    | For the year-to-date, Minnesota's overall tournament tables stand at 1,528. This is off 656 tables from this point last year, or -30.0%, but remember, we had no Gopher Regional this year. If you exclude the Gopher Regional tables from last year's comparative figures, then our tournament tables are actually up by +5.5%. Also note that the NABC doesn't count anywhere in these totals - these are strictly for Minnesota's own regionals and sectionals. A couple of new tournaments will take place in the next couple of weeks, in Duluth and Plymouth, and then the big Holiday Sectional at Unit 103's St Paul Bridge Center in December. So there are a lot more tournament tables yet to come. |
Sectional November 4-6 Duluth  | Sectional November 6-7 Plymouth  | Sectional December 10-13 Roseville  | Sectional Feb 3-6 Roseville  | Sectional March 3-6 Roseville  | Sectional April 15-17 Rochester  |
 Although Patti Stuhlman [Minneapolis] has officially announced her retirement from chairing this tournament, she has been instrumental in helping to secure a new location for 2027 and onward (another reason for which we can all be grateful she's part of this bridge community!). Patti, Dave Neiman [Minneapolis], and representatives from Minnesota's two bridge units (that put this tournament together) will be looking at a possible new playing location tomorrow. Details of the agreements are not yet ready to be made public, but by this time next week things could be a lot less scary for the future of the Gopher as well as those who will be playing there - and for that we're thankful for everyone involved. So many bridge players expect to just show up and play cards, but there's so much that goes on behind the scenes, it's important to remember these things don't just rise from the pumpkin patch. Stay tuned (should you dare). |
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The "A" Flight of teams (top chart on your left) finds the Balderson team and the Knippenberg team in a tight race through four matches. There's an asterisk here, as the Carroll team has only played two of four matches to date. Doing well in either of those two matches would put the Carroll team among these two (or even ahead slightly), so if those matches are made up you're going to have a real horse race with three matches left on the calendar. Another couple of potential candidates in the mix would be the Kramer team and the Waller team, who each have one match yet to play of the four. These four teams that are not caught up all play each other in these matches yet to be played - so not everyone has the potential to be at the top of the heap. But there's no definitive leader just yet. The "B" Flight (middle chart) teams saw the McIntyre team this week leap-frogging the Walker team to take 1st place (at the moment). This was a result of the Walker team tying the Hayward team in match 4 (15-15), with the McIntyre team dominating the Wehrman squad 27-3. Just one match of the sixteen has yet to be played in the Flight "B" group, and that would be the Flowerday team vs Westermeyer. A knockout blow by the Westermeyer team would put them very near the top and you'll have a three-way race for first in Flight "B". The Flowerday team will be making every effort to prevent that. The "C" Flight (top chart to your right) found the top two teams through the first three matches scheduled to face off in match four. They have yet to play this match, but the Cutter team leads the Hartzler squad 81-62 going into it - so the result of this match will determine whether there's a tight race developing in the Flight "C" or whether the Cutter team will have a significant lead going into the fifth round of seven. So much bridge yet to take place! There have been some lopsided results in these matches, of course, and with a 30-0 round possible (and frankly, likely), a lot of changes among the standings will happen in the next few weeks. On the other hand - of all the teams that have played their four matches to date - not one of them is undefeated. It's the beauty of teams play. Round 5 will get underway and we'll have another report from Team League Central (that's just inside the front door to the Bridge Center) in a couple of weeks. |
