Aces Places and faces

CHRISTMAS PARTY
ANNUAL MEETING
December 10, 2017
The Fresno Unit has planned its annual Christmas holiday party for Sunday, December 10 at noon, followed by a short annual meeting and Sectional Tournament at Clubs game, which awards silver points to the winners. We’re planning two sections – open and 299er. If you and your partner both have under 300 master point, you can choose which section to play in.
 
Ballots for the 2018-2019 Unit Board must be turned in by the annual meeting.  Place them in the ballot box at the Fresno Bridge Center or mail to Fresno Unit ACBL, 1320 E Shaw Avenue, Fresno CA 93710.
Those on the ballot are:
Jackie Finn, hospitality chairman. She is in charge of hospitality (meaning refreshments) for the Christmas party, sectionals, and other special events.
Kay Chrisman, unit secretary and bridge center chairman.
Anthony Toto, District 21 representative and I/N coordinator
Don Austin, Treasurer
Richard Meffley, President and newsletter editor.
 
PLACES and FACES
Steve Johnson and Jonel Mueller are now sectional masters. Joan Fritz, Cheryl Johnson, and Marva White are now club masters. Ed Hampton is now a junior master. Congratulations on the new ranks. Welcome to new ACBL member Sue Brown of Lemoore.
Our condolences to the family of Vi Steitz, who recently passed away. She was a long time member of the Fresno unit.
 
CLUB NEWS
STAC GAMES December 4-10
Check your calendar for Christmas parties this month. A new event for Sunday, New Year’ Eve, is a Fast Pairs Unit Championship at 1 pm. It will give you lots of time to get ready for your New Year’s party later in the day. We can’t fit it on the calendar because it’s in January, but Laura Da Costa will have a New Year’s Day party on Monday, January 1. 2018. She may even have the television on so you can check out the Rose Bowl in the small room.
November master point leaders in Madera are Richard Meffley, followed by Gary Nelson and Gay and Larry Slates. Gary Nelson leads for the year, followed by Richard Meffley, Barbara Diebert, and Gay and Larry Slates.
            Sectional Tournament at Club games are held at clubs the week starting December 4. Games are held throughout the western United States.Top players for the western states can win up to 20 master points. All points are silver points.

Treasurer’s report 
Financially, we broke even during the month of October. Actually, we were in the black by about $200. Before we get too excited, it was the month of our Fall Sectional, which provides us with extra income. But, we also had  some extra expenses, like paying the lawyer who brokered out lower rent. I am confident that when the extra-ordinary plusses or minuses to our finances end,

UNIT CALENDAR 2017 -2018
 
November 24- Dec 3                              North American Bridge Championships – San Diego
December 2     Noon            Open & 99er Unit        Championship
December 4-10                                       STAC games
December 10                          Noon       Unit Christmas Party
                                                12:45       Annual Meeting
                                                1   pm      Open & 299er STAC game
December 12                          6:45         99er Championship
December 11-17                                     Palm Springs Regional
December 20                          6:30         Unit Championship
December 26-31                                     LA Regional
December 27                          6:30         Unit Championship
December 30                    Noon       Open & 99er Championship
December 31                         I pm         Championship Fast Pairs
January 1-7                                             Monterey Regional
January 20-21   Noon & TBA  NAP D21 Flight A Burlingame
January 21         Noon & TBA NAP D21 Flight C Burlingame
February 3         Noon & TBA NAP D21 Flight B San Jose

WINNERS
NAP  UNIT FINALS
1          Laura Da Costa - Ray April
2          Robert Durbrow - Richard Meffley
 
MEMBERSHIP CHAMPIONSHIP
1A       Margaret Mahaffey - Howard Arquette
2A1BC            Rosalie Jorgensen - James Sweet
3A2BC            Mary Lou Pease - Jane Bragg
 
750 MEMBERSHIP  
1ABC  Rhonda Hampton - Renee Laquerriere
2A       Jackie Finn - George Efthemon
3A2BC            John Hempel - Jerry F. Noga
3B        Mary Ann Clark - Gay Berry
3C        Pamela Pigg - Brenda Ward
 
99er MEMBERSHIP

1. Fred Schellack - Steve Johnson
2. Barbara Gaudin - Julia Kendall

 
99er MEMBERSHIP
1A           Steve Johnson - Margot Cegielski
2A1B      Carol Fiorentino - John Cadwalader
2/3B        Scarlett Richman - Juan Sobenes
2/3B        Robert Heisdorf - Joan Clark
 
 CLUB APPRECIATION  
1ABC  Sheila Smith - Mary Lou Pease
2A                   Carol Rodder - Margaret Mahaffey
3A2B   Skip Miller - Cynthia Tingey
3/4B2C            George Dalition - Gwen Davey
3/4B     Jim Mckoane - Judy Jessick
 
CLUB APPRECIATION
1A       Belva Quattrin - William Glass
2A       Mun Takeda - Gerard Laquerriere
3A1B   Carol Rodder - Avis Morse
2B        Carol Carr - Villa Vejvoda
3/4B     Anthony Toto - Byron Steinert
3/4B1C            George Dalition - George Efthemon
2C        Sheila Smith - Gerry Jones

750 CLUB APPRECIATION
1AB     Patricia Creede - Mary Claire Ewing
2AB     Rhonda Hampton - Mary Gullo
3A       Pearl McGinnis - Barbara Brock
3B        Don Myers - Doris Myers
1C        Sandy OwYoung-Chu - Marva White
2C        Yvonne Jeffrey - Lois Layne
3C        Robert Cherry - Tay Cherry
 

LESSONS
The current Saturday morning lessons conclude on December 9. December 16 will be an individual game for all taking lessons. The Tuesday morning series ends on December 5.
Easybridge I and II start again on Saturday morning, January 20. Please convince your neighbors or friends that bridge is a great game and they need to go to beginning lessons.
Clovis Adult School will have beginning lessons at our bridge club on Tuesday nights, taught by Mary Lou Pease. Lessons will be from 6:30to 8:30 pm, starting on January 16, 2018. A second series starts on March 13.

