UNIT GAME – SWISS TEAMS - Sunday, August 17

Lunch at 1pm – Game at 1:30 pm

SEPTEMBER UNIT GAME: Calling all teams… calling all teams! Our unit game is Sunday, September 17 and the game is Swiss Teams! This was my favorite format when first playing bridge. It will be a fun afternoon for all. Our players seem to always enjoy this game so get your teams together and plan on attending. Summer vacations will be over and you can get back to the bridge tables with an “out of the ordinary” format for a unit game.

JULY UNIT GAME RESULTS: Nineteen tables played in two sections at the Unit Game in July. Samuel Lee & Alfred Lee took top honors; 2nd, John Killian & Irwin Bender; tied for 3rd and 4th were Cayce Blanchard & Jo Melis and Barbara Benson & Mary Singer; 5th, Marshall Pelle & Rosemary Ford and 6th went to Peggy Waite & John Vanderveen. The luncheon was hosted by Rosemary Ford and Marshall Pelle.

NEW STATUS & NEW MEMBERS: Judy and Willie Greib, Verna Burns and Jim McFall have joined our unit. Welcome! Newest Junior Master is Steve Aucello. Anthony Reddy, Cole Sachs and Tom Wright have become new Club Masters. New Sectional Masters are Dianne Tomooka and Murat Veysoklu. Rob Daniels, Fern Dunbar and Mike Shaw are our new NABC Masters. Ruth White (sorry to see her move) is our new Bronze Life Master. And last but not least Steve Rowe and Mark Tang have reached the Silver Life Master status. Congrats to all you super achievers!

70+% GAMES: Norma Krueger & Nancy Egan, 73%; Rashmi Shaw and Eknath Deo, 72.75; Doris James & Bill Cornwell, 72.22%; Lois Abramson & Irwin Bender, 71.47% and a 71.96% game; Dianne & Roy Tomooka, 70.24%; Mary Schefter & Lois Abramson, 70.14% Good games!

THIS MONTH AT THE CLUB: This month, our monthly Team Game will be on Monday evening, Sept. 11 at 7pm. Come out on Thursday, September 14 at 7pm and try for the GOLD! The ACBL Instant Matchpoint game will pay one GOLD POINT in each direction in the Open Section. The card fees for this game will be $10. On Friday, September 15 at 12:30 the club will hold the North American 49er Pairs game. Only 49ers will be eligible for this special game. Players that have more than 50 MPs will play for their regular game points as usual on a Friday 12:30 game.

NEW AT THE CLUB AND NLM LESSONS: Now in addition to the NLM lesson that Steve Sulzby gives at Noon on Tuesday preceding the game, Bob Mault has started a BRIDGE PLUS game on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. Bob says, “It’s a halfway house for post-beginners who aren’t ready for a full fledged open game. You play duplicate but you can refer to notes and books.” Bob is available during the game for bidding and playing questions. The fee is $8. Sounds like a great way to become more comfortable in the game. Sort of reminds me how I learned Pinochle in college. I held the cards and someone sat behind me and told me what to bid and what card to play until I was comfortable on my own. While Bob calls it a “halfway house”, it sounds more like bridge with training wheels. Whatever you want to call it, it sounds wonderful to me.

GET WELL, ETC.: Our president, John Killian is having knee surgery and should be recovering by the time this is printed. We are glad to see Paul Pettler back at the club – still helping when I spotted him. What a nice man he is!

Congratulations to Ed Neuroth and his wife on their 50th wedding anniversary! That just can’t be right. He looks much too young to have been married 50 years.

For any news items you would like in the column, my email is golfgal@charter.net and my phone number is 562-434-8993. Thanks again for all the reporters out there that give me bridge news.