Mini-Blues Winners

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Virgil Massey and Charlene Sands of Texas won the 0–6000 Mini-Blue Ribbon Pairs on Thursday. The Austin-area pair finished two boards ahead of Barry Margolin of Arlington MA and Mark Krusemeyer of Northfield MN.
“We’re delighted,” Massey said, explaining that Sands will be going over 6000 soon, so they might not have another chance at a national title at this level. The pair has been playing together for 18 years. “But we just started playing nationals the last two years,” Sands said.
Massey and Sands were third after Tuesday’s qualifying sessions and fourth after Wednesday’s semifinal. They moved back up to third in the first final session with a 54.5%, then made their move in the last session with a 60%.
They have a secret to their success. “We talk bridge all the time,” Massey said, at least an hour after every game. “There’s always something more to talk about and learn.”
They’re also avid readers of the Bridge Bulletin and especially enjoy practicing The Bidding Box problems. After completing a set, they’ll later try to the same set of a problems from the other side. “That helped a bunch,” Massey said.