By Elizabeth Hamilton

[email protected]

415-994-3527

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

The above quote is from Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish American industrialist and philanthropist. We have all heard of Carnegie Hall and many other institutions that bear his name. His achievements have earned him a highly respected place in history. Taking his advice may help us to steer our bridge community in a direction that will make it strong.

Teamwork will be an essential component in our challenge to redefine the bridge world and preserve the game that so many of us enjoy. 

It is a game that stimulates the mind and brings friends together. That can be achieved in a duplicate contract bridge tournament, around a table at home or in a local duplicate bridge club. All of these options can be fun!

Covid moved bridge strongly into the online environment and many players and club owners were grateful for that as they could continue to grow their bridge skills, nurture their partnerships and keep clubs viable.

It is clear that online bridge is not the first choice for everyone, but it is extremely popular with many ACBL members. Some may have thought that online bridge would disappear once the pandemic ended, but it is important to realize that these two worlds need to evolve together. There are now two channels available for bridge competition. The choice of where to play belongs to the player.

By Ben Franz

Tournament Chair

[email protected]

Albuquerque Unit 374 is hosting the revival of its popular January regional after a two-year hiatus. The location will be the same --the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North Hotel -- conveniently located near I-25 and Paseo del Norte in North Albuquerque.

The bridge tournament rate has been extended to January 13. Book your rooms by clicking the box below or call the direct reservations line: 1-800-262-2043.

We have a new schedule (two sessions per day at 10 am and 3 pm) with a variety of events that will provide something for players of all levels, including five days of Gold Rush pairs, two daily single session Intermediate/Novice pairs, and a new event – the Soloway Bracketed Knockout teams starting on Tuesday and Friday. The two session Board-A-Match stratified teams event will be held on Thursday.

We will have daily educational speakers, door prize drawings and hospitality gifts. Our dining guide will cover the many options available in Albuquerque with a special section of Santa Fe restaurants for those who decide to take a day to visit our historic state capital.

Rick Weigle will be running our partnership desk! Please email Rick if you need a partner: [email protected].

If you plan to win an event or make life master during our tournament, we want to be prepared to publish your accomplishment(s) and display your picture in our daily bulletin. If you need to put a picture on file, or update the one that is already there, send your name, ACBL number and the picture to: [email protected] You can also send any general requests for information to that email address.

ACBL COVID-19 and local protocols in effect at the time of the tournament will be enforced. All participants must be vaccinated.

By Jack Shoemaker

Tournament Chair

[email protected]

Great weather, a dynamic playing schedule and signature hospitality make the Tucson Winter Regional THE place to play!

The regional will be held Tuesday, February 28 through Saturday, March 4 at the Tanque Verde Lutheran Church, 8625 E. Tanque Verde Road in Tucson. Ample free parking daily. 

Earn 20 percent more masterpoints when you place in the overalls!

With start times of 9:30 am and 2 pm, this tournament schedule includes Bracketed Round Robin teams, Gold Rush pairs and open pairs, and side pair games and 299er pair games in the morning and/or the afternoon. 

A/X/Y Swiss and Bracketed Gold teams will start at 9 am on Saturday, March 4. Saturday lunch will be included in the team entry fee of $32/player. 

Players will receive discounted rates at several nearby hotels. See tournament flyer for details and booking deadlines. 

Free coffee and premium candy provided daily. There are many affordable lunch and dinner options nearby. 

Free lectures by top experts will be held between sessions Tuesday through Friday.

If you need a partner, please contact Doug Cain, partnership chair, [email protected] or go to www.playsouthernazbridge.com and click partnerships to post your request. 

This is a cashless tournament. Smoke and fragrance free as well. ACBL COVID-19 protocols will be enforced.

We look forward to seeing you in Tucson! 

JANUARY

05-07 Tucson, AZ (Open)

13-15 Aurora, CO (Open)

26-28 Yuma, AZ (Open)

27-29 Fountain Hills, AZ (Open)

NEW DATES AND LOCATION!

D17 STAC

January 30-February 5

FEBRUARY

06-12 Unit 351, Mesa, AZ

Progressive Qualifier @ participating clubs

FEBRUARY (Cont.)

08-11 Co. Springs, CO (Open)

17-19 El Paso, TX (Open)

25-26 Co. Springs, CO (I/N)

25-25 Unit 351, Chandler, AZ

Progressive Final

MARCH

03-05 Aurora, CO (Open)

By Kim Bauer

Co-chair

[email protected]

The Progressive Sectional is a unique, two-part bridge event. All ACBL members are welcome and we invite you to join us!

Part one is a weeklong Qualifier held at Unit 351 participating clubs from February 6 through 12.  

Part two is the Final itself -- a one-day, one-session tournament where pair games are the only event played. This is a bracketed event, so you will play against players in your bracket only. 

Silver points will be awarded for winners of the Progressive Sectional Final and in all qualifying games.

The 2023 Unit 351 Progressive Sectional Final will be held on Saturday, February 25 at Risen Savior Lutheran Church (South Building Fellowship Hall) located at 23914 S. Alma School Road, Chandler, AZ 85248. The fee will be $8 for ACBL members. The doors will open at 9 am. Game start time is 10 am. Cookies and beverages will be served. 

Mary Porter, 480-854-1620, will handle partnerships for those who qualify to play, but do not have a partner.

To qualify for the Final, you must play in a qualifying game at one of the Unit 351 participating clubs and finish in the top 50% of the field in your bracket or have a 50% game or better. 

