12/19/08

Don joined the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL)  on October 23, 1992.  In November 1996 he went to his first National tournament in SF while visiting son David for two days, winning 2 red points.  He had better success at his second National in Toronto in June 2001.

Don became an ACBL “Life Master” in  March 1998 in Reno with Mary as a partner. Although an excellent player, Mary does not share Don’s addiction to the game. He reached 500 master points and became a Bronze Life Master in September 1999 in Whitehall, NY playing with Ray Johnson...  

 He had a great start in January 2000, winning almost 50 points.  In Orlando in January 2000 he reluctantly played in one KO with an 80 plus year old Anna Kuhns and our win made her a Life Master.  Here is our team: Suzanne Reinert, Anna Kuhns, "Lucky" Jim Hansell, and Don.  Don won as many points in 2000 as in 1998 & 1999 combined.  2001 started slowly, but the 50 points in May in Ottawa was great. 

He became a Silver Life Master when he reached 1000 total points in March 2002 playing with Julie Van Stone.  That year he won 50  points in April in Ft Lauderdale, 35 points in June in Saratoga, and 30 points in July in Montreal.

Don played fewer tournaments in 2003, with his best result in October in Kingston, ON winning 34 points.  

In 2004 he won 58 points in February in Reno, 27 points in March in Miami, 34 points in May in Kingston, and 56 points in November in Orlando.

His best results in 2005 were in April in Orlando and in October in Ottawa where he won 31 and 32 points respectively.

In July 2006 at the Chicago NABC Don played with two partners: Scott Hiller and Audrey OConnor to win 43 points.  Here is a winning Knockout Team of Tom Doyle, Ed Lewis, Don, and Scott Hiller. In August 2006 in Montreal he won 21 points  playing with Barb Hastings and Paul Lord. In early October, there was a Regional Tournament in Naples, Florida.  Don played with 8 different partners, 6 of which he had never played with, earning over 30 points. In playing in a  Knock Out event with Greg Goggin, he helped Greg get the points Greg needed to become a Life Master. In mid October he played in Danbury, CT winning only 16 points.

Don started well in January 2007, winning 39 points in Orlando. In April he went to the tournament in Gatlinburg for the first time (instead of  Fort Lauderdale), and collected 83 points. The June issue of Table Talk, a publication of the Vermont Bridge Association, included an article about Don.    Don won over 85 points and became a Gold Life Master playing with Eddie Katten at the National Tournament in Nashville in July.  In August, Cathy Chell and Don won 42 points in Montreal. Then in September 2007 he picked up 65 points in Naples, FL playing with Steve Wallis, an excellent young player from Tampa. Don played with Eddie Katten the last seven days of the National Tournament after Thanksgiving in San Francisco. Only picked up 33 points...most by winning a Knockout.  Here is our team of Don, Carl Brame, Joanna Chau, and Eddie Katten.

In January 2008, picked up 35 points in Orlando in the five days he was there.  Here is Don and various teammates: Bill Wheeler, Cathy Chell, Ed Chajkowski, Scott Hiller, and Steve Wallis.  Don roomed with Scott and played with Steve and Cathy.  In April, he won 37 points with Mike Patel, Ed Katten, and Sam Atabaki in Gatlinburg where he also had dinner with Lars Moquist a fantastic bridge player and disk jockey from Sweden.  Although he only played eighteen days in April at the Naples Bridge Center, he was the top master point winner with over 19 points. In May, Don had an OK tournament in Saratoga Springs, NY winning 25 points with Don Robertson. We played together in a five day tournament in Sturbridge, MA in June and picked up 18 points. In August Don spent 11 days in Las Vegas at a National Tournament.  He played a lot of team games with his roommate Ed Katten.  Carl Gueli and his wife Lydia Betz were the other teammates and Don won 67 points.  Played with Cathy Chell in Montreal for 5 days in August and picked up 22 points. Skipped the tournament in Naples in September, as Mary was recovering from a heart attack.  Don did attend the first week of the National tournament in Boston before Thanksgiving.  A poor result, winning only 19 points.

MASTER POINTS WON

Mini-McKenney Awards are made by the ACBL each year for various master point levels for the highest number of master points won in each Unit.  Don is in Unit 175, a small Unit comprising all of Vermont.  The results are no longer available prior to 2002.  Don won the award as a Bronze Life Master in 2002.  As a Silver Life Master, he: was second by 9 points in 2003, won in 2004, was second in 2005, was fourth in 2006, and won in 2007.  He was also first overall, in 2007.  However, with Don & Mary's heart attacks, Don played fewer tournaments in 2008 and finished third.

For early background see Actuaries and The Rule of Eleven  and Crossing The Finish Line.

Home | About Us | On The Go | A Walk In The Forest | Bridgemania | Mathematics | Genealogy & Pictures | Vermont Rental