DAVID: I really enjoyed the moment. It's not the most important thing in my life, but it was a pleasure. BRIDGE BLOG: Well, it should be! This sort of thing doesn't happen but once. DAVID: We had a big win in the morning (19½ of 24 points in the team game), and then in the afternoon we returned to the real world. But it was great for the moment. BRIDGE BLOG: You've needed your silver points to get Life Master for awhile now; but you have had plenty of gold points for some time. Did you find that these silver points were the most difficult to get? DAVID: You know, I was unaware that I needed silver points! The ACBL said I only need more black points, [I thought] gold counted as silver. But the devil is in the details. BRIDGE BLOG: Right. The ACBL doesn't count gold as silver because you can't get silver at a regional, only sectional tournaments - and they want to make sure you play in both regionals and sectionals, which you've certainly done now. Was there any celebration that you had, or plan to have, to commemorate this milestone in your bridge career? DAVID: After I drove home, I did open a bottle of champagne to celebrate with my wife. BRIDGE BLOG: Nice. Maybe she thought, "finally, he'll be home all the time now!" DAVID: [Laughs.] BRIDGE BLOG: We're sure she knows that you appreciate her support along the way here, and it's not possible to get to this point in your bridge career without having some other support from fellow bridge players along the way. . .is there anyone that you'd like to mention or thank for helping you get to this point? DAVID: I'd like to thank my partner Jim Lair, and the St Paul Bridge Center; they're rock solid supporters. BRIDGE BLOG: What about a good story to share of your road to this milestone? Most new Life Masters have one or two of someone they played against, or a bidding sequence that went wrong at the worst possible moment, etc.? DAVID: None that I will admit to! BRIDGE BLOG: Ha! Ok, that's funny, and one we haven't heard before. So what about going forward for you - do you plan to keep going with bridge here, or maybe take a break for awhile? DAVID: Well, I play bridge to keep my brain functioning and for the companionship - and those reasons will not change. BRIDGE BLOG: Last question for you - there are quite a few bridge players out there who are not yet Life Masters. Is there any advice that you would give them as they work towards this goal? DAVID: I would say good luck! Be nice! And enjoy the ride. |
 | Saturday was the third and final day of competition at Unit 103's St Paul Bridge Center. The morning pairs was won by Teri Blu [Bloomington] and Belinda Caspari [Bloomington], who turned in a 62.18% performance which earned them 8.02 silver points. The teams portion of the morning open crowd was won by Layne Vinje [Rochester], Sheri French [Roseville], Matthew Bribitzer-Stull [Bloomington], and Jason Bribitzer-Stull [Bloomington]. They picked up 7.06 silver points on their result. The morning 749ers saw Joseph Carter [Eagan] and Monty Martin [Maplewood] coming in 1st in the pairs for 2.29 silver points and a game of 63.39%. On the 749ers team side, Zachary Wefel [St Cloud], Charlie Maternus [Waite Park], Dan Ganter [Maple Grove], and Thomas Bedford [St Paul] came in 1st for 2.01 silver. There were 25 tables in play during the morning, and then after lunch 20 tables of players resumed action for the final session of the tournament. The total tables for the 3-day event came in at 152½, that's ½ table more than last year (or +0.3%). In the final session, it was an exceptionally close match in the 13-table open pairs. Only ½ of a matchpoint separated first and second place, with Paul Meerscheart [Long Lake] and David Collins [Fridley] scoring a 64.77% game Saturday afternoon. That was good enough to place second to the 64.96% game that Sarah Wahl [Minneapolis] and Linus Bendel-Stenzel [Richfield] put together to come in 1st overall and pick up 6.88 silver points. The 749ers on Saturday afternoon found an equally close match of just the ½ of a matchpoint separating first and second place! Lynn Vettel [Plymouth] and Mary Helen Gill [Long Lake] scored a 57.08% game but came in second to the 57.50% game Saturday afternoon earned by Betsy Michel [Minneapolis] and Michael Strom [Minneapolis]. All of the top masterpoint winners are listed to your left. |
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  | It was a wild squeaker in the 749er game Friday morning with Margie Robinson [White Bear Lake] and Mark Bender [Roseville] winning with their 63.71% game; they eked out the win over a 63.52% outing put together by Marc Anderson [New Prague] and Janice Dunker [Cannon Falls]. Results from the afternoon session have not been posted on the ACBL results page as of Friday night; but here is a reminder that with these pair/team games the masterpoint awards you'll see on the ACBL website are not correct - you don't get credit for both the pairs game and the teams game. The masterpoint leaders on your left are the correct awards through day 2. You can check out all of the results for this tournament by clicking here. |
