After a couple of tough sets to begin the year, this one proved to be the most difficult so far, with barely 3% of competitors scoring in the 70s.
Our leading two competitors stood out from the field. Our sole winner scored a very creditable 79/80:
Paul Boudreau from USA
Paul is a semi-retired computer programmer who moved from Needham, MA to the Los Angeles suburbs in 1978. Now unable to attend tournaments, he has been a student of this great game for over 50 years. He won The Bridge World Master Solver's Club title in 2018, and he enjoys discussing bridge with his brother, Bob, who is also a regular competitor in this competition.
Also ahead of the field on a score of 77/80:
Stephen Cooper from Canada
Stephen says, “I am now retired, so I travel, paint and play harmonica.” Stephen’s last serious competition was a huge success, as his team won the Canadian Senior Team Championship, held online during Covid. He has been a long-time contributor to The Bridge World magazine. He is also a panel member and one of the conductors of a similar bidding contest run by the Canadian Bridge Federation.
Also on the March Honour Roll, with a score of 76/80, are:
Brian Spears from UK,
Alexander Cook from Australia,
Dave Williams from UK, and
Peter Lipp from Austria
And, with a score of 75/80:
Ross Davis from Australia,
Luwen Koh from Singapore, and
Alan Mayo from UK
This month sees the first American winner of the year. Three Brits, two Australians ane one each from Canada, Austria and Singapore feature on this month’s honour roll.
With only around 40 competition entrants returning scores of 70/80 or higher on this set, congratulations are due to anyone scoring in the 60s or above on what was the toughest set so far.
