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On a Saturday evening six years ago this June the New England Bridge Conference staged a new type of event in the ballroom of the hotel in Nashua, NH, that is shown at the right. It is located one mile north of the Massachusetts state line, a stone's throw from Route 3. At the time it was a Radisson; it is now (again) a Sheraton. The idea of the event was to allow less experienced players partner up with veterans for an evening of duplicate bridge in a friendly and relaxed setting. It was called a Pro-Am, but the few if any of the "Pros" were professionals. The only distinction between the two players was that one of them (the "Am") had less than 500 masterpoints and was not yet a Life Master. The Pro could be anyone, including the regular partner of the Am. The event was organized by Karen Hewitt Randle of Quechee, VT, who did a truly remarkable job of marketing, organizing, and administering the event, including matching up Pros with Ams. How did it work out? See for yourself. 
An impressive assembly of eighty-four bridge players, ranging from beginners to Grand Life Masters, took part. I played with my wife Sue. We were doing quite well up until the last table, where we were thwarted by Adam Grossack and his partner. We still ended up with a 51% game and had a superb time, but not as great as these two pairs had.
A few months ago I proposed to the powers that be that we should try this format again in 2024. They said that it could be run on Friday evening at the same tournament, the Granite State Getaway, which will be held June 11-16. Of course, myriad other events are scheduled for that week as well. The flyer and complete schedule can be viewed at https://web2.acbl.org/Tournaments/Ads/2024/06/2406120.pdf. The rules for this year's event will be slightly different from those described above. Anyone who is not a Life Master and has less than 750 masterpoints will be considered an "Am" and can play with anyone. In addition, any two non-Life Masters can play together even if one or both of them have more than 750 points. The game will start at 7:30. The location is the same as in 2018, but, as I said, the hotel is now a Sheraton. I have been promised that tasty snacks will be available during the game, but the focal attraction is the bridge itself, which can be really enjoyable in such a friendly setting. I have attended every tournament that has been held at this site, and I always have had a grand time. The hotel is one of my favorites, and nearby is a startlingly large selection of good restaurants. You should make plans to attend if you can. My wife Sue and I are in charge of matching up Pros and Ams. As of this writing one pair has committed. That's right. We will be playing together again. If you would like to play or have questions, I can be reached by replying to this email or at Mike@Wavada.org. Sue's email address is ChaChaSue@AOL.com. Her BBO handle is chachasuew. We also plan to solicit participants all week at a table near the tournament's partnership and information area. We can definitely use some help with that effort. Please notify us if you can lend a hand. I plan to send out updates as more details become available. Mike Wavada |