 The morning session saw defending tournament champion Jackson Wahl [Minneapolis] and partner Charles Carroll [St Paul] win the opening game with a 65.97% score. The 8.71 silver points in the morning was tops among the players, with Carol Rynders [St Paul] and Linda Purrington [Eagan] coming in 2nd. Jackson and Charlie were paired with David Neiman [Minneapolis] and David Newhall [Mahtomedi] in the teams part of the morning game, coming in 1st where the two Davids picked up 7.66 silver points. The morning session of the 749ers saw Firoz Nilam [Lakeville] and Christopher Shol [Phoenix AZ] winning the pairs game with a 67.86% score and earning 2.41 silver points. All of the morning 749ers info can be found by clicking here. After the lunch break, the second session on day 1 found Jackson and Charlie coming in 2nd place, although they had a terrific 65.83% game. Joseph Carter [Eagan] and Dan MacIntyre [St Paul] won the afternoon game with their 66.83% outing - and picked up 8.25 silver points for the effort. The teams side of the afternoon game saw Sheri French [Roseville] and Layne Vinje [Rochester] earning 7.26 silver points as they teamed up with Jackson and Charlie. The Thursday afternoon 749er pairs saw Eric Edwalds [Minneapolis] and Suzanne Jiwani [Edina] with a 68.45% game to pick up 2.29 silver points and first place overall. They also won the team event, with David Rosedahl [Hopkins] and Robert Marx [Maple Grove]. The 2.01 silver points these four picked up for the afternoon team event was just enough to put Robert over the top and become a new Life Master - congratulations to Robert! |
  | Ryan Johnson [North Mankato] and William Anderson [Mankato] scored a 66.00% game in this event to come in 1st overall in all of D14. Their reward includes 15.00 masterpoints. Second place went to Steve Gaynor [Arden Hills] and Barry Purrington [Eagan], who played at Unit 103's St Paul Bridge Center. Rochester was the only other club to hold this game, and a pair from that bridge club is also represented in the overalls to your left. (Fort Dodge IA had was the other D14 club that signed up to run this game, but with less than five tables yesterday, they would not be eligible for any overall awards - so they ran a regular masterpoint game in its place.) |
 But this may have changed for the game, as the increase in Y-O-Y weekly tables per game across the ACBL has finally reached 0.00 this month. It marks the first time that a year-over-year weekly increase hasn't happened, and is part of the general trend downward that has been taking place for some time. It's entirely possible that we're at the top of the rollercoaster ride - and going forward, games overall may be getting smaller. Just because this may be the case across the ACBL, doesn't mean it has to be the case in Minnesota. Things have been going pretty well in our state's clubs, and there's no reason to see why that can't continue - but it's a reminder that everything you do to help at your local club (or at the tournament level) also helps Minnesota buck this ACBL-wide trend. |
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   | In 2026, our estimated number for Minnesota's growth in club tables looks to be +3.4%. It's a positive number - which is terrific news - and although it doesn't match last year's growth, it's a very good outlook for the year. While last year we picked up 474½ tables over 2024, this year's estimate of an additional +361½ tables would be the envy of many, many other states. Two important factors to remember when digesting these numbers: first, the NABC in July saw several metro area clubs close for 11 days. That's a big chunk of tables we would normally count and which, this year, are missing. Second, these table estimates are for face-to-face club tables only - and do not include any tournament tables or online tables, even when they are held at a local club. Breaking the estimate down, the club with far and away the greatest expected growth will be the Plymouth bridge club Spades and Company. Another asterisk here, as this club was not in operation during all of 2025. This is the first full year of tables for Spades, so of course their comparative number to last year will be in the stratosphere. The past couple of years have seen the Woodbury club and St Cloud DBC with some explosive growth; Woodbury, in part because of the St Paul Bridge Center's move to Roseville, and St Cloud due to their emphasis on encouraging