With just under 10% of competition entrants (120 from 1400) scoring in the 70s, I’d suggest that the August set ranks somewhere in the middle in terms of difficulty. Even so, the top score on the panel this month was 78/80, so the five players who bettered that total are to be highly commended. However, only one of that five managed a perfect 80/80, so our solo winner this month is:
Hans Joele from Netherlands
Hans learned the basics of ‘Dutch Acol’ 43 years ago as a 10-year old, because his mother was tired of being invited to play only if the game needed ‘a fourth to make up the numbers’. “I picked the game up again as a student in Leiden, and began playing at local clubs,” says Hans. “I don’t play much these days, and certainly not at a serious level (sorry, Mom!). However, I enjoy watching the best play on VuGraph and reading Bridgewinners, so maybe I picked up one or two things over the years.”
Also on the August Honour Roll, with a score of 79/80, are:
Alexander Cook from Australia,
Dror Axelrod from Israel,
Paul Dubois from USA,
Brian Spears from UK, and
And, with a score of 78/80:
Robb Gordon from USA, and
Michael van Gulik from Canada
Emphasizing the international flavour of this competition, the Netherlands becomes the ninth country to produce a monthly winner in the 2025 competition. There are also two Americans and four other countries represented on this month’s honour roll.
Congratulations to all who broke the 70/80 barrier this month.
