Solitaire Legend to Host Workshop

(Montrose) A complimentary clinic conducted by solitaire great Pinky Diamond and sponsored by the Laser State Continuing Education Department will be held at the Montrose Pavilion on August 4 according to the Uncompahgre Lonely Hearts Club.

The program, open to the public, will consist of seminars, an autograph session and footage of classic matches covering Diamond’s 48 years at the solitaire table.

“This may break the stranglehold that bingo has had on this community since World War I,” said Ginn Rooney, a one-armed blackjack dealer and highly recognized authority on parlor games who is credited with the invention of the designer poker chip in 1932.

Diamond, 98, raises emus on his 10,000 acre ranch near Colona. He retired from professional solitaire to pursue a career as a Tango singer in 2003 and was once the second-ranked solitaire player in the world. He reportedly mastered the demanding game while working as a sheepherder on California Mesa in the 20s.

“We’re real lucky to have him in town,” said Rooney, who will perform card tricks until someone has a better idea of how to spend the evening. We’re actually neighbors up near Buckhorn. He’s a lot more engaging than those surfers that used to live up here,” she said.

“He’s not used to playing solitaire in front of all these people,” smiled Rooney. “We hope he won’t let the crowd rattle him at tense moments of play.”

A native of Iceland, Diamond, who changed his name from Avril Balboa Bergstol at the end of the Spanish Civil War, represented his nation in the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games. After that he enjoyed some success coaching and embraced organic farming. Most recently he has gained attention for his efforts to convince livestock as to the benefits of Daylight Savings Time.

“We fervently hope solitaire will gain the attention much deserved in the arena of international sport and recreation here on a local level,” quipped Rooney. “It may be the last chance we get to bring quality entertainment to the provinces.”