Newsletter March 30, 2026

March Unit Championship with Savannah Bridge Club

First North-South and Overall was Rick Runyan and Jim Jones with an impressive 66.23% game earning 5.40 MPs. This is all the more impressive in that the number two pair N/S and Overall was Grand Life Master Marla Chaiken and her partner Andy Eastwood.  Well done !!!

First E/W and Third Overall,  also from our Club was Kathy Mulligan and Dan McKinley with a 64.04% game earning 3.04 MPs. 

Fifth Overall, Second in B and First in C was Susy Schmitz and T. Boles with an equally impressive 60.04% game earning 1.71 MPs.

Sixth overall was a tie between two pairs from our Club, Kay Butters and Adelaide Jared, and, Carolyn Hearn and Sue Mattingly with a 58.88% game earning 1.12 MPs. a sweep of 5 of the top 6 positions.  Speaks well of our Club. Congratulations to all!.

ACBL-wide Charity Game

There were 10 tables for the ACBL-wide Charity Game on Wednesday. The winners were:

Over all, strat, earned MPs, % game

1, 1 A/B, Mary Merrow/Jim Kielt, 3.75, 60.65

2, 2A, Judee Brooks/Jim Jones, 2.81, 59.95

3, 2B, 1C, Maria Johnston/Nancy Bittner, 2.11, 59.72

4, 4A, Teryl McBurney/Ken Troubaugh, 1.58, 59.49

5, 5A, Cathy Chicos/Bill Snellings, 1.19, 59.17

6, 6A, Meg Crew/Ramsey Badre, .89, 53.70

7. 3B, Carolyn Hearn/Jim Bell, 52.55, 1.03

8, 4B, Betsy Hamilton/Anna K Mansfield, .86, 50.00

9, 5B/2C, Allan Davis, Bradley Truax, .83, 49,64

There were 2542 participants in the game, unfortunately no one in our Club placed in the top ten in our District or top 230 in the ACBL.

Corrections: The spelling of Virginia Goetsch name.in the last newsletter.

Mini McKenney 500-1000 (all MPs earned in 2025)

The top four spots in our Unit (202) went to members of our Club, 1st Mary Askew (169.01), 2nd, Judee Brooks (148.99), 3rd, Fran Kielt (134) and 4th was Barbara Schwarz (133.41). Tops in our District (7) was (294.19, Maryville, TN) (Mary placed 23rd), 251.50 in Georgia, 749.95 in the ACBL.

Ace of Clubs 500-1000 (MPs earned at the local level in 2025)

In this race our Club took the 5 top spots, with Mary Askew placing 1st with 145.24, 2nd Judee Brooks (135.82), 3rd Barb Schwarz (104.28), 4th Penny Hennessy (95.55) and 5th was Diane Laws (95.26). Tops in our District/Georgia was 211.40 (Peachtree, GA), ACBL 250.23 (Bonite Springs, FL). Mary placed 6th in our District.

Grand National Teams Qualifying Game in Columbia, SC

The Club fielded two teams in the 0-3000 (bracket B), Kathy Pennington, Marie Richardson, Sue Mattingly and Carolyn Hearn were one team; Mark Webb, Jeff Young, Dan and Dana Osburn (from Charlotte) were the other.

In a pairs warm-up game at the Columbia Sectional on Friday, Carolyn Hearn and Sue Mattingly placed 1st E/W earning 2,63 Silver MPs. Of course, the big game was on Saturday. There were 11 Teams, only four would advance to the finals on Sunday. In the Saturday game each team would play five boards against every other team. With only five boards a round, one mistake or one big board would usually decide the outcome of the round. In the first round our two teams faced off against each other. Kathy's team beat Mark's team decisively. The key score was Carolyn bidding 6NT making 7 and Mark's team only bidding game.

There were four more rounds in the morning, five in the afternoon. Looking back there were only 3 boards (out of 50) that decided the entire outcome for Mark's team, had they bid or played those boards correctly, they would have made the finals. Unfortunately, Kathy's team did not fare any better.

