San Mateo Unit 498             February 2025 

Happy February, Unit 498!

May it be a month of many overtricks on your heart contracts and a chance to grow your love of bridge!

January Unit Game

We welcomed 2025 with an enthusiastic crowd at our January 25th Unit Game. Many thanks to Eileen DiGiorgio and Leslie Braker for organizing the game and lunch, and to Jennifer Kuhn for Directing.  In addition to welcoming so many to the Villa, we were able to acknowledge Mary Bates for her years establishing and maintaining our Unit 498 website.  Visit it anytime to see what she started. 

Eight tables played in the Open section, with Genie and Jeff Reynolds finishing first overall and E/W.  Kai Eckert and Art Quey finished first N/S.  Others earning masterpoints were Claude Hughes and Anne Javer, Wendy Benveniste and Debbie Weinstein, Janice O’Brien and Pete Goldsmith, Kathryn Barnard and Lucy Ballard, Roger Dewes and Lois Roszak, Bob Gleason and Beth Eggers, and Mary Bates and Sandra Tilch.

8.5 tables competed in the 499er section, with Carol Lashman and Paula Linden taking first overall and E/W.  Dave Greenberg and David Joffe were first in N/S.  Again, many other pairs earned masterpoints:  Kathleen Yulo and Steven Weisbart, Jeanne Urich and Marie Pattie, Barbara Lewis and Lauren Rosen, Eileen Digiorgio and Kathy Zmay, Nancy and Ken Hoeck, Carol Anne Gennaro and Nathan Gennaro, Jana Torchia and Molly Roff, and Carmen Keenan and Maureen Olson.

Eileen, Jenny and Leslie

February Unit Game

Our February Unit Game will be held on Saturday, February 22nd.
Lunch will be served at 11:30, followed by the game at 12:15
Please pre-register using this link:  Register Here  

Unit 498 March Sectional

Our March Sectional on March 8-9 at the Palo Alto Bridge Center in Mountain View is open to all ACBL members.  On Saturday, we’ll host 499er and Open Pairs in morning and afternoon sessions.  We’ll have a special 99er session as well on Saturday morning, where the winners will become the next pair to have their names permanently engraved on the Art Weinstein Memorial Trophy.  On Sunday, all the games will be team events where players will honor the memory of Janice Nakao.  See all the details in the flyer at our website: Unit498 Events

New Partnership Desk

This year we are trying out something new for players looking for partners. You can put yourself on the "Looking for a Partner List" by filling out this form: Partnership Desk Form. We will make this list available to all those who have put themselves on the list. This way those who are looking for partners can find each other. You can sign up multiple times if you are interested in more than one game. Or you can sign up if you are looking for a regular partner. Please contact CarlEbeling498@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.

Mentor / Mentee Game

Kudos to Kit Morse for reviving our in-person Mentor/Mentee games with a pizza dinner and game for ten tables on January 29th.  Mentors and Mentees were able to meet with each other before play to complete their partnership checklists, and the game offered a friendly way to bring new players and partnerships to the Villa.

For February and March, we are planning online games, on February 27th and March 27th, the 4th Thursday of each month.  Each mentor will continue with their mentee for those games and then we will start a new three-month session in April with another in-person game.  We always welcome new mentors and mentees to the game.  Contact Kit Morse at kitunit498@gmail.com for more details and to add your name to the list!

Monterey Regional Report

Unit 498 Players had a strong showing at the Monterey Clambake Regional Tournament on January 6-12th.  It was wonderful running into so many familiar faces at the tables.  Among all the fantastic finishes, these players stood out for their first place event rankings:

Tuesday Gold Rush Pairs:  Kit Morse and Barbara Lewis
Tuesday Bracketed Teams 5: Lucy Ballard, Anna Ravenscroft, Alex Martelli, Monica Bacon-Proctor
Wednesday Midflight Pairs: Kathryn Barnard and John Stremel
Wednesday Afternoon Side Pairs:  Art Quey and Ranjit Bose
Thursday Afternoon Bracketed Teams 9:  Debbie Carey, Lucy Ballard, Carl Ebeling, Debra Martinez
Friday Bracketed Teams 9: Debbie Carey, Lucy Ballard, Raymond Ochoa, David Murray
Friday Gold Rush Pairs: Jeanne Urich and Kit Morse
Saturday Bracketed Teams 5: Kathryn Barnard, John Stremel, Gregory Gauthier, Mary Steele
Sunday Bracketed B Teams 1: Kathryn Barnard, John Stremel, Gregory Gauthier, Mary Steele

Celebration of Life for Unit 498's Janice Nakao

February 10, 2025

Janice was a founding volunteer for SiVY (Silicon Valley Youth Bridge) and spent hundreds of hours mentoring both SiVy and Unit 498 bridge players.  Janice was a force at the bridge tables, having achieved the rank of Sapphire Life Master in 2019 and ending the year with more than 4000 masterpoints. Please RSVP to BocceChick@gmail.com by February 5th if you are able to attend. The Unit 498 Home Page has additional information about the event.

Unit 498 Game Schedule

Feb 22:      Unit Game
March 8-9: Sectional at Palo Alto Bridge Center
April 12:     Non-Life Master Sectional
April 19:     Unit Game
May 10:     Unit Game
June 21:    Unit Game - Longest Day Celebration
July 19:     Unit Game
Aug 9:       Unit Game
Sept 13:    Non-Life Master Sectional
Sept 20:    Unit Game
Oct 18:      Unit Game
Nov 1-2:    Sectional at Palo Alto Bridge Center
Dec 13:     Unit Game - Holiday Party

The 2025 Board of Directors

Please feel free to contact any of us with questions or suggestions.

President               Lauren Rosen
Vice President       Kit Morse
Treasurer              Rita Armstrong
Secretary              Carl Ebeling
Director, Tournaments    Carol Lashman
Director, Unit Game Coordinator  Leslie Braker
Director, Unit Game Coordinator  Eileen DiGiorgio
Director, Membership and Outreach  Jeanne Urich
Past President       Janice Carter

Please visit our Unit 498 website, for more news on new members, rank advancements, results and schedules for our Unit and Club Games and more.