TheGrapevine
VOLUME 15, NO. 3 SEPTEMBER 2003 In This Issue… USA Claims Bronze Medal in France By Jody Latham World Junior USA-II, still reeling from a With one board remain- Pairs and half-IMP loss to Italy in the ing, USA-II had closed the instead of Bathurst) that Bridge Camp ...... pg. 2 semifinal, rallied to defeat margin to a half-IMP but the won the world Junior title in Poland and claim the bronze last board was a push at Brazil in 2001. Koegel wins th preteen medal at the 9 World Youth 7 . USA-II won the last set The Canadian team of Ian scholarship ...... pg. 4 Team Championship in Paris 82–22 but it was not Boyd, Vincent Demuy, David in late August. enough. Italy won the match Grainger, Charles Halasi, Stanford triumphs The team — John Hurd- 197–196.5. Daniel Lavee, Gavin Wolpert in college Joel Wooldridge, Kent Italy defeated Denmark in and NPC Martin championship ...... pg. 4 Mignocchi-Kevin Bathurst the final 271.67–184. Italy Hunter and the Wooldridge & Hurd and John Kranyak-Joe Grue claimed their second world USA I team of seize Fast — finished second in the Junior title; they won in Fort Meredith Pairs title ...... pg. 5 round-robin of 16 teams Lauderdale FL in 1999. Beck, Lisa (USA-I and Canada did not In the play-off for third Burton, Robert Juniors Honored qualify for semifinal play). place, USA-II led Poland Glickman, Joon at Long Beach reception ...... pg. 5 In the semifinal, Italy 102–98 at the half-way Pahk, Lindsay jumped out to a 142–50.5 point. They won the third set Pearlman, Beginner’s lead at the half-way point. 63–30, lost the final set 38– Xing Yuan Corner ...... pg. 5 USA-II rallied, winning the 48 but claimed a 203–176 and NPC third set 64–33 but trailing victory. Mike Cappelletti Scholarship opportunities 175–114.5 going into the This is the same U.S. also participated in for Juniors ...... pg. 6 final 16 boards. team (with Brad Campbell the event.
World Junior Individual Championship and World Junior Bridge Camp ...... pg. 6
FYI ...... pg. 7
Play Contest ...... pg. 7
The Official Newsletter of the American Contract Bridge League Junior Players (age 25 and under)
American Contract NPC Bob Rosen, Kranyak, Wooldridge, Grue, Hurd, Bathurst and Mignocchi Bridge League U.S. and Canadian Juniors scored big at World Junior Pairs and Camp By Barry Rigal The venue in July for the fifth World are helpless. and his partnership skills. “At the Junior Pairs was Tata, Hungary, When North discards, Grue can World Junior Pairs Championships in situated 50 miles outside Budapest. win, then cash the A for his side’s Tata, he formed a partnership at the The location was an Olympic sports eighth trick, following by ruffing the last minute with a less-experienced camp — excellent facilities and fourth club with the 7 to ensure two player — who asked him to let him comfortable surroundings. more trump tricks for his side. know what he did wrong. He is still Nearly 200 pairs participated, with After the pairs competition had waiting for a single criticism of any of Adi Azizi and Yuval Yener of Israel finished, 150 of the participants — 23 his actions.” taking top honors. They were followed from the U.S., two from Canada — Here’s a deal where John Kranyak by Jerome and Guillaume Grenthe of loaded up their stuff and went 50 and Yoram Bar-Yosef of Israel com- France, while brothers Bas and Bob miles down the road to Vargesztes. bined for a nice defensive effort. Drijver of the Netherlands were third. There we found a venue ideally suited Dlr: East 8 2 John Kranyak and Joe Grue of the to a bridge camp.There were enough Vul: N–S A J 8 6 5 U.S. placed fourth, less than one sporting facilities to entertain the J board away from the gold medal. players, be it swimming, volleyball, K Q J 9 4 Here’s Grue in action: table tennis or swimming. The climate Q J 5 A K 10 7 6 3 Dlr: South Q 5 2 was in the 70’s with no humidity, and 10 7 4 2 K Q 3 Vul: E–W K 10 9 6 villas accommodating four Juniors at 8 7 10 6 4 J 10 7 3 a time — enough comfort to keep 10 8 6 3 A 7 6 even the most spoiled player happy, 9 4 A 9 7 8 3 at an affordable price. 