WOW: The GNYBA Bulletin from 1984

In the middle of all the GNT excitement, we have uncovered an absolute treasure from 40 years ago thanks to Adam Wildavsky. Decades ago, the GNYBA published a regular bulletin and we have our hands on the November 1984 copy.

What was going on then? Jeff Bayone was then owner and manager of the Manhattan Bridge Club, joining in his first year on the board. The club qualifier stage of the GNT Flight B was beginning — back then you had club qualifiers just like with NAPs. There was no fourth Flight C GNT, and not even a third flight. It was just Open and B (0-500 at that time). Also on the GNYBA board was Margie Gwozdzinsky, of Countess Cup fame, and treasurer Aileen Osofsky, former chair of the ACBL Goodwill Committee.

The GNYBA Winter Regional (Renamed Edgar Kaplan Regional Later)

Surprise, our regional was still right around the December holidays, only back then it was part of a vast schedule of many sectionals and regionals from surrounding units and districts (GNYBA, NSBA, NJBL, WCBA, and D3 Tri-State). It would appear Unit 155 and Unit 242, even back then, kept our regionals separate despite all begin part of District 24.

A few interesting things to note. Regionals used to have a smoking and non-smoking section?? Does that mean East West pairs would have to rotate through a lot of North-South smokers, or was there literally a field of all smokers and a field of non smokers? For teams, is there a smoking bracket and non-smoking bracket? All intriguing questions. If anyone knows or has any other copies of the old GNYBA bulletin, please email them to us!

Apparently back then a 3-day regional at the Sheraton was profitable and drew tons of tables (or so I hear). It also seems the tournament schedule was MUCH more heavily focused on team events. You have a KO lasting Fri-Sun. You have 0-750 Swiss on Saturday and Sunday. Open Swiss Sunday, even consolation evening Swiss paying half red half black on Sunday, and Speedball swiss at 11:30pm Saturday?!? Was this all before the Goldman Pairs existed?

I see the tournament schedule was similarly confusing to newer players even back then, so I feel less bad about how crazy and intimidating our flyers still are today…

There was previously a club called Bridge and Games, not the renamed Cavendish that got us through Covid, but one run by Brian Glubok even further east than the old and new Honors. The teaching staff included Alan Miller, Augie Boehm, and quite a lot of familiar names.

We will dive more into the old Post Mortem’s in the coming weeks, but I very much hope to collect a few more issues. Please send them along to your favorite board member and they will pass it to us.