Both Mark's team and Kathy's team played in the Swiss Teams in The Columbia Sectional (that was running at the same time as the GNTs) on Sunday, but neither was able to place, so a disappointing run at the GNTs for our Club Teams.  But, as always everyone had a good time and got to check out Columbia.

Newsletter March 23, 2026

Movin' on Up!

We are starting to see rank advancements from our newer players. Elaine Hearn and Michele White earned their first 5 Master Points to be come Junior Masters, the first rung on the ladder to Life Master. Continuing in their advancement to rung two as Club Masters (20 MP) is Joan Bennison, Alison Dawson and Gay Diz. New to the third rung (Sectional Master. 50 black and 5 Silver MPs) is Virginia Goatsch. After many years of playing here at our Club Virginia (Bootsie) Jennings attained her Regional Master (100 black, 15 silver and 5 gold/Red).  Congratulations to all !! Keep up the good work. You can see all of the rank advancements in the last year on our website just above all our Life Masters.

Glad your back!!

It was nice to see June Sortwell back at the Bridge table after her recent health event. Stay healthy!

The St Louis NABC

I know most of our members have never attended a tournament outside our Club, let alone a national tournament, so I thought I would give some highlights of the most recent NABC in St Louis. Our team was Mark Webb and Vernon (Mike) Carrigan, Roberto Crocenzi and Jeff Young. We rented a town house with 4 bedrooms, very spacious, just 10 minutes from downtown. As I reported in a previous Newsletter, we started on Sunday by playing in the Senior Pairs (Leventritt Trophy). This is a pairs game not teams. We both came close to qualifying, but failed in the end.

The next day we played in a 0-4000 Bracketed Swiss. In this game the entrants are put in groups of 9 and you play 6 boards against all the other players in your group. The top nine is level 1 (usually with players that have 10,000 or more points) and so on. We were in group 4 of 6. We won this game earning about 12 gold MPs. Interestingly, the final team we played (and we beat) to win the game was the same team that cost us a game in Gatlinburg last year. We have gotten to know the team well and have a good time with them. They are from Traverse City, Michigan and they all know Tom Cole (very well).

The game we were hoping to do well in was the 0-3000 Open Swiss. Tuesday was the qualifying day (top 16 teams) and Wednesday was the final. We struggled to qualify but squeaked in at number 16. In the final, one of the teams that beat us had two young boys (11 and 14). Last year we had a team with an 11 yr old playing with his father and a 14 and 15 yr old that beat us in this same game. Ultimately we won 3 and lost 3 rounds and finished 13th. Last year we qualified 9th and finished 6th. 

The last two days we played in the 0-4000 Bracketed Swiss. On Thursday we bombed and didn't place. On Friday we were second losing in the final set of boards 100 to 104.  We ended with 23 red/gold.

We always take time to visit some sights in the cities we visit, this time the Anheuswer-Busch brewery and the Arch. At the brewery we saw a machine that bottles 1500 bottles of beer a minute (yes a minute), tanks that hold 115,000 gallons of beer and of course the Clydesdales. At the Arch we went up the Arch in an incredibly small tram (4x4x4, all four of us in it) to the observation deck that was very crowded and swaying in the wind (385 feet off the ground). Took me a while to recover once on the ground. They did have a very large museum there on the westward movement and the Civil War. We also went to some landmark restaurants, Charlie Gitto's (Little Italy), Little Foxes (neighborhood), Hudaks (fried chicken) and Citizen Kane's (steak), all recommended by a friend of Mark's who is from the area. As always we had a great time even if the bridge game wasn't the best.

Also Dru Horne and Brennan Easton from the Athens GA Club (representing District 7) placed 8th (out of 33 pairs in the final) in the North American Pairs (NAP) flight C. We have played against Dru several times and he is leading a nice comeback for the Athens Club. Way to go Dru!

The final attendance was 6745 tables, up from 6493 last year in Memphis. In 2024 there were 6757 at Louisville, KY. The last Spring NABC before the Pandemic was in Memphis in 2019 with 9644 tables.The playing floor at the convention center held 500 tables and was nearly full most days. The Vanderbilt Cup and the NAP Open were also going on while we were there, and we regularly saw many of the world's best players. You can catch some of it on You Tube if you are interested.

