Club member Michael Draper passed away on Friday 18th June, following a recent diagnosis of aggressive brain cancer - leaving his wife Margaret, also a PBC member.
I was fortunate to have Michael take me under his wing as a partner some 20 years ago - he introduced me to competitive play at the interclub and state level. He loved the game (and also loved chess).
These pursuits and his career as a software engineer exemplify his keen mind. He gave me a 30 page set of system notes to master, but on the other hand wasn't afraid of trusting his well-tuned intuition or gut instinct at the table over our system. For example he used to often lead short suits against no-trump contracts, frequently finding my long suit based on his assessment of the bidding.
He was patient and gentle as a bridge partner, hiding even surprise at some of the bids and plays I made.
More players like Michael would be very welcome. He will be missed at the bridge table.