newer players and friendly playing atmosphere. Here in 2026, it looks like Woodbury has come back down to earth, showing an estimated growth of about 7 tables during 2026 or +0.7%. St Cloud, on the other hand, is still on fire, adding another estimated 191 tables in 2026 or +12.5%. Clubs that lost tables in 2025 that look to lose more tables again in 2026 include Mankato (down an estimated 70½ tables, or -13.8%), Northfield (down an estimated 29 tables, or -16.3%), Edina (down an estimated 130 tables or -8.1%), and Maple Grove's Metro BC (down an estimated 56½ tables, or -6.3%). We'll get the real figures once we get to the end of the year. Remember that a lot can happen in the next ten weeks! But presently, it sure looks like Minnesota's overall club tables year-over-year will be another positive number for 2026, and that is something that's not expected to change between now and December 31st. |
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  UPDATE #2: It's all over. Congratulations go out to Charles Carroll [St Paul] and Kurt Schaefer [Lakeville], who are the Open Flight/Flight "A" D14 NAP Champions - and Jackson Wahl [Minneapolis] and Sarah Wahl [Minneapolis], who are the D14 NAP Flight "B" Champions this year! Neither one of these pairs was in any real danger this weekend, as they played well from the start and played consistently well throughout the four sessions. But the competition was good, the bridge was fun, and now we'll see who else is heading to the Dallas TX NABC in the spring to represent D14 (and the state of Minnesota). Charlie and Kurt were actually signed up for the Flight "A" Finals this year, but a lack of interest in the Flight "A" resulted in them playing up in and among the Open Flight. It did not seem to hurt them too much - but now they'll have the option of whether they want to play in Dallas at the NABC in the Open -or- the Flight "A" group. The bigger battle on the day was between the second, third, and fourth place pairs in the Flight "B". Heading into this final round with less than 1.00% separating them, an overtrick might never have meant more in a contest. (The full scoreboard is to your left.) All of the results from this D14 NAP Finals can be found by clicking here. UPDATE #1: We're at the session break in the D14 NAP Finals today. With three sessions down and one to go this evening, your leaderboard to the left has been updated. The Open/Flight "A" group this afternoon was won by Charles Carroll [St Paul] and Kurt Schaefer [Lakeville], with their 59.26% game; and the Flight "B" crowd was won this afternoon by Jackson Wahl [Minneapolis] and Sarah Wahl [Minneapolis], who scored a 62.50% game in session three. There's quite a battle for second place in the "B" Flight, with three pairs separated by less than a percent. There's still one session to go - but what would it take for these flight leaders to be overcome by another pair? And that's if it's even possible? If it is, it's not going to be easy.
PREVIOUSLY: Everything is on the line today, as the final two sessions of the D14 NAP Finals take place on BBO. Results from the matches today will be posted as they are played; session number three in these Finals (the first session of today) will see results posted at about 4:00pm, with the final results available after the final session at ~8:00pm. Good luck to all participants! |
  | What's particularly curious about this low turnout is that both the number of players in D14 that qualified to go on to this competition - and the number of club-level qualifying NAP tables held during the June-July-August period - were both up from last year. D14 qualified players in 2026 were up +3.2% over last year - and D14 qualifying tables at local clubs were up +4.7%. This is the 4th consecutive year of more D14 NAP tables at the club level than the previous year - and the 4th consecutive year of a decline in NAP Finals participation. We've been a big proponent of moving these NAP Finals to an in-person contest rather than online, as bridge is a social game (and you're missing that nice social component sitting at home on the computer, IOHO) - but would that make any difference in attendance at the NAP Finals? It's hard to say without giving the move to in-person games a try. But this is a great program and we're hoping it doesn't go away. At the current rate, playing in person doesn't appear as though it could be any worse for attendance. (Someday we may get to find out.) |