This coming weekend we play in the District 7 Grand National Teams Qualifying Game in Columbia, SC. If we were fortunate enough to qualify, the Game will be held at the Minneapolis NABC in July. Kathy Pennington, Marie Richardson, Sue Mattingly and Carolyn Hearn will also play.

Planning on Playing Wednesday night or Thursday? Be sure to register as early as possible at the Director's Desk or with Lynn (lynn.goldblatt@gmail.com).

Mini-McKinney (all MPs won in 2025): 300-500 

I neglected to put the category on the races last week, they were the 100 to 200 MPs

Debbie Foster placed  3rd in our Unit with 92.72. Tops in our Unit (202) was 99.74 (Savannah), District (7) 260.70 (Pawleys Island, SC), Georgia 181.89 (Atlanta) and ACBL 750.90 (San Jose, CA)

In the Ace of Clubs 300-500 (points won at the local level) Debbie Foster was first (76.46) and Joyce Williams was second (59.31) in our Unit. Tops in Georgia and our District was 159.70 (Griffin, GA), ACBL 188.89 (Petaluma, CA) Congratulations to Debbie and Joyce!!

Newsletter  March 16, 2026

14 Tables turn out for Swiss Teams

First was the team of Rick Runyan, Jim Jones, Mary Askew and Kathy Pennington with a 77.5% game earning 1.87 MPs each. Second was Ward Schaumberg, Jim Bell, Kay Butters and Carol Bliven with a 72.5% game earning 1.40 MPs. Third was Diane Altenbach, Barbara Schwarz, Mary Merrow and Carol Moeckel with 65 % game earning 1.05 MPs. Fourth was Judee Brooks, Craig Heim, Cathy Chicos and Joanne Moore with a 61.25% game earning .79 MPs. As of the time I send this newsletter, the posting on Live for Clubs has the incorrect overall positions although the scores and MPs are correct. We'll consult with the ACBL further.

We experienced a computer glitch at the very end of the game which prevented us from posting the scores. As we have said many times before the software that runs our games is a very old platform and we have problems with it all the time. The ACBL has tried to fix this, but the cost appears to be prohibitive for a completely new system. Thanks to all who came, except for the ending, the game went much smoother. Also we will require that with future games the teams must be registered by 10AM the morning of the game. It takes about two hours to set up the game which is much easier if we know exactly how many teams will play.

In the Kitchen from acting facilities manager Tom Cole:

"On Tuesday morning the kitchen floor and back wall will be torn up to address mold mitigation due to a leaking ice maker. A hepa vac, air mover and dehumidifier will then run for a couple days. New flooring and possibly a new cupboard will be installed soon afterwards. The kitchen can still be used but please keep your activity in it to a minimum. Coffee and tea drinkers may want to bring their beverage with them."

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Update on Inappropriate Behavior on Friday from the Club President and Head Game Director:

Most of you are aware we had an incident of inappropriate behavior on Friday which is not in keeping with our Zero Tolerance policy of maintaining a pleasant atmosphere for our games.  Please be assured that both our game directors and our Board of Governors are addressing the issue

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Up coming Games:

On Monday the 23rd we will have our monthly Unit Championship with Savannah, on Wednesday the 25th we will have a ACBL-wide charity game. Lots of points from either of these games.

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From the Board of Governors: Lynn Goldblatt gave an encouraging report on our association with the Newcomers and the newcomers game on Wednesday evening. Lynn has been working with Virginia Goetsch, who is a member of the Club and the Bridge Chairperson for Newcomers, Several members of the Club have volunteered to assist on Tuesday nights in a supervised play. Some nights there have been as many as ten tables. The Club has gained several new members from this endeavour. Many thanks Lynn and Virginia!

Penny Henessy reported that although the Non-Life Master Tournament lost money, the deficit was improved from last year.

The Board approved adding Scott's Flower Money to our Charity Donation to SOAR.

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So.... how are we doing?

In 2025 we had 201.5 tables for the month of February, this year we had 226 about a 9% increase. Some of this was due to having the ACBL-wide game on a Saturday which added an extra day to the month's totals. But, even without that game we increased our daily average from 9.5 tables per game to just over 10.

