San Mateo Unit 498              May 2025 

Hi, Unit 498 Members and Friends!

Have you visited our Unit 498 Website recently?

https://www.unit498.com/

Our Webmaster Carol Lashman has been working hard to gather and deliver news on all our Unit 498 happenings and members in one easy-to-use spot.  

The home page highlights news and events of immediate interest as well as some fun links to Kai Eckert’s online videos.  The tabs on the left can take you to all our Event details and registration links.  We also have schedules and results from our local Clubs, news on new members and rank advancements, and more.  

Please check it out, bookmark it so you can return easily, and send along any suggestions you have for how we can make it even more informative.

We have a lot coming up in May and throughout the Summer.

Unit Game, Saturday, May 10

Join us for our monthly Unit Game on Saturday, May 10.
We will serve lunch at 11:30 with the game starting promptly at 12:15.
The game entry fee is $15 ($10 for students under 26) and lunch is provided.
The game will be directed by Jennifer Kuhn. If you need a partner, please sign up at the Partnership Desk.  Please contact Carl Ebeling if you have questions or need help finding a partner.

Please Pre-Register Here as space is limited.

Our stars at the April Unit Game on April 19 were Jeanne Urich and Marie Pattie with a 70% game in the 499er section!  In the Open Section, first place overall went to Kit Morse and Bob Gleason, with second to Arline and Jim Van Ness.  Well done everyone!

Summer Swiss Team Games

Our Summer Swiss Series opens on Wednesday, May 21, 6:30 pm at the Villa.  We invite you to play in one, two, or all three games on May 21, June 25, and August 13th for relaxed Swiss Teams games.  Jenny Kuhn will direct the games and assign teams once all players arrive each night.  She’s promised some fun surprises too.  For those of you new to the Swiss Teams format, we invite you to come early for some tips and tricks from our experienced Swiss teams players.  Entry fee is $12 per player.  Make plans with a partner to play. A flyer will be posted soon on our website. Please contact Eileen DiGiorgio (eileenunit498@gmail.com) with any questions.

Club Games

New Wednesday Morning 499er Game at the Villa

Jenny Kuhn has added another face-to-face game to her Club schedule.  Players with fewer than 500 masterpoints are welcome to join her every Wednesday morning at 10:30.  The session will last about two hours and play approximately 20 boards.

New, Separate 49er Section in Raad’s Tuesday and Friday games

Raad Bunni is creating a second section in his regular Tuesday and Friday Club games, held at noon at the Villa.  Players with fewer than 50 masterpoints will play the same hands as those in the open section, but only against each other and still earning masterpoints.  Raad does a short lesson at 11:30 before each of his games and will offer a short review session afterward to go over challenging boards.

Raad’s Club games at noon on Tuesday, May 20 and Friday, May 23 are designated STaC games, offering special colored masterpoints.

Sacramento Regional

For those of you looking for an even greater challenge outside our home turf, District 21’s California Capitol Regional will be running in Sacramento from May 26 through June 1.

Sectional Success!

Our Non-Life Master Sectional on April 12 drew a nice crowd from throughout the Bay Area to the Villa.  In the morning 199er Section, Allen Abrams and Donna Jang finished first overall and N/S, with Lina Reznick and Steven Weisbart placing second overall and first E/W.  The morning 749 section saw Jeanne Urich and Robin Alioto placing first overall, with Inna Brovman and Marie Horn in second.  In the afternoon combined section, Rita Armstrong was the highest-placing player from Unit 498.

New to this Sectional was an optional lunch offering from Maverick Jack’s.  The food was yummy and delivered directly to the players in between sessions.  We hope to work with them again and thank Denise from the restaurant for her support!

Mentor / Mentee Program

Thanks to Kit Morse, we kicked off the next quarter of the Mentor/Mentee games with new pairings, an in-person game, and a pizza party on Wednesday, April 30.

In most cases, mentees will continue to play with the same mentor for our online games on May 22 and June 26. You can sign up using this link.

If you have any questions, email Kit: kitunit498@gmail.com

The Longest Day

Unit 498 is proud of our past efforts raising money for the Alzheimer's Association. This worthy organization supports Alzheimer's research and provides support for individuals suffering with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. In 2025, with your help and continued generosity, we plan to raise over $40,000!  This year is going to be another great way to play bridge and enjoy getting to know others in our bridge community.

This year’s events include:

June 21st  Longest Day Unit Game and lunch at the Villa
We’ve planned an enjoyable day with bridge, lunch and a raffle. 

Jenny and Raad’s weekly games on June 18th and June 20th
will also be charity games. Thank you Raad and Jenny for your generosity.

Play with a Pro from our list of available experts for a fun and informative experience.  They include: Mark Sorenson, Robert Ng, Bob Gleason, Raad Bunni, Fred Chasalow, Kai Eckert, and Sue Papilion.

In-Home Games hosted by Raad Bunni, Kit Morse, Barbara Lewis, Jeanne Urich, and Janice Carter.

These are wonderful opportunities to be a part of a great cause, improve your bridge skills and socialize with your fellow bridge players in a more relaxed, social atmosphere.

Individual donations help our fundraising efforts the most and are so very much appreciated.  Please visit our fundraising page to make your donation today! Thank You!

Click To Donate and/or Join our Team

Your Longest Day Committee
Co-Chairs: Barbara Lewis and Marie Pattie
Members: Fred Chasalow, Lauren Rosen, Janelle Van Rensselaer

Please contact Barbara at blewis341@gmail.com or 650.619.6109 or Marie mppattie@gmail.com (650.787.2215) to sign up for any of these events and with any questions on how to become part of our team.

Unit 498 Game Schedule

May 10:      Unit Game
May 21:      Swiss Teams
May 22:      Mentor/Mentee Game (online)
June 21:     Unit Game - Longest Day Celebration
June 25:     Swiss Teams
June 26:     Mentor/Mentee Game (online)
July 19:      Unit Game
Aug 9:        Unit Game
Aug 13:      Swiss Teams
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