I first started playing duplicate with my mother about thirty years ago. At first we played in a weekly club game at the Knight of Columbus in Arlington, VA. Then we played a few sectionals and regionals and one national tournament in Washington, DC. We had some modest success and earned approximately 31 master points. The last time I earned any master points before this year was, I believe, 2004. and before that it was 1997. Then, for reasons I don’t remember, we stopped playing duplicate.

Then, my wife and I moved to Rehoboth Beach in the spring of 2021. I started playing regular bridge at the country club I belong to. Then, at the end of last year, someone at the club suggested I play in a non-sanctioned duplicate game he played in. So, I started playing in this duplicate game beginning in January of this year.

Then, in July, I was on the ACBL website and, on a whim, I searched to see if there were any sanctioned games in or around Rehoboth. I saw Anna Delapo had a game close to where I live on Mondays and Wednesdays. So I contacted her and have been playing regularly since July. Then, through Anna, I found out about a game on Thursdays in Ocean View run by Donna Heckscher. So I have been playing in Donna’s game since August.

Amazingly, I have earned more than 26 master points in the few months since I resumed playing in sanctioned games in July. That’s almost as many master points I earned playing with my mother over a period of several years.

I enjoy playing duplicate bridge immensely. I plan on playing as often as I can in future.