Have a burning bridge question? Let me know and I will pose the question to our Game Directors and put it in a newsletter.

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Planning on Playing Wednesday night or Thursday? Be sure to register as early as possible with Lynn (lynn.goldblatt@gmail.com).

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Mini-McKenney (total points earned for 2025) 100-200

No one in our unit qualified. Tops in the Unit (202) was 209.07 (Savannah), District (7)/Georgia 263.62 (Athens), ACBL 362.15 (Bryn Mawr, PA)

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Ace of Clubs (total point earned at the club level in 2025) 100-200

Jan Osta placed 5th in our Unit with 52.57 MPs. Tops in our Unit/ Georgia was 118.23 (Savannah), District 150.12 (Murrells Inlet, SC), ACBL 244.42 (Naples, FL) Congratulations to Jan!

Newsletter March 8, 2026

Kitchen Lookout   We have a water leak in the kitchen which may not be repaired until the end of the week, so please stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. We are turning on the water for the games then shutting it off after.

Swiss Team Sign Up   Swiss game this month is Monday March 16, pick your own team. Sign up sheet is in the Director's Desk. Please have your team signed up by the end of the game on Sunday.

Charity Games this week   Proceeds from our games this week will go the ACBL Charity (various Alzheimers organizations) and our Local Charity, SOAR.

SOAR stands for Social Opportunities & Active Recreation and was established, as a 501(c)(3), in 2015 to strengthen the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities in Glynn and McIntosh Counties. SOAR's mission is to improve the physical and mental health of individuals with developmental disabilities. Engaging physical and social opportunities are provided to increase health and wellness, develop friendships, and collaborate with peers, both with and without disabilities, enriching the lives of all. Additional contributions are encouraged and can be left at the Director's Desk.

The Longest Day will be Wednesday, June 17th. Club President Diane Laws asks members to start thinking about possible silent auction items.

What should I do if after the game is over I discover a score has been entered wrong?    Great question!  I'm not sure if we have ever sent out an email on the procedure before, so here goes:   First, get confirmation from your opponents on the correct score for that hand.  We need agreement before we can change the scores. Second, text or email whoever directed that day, and make sure to copy your opponents, include the board number, the pair numbers for you and your opponents and the correct score. Because this requires a special trip to the bridge center by the director, please understand that it may take a day or two to get it corrected.  Most of our directors do this for little or no pay, and it's very helpful if we don't have to do the digging into the situation as well! (from Lynn Goldblatt, Head Game Director)

Sign-ups for limited games this week

Wednesday, March 11:  5:30 - 7:30 game for 0-20 points

• This is a new opportunity for a real game but with some help available
• You can bring notes.
• You can request ideas from a more experienced player (although we won't tell you exactly what to do.)
• You will have a little longer to play each hand.
• We expect to play around 8 hands to start with, potentially playing more hands as people gain comfort and experience.
• Same costs as a regular game.
• Come with or without a partner (though with is better.)  We'll match people up as they come in.  If we have an extra, you can watch for awhile (or head home.)
• People who have done this in the past have loved it.
• You need to email Lynn by 6 p.m. on Tuesday night if you'd like to sign up

Thursday, March 12, 0 - 150 game

• Please send Jeff Young your name no later than 6 p.m. Wednesday night and he'll confirm if the game makes or not. (jeffeyoung@yahoo.com)

Friday, March 13:  Limited section in the open game.  Targeting 0-300 points, or a little higher

E-mail me (Lynn) by Thursday 6 p.m. and I'll confirm if the limited section has made.  

• If it doesn't, you are always welcome to play in the open game (which will be stratified)
• Bring your lunch and you can sit in on the hand review at 11 if you want.
• There will also be a sign up sheet at both the Tuesday and Thursday game

Mini-McKenney 2025 100 to 200 (all MPs won in 2025)

Again, no one in our club ranked in this category. Tops in our Unit (202) was 86.05 (Savannah), District/Georgia 209.33 (Cumming, GA) and ACBL 414.37 (Bryan, TX.

