Aces Places and Faces September 2006

	ACES, PLACES, and FACES
September 9 is National Teddy Bear Day PUBLICATION OF THE FRESNO UNIT OF THE AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE
Volume LVIII No 9 September 2006 SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR	EDITOR: RICHARD MEFFLEY bridgefresno@hotmail.com (please e-mail to get on e-mail list)

Fresno Unit Knockout Teams Starts September 10 Many of our members love to play knockout teams at tournaments. The most prestigious ACBL events are the Spingold and Vanderbilt knockout teams. At regionals, the knockout teams are bracketed into groups of players with about the same number of master points so everyone will have a fighting chance to win. We are starting an annual Fresno Unit knockout teams this month - on Sunday, September 10th. We are aiming to get enough teams to have three brackets, based on master points. Teams that win on September 10th will continue on Sunday, October 8th. The finals will be October 22. Get your team together - there are signup sheets at the bridge club. Let's make it a festive start - please bring some refreshments for a pot luck lunch at 12:15 pm.under 300 points are eligible to play. Rick Betcher Makes Life Master! Congratulations to Rick Betcher who made Life Master during the August Swiss team STAC games. He played in Visalia last Thursday with John and Tina Renna and Mostafa Elhag and won enough silver points to make Life Master. Again, Congratulations!	UNIT UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR with tournament links California and nearby tournaments Bay Area Tournaments UNIT NEWS The unit board voted that there is to be no smoking in the library - all smoking must be done outside. The unit board chose to donate precedes from the recent Life Master auction to the Marjaree Mason Center. The winners of the auction should contact Maggie Mahaffey to pay the winning bids, and contact the Life Masters they won to arrange a bridge date. Maggie reported that over $400 was bid for Life Masters. Judy Nicholson and Paul Messner are members of the nominating committee for the Unit board election. Please contact them if you wish to run for the unit board. Ballots will be mailed with the December newsletter. We have mentioned several times that Fresno is now the northernmost unit in District 22, which borders District 21 to the north. If the unit wishes to join District 21, each unit member must be allowed to vote. We will include that issue on the December ballot. Members should discuss this issue prior to the election. There will be more information in future newsletters. Draft minutes of unit board meetings will be posted at the clubhouse and will be available on the unit website.
PLACES AND FACES At the Phoenix regional, Howard Reed and Pat Simpson were second in flight C in the Charity pairs, fourth in the 99er pairs, and second in the evening Swiss teams. At the Hayward sectional, Jay Roll won the knockout teams. Richard Meffley was third in the Swiss teams. Welcome back to Paul Boyd and Margie Kenyon, who were not able to play bridge at the club for quite a while. Get well wishes go to Dorothy Cady. Welcome to new member Donna Freeman. FALL SECTIONAL OCTOBER 26-29 It's not too early to get your partners for the fall sectional. We'll have pair games on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with Swiss teams on Sunday. Nearly every session will have an open section and a 299er section. If your partner is not available, partnership chairman Mun Takeda may be able to help. FRESNO 299er SECTIONAL Attendance was down at the recent 299er Sectional, but hospitality by Dora Gostanian and Judy Nicholdson was better than ever. We'd like to see more of our 299er players participate in the sectional and win silver points. Top point winner was our tournament partnership chairman, Mun Takeda, who won two events with Allyson Farrell of Visalia and tied for first in a third event. Congratulations!	CLUB NEWS The Wednesday evening series continues - those with the best scores in four of the next six Wednesday night games will win bonus master point games. Join Mary Lou and Laura Da Costa on Labor Day for a pot luck lunch and a membership game. If you haven't paid your dues yet, you should pay them before the game. The ACBL's annual instant match point game this year will be on Thursday, September 14 at 7 pm. Winners of the game may win a gold point. Players will receive a book after the game with expert analyses of each hand. The game is called instant match points because the match point score for any score is already printed on the traveling score sheet. When you enter your result, you can check the match points immediately from the traveling score sheet and keep an accurate running total of your score. It's fun to know your exact score after each hand. There will be no Friday evening game on September 15. Top master point winner for July at the Fresno Bridge Club was Steve Sharp, followed by Vivian Betcher and Jay Roll.. Wanda Cardella holds her lead for 2006, trailed by Steve Sharp and Anita Penny. Sue Gearhart was the top 99er master point winners for July, followed by Dolores Beebe. Sue took over the lead for 2006. In Madera, the top players for May were Denny Green and Morgan Johnson, followed by Everett Bondeson. Bob Mortimer and Everett Bondeson were the June leaders, followed by Virginia Hailey. Ruth Rowe, followed by Larry and Gay Slates were tops in July. The leader for the year is Denny Green, followed by Everett Bondeson, Morgan Johnson, and Bob Mortimer, and within a point and a quarter of each other. August leaders for Oakhurst are Wally Cucura, Paul Mertens, Fred and Joan Nickerson, and Mary-Gene Kreighoff.
