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This is a personal message. It is not sponsored by the New England Bridge Conference or anyone else.

I have always loved tournaments. A Saturday evening pairs game at a regional in Nashua, NH, six years ago stands out in my memory. Eighty-four players took part in a "Pro-Am Game" in which each pair included at least one non-Life Master. The competitive spirit was as high as ever, but at many tables a good deal of learning occurred. Everywhere the level of camaraderie was very high. I never felt better about the state of bridge in New England.

I recommended last year that the district try this format again, and, disdaining the advice of my old drill sergeant ("never volunteer for anything"), I agreed to help organize it. And so, on Friday evening, June 14, the district's first post-pandemic Pro-Am will be held at precisely the same site in Nashua as part of the Granite State Getaway that runs from Tuesday through Sunday.

I am not sure why, but the the rules for this year's Pro-Am will be a little different. Three categories of players have been defined:
* Everyone who is not a Life Master is considered an Am. These people can play with anyone.
* Life Masters with 750 or more masterpoints are considered Pros. They can only play with Ams.
* Other Life Masters (Semi-Pros?) can play with Ams or people in their own category.

Please note that the definitions of the three categories are different from the ones specified in earlier communications. I apologize for the misunderstanding.

This message is addressed to New England's 1,402 "Pros" and "Semi-Pros". My sincere hope is that a good number of them will be in Nashua for morning and afternoon events on the big day. They certainly should. Friday's schedule has something for everyone:
* A set of knockouts starts on Thursday. All participants will have committed to play on Friday.
* A brand new GOLDen Granite Pairs will allow all those who prefer pairs to play against opponents with a comparable level of experience.
* The Open Swiss will appeal to players who prefer to play teams.

It will not be easy to meet or exceed the twenty-one tables that were filled in 2018. I cannot promise that the experience next Friday will be as exhilarating for everyone as it was for me six years ago. I can just request that, if you can, please join my wife Sue and me in the hotel's ballroom at 7:30. It will be an opportunity to help less experienced players while enjoying the world's greatest card game in a relaxed atmosphere. I have attended every Pro-Am that District 25 has sponsored in the last fifteen years, and I heartily recommend the format.

You can, of course, find your own partner; in fact, I hope that you will reach out to a less experienced player. If you need a partner 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 partnership and information areas.

The evening will have a Hawaiian flavor. I don't know the details, but I have been assured by the person arranging the hospitality that poi will not be served. If you want to try it, you can purchase wallpaper paste at Lowe's or Home Depot. I have been reliably informed that it has the same taste and texture.

Two personal notes:
* Sue and I can definitely use help with the manning (or womaning) of the Pro-Am table. Please notify one of us if you would like to lend a hand.
* In New England "Ams" outnumber "Pros" and "Semi-Pros" by more than two-to-one. Sue has therefore claimed that more Ams will want to play than pros. I feel certain that more than enough experienced players will embrace this unique opportunity despite the membership disparity. We made a friendly wager on the subject. Please help me win! I have never been a good loser, and four "Ams" have asked us to find them partners.

As always, the most up-to-date information about D25 events can be found at NEBridge.org.

Mike Wavada