Tournament, the hands-down winner would be Mrs. Alberta Albersheim who has not missed the competition since its inception 34 years ago.

The Waben, Massachusetts, resident and other participants began another week of bidding when the 1993 tournament opened at the Southampton Princess Hotel on Saturday.

Mrs. Albersheim said she could not remember exactly when she learned to play her favourite pastime, but it was definitely "many years ago''. She entered her first bridge tournament during the late 1940s.

The 86-year-old widow recalled how the first two Bermuda Bridge Tournaments were held at the now-defunct Bermudiana Hotel and the Hamilton Princess, before the competition moved to its present location.

When asked how she has fared thus far in this year's tournament, Mrs.

Albersheim replied like many seasoned bridge players: "Oh fair -- I could be doing better.'' Even fading eyesight has not prevented this great grandmother from giving the younger players a run for their money. Mrs. Albersheim has been given permission by tournament officials to use special decks of cards which have larger numbers and suit symbols.

And although she has won competitions with both her son and one of her grandsons, Mrs. Albersheim still considers herself the only "real'' bridge player in the family.

"They don't play actively like I do -- I'm the only one who can waste the time on it,'' she joked.

In addition to her annual trip to Bermuda, Mrs. Albersheim participates in bridge tournaments across the United States and Canada, and picks up games whenever she can.

"I used to travel a great deal with my husband,'' Mrs. Albersheim said, adding that she's played from Rio de Janeiro to Tokyo.

She and her family vacationed in Bermuda numerous times before the Bermuda Bridge Tournament was launched.

"We don't go sightseeing anymore. We already know all the ins and outs,'' she said.

Mrs. Albersheim said she could not imagine a year without the Bermuda Bridge Tournament and is looking forward to her 35th consecutive trip next January.

"I would be very disappointed if I were not able to come,'' she said. The event, which is put on by the Bermuda unit of the American Contract Bridge League, will finish in grand style this weekend with a banquet and prize giving ceremony.

TRUMP CARD -- Mrs. Alberta Albersheim, who is making her 34th consecutive appearance at the Bermuda Bridge Tournament, examines her hand during Monday's play. (See story below).