Ace of Clubs 2025 100-200 (All points won at the club level (Black MPs)

Ditto for our Club. Tops in our Unit was 64.80 (Savannah), District/Georgia 158.39, ACBL 214.99 (Poway, CA)

Newsletter  March 1, 2026

New classes

Are you frustrated when you bid game but missed the slam and then wondered how do you get there? Ken Trobaugh will be dispensing the magic potions to deliver you to the mountain top with SLAMS: Bidding and Play. Topics include varieties of Blackwood (including suggestions for a void), 2-club openings, control bids, splinters, Jacoby 2NT and a review of the slam benefits of playing 2-over-1. Playing techniques include setting up an end play and other ways to avoid depending on a finesse. 6 classes will be on Thursdays, March 12th to April 16th, from 10 to 12 at the Bridge Center. Course fee is $72 which includes advance set of study guides. To reserve a seat in class contact Ken at 912-638-2142 or at ktrobaugh@comcast.net.

Friday Limited Section

We had 5 tables for our limited section last Friday. If you plan to play please sign up or let Lynn Goldblatt know. But if you can make it last minute, please come.

Also Coming Up In March.....

The first week in March (1 through 6) master points won will be 1/3 Red

Charity Games for our Charity SOAR will be on Wednesday 11th, Friday 13th and Monday 30th; Games for ACBL Charities will be on Tuesday 10th, Thursday 12th and Sunday 15th.  An ACBL-wide Charity Game will be on Wednesday 25th.

Swiss Team Game is Monday 16th. Open Game, pick your own team.

Unit Championship Games are on Monday 9th (extra value master points) and Monday 23rd with Savannah.

Board of Directors Meeting on Monday 9th and Game Directors Meeting 16th, both at 4:30.

Mini-McKenney (all master points earned in 2025)

100-200 category (as of Jan 1, 2025), Unfortunately no one in our Club placed in our Unit or District. Tops in our Unit was 86.03 (Savannah), District and Georgia 209.33 (Madison, GA) and ACBL 414.37 (Bryan, TX).

Ace of Clubs (Black MPs won at the Club level)

Again no one from our Club placed in the 100 to 200 category. Tops in our Unit was 64.80 (Savannah), District and Georgia 158.39 (Cumming, GA) and ACBL 214.99 (Poway, CA).

St Louis NABC

This newsletter is going out on Sunday at which time I will be playing at the St. Louis NABC with Roberto Crocenzi, Mark Webb and Vernon "Mike" Carrigan. In my next newsletter I hope to report to you the events and trials of a national bridge tournament. Our first day in St Louis we played in the Leventritt Silver Pairs, where Pairs had to be over 65, This was my first nationally rated event. The first day of this event was the qualifying event and we all failed. We quickly found out what real competition looked like. Both our pairs scored in the 48% range. Tomorrow we play in the 0-4000 Bracketed Swiss, much more our speed. But today we saw and played against many of the nation's top players. Last night there was a snow warning. It didn't snow but the wind chill was 16 degrees. Stay tuned.

Newsletter  February 22, 2026

Whole lotta new promotions

Judee Brooks has earned her Silver Life Master (1000 MP, 200 above Black), Joyce Christianson has earned her Bronze Life Master (750MP, 75S, 50G), Roberto Crocenzi has earned his Life Master (500MP, 75S, 50G), Marsha Welch has earned her Life Master (500MP, 75S, 50R/G). T. Boles has earned her Regional Master (100MP, 15S, 5R/G), and Barbara Lyons has earned her Club Master (20MP). We now have 40 Life Masters and above as playing members of the Club. Congratulations to All!!!!

Ahhhhh, I have the hiccups.....

In a previous Newsletter I neglected to note that at the Hilton Head Regional, Roberto Crocenzi was a member of the team (Mark Webb, Jeff Young, Malcolm Todd, Sara (Sally) Tuohy) that placed second in the Monday-Tuesday Knockout 3 Game earning 15.98G.  I also missed Gay Diz and Cindy Keyes placing 3rd overall, 2nd in B and 1st in C in the Saturday morning Non-Life Master Tournament earning 1.19 Silver. Because there were so many names we only listed principal winners and those earning more that 1 Master point, but we should have listed Gay and Cindy. Congrats to Roberto, Gay and Cindy, well done!!

