MINNESOTA TABLE TALK
February 2 2024
WINTER TOURNAMENT RESULTS - DAY 2
Friday's results at the Minnesota Winter Tournament found 52 tables in play - with your Top 25 masterpoint winners through day 2 on the chart to your right.  14 of those tables today were non-Life Masters, and they're getting some masterpoints, too!  Those leaders of the NLM crowd are found on the chart below.

Full results for this tournament can be found by clicking here.

 
February 1 2024
WINTER TOURNAMENT RESULTS - DAY 1
Day 1 of 3 at the Eagan Community Center is "in the books" - and all signs are pointing to a successful tournament.  (Perfect weather is not hurting; it hasn't always been this snow-free at the beginning of February of course.)  Today's table count is an improvement over last year's opening day tables by +7.1%.  A breakdown of the tables is below; and the list to your right would be your masterpoint leaders after the first two sessions.  Thanks again to Amy Dutton [Mendota Heights] and her crew for putting together such a great tournament.

Full results for this tournament can be found by clicking here.

 
February 1 2024
JANE'S MONTHLY BRIDGE UPDATE
  A special shout-out to Jane Schmidt [St Paul] for providing her monthly bridge update - covering all things bridge across Minnesota.  You can click on her email to the left to enlarge it and open it in a new window (links deactivated).  You should see her updates in your mailbox each month - but if not, click on the image to the left and "be in the know"!
February 1 2024
EDUCATION FUND MONTH - AND RED POINTS AT YOUR LOCAL CLUB
February's schedules (see below) include lots of Education Fund games; these are local club games that charge an extra dollar to benefit the ACBL's Education Fund.  The extra dollar allows for extra masterpoints to be earned, so you can score a lot entering these special Fund games.  There's also the opportunity to earn some red points at your local club this month.  Look for +RED+ point games during the weekend of February 9/10/11.  Getting colored points at the club level (especially in February) doesn't happen that often - so don't miss out.
January 29 2023
SCHEDULING FEBRUARY?  WE ARE HERE TO HELP   
The Minnesota Winter Sectional is happening this Thursday in Eagan - we will see you there!  It also kicks off the month of February; although February is the shortest month of the year, the opportunities for a bridge game have never been more abundant.  In addition to tons of Junior Fund games (read: extra MPs), there are tournaments ahead and red-point games around Valentine's Day.  Click on any one of the calendars to the right to enlarge it and open in a new window. . .and then get out that pen and start scheduling that bridge calendar!  
  		 
 
January 29 2024
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED - AND THERE'S A HITCH
A trailer hitch.  Jeremy Lubich [Afton] has been our property manager for the past few years - but is looking to turn over "the trailer" and its contents to the next caretaker.  This is the trailer that has all of the tables and bidding boxes for tournaments, so it gets called into action four or five times a year.  There's a stipend available and of course every trip is reimbursed - but if you can help (or know someone who can help) contact Sue Greenberg [Rochester] at RDBCmanager-at-gmail-dot-com.
January 24 2024
GOPHER REGIONAL PLANNING CREW KICKS THINGS OFF
You're about four months away from the upcoming Gopher Regional at the Crowne Plaza Aire in Bloomington, but some very hard working volunteers are already putting in some time to make your Gopher experience terrific.  Patti Stuhlman [Minneapolis] is once again heading the event as Tournament Chair, and her group of volunteers got together this week to brainstorm all aspects of the Gopher.  You generally don't hear too much about all the people it takes to put on such an event - but we're so glad she's heading the tournament and we're grateful for everyone who is putting in the effort to make YOUR tournament experience so effortless.
January 23 2024
ST CLOUD GETS A JUMP ON 2024 FUNDRAISING [UPDATE]
Forty bridge players (forty!) came together in St Cloud last night for their "Longest Night" fundraiser to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association.  It was also an opportunity for their chat bridge players to be introduced to the rest of the bridge crowd, and it sounds like everyone had a great time.  On top of the bridge (and cake), they raised $724 for the Alzheimer's Association - well done!  Many of us will experience either this dreadful disease directly (or with a bridge partner or friend). . .so the generosity of our St Cloud club bridge players is duly noted and very much appreciated.  All of this done while getting a chance to play bridge (and get to know one-another better) is really the icing on the cake.  UPDATE:  A member of the St Cloud Bridge Club is anonymously donating another $2,000.00 to the cause - so their fundraising for Alzheimer's Association research now at $2,724!