 After a warm-up session this afternoon, Jackson Wahl [Minneapolis] and Sarah Wahl [Minneapolis] played to type this evening, with an impressive 72.12% outing. That puts them at the top of the leaderboard with a two-session average of 65.81%. In second place in this evening's session and in second place overall heading into tomorrow is Carole Mataya [Rochester] and Matt Belau [Rochester]. Their 57.05% game this evening gives them a two-session average of 56.25%. All of the Flight "B" action from session two can be found by clicking here. UPDATE (AT THE BREAK): The first of the four matches in the D14 NAP Finals has been played. Round 1 in the Open/Flight "A" session went to Charles Carroll [St Paul] and Kurt Schaeffer [Lakeville], who kicked things off with a 62.96% game to come in 1st. They were followed by Stephen Jackson [Roseville] and Susan Jackson [Roseville], who scored a 61.11% game. . Full results of the 1st match in the Open + Flight "A" group can be found by clicking here. In the Flight "B" crowd, the first of four sessions saw Richard Trachy [Golden Valley] and Kris Verdin [St Paul] stake an early lead with their 63.14% game, followed by Connie Nelson [Avon] and Jim Schnepf [Avon] in second place with a 60.90% game this afternoon. The Flight "B" pairs and their results for the opening salvo in this Finals can be found by clicking here. The second session of bridge gets underway at 5pm - with results from this evening's session available by about 8:30pm. EARLIER TODAY: This afternoon will be session 1 and this evening session 2 of four bridge games to determine who will represent D14 (and very likely Minnesota) in the ACBL's North American Pairs contest in Dallas TX next spring at their NABC. The pairs are set for each flight (see the chart to your left), and we'll have updates as they become available later today in real time as the results get posted. There's quite a bit of news here, starting with the Flight "C" competition. Only four pairs signed up for Flight "C" this year, so they are unable to run that game. The good news is that all four pairs who signed up are eligible to go to Dallas TX for the NABC next spring! There is the question of money - who gets the stipend - but that's something that will be figured out later. The Flight "B" competition had 6½ tables in it, but one of the Flight "C" pairs elected to "play up" in the "B" competition to fill out a table - thanks to Weston Cutter [Mendota Heights] and Jenny Bourne [Minneapolis], who are already going to Dallas TX in the Flight "C". . .but are helping out with the Flight "B". And Stephen Jackson [Roseville] and Susan Jackson [Roseville] have been added to the Open/Flight "A" group, in order to avoid a sitout there. Although they are not eligible to go on to Dallas, their participation is very much appreciated. Five full tables in the Open/Flight "A", seven full tables in the Flight "B", and no Flight "C" this year. In addition to Weston and Jenny, the other three Flight "C" pairs who are moving on to Dallas TX include Xintao He [Rochester] and Pari Pew [Rochester], Elizabeth Hasselman [Eden Prairie] and Pam Buckley [Eden Prairie], and Ross Anderson [Woodbury] and Mark Feld [Bondurant IA]. |
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  | Typically, this competition features more Minnesota players than any other state in D14. This year is typical. 82.7% of the entrants in the North American Pairs D14 Finals are from Minnesota, with 43 players from our state. Nebraska has 2, Iowa has 3, and South Dakota has 4. Next up: The cards get dealt this weekend! |
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 Alex Warzecha [St Cloud] and partner Win Anderson [St Cloud] were cheered on by Alex's son at the Granite City 749er FallFEST on Saturday. Who wouldn't want this cheering section for their own? |
| PREVIOUSLY: The second of two ACBL-wide "instant matchpoint" games this year will take place next Wednesday, October 21st. This is the game where you'll get a traveler that tells you the number of matchpoints for every board based on your own individual score of that board. . .so you can see how you're doing as you move through the game. Not only are they are fun to play, but you can score big, BIG masterpoints if you happen to do well. The top award in D14 is 15.00 black points, and that's not a bad payday. That's not all - first place in each direction in your game gets a full gold point! Check with your club manager or director to see if they're participating in this special game next week. NOTE: This is one of the most expensive games your club can run - the ACBL charges your club $12.25 per table to operate this Instant Matchpoint game. Don't be surprised if your club charges a few extra dollars to play in it. |