More, a lot more

In a postscript to the Saturday ACBL-wide International Fund Game the winners, Mark Webb and Vernon (Mike) Carrigan were 1st in our District (7) and 6th in the ACBL earning them 15 Master Points. 2nd in the District and 8th in the ACBL was Roberto Crocenzi and Jeff Young earning 11.25MP. 3rd in the District was Judee Brooks and Ward Schaumberg earning 8.44MP. There were 344 Pairs that competed. A great showing for our Club. Cheers!

Mini-McKenney (all MPs won during 2025)

In the 50-100 category, Lee Knox was first in our Club and the Unit (202), 48th in the District with with 55.25MP. Tops in the ACBL was 240.86 (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), District 192.65 (Little River SC),  Georgia 145.19. (Macon) Well done Lee!

Ace of Clubs (all points won at the club level (Black)

In the 50-100 category, Lee Knox was again the winner at our Club and the Unit with 48.86. Tops in the ACBL and the District was 146.81 (Charlotte NC), Georgia 90.57 (Macon). Keep up the good work Lee!!

Unit Championship game with Savannah is tomorrow, Monday, February 23. Be there by 12:45 for a 1:00 game start.

Friday 0-300 Section was a success with 3 tables playing along side 12 1/2 tables in the open. Terry and Paul Williamson took home the honors with a 66.88% game. The Club will continue to offer this new limited section. Please let Lynn Goldblatt know if you would like to play. (lynn.goldblatt@gmail.com)

Newsletter    February 15, 2026

Margaret Altman Non-Life Master Tournament

The Bridge Center was host this weekend to a non-life master tournament honoring Margaret Altman. The Pairs games totaled 39 tables which was 1 more than last year, but the Team games only had 7 tables, one less than last year so the total was the same: 46.

Friday morning saw 8 1/2 tables with Alexandra Weddon/Heather Shearouse placing first overall (1st N-W) (67.78%) and overall earning 2.91 Silver Master Points. Second (1st E-W) was Cindy Sheppard/Pamela Marlette (60.95%) earning 2.18S. Third (2nd E-W) was Nancy Wood/Janet Torrance (60.05%) earning 1.64S. Fourth (3rd E-W) was Lynn Wenige/Mary Merrow earning 1.23S. Fifth (4th E-W and 1st in C) was Carla Brumit/Marianna Lazarou earning 1.52S.

Friday afternoon there were 11 tables with Heather Shearouse/Alexandra Weddon again placing first overall (63.1%)(1st E-W) earning 2.53S. Second overall (2nd E-W) was Tom Cole/Fred Maione earning 1.90S. Third overall (1st N-S) was Marie /Peter Shafron earning 1.42S. Fourth overall (3 E-W) was Lynn Wenige/Mary Merrow earning 1.07S. Fifth overall was Anne Kawas/Debbie Foster (2nd N-S) earning .88S. Placing first overall in C was Virginia (Bootsie) Jennings/Karyn Keller earning 1.19S.

Saturday Morning there were 8 tables with Deanna Janowicz/Cindy Sheppard winning overall (64.88%) (1st N-S) earning 2.17S. Second (64.58%) was Carey Shore/Alexandra Weddon (!st E-W) earning 1.63S. Third, Lynn Wenige/Mary Merrow (2nd E-W) earning 1.07S. There was a tie for fourth with Tom Paskins/Don Kronenberger earning .60S and Jim Sale/Paul Pierson earning .87S (extra points for placing 3rd in B).

