Junkur, a retired international accountant, now lives in West Chester, where bridge is anything but underground or exclusive.
On Mondays, he plays at the weekly Delaware State Bridge Association tournament in the Talleyville, Del., firehouse. It is one of a number of area bridge clubs that give the region its top-notch reputation in the bridge world.
"It's a pretty strong hotbed of bridge players," Henry Francis, executive editor of the American Contract Bridge League Bulletin, said of the Talleyville game, which draws players from Wilmington, Newark and southern Chester County.
Of the 120 to 140 players who turn out for the Talleyville game, about half are "life masters," a high ranking based on points earned by winning matches and tournaments, said Kenneth Donovan, former manager of the Delaware State Bridge Association. Only about 20 percent of the 190,000 members of the American Contract Bridge League are life masters.
Though a few of the Talleyville members could be considered "bourgeois" - with their BMWs, Ralph Lauren clothing and Beefeater's on the rocks - this is not an exclusive country-club game. Talleyville accepts anyone with a knack for bridge. Firefighters and cops go head-to-head with doctors and lawyers in the firehouse's glitzy, mirrored banquet hall, complete with wet bar.
For Junkur, the diversity keeps the game interesting. He said he enjoyed sitting down with professionals and trades people alike. As long as they can play.
"This is a tough group," said Tita Abello of Wilmington. "They say if you can play here, you can play anywhere." Abello plays bridge at least four times a week, including Monday nights in Talleyville.
Donovan said this made the Wilmington area one of country's top concentrations of good bridge players.
Many Talleyville players were in Atlantic City last week, as 6,000 movers and shakers of the international bridge circuit gathered for the North American Bridge Championships, which began March 6 and ended Sunday. The tournament, sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League, included players
from all levels competing according to the number of master points they had. Several Talleyville players placed well and picked up points.
Bob Burger of Delaware County and partner Skip Koup of Downingtown tied for fourth in their 400-team division, picking up about 10 master points each.
Like any good sportsman, Burger dwelled later on his missed opportunities.
The competition "was not real strong," he said. "I'm disappointed we didn't do any better."
