Staff photo by Fritz Busch The Sveine family reunites at the 12th Annual George Sveine Cribbage Tournament at the Post 132 American Legion Club Saturday. From left, Jackie Koepsell, Edina; and Steve, Terry and Ellie Sveine, all of New Ulm.

NEW ULM — Tournament newcomer Matt Solomonson of Springfield won the 15th Annual George Sveine Cribbage Tournament at the Post 132 American Legion Club Saturday.

Solomonson said he learned of the tournament on Facebook. He won $200 in the full-payout tournament that included 40 players and took three hours to complete.

Cribbage, or crib, is a card game that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations to score points.

Terry Sveine of New Ulm said it takes lots of practice, like any card game, to do well at cribbage.

The tournament was originated by Sveine’s father George, who was considered a great cribbage player.

A U.S. Navy World War II veteran serving on a destroyer and minesweeper in 1945-1946, Sveine was a man of many interests and abilities. He worked as a machinist from 1954 to 1992 at New Ulm Manufacturing, Raygo and Caterpillar in New Ulm.

George Sveine worked at Minnesota Valley Test Labs from 1994 to 2006. He was a part-time as a New Ulm bartender for more than 30 years, an American Legion Club volunteer and was a beaver trapper, mushroom hunter besides building cars and trucks and competing in demolition derbies.

“We keep this doing for the memory of my dad. We have all intentions of keeping it going. Many people thanked me for keeping it going and for keeping it going in my dad’s memory,” said Terry Sveine.

George Sveine Cribbage Tournament winners since 2009 are Bobby Lindemann, Dick Wills in 2010 and 2011, Cindy Hillescheim 2012, Bryan Kehren 2013, John McDuffie 2014, Rodney Zimmer 2015, Mike Hillesheim 2016, Eric Nachreiner 2017, Perry Madden 2018 and 2024, Jimmy Wieland 2019, Jeff Olsen 2022 and Derrick Jacobson 2023. Tournaments were not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 epidemic.