Aces Places and Faces May 2006

	ACES, PLACES, and FACES PUBLICATION OF THE FRESNO UNIT OF THE AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE
Volume LVIII No 5 May 2006 Special Events Calendar	EDITOR: RICHARD MEFFLEY bridgefresno@hotmail.com (please e-mail to get on e-mail list)

PEGGY OCHS MEMORIAL GAME MAY 7 The Unit Championship game the first Sunday of May we honor our members who have passed away during the last year. Sadly, we lose about a dozen members and former members each year. The game is named in honor of Peggy Ochs, who directed bridge games in Fresno before we had a bridge club at the present location and for many years after. She made it fun to play bridge, as have many of the directors who have followed her. We will have a pot luck lunch at 12:15, followed by a unit championship game. Come join the game, and help us remember those who used to play at our club. PRO-AM GRADUATION PARTY MAY 28 This is another party again at 12:15 to honor those who have advanced in rank to Life Master. Vivian Betcher, Jean Moats, and Donnie Graham became Life Masters since the last graduation party - maybe another member will make it soon. They are invited to play as our guests at the game honoring their graduation to LM. The annual Pro-Am game is an ancient tradition of the graduation party. The Fresno Unit's version of a Pro-Am is that we will pick your partner for you with a drawing before the game starts. Come fifteen minutes before game time so that we can get the drawing done promptly. Each player is designated either a "PRO" or an "AM", based on their master point holdings. We will draw one PRO and one AM for each partnership, and then begin play. Before we start, we'll remind everyone of the rules - be nice, have fun. Come to the party, have a fun time with a new partner. UNIT NEWS The unit board approved a plan to call players who were formerly playing in club games to invite them to return. If anyone would like to help, please call Paul Boyd, Judy Nicholson, Byron Steinert, or members of the education committee. It's time to update the unit telephone roster. Soon there will be a printout of members' names and addresses at our bridge clubs. When it is available, check to be sure your phone, address, and if you wish, e-mail address, is correct. We are planning to have a bracketed knockout event this year. We hope to get enough teams entered so that there will be competitive brackets for everyone. The event will last for three sessions, if you win the first two. Times and dates will be determined at the next board meeting. Draft minutes of unit board meetings will be posted at the clubhouse and will be available on the unit website.	UNIT UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR with tournament links California and nearby tournaments Bay Area Tournaments WINTER SECTIONAL UNIT SERIES GAME Mark Stern and Dave Shuster are leading the field in the series games, averaging over 60% after the first three games. John and Della Schnell are right behind, also averaging over 60%. Prizes will be awarded in Flights A, B, and C, with the top prize of $25 in each flight. About 20 players have played all three games - if you've played once, you still have a chance for the prizes. The next games are June 25, July 16, and in August.
PLACES AND FACES At the San Diego regional, John and Della Schnell were second in the side game. John Schnell and Richard Meffley won the senior pairs. Michael Molinari, Paul Boyd, Allyson Farrell, and Mun Takeda won the Bracket 3 Knockout teams and were third in flight B in the Swiss teams. David Shuster, Mark Stern, Paul Schommer and Robert Rouch won the Flight B Swiss teams. Howard Reed and Pat Simpson were third, fourth and twice fifth in the 299er pairs. Mun Takeda and Allyson Farrell were second in the side game. At the San Jose sectional, Howard Reed and Pat Simpson were third in B in the 199er pairs. They were also fourth in the 199er pairs at the San Ramon sectional. At the nationals in Dallas, Richard Meffley was 7th in the Silver Ribbon Pairs after leading after the first two sessions. Shirley Blum and Rick Whitworth were 11th in the Rockwell Mixed Pairs and 33rd in the Lebhar IMP Pairs. Farid Assemi, Ed Wojewoda, and Richard Meffley were second in the compact KO