January 22 2024
THEY ARE COMING DOWN THE HOME STRETCH
When it comes to Minnesota's Mini-McKenney and Ace of Clubs masterpoint races, nothing is official until the ACBL says so. . .and for 2023's races, the ACBL won't be "saying so" until after the February 7th masterpoint reporting cycle (just in case someone was a little slow in reporting).  But you can get an idea of who's where in these horse races as they come down the final stretch.  Most (if not all) of the masterpoints from last year should be in, so here are the unofficial results of how Minnesota players have done the past year (with one month to go).  For those who are not completely familiar with these masterpoint races, the Ace of Clubs are masterpoints that are earned in local club games - with the Mini-McKenney totals including tournament play.  We will see if there's a few movers (or shakers) when the official results come out next month.  Look for your unit's Awards Party and Game to be scheduled sometime this spring.  For now, click on either image below to enlarge it and open it in a new window.

        
January 21 2024
YOUR MOST RECENT UNIT MEETING MINUTES
Minnesota's two ACBL Units held their respective December meetings - and you can find the approved minutes of those meetings below.  (They are also always found on the Documents page of this website, along with minutes from past Unit meetings.)  You can find out what's happening at the Unit-level around the state by clicking on either icon below, which will open those minutes in a new window. . .and keep up to date on all things bridge-related across Minnesota.
    
January 21 2024
635,013,559,600
That's the number of different hands you can get at the bridge table when you pick up those 13 cards.  If you played 27 boards of bridge, five days a week, every week, for a year, that means you would have to be playing for 90,457 years to maybe see the same 13 cards!

So, we settle for what we can get.  If you defended a hand with a non-descript nine HCPs, what are the odds your very next hand would have the exact same (non-descript) five-card heart holding?  And would you notice the exact same five-card suit once you sorted your hand?
January 20 2024
LIMITED MASTERPOINT TABLES ON THE RISE
Of the thirteen active ACBL clubs in Minnesota, just four of those clubs offer separate Non-Life Master games during the week.  The good news is that the weekly share of non-life master tables is on the rise across the state. . .and that's true whether you're looking just at the four clubs that offer NLM games - or looking at all of Minnesota's weekly F2F tables.  The chart below is the six-week rolling average of weekly non-life master tables - aggressive efforts to increase our least experienced players are paying off, for now.  With the share of NLM tables currently on the upswing, here is a shout-out to the clubs (and those running these limited masterpoint games) who are working hard to help get more NLMs into games in which they feel more comfortable.
January 19 2024
AN EXTRA DAY IN 2024 - DON'T LET IT GO TO WASTE
  Once every four years, bridge players have an extra day with which to deal the cards - and this is that year.  Hot off the presses, the tournament flyer for the Bridge Center of St Paul's Leap Year Sectional is presented to your left (you can click on it to open in a new window for further examination or printing).  They have a little something for everyone (one day of Pair/Team games, one day of Swiss teams, one day of 2-session pairs, one day of regionally-rated games to benefit Every Meal - it promises to be a lot of fun - and we hope to see you there!
January 18 2024
FIRST NON-LIFE MASTER EVENT OF 2024 SET
Just three months from now is the first one-day two-session Non-Life Master tournament scheduled for 2024; it's Saturday, April 27th up at the Sartell Community Center.  Connie Nelson [Avon] sent us a copy of the flyer, and in addition to being a great time for our Advancing Players, it's a terrific warm-up for the Gold Rush games at the Gopher just one month later.

Connie has also overtaken the partnership arrangements for this tournament - so if you are a NLM and want to play (but need a partner), Connie will take good care of you.  If you don't see the flyer to the right at your local bridge club, click on the flyer here and it will open in a new window for you to print from your computer. 		 
January 17 2024
CATERING TO JUST 0.0216% OF THE POPULATION

  It's got to say something when everything you are doing for bridge in Minnesota is aimed at just 0.0216% of the population.  With an updated player roster from the ACBL (after the January 7th 2024 masterpoint update), Minnesota currently has 1,233 active ACBL members ("active" meaning having played in at least one ACBL sanctioned game since January 1, 2022).

These players are primarily from the Twin Cities metro area (as one would expect), with 758 players in the 553xx, 554xx, and 551xx zip codes.  The remaining outstate Minnesota players total 475.  But however the ACBL membership in Minnesota does get broken down, keep in mind that overall you and your fellow ACBL members compose less than 1/40th of 1% of all Minnesotans.  WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.  There are plenty of bridge players and games across the state that aren't ACBL sanctioned, and both outstate and metro efforts are being made to increase our bridge playing population.  There are some successes being recorded - but if you love this game of bridge (and you know you do) - get involved at your local club to help grow our game!  (Another way to look at this is for every active ACBL member in Minnesota, there are 4,629 people that are NOT - so the pool of potential players is huge.)
January 16 2024
TO BE FAIR, IT IS FOR A GREAT CAUSE
Although the Longest Day events for the ACBL's Alzheimer's Association Fundraising don't take place until June of course, there are some options for local clubs wanting to get going on the fund-raising at other times of the year.  Next Monday (January 21) the St Cloud DBC is holding a fundraiser for Alzheimer's research, dubbing it "the shortest day" fundraiser.  [Ed.:  Having been a broadcast meteorologist for 33 years in my working life, I'd be remiss in not pointing out that, of course, January 21 is not the shortest day - January 21 is off by a whole month!]  

