ACBL 5 MN TABLE TALK

MINNESOTA TABLE TALK

March 6 2024
UNIT 103 AWARDS PARTY INFO

Unit 103's Masterpoint Race Awards Celebration will take place next month on Saturday, April 13th at the Bridge Center of St Paul. There is a free lunch for all players, followed by the awards presentation, and then - of course - bridge! Award winners play for free - everyone else will have a $6 entry fee. There's a sign-up sheet at the Bridge Center of St Paul, or you can call them to RSVP at 651-490-5430. If past years are any guide, it should be quite the party - so be sure to get your partner and let them know you are coming.

March 6 2024
SID PARHAM 1943-2024

Sad news to report with the passing of Sid Parham, who succumbed to Parkinson's Disease this week. In addition to being a regular at the Rochester DBC and its weekly games, Sid was known to many in central Minnesota, having been a Professor of English at St Cloud State for more than two decades. One who enjoyed theater, cooking, golf, writing, and more, he was active away from the bridge table like so many of our fine players. And he was a nice guy who will be missed! A celebration of life will be planned at a later date in New York.

March 5 2024
MORE ON THE MASTERPOINT MADNESS

Lately, Minnesota bridge players are seeing masterpoint awards posted from the ACBL that are wildly different than what was posted after the game by their local club. The ACBL's "Masterpoint® Engine" adjusts masterpoint awards for most games (either up, down, or sideways, see February 24 2024 post below) - but there are some games that Minnesota clubs run which will not have any modification to the masterpoints - no pigment modifiers and no upgrades for the N/18 program. These types of games that your local club may run are:

(If you're looking for extra masterpoints from the ACBL, you won't find them with these types of games. What's posted with your local club results should be final.)

March 3 2024
MARCH MADNESS, INDEED

Presented for your perusal - March Bridge Calendars from around the State. Get a partner and schedule a game for those open dates on your calendar!

March 2 2024
LEAP YEAR SECTIONAL WINNERS

Here's a look at some of your big winners at the Bridge Center of St Paul's Leap Year Sectional - there was a tie for the Friday 499er Afternoon crown (with one pair of the winners coming from Omaha NE!) - and Thursday's 499er winners duplicated their terrific result on Saturday.

February 29 2024
LEAP YEAR SECTIONAL RESULTS [UPDATED]

SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: A pretty nice turnout for the four days of play at the Bridge Center of St Paul's Leap Year Tournament (159 total tables, which is terrific). The odds-on favorite to be the Tournament Champion, Terry Beckman [Brooklyn Park], did not disappoint, earning 40.63 silver points over the four-day period - well done, Terry! Final masterpoint awards for the tournament's top winners are listed to your right.

Full results of the tournament can be found by clicking here.

February 29 2024
MINNESOTA EXPORTING SOME OF ITS BEST

Meanwhile - today's result at the Tucson AZ Winter Regional:

February 28 2024
MINNESOTA CLUB TABLES GROWTH PROMISING

The great "winter" weather Minnesota has experienced in January and February hasn't kept players from coming to the bridge club - in fact, year-over-year table growth for the first eight weeks of 2024 looks quite promising. Below is a chart of the change in tables for the first eight weeks of the year compared to 2023 (for active Minnesota clubs and also for the state overall). Table counts here include both F2F and also online tables, where clubs hold online games. Note that the only two clubs showing fewer tables compared to last year have very small table counts to work with (so a missing table here or there or a holiday that falls on one of their weekly games, closing the club, really magnifies the difference).

February 28 2024
FEBRUARY'S MONTHLY MILESTONES

Players across Minnesota are continuing to learn and improve their game, and this month there are lots of milestones to report - so when you see any of the players listed below, be sure to give them a shout-out!