teams. Robby Rouch and Paul Schommer of Visalia were 20th in the Red Ribbon Pairs and had a section top in the Flight B pairs. At the Modesto sectional, Judy Dodd and Bev Daniels were third on flight C of the open pairs. Bill and Jill Wood were fourth in the open pairs. Gerard Laquerriere, Jay Roll, Curt Reeves, and Bob Durbrow won the Swiss teams, with Richard Meffley fifth. At the Bakersfield sectional, Curt Reeves and Gerard Laquerierre were first and second in the open pairs. Our recovery wishes go to Bert Rettner, who is hospitalized after complications from his recent back surgery. He has been at St. Agnes since April 16. His family provides a web report on his progress. Our sympathy is extended to the family of Carolyn Brown. Carolyn enjoyed bridge at our club with Don. We will always remember how she and her husband Don made the Ladies Restroom beautiful!! We are saddened by the passing of George Sturges, one of Fresno's few diamond Life Masters. George worked as an accountant for US Steel at the Fresno office and at several offices in the Bay Area. He returned to Fresno when he retired over twenty years ago so that he could play bridge with his friends here. Health problems forced him to play bridge in a wheelchair, but he continued to be the top master point winner at the Fresno Bridge Club. He had a 72% game just a few days before he passed away. George had many friends in the bridge world here and in the Bay Area. We miss him. Word has been received that our favorite visitor from New York, Esther Levine, was hit by a bus and killed in New York on March 31. She was a lovely person and we miss her visits.	CLUB NEWS SECTIAL TOURNAMENT AT CLUBS MAY 8-13 The annual Western Conference STAC is the highlight of the May calendar. All clubs except Tuesday morning and Sunday afternoon ( which meets on Mother's Day) will hold the game. Many of us want to win silver points - this is the perfect opportunity. With up to 1,000 players throughout the western United States in some sessions, it is possible to win over twenty points all at once with a big score in an open game. Other games have silver point rewards, but not quite so large. Our neighbor to the south, the Visalia Unit, will hold its sectional May 19 -21. All games at the Fresno Bridge Club except Friday afternoon will be closed during their sectional. Several clubs are having charity games this month - watch for them and help contribute to a good cause by playing bridge when they are scheduled. Byron Steinert, Skip Miller, and David Shuster are still giving lessons on various topics about 6:30, before the Wednesday evening unit game. They use a power point presentation with handouts for everyone. The May third lesson will feature a quiz on opening leads. Other topics for May are takeout doubles and overcalls. The World Pairs will be held Friday night June 2. The same hands are played throughout the world. In years past, the game used instant match points, with match points assigned for any result already printed on the traveling scoresheet. Now we have progressed to matchpointing the results against the entire world. With a possibility of thousands of tables in play, the top on a board will also be in the thousands. Results are uploaded to a central site in England, which adds the matchpoints as they come in. Each player receives a booklet after the game with an expert analysis of each hand. The World Pairs is also held throughout the world on Saturday afternoon, June 3. Top master point winners in Madera for March were Denny Green and Morgan Johnson, followed by Wally Cucura and Pearl McGinnis. Denny and Morgan also were tops in April, followed by Everett Bondeson and Bob Mortimer. Denny leads for the year, followed by Morgan Johnson, Everett Bondeson, and Bob Mortimer. March winners in Oakhurst were Burke Zane 5.95, Al Crane 4.05, Karin McCartin 3.67, Claire Molnar 3.42, Wally Cucura 3.06, and Karen Henning 2.74. Monique Irion is the top Fresno Bridge Club player for March. Wanda Cardella holds her lead for 2006. Pat Simpson leads the 99ers for March and for 2006. Top master point winner for March at the Fresno Bridge Club was Monique Irion. Wanda Cardella holds her lead for 2006. Pat Simpson is the top 99er master point winners for March and leads for 2006.