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Kristel Barber [Sunfish Lake] Bonnie Parkins [Royalton] |
 Next up is the Autumn Harvest at Unit 103's St Paul Bridge Center; more details coming up on that in just a few days. It's the big tournament of the fall season, so you'll see a lot more tournament tables added to Minnesota's total once we get to the end of the month. |
    | In the morning session in Sartell, Dan Ganter [Maple Grove] and Tom Bedford [St Paul] came in 1st overall with a 65.29% game. They were followed closely by two pairs, Cindy Carlson [St Cloud] and Judy Knutson [St Cloud], who had a 64.70% game, and a 64.63% game earned by Victoria Jacobson [Oakdale] and Mark Bender [Roseville]. After the lunch break, the afternoon session found hometown locals Bev Berg [Waite Park] and Ken Kappes [Waite Park] winning with a 62.40% outing. They were followed by the eventual overall winners on the day, David and Huldah, who scored a 59.45% game in the afternoon. Tables at the tournament were down, but only by -4.4%. Last fall, 34 full tables played, with 32½ showing up on Saturday. Despite the slightly lower table count, the fun was off the charts (which is what one wants in such an event). Plus, in this day and age, 65 to 70 bridge players for each 749er session on Saturday is a win no matter how you look at it. Connie Nelson [Avon] put together a terrific summary of the day's events (and awards) and that summary is available by clicking on the lower left image - or you can just click here to read all about it. |
  | One thing about Minnesota, and the bridge community in this state, is that our bridge community has been doing relatively well. Over the past several years, we've had less player loss (as a percentage of players) than the ACBL overall, and our club tables have been on the rise. As a whole, Minnesota's year-over-year membership figure is down -2.4% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2025. That's far better than the ACBL's -8.1%. Unit 103's membership is down -5.2%, with Unit 178's actually increasing a bit at +1.4%. So relatively speaking, we're still doing better than the ACBL overall (which is always good) - but there is also always room for improvement. Help stem the tide by reaching out to players who have left the game - or help mentor those players who are new to it. Be welcoming at the table (and not unpleasant). Change it up at the club (innovative games can be fun). Everyone needs to make the effort to keep this game going - and keep Minnesota's bridge community doing better than average. (Hopefully much better.) |
 PREVIOUSLY: Last year's tournament champion at the St Cloud FallFEST today was Wendy Hennes [Sartell], who is eligible to play today. Can she keep the crown for another year? We'll know later tonight. The St Cloud NLM Sectional is open to all players below 749 masterpoints, so play in a session (or both) today and have some fun at the bridge table! |
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 The Rochester DBC held a tailgate party for their 749ers this week; club President Harlan Wickre [Rochester] fired up the smoker, and players brought all kinds of Midwestern tailgate food to celebrate nothing more than a Thursday afternoon bridge game. What a great reason to have a tailgate party! |
   | It should be quite a crowd on BBO next weekend, as D14 has qualified 1,128 players to play in the NAP Finals this year. That is an increase of +3.2% over 2025's NAP qualifiers in D14, and this year the increase in players was led by Unit 184 (up +37.5%) and Unit 216 (up 36.8%). As players earn more masterpoints each year, they "graduate" to the next flight, and we've seen a bonus of +13.2% in the Open Flight qualifiers here in 2026. There were a lot of players hovering around 2,500-3,000 masterpoints this past year, and most of those graduated to the Flight A qualification (that would be 3,000 to 6,000 masterpoints). . .Flight A has seen a huge jump of +20.3% from one year ago. Even the Flight C qualifiers (under 750 masterpoints) saw a bump of +3.8% this year (with 581 qualified players)! What it all means is that you could see as many as 282 tables in the online D14 Finals next weekend. Of course we're not going to see that level of participation (these directors will have plenty going on as it is), but with an increase of players over last year, the right promotion, and 1,128 eligible participants, Keith should have a terrific turnout next weekend. Not only do players who do well get lots and LOTS of gold points in the NAP Finals, the winners in each flight get a stipend for their travel to the spring NABC in 2027 - and they'll be representing D14 (and very possibly Minnesota) at the NABC in Dallas next March. Of course, you've got to enter to play to win - and regardless of how you finish it should be a lot of fun. |
