Bishara, 10.88; Walt Olszewski, 10.52; Nancy Kessler, 9.73; David Colligan, 9.17; Tova Reinhorn, 8.49; Sandi England, 8.32; Joyce Greenspan, 8.30.

2,500-3,500 Points – Dale Anderson, 10.34; Fred Yellen, 2.15.

3,500-5,000 Points – Donna Steffan, 20.56; Judy Graf, 19.78; Linda Burroughsford, 19.31; John Ziemer, 14.88; Martha Welte, 12.55; Chongmin Zhang, 3.94; Allen Beroza, 2.70.

More than 5,000 Points – Davis Heussler, 26.51; Mike Ryan, 22.59; Bud Seidenberg, 21.29; Jay Costello, 20.81; Saleh Fetouh, 12.90; Chris Urbanek, 10.40; Kathy Pollock, 6.33; Jay Levy, 3.36; (tie) Glenn Milgrim, Dian Petrov, 1.80.

A Gold Life Master, Dale Anderson has compiled notes on duplicate bridge activities locally since he began playing in competition more than 20 years ago. He reached a career milestone, 3,000 master points, at the Buffalo Fall Sectional Tournament last September. You can call or text him at 716-860-2305. Email is dahotwings@aol.com.