BID on a GAME with a LIFE MASTER
A silent auction to play with Life Masters begins on January 8 and concludes on Sunday, January 28, with a Pro-Am game. Bid high and bid quick!  If you win Gerard Laquerriere, you may get an extra prize – we’ll announce it next month. If you win a Life Master, you must make arrangements to play sometime after January 28.

WHAT ARE MASTER POINTS?
Master points are awarded to the top players at every level of ACBL sanctioned bridge events. They come in many colors – red, gold, black, silver, and platinum. There are even colorless points. Somewhat like golf events, the awards are higher when the level of competition increases. Awards in golf increase from club weekly events to the annual tournament to the Fresno City championship to the Northern California championship to state and national championships to the various professional tours to the Masters and US and British Opens. The ACBL sanctions many clubs, plus sectional, regional, and North American (NABC) tournaments – all color coded. Generally, clubs award black points, sectionals award silver points, regionals award red and gold points, and NABCs award red, gold, and platinum points. On special occasions, clubs can award silver, red, or gold points. Internet points are colorless. NABC events award more master points than regional events, which are more than sectional events which are more than club events.
Fifty years ago there were basically two rankings and two colors. Life Master and not Life Master; red points and not red points. Club games awarded a whole master point only once a month. Tournaments had Championship games and side games. Now there are a half dozen ranks below Life Master and even more ranks for Life Masters. Gold points started in 1968. Silver, black, and platinum points followed. Every rank requires a certain number of master points of various colors.
Tournaments now can have several events each day – open championships, plus two or three championships events with an upper master point limit, such as 200, 500, 750, or 1,500 master points. Since the competition is more difficult in open events, the ACBL awards more master points in open than in limited events. Master points are awarded according to a complicated formula which takes into account the master point limit of the event, the ranking of the event (club, sectional, regional, or NABC), the number of competitors, and the type of event. Every five years an ACBL committee gets together and examines the Master Point Plan and makes changes, often giving more points to some kinds of events and fewer to others. Most often the changes mean more master points for everyone.
 

 
UNIT CHAMPIONSHIP
1A       Howard Arquette - Ray April
2A       Laura Da Costa - Margaret Mahaffey
3A1B   Brenda Ward - Walt Kelso
2B        Pamela Pigg - Jonel Mueller
 
 
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
1          Mark Stern - Sally Anne Stern
2          Jim Mckoane - Judy Dodd
 
1          Gary Nelson – Richard Meffley
2/3       Mary & Nick Gullo
2/3       Larry & Gay Slates
 
1A       Robert Durbrow - Lowell Gist
2/3A    Skip Miller - Byron Steinert
2/3AB1            Judy Zimmerer - Rhonda Hampton
2B        JoannE. Evans - Carol Rodder
 
750 CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
1A       Janet Blumberg - Stephen Blumberg
2A1B   Kathleen Coit - William Coit
3A2B   Patricia Creede - Marva White
3B1C   Denny Tweed - Cathleen Burden
2C        Sandra Beebe - Judy Pardun
3C        Kathryn Miller - Mary Claire Ewing
 
INDIVIDUAL
1          June Oeser
2/4       Robert Durbrow
2/4       Gary Nelson
2/4       Angelina Heisdorf
 
OAKHURST WINNERS
Ken Doig - Claire Molnar [2]
Wally Wallace - Paul Mertens
Jim Luther - Ira Estin
Ken Doig - Kirk Moulin
Ken Doig - T Srinivasan
 
 SPECIAL
Mark Stern - Margaret Mahaffey
Gary Nelson – Richard Meffley
Jay Roll - George Dalition
Belva Quattrin - Sally Anne Stern
Sheila Smith - Cynthia Tingey
Judy Zimmerer - Rhonda Hampton
Byron Steinert - Skip Miller
Laura Neville - Margaret Mahaffey
Belva Quattrin - Mark Stern
Carol Kaufman - Richard Meffley
William Glass - Belva Quattrin
Lowell Gist - Mark Stern
Deb Petersen - Barbara Wiedel[B]
Gary Nelson - June Oeser [B]
Avis Morse - Lisa D'Arcy [B]
Mary Gullo - Nick Gullo [B]
Kent Billeter - Sydney Bluestone [B]
Virginia Johnson - Jackie Finn [B]
Jackie Reichard - Jan Armbruster [C]
Carol Kaufman - Barbara Diebert [C]
Virginia Hailey - Paula Baraldi [C]
 
750 SPECIAL
John Oakshott - Peggy Oakshott
Deb Petersen - Barbara Wiedel
Patricia Creede - Mary Claire Ewing [B]
Marlene Robinson - Barbara Kelley [C]
Jonel Mueller - Rita Gladding [C]
 
99ER CHAMPIONSHIP
1A       Steve Johnson - Margot Cegielski
2A1B   Carol Fiorentino - John Cadwalader
2/3B     Scarlett Richman - Juan Sobenes
2/3B     Robert Heisdorf - Joan Clark
 
99er
Margot Cegielski - M. Steve Johnson
June Oeser - Julia Kendall [B]
Ruby Buttereck - Alvin Fred Schellack
Margot Cegielski - M. Steve Johnson