New JUNIOR MASTERS
Kathrine Niessen [Edina]

New CLUB MASTERS
Lee Bjerke [Edina]
Scott Hoversten [Woodbury]
Robert Stark [Mankato]

New SECTIONAL MASTERS
Dean Sander [Burnsville]
Marc Anderson [New Prague]
Gary Falkenstein [Rochester]
Stephen Polski [Lakeville]

New REGIONAL MASTERS
Jeffery Knapp [Edina]
Bill Sozansky [Duluth]
Anne Ryan [Bloomington]

New NABC MASTERS
Jackson Wahl [Minneapolis]
Alicia Dettling [Cannon Falls]
Thomas Kiemen [Cottage Grove]

New BRONZE LIFE MASTERS
Sherry Cyza [Minneapolis]
Bev Meyer [Minneapolis]
Jeannine Schulte [Pelican Rapids]

New SILVER LIFE MASTERS
Nicky Bredeson [Edina]

New RUBY LIFE MASTERS
Michael O'Leary [Green Isle]
Kathleen Bredlie [Surprise]

New GOLD LIFE MASTERS
Andrew Caranicas [St Paul]

February 27 2024
SPRING IS FOR LEARNING

Bridge is more fun with a friend - so grab one and sign up for a bridge class next month! In the West Metro, Tony Ames [Minnetonka] has scheduled a Beginning Bridge Class in March. It starts Tuesday, March 26th, runs eight weeks at 1pm to 2:30pm, and is held at the Edina Senior Center. Sign up with Tony or by calling the Edina Senior Center (952-833-9570).

In the East Metro, John Edumundson [Maplewood] is teaching a Beginning Bridge II Class - which will be held on Monday evenings at 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Bridge Center of St Paul. It gets going right after their Leap Year Sectional, and runs for eight weeks. You can sign up on the Bridge Center of St Paul website.

In Rochester, Joanne Long [Rochester] is teaching a Beginner's Bridge Class featuring Audrey Grant's Bridge Basics 1 - An Introduction. This eight-week courst is held at the Northrop Community Education Center on Tuesdays from 10am to 11:30am starting on April 9th. Sign up by visiting the Northrop Community Education website by clicking here.

Rochester also has a seven-week Competitive Bidding Class that starts on April 9th, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm taught by Layne Vinje [Rochester]. This class utilizes Audrey Grant's Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding and is also held at the Northrop Community Education Center.

Sue Greenberg [Byron] is teaching an Advanced Beginner/Intermediate Class at St Luke's Episcopal Church in Rochester that begins Thursdays, 9:30a to 11:30a, on March 28th. This class will cover a wide range of topics, and is based on two books by Barbara Seagram: 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know (2nd Edition), and 25 Ways to Be a Better Defender. Sign up at the Church or contact Sue.

Up in Duluth, Warren Nelson [Cloquet] teaches a class on the 3rd Monday of each month this spring - the class runs 30-40 minutes, and you don't need to sign up anywhere (just show up - and don't forget to bring a friend or two!). A free lunch follows each lesson, and then of course - there's a bridge game, natch.

February 24 2024
LEAP YEAR TOURNAMENT FORECAST

Don't forget about the Bridge Center of St Paul's Leap Year tournament coming up next week. Scheduling a bridge tournament so far in advance for these dates on the calendar can be tricky, as Minnesota winters are somewhat - unpredictable - (especially months in advance, when you first elect to host a card party down the road). But this year, the forecast is looking really good for bridge in Roseville. No snow, and highs near 60F, perfect weather for heading to a card game next weekend. The official forecast is for scattered suit singletons and a 50% chance of working finesses. Click here for the flyer and schedule a partner or two.

February 24 2024
MASTERPOINT AWARDS NOW EVEN MORE CONFUSING

Just when you thought the ACBL had done it all, they've come up with another - something or other. Lately you may have noticed masterpoint awards at your local club games are changing once they get into the ACBL's system. Sometimes the awards have gone up - other times down - but what used to be a pretty simple formula for figuring out masterpoint awards is no longer so simple. Here's the explanation, thanks to Lynn Chapin from the ACBL:

"When Education Fund games are uploaded to your results pages, the masterpoints that are posted there (and to player accounts) do not necessarily match those that displayed at the club.  The manner in which these points are awarded by our Masterpoint® Engine has changed -- and in fact, two changes were implemented simultaneously.

