GINO IS BACK!
In Return Visit, Gino Wows Chicago Duplicate Club Crowd
Marking a return visit, Israeli bridge professional, Eldad "Gino" Ginossar, well known among Chicago players for his fun demeanor as well as his teaching and playing prowess, delighted a Chicago Duplicate Bridge game Tuesday. There were seven tables.
He is slated to speak Wednesday night, April 16, and Thursday, April 17, before the afternoon and evening games. He will be at both Thursday games a half hour early to answer questions.
Gino’s return visit to the south Loop club has been marked by post-game talks and Q&A sessions. David Schroeder, a CDBC director, explained that Gino is “answering bridge questions and providing analysis” on the evening game hands. The evening game starts at 6:30 pm. Everyone is welcome. On a side note, Schroeder mentioned that Ginossar will be “available for hire” Wednesday or Thursday.
A few years ago, while residing in the Chicago area while his wife was on the staff of the University of Chicago, Ginossar received the CCBA’s most prestigious award, the Harmon Wilkes, honoring strong players who exhibit great sportsmanship at the table. Gino is ethical, kind, and helpful to others in the playing field. Before his recent move to establish residency in both Israel and Florida, he was a speaker at Chicago Duplicate Bridge Games at its old Orleans location. There, he helped with Intermediate/Novice tournaments of the CCBA. According to Guy Franklin, recently retired from the CCBA Board of Directors, “Gino was a coveted player at CDBC. When he left Chicago for Tel Aviv and Florida, he created Zoom classes for more and less advanced students to maintain the bond he’d established with the Chicago organization.”
Gino wrote his first book, “Power Up Your Bridge,” while volunteering at CDBC. Because of his love of the game and his dedication to CDBC, he donated a portion of the book sales to the club.
Ginossar is returning to the Chicago area to compete in the United States Bridge Championships (USBC) in Schaumburg from May 1-8 at the Hyatt Regency. He is hoping to gain a berth for the World Championships this August in Herning, Denmark. The USBF will qualify two teams in each of the following categories: Open, Mixed, Senior and Women’s.
Gino is a member of the Rosenthal team. If you miss seeing him in person while he’s here, you can kibitz him and his teammates online once the games begin. The event is being played on LoveBridge tablets and can be kibitzed from home on the LoveBridge platform.
Save the Dates! Windy City Regional July 9 - 13
The CCBA Board of Directors voted to expand the 2025 Windy City Regional to 5 days. Join us on July 9-13, 2025. Bring your friends, your partners, and your teammates to White Eagle Banquets on Milwaukee Avenue in Niles.
We have spruced up the schedule to include a Saturday Swiss Team and a Sunday Fast Pairs. Fast Pairs can be a little frenzied but that’s some of what makes it so much fun… and as a bonus, you will finish around 4PM, return home, and have time for Sunday night dinner with the family! Or, if you are venturing to the Midwest from outside the Chicago area, this should facilitate travel home.
Based on the results of a survey following last year’s Windy City Regional, we are keeping the starting times of 10am and 3pm on weekdays and on Saturday. Again, the one exception will be Sunday when the 2nd session starts at 1:30. It is hoped that this will minimize the problem with music in rooms adjacent to ours at the site. To that end, we are targeting a 4pm finish on Sunday.
Last year’s Windy City Regional was our largest post-Pandemic tournament to date. With your help, we can break that record this year. Word of mouth goes a long way. If you share your great experiences from last year with others, our tournaments will grow, and more tables means more masterpoints for everyone!
White Eagle is a great venue for us. The playing area is open, light, and comfortable. Their staff work hard to accommodate us. Please treat the coffee shop personnel kindly. They are working through the weekend so we can enjoy playing cards.
White Eagle in Niles: The place to see and be seen in July!
CCBA 2025 Standardized Masterpoint Stratifications
The CCBA has standardized masterpoint stratifications for 2025 tournaments to balance the number of players in each flight, based on recent tournament data.
Open Events
A = 5000+ masterpoints
B = 2000 to 4999 masterpoints
C = 0 to 1999 masterpoints
Separate Gold Rush Events
A = 400 to 750 masterpoints
B = 200 to 399 masterpoints
C = 0 to 199 masterpoints
Find a Bridge Teacher with the CCBA Bridge Tracker
If you want to learn bridge or improve your bridge skills, the CCBA Teacher Tracker provides information about Chicago area bridge teachers, along with their contact information. View the Tracker by clicking this link: CCBA Teacher Tracker
The document will be updated periodically as information and details change. If you are a teacher and want to be included in the Teacher Tracker, or if you need to update the information that you provided, please contact Jamie Rubenstein, CCBA Communications Committee Co-Chair, at jamierube76@gmail.com.
Connect with area bridge players in our Facebook Group
The CCBA has a Facebook group where Chicago area players, club owners, and teachers can make bridge-related announcements, share information, and interact with each other.
If you are a Facebook user, you may have already received an invite. Simply accept the invite to become part of the group. If you haven't received an invite, go to Groups in Facebook, search for CCBA, and request to join the group. You'll be asked a few simple questions about your connection to the CCBA and an administrator will approve your request.
Once a member, you'll be able to invite other players to join as well. This is a private group, which will help us avoid spam and trolls.
We're looking forward to seeing you in Facebook. Please post any ideas you have about how to best use the group in the Discussions area.