Mine was a long road to LM. My parents played and directed a game for a charity, so I started learning by age 7. I started playing duplicate as a teen, sometimes with friends I taught and sometimes with my dad. At both Princeton and Harvard Law School, I “owned” and directed the University sanctioned weekly duplicate games. The highlight of my early career came in the late 60s at the Goldman Open Pairs at the New York Hilton. At the end of the last session the head director was running around with the paper scoresheet yelling “where are Abt and Abt” we identified ourselves and he said we had won the event! We soon realized that there was a scoring error. The N player had entered 1430 for EW instead of NS. The switch turned a top into a bottom. What’s worse is that the slam made only because I led away from a king. Dummy had the Q, declarer the A! I have never done that since!

In those days MP awards were much less generous than they are now. When I “retired” from duplicate while I started my law career and got married and started having children, I had just under 200 MPs. I played occasional rubber (Chicago) bridge in NY and then Philadelphia, but almost no duplicate for 50 years. I thought I would eventually start playing again, and read the ACBL Bulletin and Bridge World (until it ceased publication this year) cover to cover every month.

When I retired, I started playing at the nearest club, Jenkintown Bridge Club. I have partnered many of the “regulars” and made steady progress towards LM. I had enough Red and Gold from 50 years ago but needed 100 more points and about 20 Silver points. I also started playing on BBO with a friend in California. I actually got the last needed Silver point from an online game, though I didn’t know it!

I am loving bridge and glad to have various opportunities to learn and play. I learned Goren bridge from my mother when young but hardly played until the last year and a half. Now I am addicted and learning all I can about new conventions and duplicate playing.

I play with Doylestown Country Club players in various leagues and have started going to area sanctioned events to gain playing experience. I know you taught many of the DCC players years ago and I have enjoyed some of your online lessons.  Much of my learning has been from reading explanations from various experts. I find that a good way because some teachers get through to me better on one particular issue and others on another, maybe.  But reading about some bridge item from a number of points of view helps clarify it. I even print out and compile the explanations I like the best!  Then as I play more and more, and develop new questions, I go back and refresh and refine my knowledge.  Playing with better players also is so helpful! I’m afraid I must drive some of our more experienced players crazy with my questioning.

I started to play bridge in 1962 because my parents played and their discussions always sounded so interesting. Soon after that David began to come to the local club games and that’s how we met. We just celebrated our 60^th wedding anniversary.

I have to say I owe a lot of my bridge accomplishments to David though there were a lot of harsh discussions along the way, but I knew I was playing with the best in the area.

Through the years we have traveled to many tournaments.  I have met some very interesting people and made many good friends.

Bridge has been a wonderful pastime, and we were even able to play in China on a few of David’s business trips.