Despite a little poetic license with the date, fundraising for such a great cause is worthy ANY day of the year, and kudos to the St Cloud club for getting started on the donations now.  If you're thinking of playing Monday and need a partner, click here.  (And if sunset after Monday's bridge game is 31 minutes later than you were thinking, so much the better.)
January 13 2024
MINNESOTA WINTER TOURNAMENT UPDATE
We are less than three weeks away from the Minnesota Winter Tournament!  This year it will again be held at the Eagan Community Center (1501 Central Parkway) and on February 1-2-3.  Of course, by THAT time we should well into the annual "January Thaw", but even if it is still cold outside the cards inside at the ECC are expected to be HOT.  Look for the flyer in your local club - or click on the flyer to the right to expand and open in a new window.  We will set see you in Eagan in less than three weeks.  
January 13 2024
ALL HAIL THE UNDER 25s
Be sure to encourage those Junior Players (under 25) when you see them at your local club - they are the future of bridge.  The ACBL won't come out with its official listing of masterpoint winners for another few weeks (the official postings happen after the Feb 6 masterpoint update) - but here's a look at the under 25s in Minnesota from the past 12 months and their unofficial MP race.  Look for your Awards Ceremony some time in April (we'll have an update once scheduled).
January 10 2024
ATTENTION METRO AREA BRIDGE PLAYERS
 
Choose wisely.
January 7 2024
LAST OF THE POWER RANKINGS   
A bridge player site that ranks players across the ACBL has shut down as of December 31st - the Bridge Power Rankings site has historically provided quite a bit of information regarding players and partnerships.  (The site is still active as of this posting, but not being updated.)  To the left is a list of our Minnesota players who were the "top" power players in D14 in December, according to the site - although noticeably missing are several top-tier players here in Minnesota.  We're not sure why that is (some players don't like to be ranked, some have opted-out of participation, some didn't play much in December, etc., but you can find out more about this by visiting the site in question).  In any event - this looks to be the last of the power rankings - for now (H/T: Chris Champion) - unless and until the ACBL revives the Bridge Power Rankings website.
January 5 2024
LATEST MINNESOTA MILESTONES   
The next time you see any of these players at your local bridge club (or online), be sure to give them a shout-out.  Congratulations to each of them on achieving the next goal in their bridge quest!
    New JUNIOR MASTERS:
        Gloria Dale [Woodbury]
        Dilip Divekar [Rochester]
        Dennis Schroeder [Pine Island]
        Bob Schultz [Woodbury]
    New CLUB MASTER:
        Lynn McNabb [Mendota Heights]
    New SECTIONAL MASTER:
        John Rethlefsen [Winona]
    New REGIONAL MASTER:
        Dennis Schulte [Woodbury]
    New BRONZE LIFE MASTER:
        Susan Stephens [Audubon]
    New SILVER LIFE MASTER:
        Sharon Madson [Audubon]
January 3 2024
TOURNAMENT TRAIL '24   
A lot has been taking place with tournament scheduling for the new year - and we appreciate Steve Gaynor [Inver Grove Heights] shooting us his latest compilation of events on the way.  Whether you are planning to attend some tournaments in 2024 or planning to hold some events, Steve's information is invaluable.  Click on the image on the right to enlarge it and open it in a new window - and then get out your calendar!
January 1 2024
A NICE CROWD TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR   
You might think the New Year's Holiday might keep a few bridge players home - but sometimes bridge players go against conventional thinking.  Twelve tables at the New Year's game in Rochester, that's right in line with their normal Monday crowd (having averaged 12.3 tables on Monday mornings in 2023).  Happy 2024 - and keep playing!

December 31 2023
PLANNING AHEAD   
With 2024 just minutes away, you might be looking for that last-minute New Year's Bridge game!  They are out there.  January is Junior Fund Month (read: extra masterpoints!), so double-check with your local club when the big payouts are happening next month.  Here's a look at some metro calendars to help with the planning:    
December 30 2023
2023 IN REVIEW   
 
TL;DR - it's good news.  Here are a couple of charts showing bridge in Minnesota continues to thrive, at least for now.  Above, on the left - the change each week in 2023 in the number of Minnesota F2F club tables compared to the same weeks in 2022.  Even this holiday week, with Christmas on a Monday, tables in Minnesota clubs ran 35% higher than last year.  And above right, the average tables per game is starting its seasonal drop at your local club. . .but compared to 12 months ago, it's still quite a bit higher this week than it was in 2022 (+10%).  What's in store for 2024?  Hard to say of course, but get involved at your local club - and you can help keep these positive trends going well into the New Year.