The San Ramon Valley Bridge club was created because of the pure joy and passion for the game of bridge. If you want to play a game that will keep your mind young and healthy for years to come, this is the game for you. The goal of the San Ramon Valley Bridge Club is to promote the game of bridge for all ages. Younger minds learn strategizing, planning and improve critical thinking skills. All minds improve and retain memory, plus, the social aspect will get you out of the house and stimulated.
My Story
My name is Jackie Thomas. I grew up in SoCal (the San Fernando Valley), obtained a computer science degree from SDSU, moved to NorCal to work for Chevron, have two grown kids, and am now a retired Software Engineer.
I have always loved all games; board games, athletic games, card games, and even video games. Around 2016, a monthly dinner party and game night with friends went from Hearts and Spades to an introduction to bridge. By 2017, I joined the ACBL and started playing duplicate bridge. By then, I was hooked and began inviting any and all willing friends to learn and play. That morphed into a large weekly potluck and lesson where 40+ newbies learned how to play. This was great fun for a couple of years, so I decided to become a certified game director and created the San Ramon Valley Bridge Club.
After two full years of bridge-mania and a few weeks before the planned grand opening in 2019, Covid caused everything to shut down. That put a pause on my bridge obsession for a couple of years because it was the live games and tournaments that I loved so much. My focus changed to long distance hiking and traveling. I started playing again in 2021. By 2022 my passion for bridge was fully renewed. In December of 2023 (my 5th year of bridge) and with the help of a few really good partners, I was able to grab the last few silver points I needed to became a Life Master at the Monterey, California tournament.
My goal for the San Ramon Valley Bridge Club is to share this great game with as many enthusiasts as possible and “hopefully” enable them to enjoy the game as much as I do.