Saturday afternoon had 11 1/2 tables with Deanna Janowicz/Pamela Marlette narrowly beating out Janice Harelson/ Dr Eric Andreae for first place with a 68.41% to 66.67% score. The game for these two teams centered on their head-to-head match. Janice and Eric missed a major game bid and instead bid 5 Clubs costing them 3.5 match points. Had they swapped this score they would have placed first. Third, (2nd N-S) was T. Boles/Suzy Schmitz earning 1.90S (64.79%), Fourth was Virginia Goetsch/Mike Kammierczak (2nd E-W) earning 1.42 (62.05%). Fifth was Karen Fleming/Betty Hansen (3rd E-W) earning 1.07S. Sixth was Alexandra Weddon/Carey Shore (3rd N-S) earning .84S. Placing first overall in C was Susan Mower/Joan Bennison earning 1.63S.

Sunday was Swiss Teams at the Tournament which had 7 tables. The winning Team was Deanna Janowicz, Kay Layton, Pamela Marlette and Cindy Sheppard with a 68.33% game and earning 1.64S each. Second was Debbie Foster, Anne Kawas, Linda Thomas and Ann Trueheart with a 63.33% game and earning 1.23S. Third, Clara Viverette, Karen Fleming, Betty Hansen and Marianna Lazarou tied with Tracy Miller, Jennifer Rootham, John Standart and Suzzanne Marcy with a 59.17% game. both earning 1.02S.

The winner of the Tournament is Deanna Janowicz from Hilton Head with 8.7 Silver, second is Pamela Marlette from Hilton Head with 8.2S, third is Alexandra Weddon from Savannah with 7.91S and fourth is Cindy Sheppard from Hilton Head with 6.62S. Fifth was Heather Sheppard from Hilton Head and sixth was Lynn Wenige from our Club who won this tournament last year. Lynn was the first to congratulate Deanna on her excellent win. Congratulations to all.

A big, big thanks to Penny Hennessy for putting the tournament together and shepherding it to its conclusion, and to the many members who set up, cleaned up and brought food. A shout out also to Nick Tallyn from the ACBL who directed the tournament. Nick has been our go-to director for many years. He always gives us the confidence that the set-up and direction of the game will be perfect. 

Do you have less than 300 Master points?

Lynn Goldblatt would like to put together a separate section for Friday February 20th for those with less than 300 MPs. She will need at least three tables. If you will definitely play, email Lynn at lynn.goldblatt@gmail.com (or catch her at the Bridge Center) to let her know. Lynn will notify those that signed up Thursday night if there are enough tables to play.

Mini-McKenny Race (all MPs won in 2025)

In the 20-50 MP category, Amy Bishop was first in our Club, first in our Unit (202) and 56th in our District (7). The top score in our District was 96.57 (Charlotte), top in Georgia was 69.24 (Atlanta) and in the ACBL was 286.40 from Bonita Springs, FL.

Ace of Clubs Race (all Black MPs won at the Club level in 2025)

In the 20-50 category Amy Bishop was again our Club winner and first in our unit with 33.97, 37th District. Stu Graham was second in our Club and 3rd in our Unit with 28.68, 60th District. Top in Georgia was 49.34, District was 73.03 (Knoxville, TN) and ACBL was 93.78 (Indio, CA)

International Fund ACBL-wide Game on Saturday February 8. Click on file below:

International Game Analysis.pdf

Newsletter  February 8 2026

International Day at the Bridge Center

Saturday the Club celebrated International Day with a "cultural" dish pot luck lunch. The lunch was followed by an International Fund ACBL-wide pairs game. A good score could earn a player additional Master Points in District and National Competition. For an analysis of the game hands, the link will be at the top of this newsletter on our website page under "Newsletters". First place with a 66.9%, playing North-South was Vernon "Mike" Carrigan and Mark Webb. their Swiss Team partners, Roberto Crocenzi and Jeff Young playing East-West placed second overall with a 66.20%. This was a very fun event with lots of good food. Thanks to Judee Brooks for organizing.

Margaret Altman Non-Life Master Sectional Tournament

This coming weekend is our annual non-life master sectional tournament dedicated to Margaret Altman. Margaret was the Grande Dame of our Club and Bridge Center for many years, passing in 2020. Players are limited to 750 Master Points and not be a Life Master. It starts with 2 open pair sessions on Friday at 9:30 and 2:00. and continues on Saturday at the same times. Players may play any or all sessions. Sunday will be a single session Swiss Team game starting at 11:30. This should be great fun for our beginning players and a friendly introduction to tournament play. Penny Hennessy is the Club's Tournament Chairman and is available at penh@yahoo.com for further info. The fee for the open pairs is $13 for the Friday morning and Saturday afternoon session, $12 for the Friday afternoon and Saturday morning session. Sunday Swiss Teams are $48 per team. Those playing on Sunday should sign up on Friday or Saturday.