If we could just skip over the winter months for a minute here, and talk about the big thaw coming in the spring of 2027, the Rochester DBC is planning to have their sectional at St Luke's Episcopal Church once again. It's a familiar schedule, with pair/team games and 749er pairs - plus their "patented" hospitality at the church, which (let's face it) is a fan favorite. You'll see more of this flyer when we get closer to spring, but it's great to be able to plan down the road, and especially when we can kind of gloss over that snow and cold that's coming. |
 The chart on your left has a look at the average tables per I/N regional for the past four years. Back in 2023, the ACBL averaged more than 109 tables per I/N regional - now it's under 77. We will see if this makes a difference next year as the new payout program goes into effect. But given the masterpoint inflation everywhere else (and the reduction in payout at I/N regionals because of the limited masterpoint rating), we're curious if a payout of 100% gold would really be so far fetched. . .however an improvement is an improvement and we'll take what we can get. If next year's average table count doesn't come up from the current 2026 level, the ACBL would be smart to move to 100% gold. |
Sectional Sat October 10 St Cloud  | Sectional October 22-24 St Paul | Sectional November 4-6 Duluth | Sectional November 6-7 Plymouth | Sectional December 10-13 Roseville | Sectional Feb 3-6 Roseville |
  There was a five-way tie for the title of Rambling River Champion this year, with Rajiv Kapadia [Mankato], your director and host of the tournament, tied for 1st place with Norrie Thomas [Plymouth], Terry Beckman [Brooklyn Park], Jackson Wahl [Minneapolis], and Sarah Wahl [Minneapolis]. Each of these five players earned 5.50 points to earn a share of the crown. Your top ten masterpoint winners from the tournament are listed just above, and you can get all the results from the Mankato Sectional by clicking here. |
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  Norrie Thomas [Plymouth], Terry Beckman [Brooklyn Park], Jackson Wahl [Minneapolis], and Sarah Wahl [Minneapolis] rode into town on Sunday morning, played 24 boards in Mankato, and never lost even one IMP during the entire game. Of the 24 boards they played, 4 were "pushes", with 20 boards as positive scores. If you've ever heard of a team playing 24 boards without losing a single IMP in a Board-A-Match, we'd like to hear about it. And even if it has happened in a Minnesota BAM game (or anywhere else for that matter), this is incredibly impressive. It serves as a real reminder that if you ever run into these four gunslingers at the bridge table, remember that they mean business. |
 This foursome has been playing and earning masterpoints in the teams games at Seaside this week, and while we're missing them at our local clubs, we're glad to see they're having fun (and at what is a very popular regional, too). Given their 3-0 record so far in the Team League, it doesn't sound like they have too many misunderstandings to iron out - here's hoping they are just having fun spending some time at the bridge table. |
 
| This move is the result of a few different factors, but the primary reason is the aggressive push the St Cloud club makes to engage and encourage newer players. Their uber-friendly atmosphere, along with a zest for games of all sorts (the Kory Solarz Knockdown, as one example), has really paid off over the past couple of years. They've made no secret of their overall plan that's succeeded, and bridge clubs across North America could learn a thing or two from how they've grown. Club tables in Edina haven't slipped a lot in 2026, just -3.8% over the first nine months of 2025. But that is enough to allow St Cloud to bypass them as the second largest bridge club in Minnesota. With just a few months left in this year, it's going to be Unit 103's St Paul Bridge Center as the undisputed #1 club for tables, followed by St Cloud, Edina, and Rochester. Next year could be a completely different story, but one thing is for sure - that story has yet to be written. |
