Has summer already ended? It’s after Labor Day, so it’s time to face the fall. Shorter days, longer nights, more time for bridge. I’m ready for some cooler nights.

If you know a new player spread the word. The San Jose Bridge Center has several games available. Faye Parsons has new lessons for her game at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoons. George Pledger and Carole Dietz have a 0-200 game on Friday nights at 7 p.m. with hand records and a post-game discussion.

And if you want to learn or improve your game outside the club, Lynn Yokel (408-374-4669, lyokel@sprynet.com) is now offering lessons for beginners and intermediates. Lynn is also directing the Monday morning game while Bill Traver recuperates.

Now let’s survey our members in action. In the Marin sectional, earning stratification tops were Will Watson (twice), Derek & Teddi Fiero. A Swiss team with Zbigniew Bieszke was first in its bracket.

At the San Francisco sectional, Frank Lowenthal had a strat top. Will Watson was second in the two-session pair game. Will’s Swiss team also won their bracket with one round to go. Winning their own bracket were Leon Lee, Eric Yang, and Gary Kao.

I got a tip to look up the Eugene Oregon regional. Fran Dickman took firsts on a Swiss team, in two-session open pairs, and on a knockout team. That’s got to be the bridge equivalent of hitting for the circuit. Fran added two more firsts at a Seattle regional on a knockout team and a Swiss team.

Since it’s after Labor Day, the regional All Western Championships just ended in Santa Clara. A number of unit members curried tops. Marshall Yancey & Jack Verson kicked off the charity pairs with a win, while strat tops went to Josephine Cooley & Paul Nelson, Laura Walters & Lorraine Rodich, and Rekha Nerula & Pam Woods.

Rose Meltzer won the two-day open pairs event. Ed Barlow finished 9th. In two-session pair games, strat tops went to George Humphrey & Coline MacClean, Sathya Bettadapura, Mike Abrams, Ted Richmond & William Reister, Joseph Dodson, and Boyer Chu.

In 299er games, topping their strats were Shirley & Melvin Falk, Alex Tampilang, Keith & Carol Burnett, Mich Ravera, Pam Woods, and Frank Kitchiner.

On winning knockout teams were Rose Meltzer, Jim Tseng & Chien Fan, Larry Wagner, Robert & Linda Caren, Joan & Gerry Piaget, Richard Jacobs, Hiram Shen, Eric Yang, Malcolm Stewart, Janet & Mike Sullivan, Matt Moore, and Daniel Rappaport.

On winning two-session Swiss teams were Bassam & Walid Baroudi & Zag Kadeh, John Hoffman & Robert Ritz, Allan Lebovitz & Stuart Goodgold.

I don’t always congratulate new Life Masters, but it’s notable that Steve Conaway gave himself a birthday present at the regional of the last gold points he needed to qualify. Would you trade those points for real gold?

If I missed anything newsworthy, please contact me at (408)-379-7717 and rayyuenger@starband.net. Old columns appear under “old stuff” at www.sjbridge.org.