Our monthly Swiss Team game is this Wednesday, the 11th.  Please sign up your team before Wednesday,

Hilton Head Regional Tournament

The Bridge Club was well represented at the Hilton Head Regional having 15 players attend. The Tournament, the ACBL's second largest, was greatly affected by winter storms that prevented people from getting to the Tournament and causing those who did come to leave early. Preliminary table count showed the Tournament only had 1750 tables, down from 2450 last year, that is a loss of $42,000 in revenue.

Those participating (Note that everyone attending won points)

Jim Kielt placed third in Bracketed Teams 9 on Tuesday playing with partners from Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee, earning 2.21G/1.1R.

Mary Askew, Diane Altenbach, Barbara Schwarz and Diane Laws placed 3/4 in the Monday/Tuesday Knock Out 5 Swiss Teams earning 5.42G. Mark Webb and Jeff Young, playing with partners from Atlanta placed 2nd in the Monday/Tuesday Knock Out 3 Swiss Teams, earning  15,95G.

Jim Kielt, playing with partners from Hilton Head and Florida, playing in the Wednesday Swiss Teams placed 1st in C, 2/3 in B and 9th overall in a 32 team game, earning 3.44R. In this same game Debbie Foster, Anne Kawas, Diane Altenbach and Lynn Kuglar placed 3rd in C, 6th in B and 13th overall to earn 1.73R.

On Thursday T. Boles and Joan Bennison placed 2nd in C, 3rd in B and 6th overall in a 499er game earning 1.21R. Mark,Jeff and Roberto Crocenzi (playing a five man team) with their partners from Atlanta won the Wednesday/Thursday Knock Out 4 earning 18.62G. Rick Runyan, Mary Askew, Barbara Schwarz and Diane Laws placed 3/4 in the Wednesday/Thursday Knock Out 5 earning 5.60G.

On Saturday T. Boles and Joan Bennison again placed in 499 game with a 2nd in C, 3 in B and 5th overall for 1.14R. Jeff and Mark, playing with partners from South Carolina won their second Knock Out 3 earning 19.98G. Lynn Kuglar, Roberto Crocenzi playing with partners from South Carolina and Rome, Georgia placed 2nd in the Knock Out 4 earning 9.79G.

Sunday brought the final game of the tournament, Bracketed Teams. Roberto, Mark and Jeff playing again with their partners from South Carolina. This in a nine team round robin where every team plays 6 boards with every other team. Roberto, etc all, were ahead the entire game until the last round placing second in the end, earning 9.35G. The final board was determinate of the entire game, how would you bid this hand?

East: S=Axx, H=Qxx, D=AQ10 C=QJ109   West S=xxx H=Void D=KJ9xx C=AKxxx. At our table Roberto is playing East and opens 1NT, West (Jeff) responds 2S (transfer to Clubs), East bids 2NT (super accept of Clubs), West bids 3 Diamonds, East bids 3 NT. Jeff incorrectly interpreted Roberto's bid of 2 NT as a denial of a fit in Clubs and so passed the 3NT bid. The contract made seven as North under led the AK of Hearts. At the other table East opened a Club, West bid 2 Clubs (inverted minor) and easily got to 6 Clubs, for a 700 point swing and dooming the run for first. Had Jeff correctly interpreted Roberto's bid he would have bid 4 Hearts (cue bid showing first round control) after Roberto's 3NT, 5 diamonds by East showing first round control of diamonds and a two suit fit, 5 hearts  by West, showing second round control of hearts (either the AK of hearts or a void). We would probably only have bid 6 Clubs (matching the other team, and not enough to win the game), 7 Clubs makes but it is one of those hands you will never forget.

Congrats to all that played. Our Club was well represented at the Tournament in both attendance and play.

l