San Mateo Unit 498              March 2025 

Spring arrives this month and we have plenty of bright, fresh opportunities to grow your bridge game.  May you find plenty of luck in the cards everywhere you play, especially those of you traveling to the Spring NABC in Memphis.

February Unit Game

We had a spirited crowd for our February Unit Game on Saturday, February 22nd.  After lunch and announcements, we kicked off our 2025 Longest Day efforts with a wine auction.  It was wonderful seeing many new faces amongst the fifteen full tables at the Villa that afternoon.

In the Open section, Genie and Jeff Reynolds finished first overall and E/W.  Debra Martinez and Carl Ebeling took the top N/S spot.  Other pairs finishing in the points were (N/S) Kit Morse and Pete Goldsmith; Art Quey and Arlie Lamb; Bob Gleason and Kay Bland; and (E/W) Lucy Ballard and Kathryn Barnard; Arline and Jim Van Ness; Anne Javer and Claude Hughes; and David Murray and Raymond Ochoa.

The 499er section saw a nice number of pairs earning points too.  Barbara Lewis and Marilynne Bachli finished first overall sitting N/S, with Lina Reznik and Rita Bhalla leading the E/W field.  Cynthia Amelon and Helen Kishi; Jeanne Urich and Paula Linden; and David Joffe and Dave Greenberg all earned points as well.

Unit 498 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. Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead on Saturday night!

For all the details go to our website: Unit498 Events

March 19 - Unit Awards night and Swiss Teams Game

In lieu of our monthly Unit game, we’re holding an Awards Night and Swiss teams game on Wednesday, March 19th at 6:00 pm at the Villa.  Join us as we celebrate and toast our Unit’s winners of the Ace of Clubs and Mini McKenney awards.  We’ll share cake and (non-alcoholic) bubbles at 6:00, then have a brief introduction to Swiss Teams and the Game at 6:30.

Register with a partner and we will put the teams together.  You may even get to share a table with our stars!
Register Here  

Partnership Desk

We now have a partnership desk for players who need a partner for one of our games. This includes the Unit games, the Sectionals and the March 19 Team Game. Just click on this link: Partnership Desk Form. You can use the link more than once if you are looking for a partner for more than one game.
Please contact CarlEbeling498@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.

Mentor / Mentee Game

Following up on a successful in person game to kick off the year in January, Unit 498’s Mentors and Mentees took to the online tables for an equally instructional game on February 27th.  We had 24 pairs compete for the top spots, which were claimed by Jim Van Ness and Ken Hoeck (E/W) and Danna Sorenson and Rita Armstrong (N/S).  We hope everyone learned some new tips and tricks and was able to enhance their play in this supportive environment.  Thanks to all the Mentors for your time and to the Mentees for your willingness to learn something new.

We will have one more online game for this quarter on Thursday, March 27th.  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!

Non-Life Master Sectional - Saturday, April 12th

Players with fewer than 750 Masterpoints and who are not Life Masters have a chance to earn Silver points at our two-session NLM Sectional at the Villa on Saturday, April 12th.  

The morning session begins at 10:00 am and has a 199er stratification in addition to the 750 stratification.  The afternoon session begins at 2:30 and is open to all players under the 750 mp limit.  Play in the morning, afternoon, or both sessions!

See the link here for full tournament information and to register.

Unit498 Events

The Longest Day Fundraiser

Last year Unit 498 and the Peninsula Team really knocked it out of the park! 

We raised  $39,809, surpassing our total from 2023 when we:

• ranked #12 in ALL global teams 
• ranked  # 7 within ACBL 
• Ranked #2 in California 

Help us stand up to the darkness of Alzheimer’s and make a donation today to help the Alzheimer's Association support all those facing the disease.  Please plan on joining us for our Longest Day Bridge Game in June and participating in many fundraising activities throughout the year.

Please join the Unit 498 Peninsula Team as we raise funds for this worthy cause. Thank you!  

Click To Donate and/or Join our Team

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

Unit 498 Game Schedule

March 8-9: Sectional at Palo Alto Bridge Center
March 19:  Swiss Teams and Awards Night
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

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.