9 Q 7 5 3 A J 8 2 The format of the camp was to play A K Q 9 5 3 2 Q 8 5 A 9 4 sports in the morning, have a lesson 7 5 2 A 9 2 K Q 8 4 in the early afternoon, play bridge in West North East South K J 10 6 4 the afternoon and evening, with a Kranyak Bar-Yosef 4 post-midnight game available for the 1 2 K 6 2 really desperate thrill-seekers. Pass 2 2 3 J 10 5 3 Jereoen Bruggeman of the Nether- 3 4 Dbl 4 West North East South lands won the Youth Cup, established Pass Pass Dbl All Pass Kranyak Grue by Dirk Schroeder in 1987. The cup Look just at the West cards and Pass went to the participant who obtained decide what you might lead against Pass Pass 1 1NT (1) the best results over three of the 4 doubled. 4 All Pass qualifying pair events in the Junior Kranyak found the inspired club (1) Modified Michaels. camp, playing with three qualifying lead. Bar-Yosef won his A and It appears impossible to stay out of partners of different nationalities — underled in spades to Kranyak’s jack. trouble with the East–West cards; 4 excluding his own. Kranyak returned a club, ruffed, and a looks down at least one trick, does it The WBF Youth Awards went to spade came back to his queen. not? Kare Gjaeldbaek of Denmark, Ben Another club ruff led to plus 500 — Well, Kranyak passed the West Green of England, Filippos Karamanlis worth all the matchpoints, since 3 hand and that apparently got his side of Greece and Joel Wooldridge of the was the limit on the East–West cards off to a good start — but Grue (East) United States. (because of the heart ruff). opened 1 in fourth chair. Now when Wooldridge was cited for his humor South overcalled 1NT (modified Michaels), Kranyak jumped to 4 . North American Junior Scores & Placement On a low club lead, Grue put up the th A and ran the Q, covered all 4 ...... Joe Grue & John Kranyak ...... 59.68% ...... USA th round. He then led a low diamond to 10 ...... Joshua Donn & Scott Waldron ...... 58.91% ...... USA th dummy’s queen (good!) and tried a 14 ...... Kevin Bathurst & Kent Mignocchi ...... 57.82% ...... USA heart to his 8 (better!). nd 22 ...... Ari Greenberg & Justin Lall ...... 56.85% ...... USA Now he had 10 tricks by simply rd 33 ...... Jon Rice & Tim Crank ...... 54.90% ...... USA arranging a spade ruff in hand — and th 67 ...... Paul Bethe & Jason Feldman ...... 51.79% ...... USA garnering all the matchpoints. th To set the contract, South had to 76 ...... Susan Doty & Marc Glickman ...... 51.16% ...... USA rd win the K at trick three. Once he 83 ...... Drew Becker & Jason Rosenfeld ...... 50.75% ...... USA th ducked, even if North had split his 85 ...... Robert Glickman & Xing Yuan ...... 50.55% ...... USA th heart honors at trick four, Grue would 114 ...... Mather Fisher & Joel Wooldridge ...... 48.94% ...... USA th simply have won, cashed the K and 137 ...... Andrew Carver & Ben Englert...... 47.54% ...... USA th gone to dummy with the A to lead a 155 ...... Mark Donovan & Matt Donovan ...... 45.12% ...... CAN th third club, after which the defenders 164 ...... Jared Fournier & Jeremy Fournier ...... 44.35% ...... USA The Bridge Grapevine ♠ 2 HUNGARY WAS A HUGE SUCCESS
Youth Award Winners
Schroeder Cup Winner
The Bridge Grapevine ♠ 3 Preteen winner
A Barrington Bridge Club regular has won the $5000 J. Homer Shoop Preteen Scholarship Award.
