Sun Valley Bridge players have lots to celebrate this week.

First is our successful virtual fundraiser for the Wood River Community YMCA, with contributions to date totaling $4,200.

Next, we have a new life master, Sue Swanson; plus a bronze life master, Sylvia Miller; and a ruby life master, Fran Maughan Meyers. We'll tell you more about them in our next e-newsletter.

Finally, 36 of the top spots in the 2020 Ace of Clubs competition in Southern Idaho went to Sun Valley Bridge players. There were 9 first-place winners in the event, which honors the players who won the most points at club games during the year.

--Chuck Abramo and Jo Murray

William Cassell died March 6. We will all remember Bill, not only for his many professional and community accomplishments as described in Eye on Sun Valley, but also for his every cheerful and friendly demeanor at the bridge table. He was always the first to offer to partner with a player either new to bridge or to the community

If it were not for the Wood River Community YMCA, it is doubtful whether Sun Valley Bridge would exist. Finding a room available at a reasonable price, with adequate parking, is an almost impossible challenge in the Wood River Valley.

In addition to providing a site for bridge games, the Y has done an amazing job of helping with education during the pandemic. You can find out about how the Y approached the pandemic in our February e-newsletter, as well as in a nonprofit roundtable discussion conducted by the Spur Foundation, The Argyros and Dark to Light.

We thank all those who have been a part of Sun Valley Bridge's donation of $4,200 so far this year. There is still time to help if you have not already done so.

If you donate directly to the Y, please mention that you are part of Sun Valley Bridge at the YMCA.

Sun Valley Bridge will host five special virtual games March 23-28. Cost is $7 each.

Games will be at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23; Wednesday, March 24; Friday, March 26; Saturday, March 27, and Sunday, March 28. All who place will receive double points, and one-fourth of them will be gold.

We'll have addition games with double points the week of April 12.

You were planning to open 1 NT. Now your right-hand opponent preempts at the 2-level. What do you do? Bid 2 NT.

Experts know that a bid of 2 NT over a 2-level preempt shows a hand you had planned to open 1 NT. We'll talk more about this and other meanings of 2 NT in our upcoming lessons.

Join your friends at an online lesson.

Click here for the complete online lesson schedule.

The Ace of Clubs award honors the players who earned the most masterpoints in club games during the previous year. The first-place winners in the categories of up to 500 masterpoints are in the photo at the top of this e-newsletter: Susan Passovoy (at left) Frank Ward, Patti Zebrowski and Karen Dunn (top row), and Nat Campbell, Christiane Turner and Linda Parsons (bottom row.) Fran Maughan Meyers and Sylvia Miler (at left) , our new life master award winners, also were first in their categories.

Ranking in the top five were SV Bridge players Ursula Kennedy, Jeanne L. Wright, R. Bobbie Herrell, Linda Nicholson, Dennis Dunn, Phyllis J. Blackburn, Sandra D. Figge, Page Chapman III, Barbara H. Campbell, Claudie Goldstein, Jo Veda Harmon, Roland Wolfram, Elaine Phillips, Gary R. Kuchcinski, David K. Gwinn, Judith A. Powell, Lynne Heidel, Lucinda Fabian, Linda M. Parsons, Allen M. Jones, Stephen Heidel, Jim Churchill, Chuck Abramo, Jeanne Welch, Barbara Dali, Mollie Campbell and Jo Murray. A complete list of Ace of Clubs winners, as well as Mini-McKenney winners (most total points in both club games and tournaments,) is on the ACBL website.

Join us for four days and three nights of bridge lessons, duplicate games with masterpoints, gourmet meals, fun and fellowship in the spectacular setting of the Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch this summer. The June retreat is sold out. Three cabins are left for the Aug. 22-25 retreat. We will offer day passes for lessons, games, lunch and dinner if health conditions permit.