Elizabeth Henley
Want to have some fun? Make some new friends?
The Tuesday Night Partners Bridge #1 group has been a part of the organizational offerings in SaddleBrooke for many years and has, at times, been so popular that one had to rush to sign up in order to be able to play due to space limitations. But, like most groups, we have lost some members for a variety of reasons. Many are snowbirds, so we play during the fall/winter season only now. We are in need of some new members to keep our group thriving.
We play at 6 p.m. on Tuesday nights in the Catalina Room next door to where the Mesquite Grill was located, which is known as the “old Pro Shop” (SaddleBrooke TWO). This is a large, quiet venue that works really well for bridge. We are almost always done by 9 p.m.
Please note that this is a partnership group, and sign-ups are by partners. Some bridge partnerships are married couples, but many of us are not. We also have some members who are not in committed bridge partnerships and some people who occasionally need a partner, so people without a committed partnership are welcome to join. We can provide limited help to you in finding partners. For example, one of the leaders found me a partner, and we have played together successfully for over 12 years.
The level of play varies from partnership to partnership. Some people regularly play duplicate, and others prefer to play only socially. We play three or four rounds of six hands each with standard bridge scoring. Each person pays $1.50 per week, most of which is used for prize money awarded by score. A small portion of the entry fees goes into a grand slam pot, which accumulates until a partnership bids and makes a grand slam. In case of two the same night—yes it has happened—the pot is divided between the partnerships. Making a grand slam is really a big deal, and we celebrate those who do!
The winners one evening run the group the following week. A sign-up sheet is available at the venue. It is then placed in the sign-up notebook at the MountainView clubhouse in the Cholla Library (on the desk) for additional sign-ups. The winners pick up the sign-up sheet after 10 a.m. on Monday morning and assure that there are an even number of couples available to play Tuesday night.
We hope to start playing again on Oct. 14. I will be creating a sign-up sheet for that date at home. If you have questions or would like to play, please contact me at ehenley@wbhsi.net. We would love to welcome you to our group!