Players are permitted to play in as many qualifier games as they would like that week to qualify for the Progressive Final event. 

The participating Unit 351 clubs and the game dates and times can be found in the Progressive Sectional flyer below. Flyers are available at all participating clubs and can be downloaded from the Unit 351 website.  

Chairpersons in charge of this event are Kim Bauer, [email protected] and Susie Welker, [email protected]. 

The D17 2022-2023 Grand National Teams (GNTs) Finals for Flights A, B and C are scheduled to be held face-to-face at Denver’s Rocky Mountain Regional Saturday, May 27 and Sunday, May 28, 2023.  

The D17 GNT Championship Flight Finals will be held online at www.bridgebase.com Thursday, April 6 and Friday, April 7, 2023. A team with any amount of masterpoints may enter; however, if you win the Championship Flight, you and your team may not participate in another Flight’s Final. 

You must qualify at a club or unit GNT qualifying game to play in the D17 GNT Finals regardless of flight. Please encourage your club manager or unit board to schedule qualifying games. The last date to hold qualifying games is February 28, 2023. 

All teams must preregister to play in the GNT Finals. Teams registering for the Championship Flight must do so by Friday, March 31, 2023. Teams registering for Flights A, B and C must do so by Sunday, May 15, 2023. 

The winning team of each flight is eligible to compete in the National Final scheduled to be played in-person at the Chicago NABC starting July 12, 2023.

Don’t miss your opportunity to play in this prestigious grass roots event!

For details contact Bonnie Bagley, D17 GNT Coordinator, [email protected] 

The D17 North American Pairs (NAPs) Finals were held at the Las Vegas Glitter Gulch Regional in November.

Congratulations to our Finalists and to all the pairs who competed!

The top three pairs in Flight A and the top four pairs in Flight B and Flight C are eligible to advance to the NAPs Championships held during the 2023 Spring NABC in New Orleans, LA.

For information contact Lakin Hines, D17 NAPs Coordinator, [email protected]

First Place: Sheri Winestock and Joshua Donn, Las Vegas.

Second Place: Valentin Kovachev, Las Vegas and Douglas Fjare, Estes Park, CO.

Third Place: Shirley Scott and Judy Hummel, Colorado Springs, CO.

First Place: Shendi and Chen Young, Henderson, NV.

Second Place: Kyle Rockoff, Gilbert, AZ and Ovunc Yilmaz, Denver.

Third Place: Lakin Hines, Sun Lakes, AZ and Shari Smart, Gilbert, AZ.

Fourth Place: Greg Bohn and Renee Hall, Las Vegas.

First Place: Jonathan Dings and Elizabeth Cole, Boulder, CO. 

Second Place: Deborah and Albert Coffrin, Santa Fe, NM.

Third Place: Cathrine Currie, Rio Rancho, NM and Barry Nagel, Albuquerque, NM.

Fourth Place: Donna Agee, Centennial, CO and Jean Sundling, Denver, CO.

The 2022 D17 election cycle is complete, with three candidates elected to the D17 Board.

Elizabeth Hamilton, incumbent, representing Las Vegas, NV Unit 373, and Bill Phillips, incumbent, representing Arizona at large Units 355 and 358, ran unopposed and were elected by acclamation.  

Diana Galis, defeated incumbent Steve Reynolds and will represent Tucson, AZ Unit 356 on the D17 Board. 

Each member will serve three-year terms beginning January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025.

Officer Elections  

The D17 Board elected officers during an online meeting held Thursday, December 8, 2022. 

The following Board members were elected for one-year positions beginning January 1, 2023 through January 31, 2023:

• Elizabeth Hamilton, representing Las Vegas Unit 373, has been re-elected to serve as President.

• Neil Hunter, representing Northern New Mexico Unit 374, 381, 383, has been elected to serve as Vice President. 

• Jennifer O’Neill, representing Denver Unit 361, has been re-elected to serve as Treasurer. 

• Bill Phillips, representing AZ at large Units 355 and 358, has been re-elected to serve as Recording Secretary.

• Lakin Hines, representing Mesa, AZ Unit 351, has been re-elected to serve as Election Secretary.

“On behalf of the D17 Board, I would like to thank Steve Reynolds for his dedication and his service to the D17 bridge community,” said Liz Hamilton, president, D17 Board. “Although Steve will no longer be serving as a D17 Board member, we hope we will continue to benefit from his wealth of experience in bridge administration.”

In 2018, Steve was elected to represent Tucson Unit 356 on the D17 Board where he served as Vice President, Tournament Committee Chair and Bylaws Committee member. 

Prior to being elected, Steve served as Unit 356 President and managed 10 successful regionals and 30+ sectionals as Unit Tournament Chair. Steve provided great hospitality, offering morning lox and bagels, buffet lunches, premium candies and other signature touches that made Tucson unique.

Steve also served as President of the Adobe Bridge Club in Tucson, is a certified director, an ACBL certified instructor and an accomplished bridge player.  

“I have had the privilege of playing with Steve as my partner,” said Don Lieberman. “He taught me his ‘system’ and it makes for an interesting day. He is dedicated to the Adobe Bridge Club and displays an attitude that is admired by all.” 

Thank you Steve, for all that you have done for our membership and for our great game of bridge. 

Diane Adams, Unit 363, Fort Collins, CO.

Jack Shoemaker, Unit 356, Tucson, AZ.

Not pictured: Cynthia Huang, Unit 373, Las Vegas and

Bruce Pincus, Unit 361, Frederick, CO.