Jeremy Koegel, who has been reading the sports section of the Los playing weekly at Barrington Bridge Angeles Times daily since he was Club in Los Angeles for the last three about 5 years old. He likes bowling years, has been named the 2003 and he loves board games, especially winner of the J. Homer Shoop Preteen games of strategy like chess and ‘The Scholarship. Cities and Knights of Catan.’ ” Koegel, who lives in Los Angeles He also loves bridge and was and who turned 13 in July, received a taught the game by his uncle, Bob 10-year maturity $5000 certificate that Bell of Washington DC. “My brother can be used for academic or career taught Jeremy and his older brother, training. The award was established Daniel, to play,” says Ilene Bell. “Both by Shoop in 1989 and is now adminis- of them learned, but Jeremy was tered by the ACBL Educational smitten.” thoughtful and sensitive about others.” Foundation. In fact, at his uncle’s suggestion, “He was very excited about receiv- Koegel is a seventh grade student Koegel taught three friends to play — ing this award and, in his usual at Walter Reed Middle School, where so he would have partners for the manner, relatively quiet about it. He he is enrolled in the Individual Honors Anaheim NABC. He’s been a weekly never told his bridge player friends Program. His proud mom, Ilene Bell, regular at Barrington Bridge Club for about it — we ended up spilling the says he is “an avid reader and has the last three years and is now a beans.” been so his whole life. Jeremy loves Sectional Master. He’s earned almost Previous winners of the preteen creative writing and his favorite school 125 masterpoints and has already scholarship are Lisa Kow, Joel subjects tend to be English and fulfilled the gold- and red-point Wooldridge, Vincent Molgat, Bonnie history.” requirements for Life Master. Greco, Ari Greenberg, Tara Gokavi, He plays soccer and tennis and is a “He’s a great kid, one of the most Gavin Wolpert, Dan Hirschman, Scott sports enthusiast. A fan of the Lakers generous and unselfish people I Waldron Jr., Justin Lall, Roger Lee, and the Dodgers, “he has been know,” says his mom. “He is kind, Alex Phillips and Angela Collura. Stanford Wins
Left to right: Samuel Ieong, Ho-Lin Chen, Joon Pahk and Eric Mayefsky.
Stanford University captured the North American College Bridge Team Championship yesterday by defeating Harvard in the 32-board final 133––65. Playing for Stanford were Joon Pahk, Eric Mayefsky, Samuel Ieong and Ho- gan team composed of Ilya University of Ohio Wesleyan, repre- Lin Chen. Podalyako, Jaremy Vosko, Jonathan sented by Svetozar Palankov, Thomas On the Harvard squad were Vijay Zimber and Jeremy Iskin in the O’Reilly-Pol, Elizabeth Dale and Bal, Alex Ogan, Seth Pritikin and Greg semifinal round. Matthew Bernardina. Ingolia. Harvard advanced to the final In the other semifinal bracket, Ohio Wesleyan defeated Michigan by defeating the University of Michi- Stanford defeated a squad from the in the play-off for third place. The Bridge Grapevine ♠ 4 Wooldridge and Hurd Seize Fast Pairs Title
John Hurd and Joel Wooldridge the bestest,” said a grinning won the four-session NABC+ Fast Wooldridge as partner Hurd rolled his Pairs by more than a full board, eyes and laughed. finishing with 1284.43 on a 38 top. Hurd and Wooldridge, both 24, This is the first NABC victory for Hurd have been playing together for four of Charleston SC and the second for years. They were members of the USA Wooldridge of Buffalo NY. Wooldridge II Junior Team who placed third in the 1237.99 were Ed Schulte and Joe won the 1997 IMP Pairs with Tom World Youth Teams Championship in Godefrin. Third were Richard Miller Carmichael. “We were the fastest and Paris this summer. In second with and Jerry Helms with 1193.44.
Juniors Honored at Long Visit our Beach Junior Reception website at www.acbl.org
Left to right: Yuan, Pahk, Pearlman, Burton and Burns How do you play to take 12 tricks? The ACBL Junior Corps inducted playing cards), Burns also presented four new members during the Junior the recipients with sweatshirts bearing North reception at the Long Beach NABC. the Bicycle logo. K 2 Charlotte Blaiss, director of ACBL’s “The U.S. Playing Card Company A K 5 4 Junior program, and Peggy Burns, has an interest in promoting bridge K Q 10 6 representative of the United States playing among young people,” said 7 6 5 Playing Card Company who spon- Burns. sored the reception, awarded Junior ACBL CEO Jay Baum and ACBL South Corps pins to Lisa Burton, 19, who President AL Levy were also on hand A 5 4 attends Texas A&M; Lindsay to address the dozens of Junior J 3 2 Pearlman, 18, a student at New York players who attended. A J 5 4 Technology Institute; Joon Pahk, 24, a Blaiss also extended special thanks A K Q doctoral student at Stanford Univer- to Jade Barrett and the North Ameri- sity; and Xing Yuan, 17, a senior at can Youth Bridge Foundation for The contract is 6NT and West Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor MI. sponsoring the North American youth leads the Q. What line of play The Junior Corps is an organization program for the past 10 years. offers you the best chance to founded to honor those Junior players In other Junior Corps news, who actively promote bridge and are Meredith Beck was elected chairper- make your contract? (Hint: There good citizens of the