Bringing back an old tradition, we are recognizing the achievements of our newest Life Masters. To be listed on this page, please e-mail Ed Zuckerberg or postal mail to Ed at 2 Russell Pl, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522. Please include a recent, individual photo of yourself and a brief bio about your bridge career or personal life.
Toni Schwartz
About 41/2 years ago, a friend suggested that I contact the Bridge Deck for bridge lessons. Little did I realize, at the time, that this would be the beginning of a journey playing a game which was much more complicated that the “social” bridge I remembered from many years ago. In the class, I learned conventions just as Stayman and Jacobi transfers. After completing three or four classes, I figured I was an “Advanced Beginner” and could progress to the Newplicate game. This was a great deal of fun, but I soon realized that I was nowhere near the level of most of the players. I was starting to have a hint of the complexities of this game and hired a teacher to continue my learning. After several years of playing with Warren Rosner, I was picking up new conventions such as: Jacobi 2 NT, the Unusual 2 NT, take out doubles, negative doubles and the 2 over 1 system. All of these I learned through my teacher and my partners and opponents at the bridge table. However, I again had a hint of how little I knew when I began to see the complexities of defense and the play of the hand.
I started to go to tournaments and began to understand the excitement of the various kinds of events and how hard it is to get red and gold points. I began to do a lot of reading and attending more courses. I also added more conventions and was extremely excited when my gold card arrived proclaiming me a life master. I am realizing that my journey playing bridge is just beginning.
Yasmine Guenancia
Yasmine has been playing duplicate regularly for 4 years and has been waiting for the elusive last few gold points for over a year.
Although she works fulltime as a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker, she manages to pursue her bridge passion thanks to constant client contact with her blackberry.
She took up the game because of a history of Alzheimers in the family and she believes that exercising your brain is as important as yoga and the gym.
She lives in South Salem with her two children and her husband, Georges, who plays bridge when he finds time away from the busy Times Square eatery Cafe Un Deux Trois and the off Broadway location Le Petit Un Deux Trois.
Vivian Wu
Although I live in Cos Cob, CT, I'm part of the Westchester community as I usually play at the Hartes' Club. I started playing duplicate in high school, reading 12 bridge books one summer. Then I did not play bridge for over 2 decades. I picked up bridge again when my children went to college. My regular bridge partner is Victor Mazmanian, who was my son's high school science coach and my daughter's physics teacher. |