WINNERS CIRCLE WINTER SECTIONAL OVERALL WINNERS WINTER SECTIONAL RECAP SHEETS March 15 - April 15, 2006 UNIT 522 CHAMPIONSHIP 1 Bill Wood - Jill Wood 2 Jean Kesler - James Sweet UNIT GAME James Sweet - Jean Kesler Della Schnell - John Schnell Doris Frazer - Florence McDonald(B) INDIVIDUAL ½ John Schnell ½ Barbara Thacker UNIT SERIES GAME David Shuster - Mark Stern John Schnell - Della Schnell(3) David Shuster - Mark Stern(B) Sandy Zovod - Hugh Miller(B) Judy Nicholson - Mary Jo Davila[C] Carol Miller - Judy Shuster[C] Sandy Richardson - C. J McPike[C] ACBLWIDE CHARITY GAME 1A Jay Roll - Gerard Laquerriere 2A1B Sandy Zovod - Lowell Gist 3A2B B Thacker - Michael Molinari 3/4B Judy Rosenthal - George Akel 3/4B Verlee O'Neill - Mun Takeda MEMBERSHIP CHAMPIONSHIP 1A Della Schnell - Verlee O'Neill 2A Monique Irion - Anita Penny 3A1B Kim Morris - Jackie Noblat 2B Ray April - Howard Arquette 3B Marion Krohn - Sophia Iwatsubo 1C Ron Licata - Sharon Peterson 2C Martha Waller - Jean Moats CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP 1AB Sheila Smith - Carol Rodder 2AB Doris Frazer - Alan Hakes 3AB Betty Howell - Marion Krohn 1C L Da Costa - Lou VanCoevorden 2/3C Pat Simpson - Howard Reed 2/3C Mary Jo Davila - Judy Nicholson 1A J. Jay Roll - Larry Cavanaugh 2A Jean Kesler - Virginia Johnson 3A Margaret Mahaffey - Kim Morris 1B Jim McKoane - Rosalie Jorgensen 2B Mary Lloyd - Frank Goeddel 3B1C David Zealear - Diane Zealear 2C P Messner - William McCormick 1A Gerard Laquerriere - Curt Reeves 2A1B Sandy Zovod - D.S. Zody 3A Skip Miller - Byron Steinert 2B1C Mun Takeda - Michael Molinari 3B2C Peter Fashing - David Brandl 1A Norman Woo - William Glass 2A Jean Kesler - Monique Irion 3A1B M Seibert - Muriel Trantham 2B Mary Lloyd - Ruth Wolcott 3B1C Wilma Long - Delia E. Green 2C Paul Boyd - Michael Molinari 3/4C Larry Miller - Yvonne Jeffrey 3/4C Mun Takeda - Sally Perring	BAROMETER CHAMPIONSHIP 1AB David Shuster - Mark Stern 2A Bert Rettner - J. Jay Roll 3A2B Mun Takeda - Sally Perring 299er CHAMPIONSHIP 1 Mary Ann Clark - Beverly J Little 2 Florence McDonald - John Barrere 3/4 Sharon Peterson - Ron Licata 3/4 Gabriella Solomon - Lorraine Ruen GUESS YOUR SCORE Margie Kenyon - E. Ronn Heiner Wanda Cardella - Kim Morris FRIDAY BAROMETER Jay Roll - Gerard Laquerriere Sandy Zovod - Barbara Thacker(B) 299er SPECIAL Mary Ann Clark - Beverly J Little Nancy Oliveira - Mason Gilfry 99ER PAIRS Debbie Levine - Gerald Levine Bob Brothers - Judy Brothers Patrick Carroll - John J. McGregor(B) John J. McGregor - Patrick Carroll(B) OAKHURST WINNERS Burke Zane- Al Crane(2) Glen Ford- Ira Estin Opal Purves - Genie Krieghoff Wally Cucura- Paul Mertens Karen Henning- Bette Mertens Jackie Kaye- John Hubbard Claire Molnar- Karen McCartin Bobbie Schlagel- Thelma McDonald Emy Ashcraft- John Hubbard Claire Molnar- Wally Cucura Claire Molnar- Karen McCartin Jim Honeywell- Everett Bondeson(2) Burke Zane- Genie Krieghoff RESTRICTED SPECIAL Sophia Iwatsubo - Ray April Jackie Noblat - Sheila Smith Judy Ataide - Suzanne Graham[C] Lee McKoane - Alma Griffin[C] 750 SPECIAL Linda Lambie - William McCormick, Jr Sue Gearhart - Dolores Beebe Judy Nicholson - Michael Molinari Martha Waller - Jean Moats Howard Reed - Steve Sharp Susan Vildosola - Peter Weber Carol Miller - Pat Simpson(B) Sue Gearhart - Don Winton[C] John Oakshott - Peggy Oakshott[C] Sue Gearhart - Don Winton[C] Marlene Frazier - Viola Berg[C] Roberta Beam - Lois Losee[C] SPECIAL Jane McCoy - Ginger Zumwalt Diana Papazian - Margaret Giragosian Wanda Cardella - Margaret Mahaffey Wanda Cardella - Norman Woo Carolyn Lofton - Margaret Mahaffey Suzanne Graham - Paul Boyd(B) David Zealear - Diane Zealear(B)(2) Alan Hakes - Doris Frazer(B) Kent Billeter - Mary Jo Davila[C] Lois Layne - Ted Macaula[C]
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