bridge world. son of the Junior Corps. Beck and are three chances with the best On behalf of the U.S. Playing Card Blaiss will work through the Junior line.) Company (which many players are Corps to find new ways to promote familiar with through its Bicycle brand bridge to young people. Answers on page 6 ➤ The Bridge Grapevine ♠ 5 Scholarship Opportunities for Juniors A scholarship program is available for ACBL Juniors. The program, which owes its funding to some very generous external donations, is available to college and high school bridge players under 26 who teach bridge in schools. The program will award $500 scholarships to those who teach the equivalent of the ACBL Bidding Series (Club Series) or 16 hours of lessons to a class of at least eight students who are under 26 years of age. In addition, the ACBL Educational Foundation and the ACBL Education Department will provide books, t-shirts and a stipend of $270 for teaching the courses. The $500 scholarship is payable to the school of choice for the Junior bridge instructor. The scholarship will be paid to an accredited college, university, or trade school for high school graduates. Contacts for this program are Jayne Thomas
Plan To Attend the 1st World Junior Individual Championship and the 6th World Junior Bridge Camp New York City
The World Junior Individual Cham- The World Junior Individual Cham- preset environment. Like in life, one pionship will be launched next year in pionship is open to all players who are needs to adjust to existing conditions New York City, and will take place Juniors (born in 1979 or later, for next rather than rely upon things being as July 14–16, 2004 during the North year’s event) and members of a planned. For this reason, the indi- American Bridge Championships . National Bridge Federation (NBO). vidual stresses the social element of The World Individual Championship There are no restrictions as to the bridge. will be immediately followed by the 6th number of players an NBO may send. The ACBL and the the WBF Youth World Junior Camp, which will take All players will play a simple natural Committee look forward to welcoming place at Adelphi University, on New system, which will be announced by as many Juniors as possible to the 1st York’s Long Island, July 17–24. the WBF in due time. Very much like World Junior Individual Championship The World Junior Individual Cham- the pairs tournament, the individual and the 6th World Junior Bridge Camp. pionship will complete the world titles championship will be played in four Details will be announced soon and already available to young players in sessions. Scoring will be with the will be posted on the offical websites the other forms of bridge competition barometer system, which allows of both the WBF (teams, pairs). It is designed to be competitors to know their exact (www.worldbridge.org) and ACBL held biennially in North America in position minutes after they have (www.acbl.org). odd-numbered years (starting from played a round. North American Juniors should 2007), exactly as the World Junior The individual championship contact Charlotte Blaiss, Pairs Championship is being held presents a different kind of challenge [email protected] or 901-332- biennially in Europe (in even-num- to competitors, in that players need to 5586 (ext. 1214) to register for both
bered years as from 2006). be skillful in performing in a non- events.
J. If East has East If J. small heart toward the the toward heart small Q and you think it is it think you and Q that West has the the has West that
lead in the South hand. South the in lead a remote one). When it doesn’t, lead a lead doesn’t, it When one). remote a 2. If your sixth sense is screaming is sense sixth your If 2.
A K, retaining the retaining K, A suit cards and the the and cards suit for you. for Q will drop singleton (a chance, albeit chance, (a singleton drop will Q
until you finish playing all of your minor- your of all playing finish you until can get an opponent to discard a heart a discard to opponent an get can K to see if the if see to K A or or A First lead the the lead
1
always hold off on that last high heart high last that on off hold always and then a couple of clubs to see if you if see to clubs of couple a then and see how to cater to all the chances? the all to cater to how see
West is 6-4 in the majors, so you could you so majors, the in 6-4 is West trick. Can you Can trick. chances to win the 12 the win to chances want to play off all of your diamonds your of all off play to want
th
yes there is slight chance for a squeeze if squeeze a for chance slight is there yes for a total of 11. You have three have You 11. of total a for 1. Before touching hearts, you might you hearts, touching Before 1.
3. For you non-beginners out there, out non-beginners you For 3. . 3-3, you have 12 tricks 12 have you 3-3, in diamonds, and three tricks in clubs in tricks three and diamonds, in
3
J from your hand. your from J better to play the the play to better high heart from dummy. If hearts split hearts If dummy. from heart high spades, two tricks in hearts, four tricks four hearts, in tricks two spades,
the distribution of cards or points, it is it points, or cards of distribution the Q, win the return and play the last the play and return the win Q, contract. There are two tricks in tricks two are There contract.