• First, we implemented the N/18 program, whereby masterpoint awards depended on the number of boards played, not just on the number of tables in the game.
• The second change was made because the formulas were outdated.  There was no consideration to reflect the changes in relative skill between players with, say, 300 points versus those with 1500 points.  The effect of the two sets of changes, combined, is the following.

For most games, players will see an increase in masterpoints, so long as the number of boards is significantly greater than 18, and the number of tables is higher than "around" six.  (It's a complicated calculation.)  For games that are smaller (or shorter), you may see smaller increases.   At the extremes, there could actually be decreases.

While in certain cases, this seems "unfair" to your players, it's actually leveling the field and applauding skill.  We apologize for putting it into production and not letting you know right away.  This is experimental, and tweaks may be coming.  Thanks for bearing with us."

February 22 2024
WORST EIGHT-CARD SUIT EVER

Minnesota players sitting East on Thursday night to BBO after getting an eight-card straight flush: "Thanks."

February 20 2024
UNIT UNIFICATION TALKS GET UNDERWAY

Steve Gaynor [Inver Grove Heights] held a meeting this week to get talks started on a possible unification of the two ACBL units here in Minnesota. In on the meeting were Sue Greenberg [Byron], Jane Schmidt [St Paul], Dave Gustafson [Stillwater], Matt Belau [Rochester], Sue Sanger [St Louis Park], and Keith Thompson [St Paul]. Some ideas were discussed, including pros and cons, with much more work to do. Some bridge players may not feel strongly one way or the other about having two ACBL units in the state of Minnesota, and if all goes right, you won't notice any difference should this process of reunification work out. (And presently, many of us are already operating as if there is only one Unit in the State, helping each other out however we can.)

The next step will be for the two Unit Boards to take up this issue at their upcoming respective Unit meetings (scheduled to be held in March). Following that, a get-together of those involved will work on ironing out some details to try and come to an agreement that everyone can work with. Keep an eye out for Jane's March newsletter in your e-mail box for more details.

February 16 2024
2024 OFF TO A DECENT START

Bridge tables across Minnesota for the first six weeks of 2024 are up +1.8% over the first six weeks of last year. The breakdown of these bridge tables mirrors locally what's also happening across the country - far fewer BBO VACB tables, along with a huge increase in face-to-face (F2F) tables at your local club. While online BBO Virtual club tables in Minnesota's virtual clubs dropped by -67.0% over the first six weeks (from 342 tables in 2023 to 113 this year), the F2F bridge tables in Minnesota jumped +31.5% from 809.5 to 1,064.5. Support your local bridge club and keep the good news going! Of course results could always be worse/better (take your pick), but for the first six weeks of 2024 through February 12th, total tables seem to be doing ok.

February 14 2024
WHEN YOUR PARTNER SEES RED AT THE TABLE

Valentine's Day is the one day you don't mind your partner seeing red across the table! (Here, the all-red crowd at the Rochester DBC game on Valentine's Day.)

February 14 2024
HAPPY HAPPY

February 10 2024
REMEMBERING WHAT'S REALLY MOST IMPORTANT

Congratulations to Mike Flader [Eagan], who underwent a successful kidney transplant this week - here is hoping for a very speedy recovery, and that we see you soon at the bridge table!

Many in the Minnesota bridge community have been aware of Mike's situation leading up this moment of triumph, but whether you know Mike or not, of course we are all glad to see such a successful outcome. A quick message from Mike to everyone who has supported him through this ordeal:

"Feeling really good! I didn't realize how poorly I felt before surgery. Feeling grateful, close to tears of joy. Thanks to everyone for sticking with me and all of your prayers." - Mike

February 9 2024
TOURNAMENT PLAY UPDATE

With the release of the Aquatennial Summer Sectional flyer, here's an update on tournament play across Minnesota going forward. You've got tournaments each month ahead, so be sure to get out there and try your skill in these competitive arenas! (Click on any flyer to enlarge it and open in a new window.)

