New Life Masters
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Kaplan-Kent grab Mixed Pairs crown

The husband-and-wife pair of Terry and Candy Carlton are the new NABC 49er Pairs champions. The Carltons, of Poolesville MD, posted a 57.50% in the afternoon session and 67.92% in the evening to win the two-session contest — restricted to members with fewer than 50 masterpoints — by two matchpoints.

Candy is a registered nurse and Terry is a systems analyst for Lockheed Martin. “We’ve been playing duplicate for about two years,” said Candy. The couple learned to play more than 20 years ago, but the demands of raising a family and careers allowed them to take up duplicate bridge only recently.

Close behind in second place with 148.60 were Kay and Cary Jenkins of Fort Worth TX. Thirty-two pairs participated in the event.

ACBL President Bruce Reeve congratulates NABC 49er Pairs winners Candy and Terry Carlton. Marcia West (right) of the Fifth Chair Foundation, which supports events for Intermediate and newcomers looks on.

The U.S. State Department lifted its travel advisory to Turkey Tuesday, reversing a policy that had encouraged U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to the country. With the 2004 World Bridge Olympiad scheduled for Istanbul this fall, the advisory played a role in the decision of the Board of Directors for the United States Bridge Federation to vote earlier this month to decline to send any U.S. teams (open, women or Seniors) to the event.

With the advisory lifted, some USBF members are urging the board to reconsider its decision. USBF President Chris Compton said that the matter would be placed on the agenda for the organization’s board meeting on May 3. Compton said that comments from members were welcome.

Dutchmasters in Reno

If you’ve been here in Reno a few days, you’ve probably seen them — a group of four young men attired in a distinctive team uniform of black sports shirts with an orange club insignia. Who are they?

They’re members of the Dutch national bridge squad who have come to play in the Vanderbilt Knockouts. Ricco van Prooyen, 30, and partner Sjoert Brink, 23, are playing with teammates Jan Jansma, 41, and Louk Verhees, 39.

“Our goal is to make it to the quarterfinal round,” said Jansma. Unfortunately for the team, however, they narrowly lost yesterday’s match in the round of 16, but according to non-playing
captain Hans Verveer, the true goal of the Dutch national bridge program is much broader.

“We want to win a medal in the 2007 Bermuda Bowl,” he said.

The Dutch, who last won a world title in 1993, are in the process of revamping their national program One of the problems they face, however, is helping their team members — who have full time jobs in other fields — find the time to practice and play in long events such as an NABC .

Unlike their expert counterparts in the U.S. who rely on the patronage of wealthy clients, thus allowing them to play full time, many top-level European players rely on corporate or government (or both) backing.

Members of the Dutch National Team here in Reno: Ricco van Prooyen, Louk Verhees, Sjoert Brink and Jan Jansma.

Verveer is part of a private group who helps provide funds to the Dutch national bridge organization to train and sponsor the national team.

In the U.S., very good players can make their living playing full time The situation is different in most other parts of the world, however, and top players are sometimes pinched between careers in other fields and being able to play a full schedule of high-level bridge contests.

Van Prooyen and Verhees, for example, are programmers. Brink is a part-time student and teacher of computer classes for the government and Jansma is a high school math teacher.

Through the assistance of a number of private organizations, however, money has been made available to allow the team members to take one day off per week for training.

“We practice every Friday,” said Brink, who is scheduled to represent the Netherlands with partner van Prooyen and one other pair in the Olympiad in Istanbul in the fall.

Jansma and Verhees , on the other hand, will play in the European Team Championships in Malmo, Sweden, in June with two other Dutch pairs.

“We want to increase the exposure of all of our team members to

international play,” said Verveer. “That’s why we’re here, and why we will play in the European Championships and every other major event until 2007. To practice.

“If we do well here, great. If we do well in Malmo, great. If we do well in Istanbul, great. But our goal is to earn a medal in 2007.”

And what’s the significance of the orange club insignia? It’s the symbol of the Dutch national team. Orange is the official national color.

Meltzer ousted from Vandy