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Stay tuned. We will know tomorrow evening. For now - you can check out the Top 20 masterpoint leaders (so far) on the right. (H/T: Kim) |  |
The Aquatennial Sectional tournament underway is seeing terrific crowds - that's great news of course. But there is work to do with the Non-Life Master players, where this year's NLM tables are the smallest part of the tournament's bridge crowd in at least 15 years. The chart to the right shows the percentage of NLM tables compared to the total tournament tables for the first three days of the Aquatennial since 2009. The trend is not tough to spot; but this is a trend that can (read: must) be reversed at some point. (Of course this issue is not limited to this tournament alone.) |   |
At the NABC in Toronto next week, the BOD meets and will vote on motions 2 and 3, which establish new categories for competition in the NAP and GNT. These new masterpoint categories will be as follows:
0-6000 (Flight "A") 0-3500 (Flight "B") 0-750 (Flight "C") |  |
But there always seems to be one bad board in a good game, and today's crowd - while impressive - does have one thing to keep an eye on. Today's action included 7.5 I/N tables, which is the lowest turnout of I/N players since 2013 on day 1 of this tournament. The I/N tables today accounted for 12.0% of the opening day tables in Roseville, and that is the lowest percentage of I/N participation in the overall table count on day 1 over the past 15 years. There's plenty of this tournament yet to go (the schedule is here if you aren't already booked) - but hopefully we will see an uptick in these I/N players later this week as they are our future. |  |
When looking at the I/N tables per day of the tournament (when those I/N games have been offered), there has been a bit of a dropoff since the pre-COVID years - but hopefully that will turn around starting this week.   |
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• Discipline is now based on each player’s Masterpoint® (MP) holding. • Only Unit/District Officers (Pres., VP, Sec’y, Treasurer, District Recorder) will be subjected to “Heightened Scrutiny” (HS) and the stronger penalties that accompany it. In the Feb 2, 2024, CDR, all Unit/District BOD members were already included in HS. • Players subject to Fast Track Discipline (FTD) will be prohibited from playing with the partner(s) they cheated with during their probation. • Players who cheated with multiple partners will get lengthier suspensions than those who only cheated with one. • Pairs who have previously been found responsible for a first-degree ethical violation (collusive cheating) will be given a Suspension Pending Hearing if identified by EDGAR as cheating again. On May 8, we also voted to: • Retroactively modify discipline for players who would have received FTD discipline but could not because of their partner’s MP level—in the previous version of the CDR, players’ disciplines were adjusted based on their partner’s status (e.g., more Masterpoints, subject to HS) that made that partner ineligible for FTD. This was approved to be consistent with the disciplines that will be given moving forward. • Allow players on suspension to perform volunteer work for the Unit or District. This will not allow anything prohibited for “Members Not in Good Standing,” such as serving on a Board or being present during a tournament or club game. It will allow activities such as: scheduling, making flyers, reviewing and editing documents, helping off-site with hospitality planning and preparation, and helping repair of equipment. This may help keep them engaged with the bridge community, especially for those receiving short suspensions (e.g., 3-6 months) and short probations (e.g., 6-12 months). Finally, we made the following agreements with Management/Office of the National Recorder (ONR): • We will continue to screen from 2020-on. • While those players/pairs identified as “Red” by EDGAR are deemed to be cheating “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt,” a “Yellow” assessment from EDGAR means they are “very likely cheating.” All “Reds” must be charged. • “Yellow” pairs must be fully investigated by the ONR. • “Stripe” is an indication of possible asymmetrical cheating. If one player is identified as “Red,” they must be charged. The ONR is required to investigate the partner to determine whether they were complicit. If the charge is determined to be collusive cheating, the ONR must charge the partner as well. • Completion of the Ethics Certification and signing the Fair Play Pledge, formerly required of all who received FTD, will now be required for all those who agree to a Negotiation Resolution."  |
