Welcome to Denver Bridge
November 2, 2026
Bridge Buzz
The November issue of the D17 Bridge Buzz has been published. If you didn’t get it in your email, you can click here to see it.
Also, you can see past issues of the Buzz on the D17 website: here.
October 30, 2026
Upcoming sectional
Don’t forget the fall sectional: November 13–15 at the Summit Event Center 2 in Aurora (new name, same place) – click here for the flyer.
Special events:
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- Annual membership meeting at 2:45 on Saturday, with election of board members for the 2027–2028 term.
- Sunday team game is a Grass Roots Fund game, in support of the GNTs and NAPs. It awards silver points calculated using a regional formula.
Room upgrade lottery at regional
Book a room for the Denver Regional 2027 using the hotel reservation link, before the cutoff date of May 3, and your name will be tossed into a hat for a room upgrade. Upgrade courtesy of Marriott.
499er report
The fall 499er tournament has concluded, with 65 tables in play.
September 19, 2026
Denver Regional 2027
Planning is underway for Denver’s Rocky Mountain Regional 2027. Click here for the flyer and some preliminary information.
More pics from Jonathan
Jonathan Steinberg has sent pictures from the recent Atlanta regional. Click here to have a look.
September 8, 2026
Table Talk
The fall Table Talk is out. If you didn’t get it in your email, you can see it here. (Also, many older issues are up there, if you are historically minded.)
Volunteer of the Year – Joan Riordan
The Unit 361 Board selected Joan Riordan as Volunteer of the Year. Joan is an Intermediate Novice player who has joined the Unit’s Grow the Game Committee. Joan has been quite active in getting newcomers to come to any and all I/N games (499-ers, 399-ers, 199-ers), finding them partners, and making them feel welcome.
Joan is retired. She was a member of the Colorado Bar Association and she practiced law in Denver for several decades.
Thank you Joan!
Board election
Five spots are open on the Unit 361 board for the 2027–2028 term. The election will be held at the November sectional, at the membership meeting before the second session on Friday.
The candidates:
 | Gary Weiss My relationship with bridge spans four decades, with a few notable detours along the way. I was deeply immersed in the bridge world throughout the 1980s, before life's demands pulled me away from the table for years. It took a pandemic—and a nudge from an old partner—to bring me back, first online, then in person at live tables starting two years ago. A graduate of Lawrence University, I hold certifications in teaching, conflict resolution, and forensic psychology—an eclectic background that eventually led me to a position as an ombudsman for the Nebraska legislature. My wife, Elisa Birnbaum, and I moved to Denver nine years ago, where we enjoy the city's rich cultural offerings. And I continue to rebuild my game, one session at a time. |
 | Wally Erbes I started playing duplicate bridge after selling my financial planning firm and retiring in 2016. I am a Certified Financial Planner. Then, knowing I would need a new outlet for my friendly competitive spirit and social interaction, I joined the ACBL in 2017. I am now a Life Master and enjoy the game and the people—including my time on the Unit bridge board. My background includes leadership and volunteering. I am still very active in scouting, leading a wonderful troop for 20+ years. I am currently a committee chair. As a volunteer for my church, I serve on the Homebound Committee. We call on people who are unable to attend church because they are homebound and we bring church to them. My wife and I are also active on the World Missions team. |
 | Judith Repp The bridge community is a wonderful assortment of like-minded nerds that I treasure. I appreciate the opportunity Bridge affords to ‘instantly’ meet people in new environments. As a bridge-playing architect, I love to solve puzzles. Still a practicing architect with graduate degrees in architecture and structural engineering, I find the myriad challenges of bridge to be not unlike those encountered while designing buildings. For the last two years, I have been the Unit’s Treasurer. On the east coast, I was an avid rower on the Schuylkill River (Boathouse Row) in Philadelphia. Rivers in Colorado are way too rocky for that, so my current 'sport' in Colorado is Bridge! My non-bridge-playing husband, Chick, and I live in Evergreen with my faithful hiking companion, a dachshund (TBone), and a very independent cat (McPhee). I hope to give back to the Unit that gave me such a warm welcome upon my arrival and continually provides me with alternating bouts of exhilaration, consternation and self-flagellation that is the game of Bridge. |
 | Kathy McMahon During my tenure I have served as the IN (now 499-ers) representative. I felt that as an IN myself this was a perfect position for me. Our unit holds three IN tournaments per year and I have the privilege of chairing those events. There are two IN Sectionals in September and April. There is also an IN Regional held concurrently with the July Open Sectional. Our IN tournaments now include a bridge lesson over the lunch period. During my time I have tried to grow the IN bridge playing population at our clubs as well as at our tournaments. The board voted to increase the mentor program to include players with up to 500 Master Points. This resulted in more people participating in the mentor program. At the request of the Ins, we are currently trying to provide Swiss Team trainings for INs prior to each tournament in order to prepare them for team events at tournaments. I look forward to continuing to represent the INs on our Board. I also look forward to hearing from all of the INs regarding how we can assist you and recognize you in your bridge journey. I hope you will reelect me. |
 | Dom di Felice I am married and have two adult children from my first marriage, as well as five grandchildren—two in Toronto and three in Miami—who bring me great joy. My passion for bridge began in graduate school. After several successful years of tournament play, highlighted by a second-place finish in the Canadian National Championship, I put my cards away to focus on raising a family and building a career in education. I started as a mathematics teacher before moving into educational administration. I retired as a Superintendent of Education in Toronto and moved to Denver in 2006 to become Superintendent of a charter school network. After retiring in 2017, I was finally able to devote more time to one of my lifelong passions—bridge. Since returning to the game, I have earned the rank of Platinum Life Master. One of the most rewarding aspects of bridge for me is mentoring newer players at the club. The fact that my mentees have all been women is purely coincidental—but it has provided plenty of laughs along the way! I believe the skills I developed throughout my career—listening, collaborating, solving problems, and helping organizations grow—would serve the board well. It would be a privilege to contribute to the continued success of our bridge club and to help ensure it remains a welcoming and enjoyable place for players of all levels. |
July 15, 2026
November flyer is out
The fall sectional is scheduled for November 13–15, at the Summit Event Center 2 in Aurora (new name, same place). The flyer is now available – click here.
Special events:
-
- Annual membership meeting at 2:45 on Saturday
- Sunday team game is a Grass Roots Fund game, in support of the GNTs and NAPs. It awards silver points calculated using a regional formula.
November 20, 2025
2026 board meetings
Dates for the 2026 board meetings:
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- January 24
- February 28
- March 21
- April 4
- May 16
- June 20
- July 18
- August 15
- October 17
- November 21
- December 19
Please be aware that these dates may change.
All board meetings are open to any member of Unit 361. Unless otherwise announced, board meetings will take place at 9:00 am at Denver Metro Bridge Studio. Email the unit president to add an item to agenda.
April 29, 2025
Expanded mentor program
If you’re a newer player (5–500 masterpoints) and are looking to get some coaching, check into the Unit 361 Mentor program.
There are two options for mentoring:
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- Play with your Mentor. (Same as previous years)
- (New) Play with your partner, and arrange for your Mentor to play in the same game, sitting the same direction. After the game, you (and your partner, if he or she chooses) review the boards with your Mentor. You and your partner must be an established partnership and have at least 200 masterpoints each.
And if you’re a more experienced player and would like to help a newer player develop his/her game, why not be a Mentor?
Click here for more information.