September is arriving. (Summer is already ending?) The month begins during the Santa Clara Valley (also known as All Western) regional and ends with the Santa Clara Valley sectional. Make your plans now to attend our sectional beginning Friday afternoon, September 28. We are offering some new events, including flighted open pairs on Friday night and a two-day knockout Saturday and Sunday. You’ll find more details in our ad elsewhere in this paper or at www.sjbridge.org/FallSect01.htm.

On Sunday, September 16, at the San Jose Bridge Club is our unit’s North American Open Pairs qualifier at 12:30 p.m. and t/b/a.

I finally found a way to be earlier to bed, earlier to rise. Travel three time zones east. I enjoyed my first visit to Toronto to attend the nationals. The days and nights were warm enough for shorts. Cafes seated people at enclosed sidewalk tables. Canada’s young seem to flock there.

And so did young-at-heart bridge players. In the Grand National Team events, Rose Meltzer’s team was second in the open flight. A team with Will Watson & Sathya Bettadapura tied for 3rd-4th in the A flight. A different Rose Meltzer team won the mixed board-a-match. Sherry Waki was on two winning knockout teams. Lynn Yokel, Annette Powers, Neal Webb, & Ray Yuenger won a knockout. A Swiss team including Stu Goodgold, Anand Ayyagari, & Allan Lebovitz topped their strat. Bin Dai finished 19th in the Red Ribbon pairs. Gary Soules was 21st in the IMP pairs. Sorry if I missed anyone in the microprint of the dailies.

A number of unit members skipped the nationals for success in the San Mateo sectional. Dan Crane & Michael Ravera won the Art Weinstein trophy in the 99ers pairs. Other strat tops were recorded by Barbara & Ed Barlow, Derek & Teddi Fiero, Mervin & Shirley Falk, Joan & Robert Rouse (enough with the spouses), Eileen Edwards & Sherry Waki, Will Watson & Steven Tu, Michael Migdol, Mindy Foos & George Pledger, Jim Tseng and Gary Porter. First in their team strats were Jeffrey Hu, K.P. Cheng & Daren Kuo, and Chin & Melody Chao with David Chang. In the afternoon Sherry Waki’s team tied with Stan Batiste’s. In the evening Richard Jacobs, Hiram Shen, Mike Sullivan & Malcolm Stewart prevailed.

In the Hayward sectional, strat tops went to Ray & Maxine Lubow, Gary Porter, Michael Abrams & W. Farley IV, Victor Rivkin, Richard Jacobs & Hiram Shen. Winning their Swiss team strat were Richard Jacobs, Hiram Shen, Shirley Anderson, & Rita Randolph.

I’m hot on the trail of the results for the Oakland sectional and should have them by next month’s column.

Corrections, comments, and news are welcome at (408)379-7717 and rayyuenger@starband.net. Old columns appear under “old stuff” at www.sjbridge.org.