May is the ACBL’s annual Grass Roots Fund Month, and Bay State Bridge games this month (except for the New England Royal Sectional Tournament at Clubs May 22-25) will all benefit the Grass Roots Fund for our New England district.

Masterpoint awards are about 250% of regular games (64% sectional-rated).

Two annual North American Bridge Championship events have “grass roots” qualification. Players in four flights compete to represent each district in the North American Pairs and Grand National Teams finals at the Spring and Summer NABCs respectively. The Grass Roots Fund helps fund qualifying events and subsidize district winners’ travel to the NABCs.

Click here for New England's NAP representatives at the New Orleans NABC in March. Zach Grossack and Linda Robinson won the top flight.

Click here for New England’s GNT representatives in flights A and C at the Chicago NABC in July. Our representatives in the Championship and B flights will be determined June 17-18.

Click here for overall results of the New England Royal Sectional Tournament at Clubs held the week of May 22.

Haven Sharaf, Joe Cappannelli, and Sheila Gabay rank first, third, and fourth on the masterpoint list for this STaC through the Friday, May 26, afternoon session.

Congratulations to Bay State Bridge players:

• who advanced in masterpoint rank in April, including Life Masters Bill Finch and Emily Gordon and Diamond Life Master (5,000 points) Stuart Whittle
• who rank high in 2023 masterpoint races through April, including district leaders Saul Agranoff, Joe Cappannelli, Sheila Gabay, and Zach Grossack

For complete lists, please see Masterpoint Achievements on our site and Masterpoint Races and Member Rank Achievements on the ACBL site.

At the Spring North American Bridge Championships in New Orleans, Bay State Bridge players won two NABC+ championships and an NABC championship. Zach Grossack and Linda Robinson won the Baldwin North American Pairs. Sheila Gabay and Lew Gamerman won the Leventritt Silver Ribbon Pairs, making Lew a Grand Life Master. Vik Srimurthy and Venky Venkataramani won the 0-2500 Pairs.

Linda Robinson and Mark Aquino were third in the Leventritt Silver Ribbon Pairs. Sheila Gabay and Alan Watson were third and Selen Hotamisligil and Cenk Tunçok were fourth in the Rockwell Mixed Pairs. Ethan Wood and his teammates were second in the 0-10,000 Knockouts.

Emma Kolesnik, Marina Polestra, Rena Lieberman, Natalie Bassil, Larry Lebowitz, and Adam Grossack also ranked overall in NABC+ events. Carole Weinstein, Bob Gorsey, and Brenda and Neil Montague also ranked overall in NABC events.

Walter Driscoll, Barbara Blauer, Susan Lincoln, Muggsie Rocco, Elizabeth Wood, Ethan Wood, Bart Bussink, Juan Felipe Cuervo, Carolyn Bitetti, Ulla Winkler, Joanne Tulimieri, and Zach Grossack won regional events, flights, brackets, or strata. Walter won four times with three different partners.

Congratulations to all! Apologies if I missed anyone—please let me know.

New Orleans attendance was 7124 tables, 15% higher than last spring in Reno.

Congratulations to Bay State Bridge players who won 2022 masterpoint races, including:

• unit Helen Shanbrom Ace of Clubs winners Sue Geer, Sam Gallo, Bob Gervis, Barbara Murphy, Carole Weinstein, and Haven Sharaf
  • Murphy also won her district race
• unit Mini McKenney winners Jeff Xiao, Dori Senerchia, Emma Kolesnik, Eric Xiao, Rita Vachani, Ethan Wood, Larry Lebowitz, Harrison Luba, Barbara Murphy, Carole Weinstein, and Adam Grossack
  • Jeff Xiao, Kolesnik, Eric Xiao, Wood, Lebowitz, Murphy, Weinstein, and Grossack also won their district races
  • Jeff Xiao and Wood also won their ACBL-wide races
• Harrison Luba, Eric Xiao, and Jeff Xiao were the top three youth (under 20) in our district and ranked second, third, and fourth ACBL-wide
• Zach Grossack, Ethan Wood, Harrison Luba, Jeff Xiao, Emma Kolesnik, and Eric Xiao were the top six juniors (under 26) in our district and ranked first, sixth, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh ACBL-wide
• Adam and Zach Grossack, Larry Lebowitz, Sheila Gabay, Ethan Wood, and Stephen Gladyszak were the top six in our district in total masterpoints
  • Adam and Zach were sixth and eighth ACBL-wide
• Zach Grossack was the Player of the Year (most platinum points in NABC+ events at the three North American Bridge Championships). Adam Grossack ranked fifth and Larry Lebowitz tied for ninth.

For complete lists, please see Masterpoint Achievements on our site and Masterpoint Races and Member Rank Achievements on the ACBL site.

On 2021 June 1 Newton Bridge Club and Westwood Duplicate Bridge Club joined forces and resumed in-person duplicate bridge. We have a new name

Bay State Bridge

two new venues

Italo American Educational Club
75 Pleasant Street, Wellesley*

Temple Ner Tamid of the North Shore
368 Lowell Street, Peabody*

and a new schedule.

We require COVID vaccination. Masks are optional.†

— Tim Hill, David Metcalf, and Gary Peterson

* Both venues are minutes from route 128. For directions, please see How to Find Us.

† For everyone’s safety and peace of mind, we require COVID vaccination, including a booster if eligible. Please note that “up to date” vaccination now includes a new updated bivalent booster, and we urge you to get one as soon as practical. Masks are optional, but many of us choose to wear them. If someone asks you to wear a mask while you’re sharing a table with them, please do so graciously without question.

The ACBL continues running Support-Your-Club online games that proportionately benefit whatever clubs you played at in 2019. Thank you for your support!

The Westwood, Puritan, Mid-Cape, and Dennis-Yarmouth clubs are most grateful for your participation in the Westwood/Puritan/Cape Online games, which ended when we resumed in-person play. Thank you!

The 7NTWorld group still runs their online games.

Please click here and read the promise we made on your behalf to newcomers and advancing players.