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UPDATE: *Tony Ames [Minnetonka] is running these STaC games this week at the Dance Studio (the Edina Senior Center is closed this week) - but signing up each game within 18 hours of the game in question - so 178's clubs are represented (just not advertised early). Better late than never with this kind of thing, for sure. With the Edina Senior Center closed, no Wednesday game there; look for the Bridge Center of St Paul's Wednesday game to be converted from a 2999er to Open for this STaC week.  |
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Since the great re-opening in 2021, monthly June tables in the state keep growing - despite the graduations, the nicer weather, wedding season, golf and tennis weather, etc., etc. (This year there were 916 face-to-face tables this month!) NOTE that in 2021, not all clubs were holding face-to-face games yet (many club games were online-only); and the rate of increase this month from June of 2023 is not bad at all (at +7.0%).  |
GOLD LIFE MASTER - Mark Lasoff [Minneapolis] SILVER LIFE MASTER - Charles Moser [Garrison], Arne Langsetmo [Robbinsdale] Bill Seifert [Minneapolis], Ron Smith [Burnsville] BRONZE LIFE MASTER - Linda Enrooth [St Paul], Joyce Solberg [Roseville] William Boline [Minneapolis], Ruth Bruenelle [St Louis Park] Reid Shaw [Wayzata] LIFE MASTER - Tim Bina [Minneapolis], Linda Enrooth [St Paul] Ruth Brunelle [St Louis Park], Bill Seifert [Minneapolis] Jackson Wahl [Minneapolis] ADVANCED NABC MASTER - Marcia Figus [Shoreview], Monty Martin [Maplewood] NABC MASTER - John Bumbalough [Henderson], Joe Carter [Eagan] Saundra Fedor [Waite Park], Donna Paulsen [Northfield] Pam Leese [Edina] REGIONAL MASTER - Laura Olson [Detroit Lakes], Mark Tafel [St Paul] Charlie Koch [Golden Valley] SECTIONAL MASTER - Bradley Anderson [Northfield], James Benedict [Callaway] Aspi Irani [St Paul], Ellen Kluz [Minneapolis] CLUB MASTER - Gloria Dale [Woodbury], Linus Bendel-Stenzel [Edina] Ron Harry [Minneapolis] JUNIOR MASTER - Win Anderson [St Cloud], Brian-Paul Crowder [Little Falls] Jane Matthews [Sartell], Richard Matthews [Sartell] Shannon Quinlivan [St Cloud], Alex Warzecha [St Cloud] Chip Alberg [Minneapolis], Thea Keamy [Minneapolis] |
VP Teri Blu [Bloomington] Secretary Jane Schmidt [St Paul] Treasurer Vicky Smith [Minnetonka] |
A LOT of Minnesota players have qualified to go on in the competition as well - during this first of three months of the NAP, a total of 384 Minnesota players have qualified to go on to the Unit and District competition. (That's 241 Unit 103 players and 143 Unit 178 players). Of those 384 players that have qualified, 171 of them are Flight "C" players - which is awesome. We will see what July brings (and don't forget about the big party in September for those who have qualified)!    |
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Here are just a few of the places that play non-sanctioned duplicate bridge games on a regular basis:
507-437-2750 400 3rd Avenue NE Austin MN 55912 Winona (East Recreation Center) Mondays and Thursdays 507-453-1633 210 Zumbro Street Winona MN 55987 Park Rapids (Park Rapids Senior Center) Thursdays 12:30pm 218-732-3137 102 2nd Street Park Rapids MN 56470 Bemidji (Bemidji Eagles Club) Tuesdays 12:30pm 507-453-1633 1270 Nielson Avenue SE Bemidji MN 56601 Pipestone (Pipestone Country Club) - Ladies Bridge Fridays 507-825-2592 1003 8th Avenue SE Pipestone MN 56164 |
The Bridge Center of St Paul offers Chat Bridge each week on Thursdays; there are chat lessons from 11a to 12p, and there's a chat bridge game (which includes masterpoints!) from 12:30p to 3p. More info on that by clicking here. The Rochester DBC also offers Chat Bridge, there it's Monday mornings from 10a to 12p. More info on the Rochester chat bridge can be found by clicking here. And the crowd over in Woodbury have started a chat bridge group on Tuesday mornings at 9:30am. You can sign up at the Woodbury club (or give them a call to let them know you are coming!). NOTE that this is completely different from bridge lessons, which are organized by specific topics and for which you have to sign up to attend; chat bridge is the most informal (read: fun) way to learn about duplicate bridge. . .and you just show up. Preferably with a friend or two, but if not, you'll be making a friend or two at the bridge table. |
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Looking at all of the tournaments held in Minnesota for the first six months of this year, we've had 1,396 tournament tables; that's an increase of 16.0% over the same period one year ago. And last year saw an increase of 30.8% in tournament tables over 2022's first six months. Truth be told, there is still some room to grow; before COVID hit the bridge community, the same six month period in 2019 for Minnesota's tournaments had 1,800 total tables. So here in 2024, we're just at 77.6% of that pre-COVID level. . .but five years later (after all that has happened) it's hard to argue with the direction tournament bridge is going at the moment here in Minnesota.  
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