Feb 29-Mar 2
Roseville

Apr 4- 6
Rochester

Apr 27
St Cloud *I/N

May 20-25
Gopher Reg'l

Jun 20-22
St Cloud

Jul 10-13
Roseville

February 9 2024
TOO SOON TO THINK ABOUT SUMMER?

Five months from now - it will be July. And for bridge players in Minnesota, that means the summer Aquatennial Sectional. This year, the summer tournament will be held at the Bridge Center of St Paul's Roseville location. If you are a regular visitor to this website, you already know this tournament has been expanded to four days (from three days last year) - and Marc Ashton [Excelsior] was kind enough to send us the flyer for this event, hot off the presses.

Too soon to be thinking about summer? In Minnesota? Never!

February 7 2024
UNIT 178 ACE OF CLUBS RACE RESULTS

We have not heard of when Unit 178's Player Appreciation Game will take place - but when we do you'll see it here. In the meantime, here are the big winners from 2023 in Unit 178's Ace of Clubs masterpoint races - and again, congratulations to the winners!

UNIT 178 HELEN SHANBROM ACE OF CLUBS LEADERS (2023):

Lots of close races in Unit 178 this year - you can check out the Top 3 players in each category by clicking here.

February 7 2024
UNIT 103 PLAYER APPRECIATION GAME SET

Mark it down - Saturday April 13th at the Bridge Center of St Paul's Roseville location for Unit 103's Player Appreciation Game. The date is set - and now the honorees are official. Below are the Unit 103 players who earned the most masterpoints in their respective categories during 2023 playing in your local club games. Congratulations to the winners (and everyone who had a good time playing, of course).

UNIT 103 HELEN SHANBROM ACE OF CLUBS LEADERS (2023):

You can check out not just the winners in each category, but the Top 5 players in each category by clicking here.

February 6 2024
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE UPDATE

Steve Gaynor [Mendota Heights] sends his latest update on tournament schedules - great information for scheduling a tournmament or scheduling a plan to attend a tournament. Click on the image to the left to open this .pdf file in a new window - and check out all the opportunities available to you when it comes to scheduling some trouble at the bridge table.

February 6 2024
BE SURE TO SUPPORT YOUR GNT FUNDRAISER GAMES

Last year the Rochester DBC held some online games to support the D14 Grass Roots Fund - and Sue Greenberg [Byron] presented our GNT steward Keith Thompson [St Paul] with a check for over eight hundred dollars! This year, your local club will again be occasionally running Grass Roots Fund games - and each of these games help support D14's GNT and NAP programs. Check with your local club manager (or any of the calendars online) for when these games are held - and play in them! Both the North American Pairs and the Grand National Teams are fun competitions - and if you happen to do well in the D14 Finals, you can get a nice stipend to head to the Nationals and represent D14. That stipend to support our D14 players at the NABCs comes from the Grass Roots Fund - and the money from the Grass Roots Fund comes from the games that you and your partner attend.

February 3 2024
WINTER TOURNAMENT RESULTS - DAY 3

Once again, a special shout-out to Amy Dutton [Mendota Heights] and her crew of volunteers for what has proved to be a terrific Unit 103 Winter Sectional the past few days. Here on day 3, there were 50 tables in play, for a total of 154 tables (that's down one table compared to last year). The 2024 Unit 103 Minnesota Winter Sectional Tournament Co-Champions are John Koch [St Cloud] and Terry Beckman [Brooklyn Park], who earned 29.80 masterpoints over the 3-day event. Below are your Top 25 masterpoint winners, with the Open crowd on the left and the Non-Life Masters on the right. We'll do it again in 2025, but there's lots more tournament play before then of course. Next up - the Leap Year Sectional at the Bridge Center of St Paul's Roseville location. (Flyer is farther down this webpage.)

Full results for the Minnesota Winter Sectional can be found by clicking here.