unless you have more information about information more have you unless . When West shows up with the with up shows West When . J the the
Declarer needs 12 tricks to make the make to tricks 12 needs Declarer
2
hope he has to win with it anyway, but anyway, it with win to has he hope does not, you probably should still play still should probably you not, does
doubleton, you could always duck and duck always could you doubleton, Q, he will probably take it. If he If it. take probably will he Q, the the Answer to Beginner’s Corner: Beginner’s to Answer
The Bridge Grapevine ♠ 6 NORTH AMERICAN the ACBL Junior home page at
Test your mettle with this double A K Q 3 2 Double Dummy dummy problem. Win free entries to 10 9 8 7 6 the NABC of your choice by correctly A 7 3 solving the problem (New Orleans, — Reno or New York City only) and J 10 9 8 7 6 5 — submitting your detailed response to — Q 5 4 3 2 [email protected]. (Free entries do — K Q J 9 4 2 not include Charity Day.) Contestants K Q J 10 6 3 8 2 submitting answers must be Juniors 4 (under 26) and ACBL members. All A K J submissions must have been received 10 8 6 5 by October 17, 2003. The drawing A 9 7 5 4 will take place on October 20. An- swers will be posted on the Junior Contract is 3NT. West leads the pages of the ACBL web site J. South must win nine tricks PLAY Contest (www.acbl.org) in mid-October. against any defense. The Bridge Grapevine ♠ 7 1. Vincent Demuy, Laval QC 821 1. Gavin Wolpert, Thornhill ON 844 2. Justin Lall, San Antonio TX 387 2. Vincent Demuy, Laval QC 821 3. John Kranyak, New York NY 296 J 3. Joe Grue, New York NY 662 Y 4. Samantha Nystrom, Burnaby BC 287 4. Leo LaSota, College Park MD 615 5. Brad Campbell, Smyrna GA 259 5. John Hurd, Charleston SC 602 6. Jeremy Fournier, Knoxville TN 214 U 6. Kent Mignocchi, Bronx NY 481 O 7. Jared Fournier, Knoxville TN 208 7. Justin Lall, San Antonio TX 387 8. Jason Chiu, Cambridge MA 190 N 8. Ian Boyd, Calgary AB 382 U 9. Matt Meckstroth, Gainesville FL 164 9. Kevin Bathurst, Columbia SC 337 10. Michael Gentry, Charleston SC 156 10. Tim Crank, Wheaton MD 324 11. Jonathan Ohliger, Ridgewood NJ 139 I 11. John Kranyak, New York NY 296 T 12. Owen Lien, Hickory NC 111 12. Jacob Morgan, Madison WI 295 13. Andrew Carver, Edwardsville IL 106 13. Joel Wooldridge, Buffalo NY 290 14. Mather Fisher, Ben Lomond CA 91 O 14. Samantha Nystrom, Burnaby BC 287 H 15. Daniel Hollingshead, Birmingham AL 89 15. Brad Campbell, Smyrna GA 259 16. Jeremy Koegel, Los Angeles CA 85 16. Daniel Korbel, Waterloo ON 256 17. Andrew Quinton, Moody ME 73 R 17. Will Engel, Urbana IL 251 18. George Mann III, Kinnelon NJ 69 18. Mike Rice, Winston-Salem NC 251 19. Lisa Burton, Austin TX 66 19. Jon Rice, Raleigh NC 242 R 20. Meredith Beck, Riverton NJ 63 20. Andrew Hurd, Charleston SC 233 21. Ben Englert, Edwardsville IL 59 21. Joshua Donn, Chestnut Ridge NY 225 22. Lindsay Pearlman, Trumbull CT 55 R 22. Charlie Garrod, Pittsburgh PA 223 A 23. Eric Mayefsky, Chappaqua NY 55 23. Jay Helekar, Newport Beach CA 217 24. Joshua Bailey, Burton OH 54 A 24. Jeremy Fournier, Knoxville TN 214 25. Marc Glickman, Woodland Hills CA 53 25. Henry Wong, Cambridge MA 211 C 26. James Dulmage, Regina SK 44 26. Jared Fournier, Knoxville TN 208 27. Laura Macdougall, London, England 44 C 27. Noble Shore, Pittsburgh PA 195 E 28. Gregory Vance, San Leandro CA 43 28. McKenzie Myers, Eugene OR 193 29. Adam Grossack, Newton MA 43 29. Jason Chiu, Cambridge MA 190 30. Sam Katz, Hinsdale IL 43 E 30. Michael Ventura, Raleigh NC 190 S 31. Nicholas Flores, Portland OR 42 31. Rob Meckstroth, Gainesville FL 186 32. Matthew Cavanaugh, Ripon CA 40 S 32. John Gropp, New Orleans LA 180
33. Alex Phillips, North Little Rock AR 38 33. Timothy Capes, Toronto ON 178
Cindy Hill Cindy
DESIGN & LAYOUT & DESIGN
Charlotte Blaiss Charlotte
CONSULTING EDITOR CONSULTING
Harley Bress Harley
EDITOR
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