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Bridge at the Beach continues to grow in Rehoboth

Nearly 1,000 players from up and down the East Coast converge for weeklong tournament
The fourth annual Bridge at the Beach tournament took place the week of April 28. For four straight days, this was the scene at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS
Chris Flood
May 9, 2025

Story Location:
Rehoboth Beach Convention Center
229 Rehoboth Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
United States

Nearly 1,000 bridge players from up and down the Eastern Seaboard competed in the fourth annual Rehoboth Beach Regional tournament held the week of April 28.

The week-long District 4 regional is hosted by the American Contract Bridge League. Primarily, the players were from Virginia, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York and New Jersey, but there were people from as far away as Nova Scotia and Florida participating.

Tournament Co-Chair Kim Holm said there were nearly 750 players this year. Enough, he said, that they had to expand from only using the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center to also using the ballroom at the Atlantic Sands for the first time.

The regional tournament used to be held in the Philadelphia or Wilmington areas, but attendance was declining after COVID, so it was moved to Rehoboth a few years ago. It’s been a popular decision.

“Ninety-five percent of the participants are from out of town,” said Holm. “They’re already making reservations for next year.”

Marilyn Haskins, who oversaw the hospitality and food services for the tournament, thanked the local businesses that made the tournament a success – especially Big Fish for catering and the Atlantic Sands for hosting.

“This is small-town America at its best,” she said.

For more information on District 4 of the American Contract Bridge League, go to 4acbl.org or email contact@4acbl.org.

Chet Czerpak from Ocean City, N.J., takes a look at who he will be playing in the next round.
Gary Peterson, a tournament director from Marlborough, Mass., prints off scores from the previous session and seating arrangements for the second session.
Playing a game of bridge, with Maria Lain watching, are (l-r) Pinky King, Mark Conheady, Carl Coan and Donna Heckscher.
Marilyn Haskins, left, and Kim Holm helped organize the event in advance, and then kept players fed and hydrated.
There are no players at this table, but it’s only a matter of time before the two two-person teams are at it.
The tournament continues to grow, which is why it needed additional space at the Atlantic Sands this year.
Multiple sets of cards are ready to be used.
Players get some fresh air and food after the morning session.

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Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. Additionally, Flood moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes that are jammed with coins during daylight hours, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.

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