 On day 1, it was Bob Sigafus [Maple Grove] and Cathy Sigafus [Maple Grove] who came in 1st in the morning with their 59.52% game; after the lunch break, it was Rajiv Kapadia [Mankato] and partner David Juberien [St Clair] taking the field with a 61.81% game. There'll be a Swiss teams event today in Mankato, and that's a couple of sessions that can help make up some of the tables missing from day one - but they'll be hard-pressed to come up with 33 total tables from last year when the bidding boxes are put away later this afternoon. This is looking to be quite the trend that's taking shape in the post-NABC era here in Minnesota; a trend which hopefully won't keep up when we get to the Autumn Harvest Sectional in a few weeks. |
   Now, Minnesota's monthly September table data shows this drop in player participation wasn't just limited to the aforementioned regional. Clubs across Minnesota also saw their table counts fall in September, off -1.1% over last September's table count. The majority of Minnesota's bridge clubs saw smaller crowds in September, with only Duluth, Northfield, and the Spades club in Plymouth showing an increase in September tables. September 2025 had 901½ tables in play, while this month statewide we saw only 892. Considering the string of positive year-over-year monthly increases we've had, this would be no time to panic, as one month does not a significant trend make. Plus, if this drop in tables is all due to the NABC this past summer, there may be another month or two before players get back to their regular habits. We will see what October brings. Minnesota's clubs have been on a really good track the past few years, and while it's true that really good track won't last forever - we're hoping it lasts just a little bit longer. |
| They'll have two games during the day for silver points, and feature the St Cloud club's legendary hospitality. The flyer is just to your left - click on it to open it in a new window and check it out. More information is also available on the website of the St Cloud Bridge Club, and you can find that site by clicking here. |
   | District 14 includes several other states, as North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa are all a part of D14. But the D14 Grand National Teams competition so far has been 100% Minnesota clubs and players. Not one club in any of these other states ran a GNT qualifying game during September. Of course, none of these other twenty-six active clubs in D14 needs to run any GNT qualifying games, as the D14 policy for years now has been to allow anyone to "buy-in" to the D14 finals for $20. That policy has become a great disincentive for clubs to run GNT games, IOHO, and it's unfortunate for their players who are missing out on opportunities for the teams play that has gotten so popular everywhere. Back to Minnesota, the month of October typically sees a bit of a dip in GNT games available to players, as this is Jane Johnson Club Appreciation Month. During October, a club appreciation team game pays 5% gold dust - and clubs are likely to cash in on that payout for players. But there are still some GNT games available out there across Minnesota's clubs - check with your club manager or director to see if and when they're running GNT games this month. In addition to qualifying for the GNT, they pay big, BIG masterpoints (½ red and ½ black). Then look for many, many more options as GNT team games return to the schedule for most Minnesota clubs once we get to November. |
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Click on the flyer to your left for all of the details, and plan to have fun. (As you're probably aware, "it's the most wonderful time of the year.") |
The full name, and we should be using it, is "Jane Johnson Club Appreciation Month". Jane Johnson was the ACBL's longtime Club Department Manager until her death in 2001. When she passed away, the ACBL began what was known as the Star Club program, which asked clubs to apply for recognition based on specific criteria - and earn one, two, or three stars. Club members were asked to nominate their clubs for the annual Jane Johnson Club of the Year award. Unfortunately, the Star Club program never really took off, with less than 130 of the ACBL's 3,200 clubs participating in the early 2000s. In 2006, the criteria for recognition was simplified, but still this program was not working. So the ACBL elected to kill the Star Club program and honor Jane by renaming Club Appreciation Month each October as Jane Johnson Club Appreciation Month (the games carry this name as well). NOTE that these games don't cost your club anything extra to run and give bonus masterpoints - thus the "appreciation" reward to the clubs - and because they don't cost any more $$ you know your club will be holding them. |