WINNERS CIRCLE July 15 - August 15, 2006 299er Sectional Recaps 299er Overall Results SERIES GAME David Shuster - Mark Stern Della Schnell - John Schnell SERIES (LAST GAME) David Shuster - Mark Stern Larry Miller - Alma Griffin[C] UNIT GAME Jay Roll - Tania Moalem Jean Kesler - James Sweet[B] Mun Takeda - Michael Molinari[C] NORTH AMERICAN PAIRS 1A J. Jay Roll - Curt Reeves 2A1B Mun Takeda - Vivian Betcher 3A2B Rick Betcher - Michael Molinari 3B Bill Wood - Jill Wood 1AB David Shuster - Jill Wood 2B Jane McCoy - Laura NeVille 3/4A3BMarcella Miller - Ray April 3/4A Jean Kesler - Steve Sharp NAP FLIGHTS B/C 1BC Sue Gearhart - Dolores Beebe 2BC C. J McPike - Steve Sharp 3B David Zealear - Diane Zealear 3C John Peckler - Bill Frampton 750 MEMBERSHIP 1A Lorraine Elia - Pauline Willmirth 2A Syd Bluestone - William McCormick, Jr 3A Rick Betcher - Vivian Betcher 1B Steve Sharp - Pat Simpson 2B Ron Vieira - Sandy Richardson 3B1C Roberta Beam - Beth Hill 2C John Oakshott - Peggy Oakshott CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP 1A Robert Durbrow - Shirley Blum 2/3A1BC Martha Waller - Donny Graham 2/3A Anita Penny - Bert Rettner 2B Muriel Trantham - Margaret Seibert 3B Villa Vejvoda - Bob Loudermilk 2C Barry Druffel - Anna Harguindeguy 3C Vivian Betcher - Deni Glenn-Boeve 1AB Doris Frazer - Alan Hakes 2AB Charlotte Maschke - Alma Griffin 3A Jean Kesler - Sophia Iwatsubo 3A1B Pat Simpson - Howard Reed 2B Donny Graham - Ruth Christensen RESTRICTED CHAMPIONSHIP 1AB Linda Lambie - Doris Frazer 2AB Margaret Seibert - Ray April 3AB1C Lorraine Elia - Pauline Willmirth 2C Judy Ataide - Suzanne Graham 3C Esther Pohland - Beth Hill	OAKHURST WINNERS Jim Honeywell-Everett Bondeson Morgan Johnson- Bob Mortimer Marjorie Patterson- Bette Mertens Mike Molinari- Mary-Gene Krieghoff Fred & Joan Nickerson( 2 ) Karen Henning- Bette Mertens Bobbie Sweeden- Terri Anderson Glen Ford- Dan Cartago Den Green- Betty Eden Aileen & Byron Davis Bob Mortimer - Al Crane Den Green- Judy Hecht Claire Molnar- Karen McCartin Mike Molnar -Don McCartin Wally Cucura- Robert Cuerden SPECIAL Doris Frazer - Alan Hakes Wanda Cardella - Steve Sharp Marcella Miller - Verlee O'Neill Bert Rettner - Monique Irion Verlee O'Neill - Belva Quattrin Michael Molinari - Steve Sharp Ray April - Margaret Seibert Mary Lou Da Costa - Laura Da Costa Barbara Thacker - Hugh Miller[B] Deni Glenn-Boeve - Vivian Betcher[B] Yvonne Jeffrey - Kimi Mochizuki[B] David & Diane Zealear[B] Villa Vejvoda - Gerry Tipton[B] Mary Jo Davila - Judy Nicholson[C] David Zealear - Diane Zealear[C] Ruth Christensen - Virginia Johnson[C] Pauline Haase - Augie Paolercio[C] 750 SPECIAL George Efthemon - Alan Button(2) Steve Sharp - Sandy Richardson Carol Miller - Suzanne Graham Paul Messner - Mary Jo Davila Judy Nicholson - Suzanne Graham Sue Gearhart - Dolores Beebe[B] Peter Weber - Sue Vildosola [B} Sue Gearhart - Don Winton [C] Marlene McCready - Elaine Smith[C] Sue Gearhart - Dolores Beebe[C] Marlene Frazier - Vila Berg [C] Florence McDonald - Mary F. Moore[C] RESTRICTED SPECIAL Alan Hakes - Jim McKoane Pat K. Creede - Lorraine Elia[C] Steve Sharp - Margaret Seibert Judy Nicholson - Dora Gostanian[C]