June 9, 2022

Hi Deana - thanks for your congratulatory note. I could find no pictures of myself within the last 5 years so had someone take this with my phone today. Not great - not necessary to use a picture! For me one of the "upsides" of the pandemic was that it allowed me to really focus on bridge - I had never played online before the pandemic and didn't think I would like it. Wow was I wrong! I started taking lessons (never had formal lessons before) and playing 5-6 days a week. While I am certainly better than when I started this journey, part of the reason I got to Gold life master is that I was just playing a lot! If you sit at the bridge table a long time you tend to get points!

There is some truth to that - however, seriously, I have been playing with Jade Barrett for 2 years now and he clearly is the catalyst for my being a better bridge player and really learning to think about what is going on at the table, analyzing the bidding, and trying to be "present" and work hard all the time.

The club managers and teachers are really trying to promote the game of bridge from teaching lessons, to "pro-ams", to having social events - I applaud their efforts. Everyone who plays bridge has different motivations - some like the social aspect, some like online play, some just the sheer competition. I think we need to cater to all who love the game.

As you know, one of my concerns which apparently is running counter to the "daylight time" schedule is lack of team games and lack of evening play at Regionals. As a player who does like to travel to tournaments, the lack of evening games is a disincentive to attend. I think it is imperative for tournament sponsors to try and maximize games played by attendees.

Thanks again for your note. All the best,

Anne Beaurivage