A NEWSLETTER FOR JUNIOR PLAYERS THE GRAPEVINE USA takes Gold in Australia; Canada wins Bronze by Paul Linxwiler A six-man squad from the U.S. and Gavin Wolpert of Thornhill ON. won the 10th World Youth Team Bridge Jonathan Steinberg was the NPC. Championship held Aug. 7–17 in Players from 18 countries Volume 17 • No. 3 • Sept. 2005 Sydney, Australia. The team members participated in the championship were Joe Grue of New York NY, John which featured an age limit of 26. Kranyak of Bay look Village OH, Joel Wooldridge What’s of Buffalo NY, John Hurd of Inside Charleston SC, Ari Greenberg David Banh 2005 of Malibu CA King of Bridge............ 3 and Justin Lall of Plano TX. School Students Bob Rosen and Campers was the non- Rosen (NPC), Greenberg, Kranyak, Woodridge, Hurd, Grue and Lall in Atlanta ................... 4 playing captain. The team, USA1, Teams from four nations — the earned the gold medal by defeating U.S., Poland, Canada and France College Poland in the final. — survived a week-long round- Championship ........... 5 The U.S. trailed Poland for much robin which eliminated the other 14 Beginner's of the match, once by as much as 30 countries. The U.S. defeated Canada Corner ....................... 5 IMPs, but rallied in the last quarter to in the semifinal round, while Poland tie it. In a dramatic overtime, USA1 beat France. Junior Corps prevailed. The winning squad included Inductees................... 6 The U.S. won the eight-board some familiar names. Wooldridge, Bill Gates overtime match by the score of 15–0. 26, is pursuing a B.A. in elementary Playing for the silver-medal Polish education from Buffalo State in Atlanta ................... 6 team were Konrad Araskiewicz, University. Hurd, also 26, plays bridge Play Contest ................. 7 Krzysztof Buras, Jacek Kalita, full time, traveling to numerous ACBL FYI ................................ 7 Krzysztof Kotorowicz, Piotr Madry and events. He received a B.A. in geology Wojciech Strzemecki. Poland’s NPC from the College of Charleston. was Marek Markowski. Greenberg, 24, received a B.A in The ACBL had another medal- computer science from Stanford and is winning squad in Australia as Canada currently earning his master’s. Lall, 18, took the bronze. The Canadian lineup is the youngest member of the squad. featured Tim Capes and Charles He is currently a software designer Halasi of Toronto ON, Vincent Demuy assistant for SCA, a prize promotion AMERICAN CONTRACT of Montreal QC, David Grainger of company in Dallas owned by another BRIDGE LEAGUE 2990 Airways Blvd. Etobicoke ON and Daniel Lavee bridge great, Bob Hamman. Grue, 23, Memphis TN 38116 www.acbl.org Check out our new web site at: www.bridgeiscool.com moved to New York after graduating from high school and now competes full time in bridge tournaments. Kranyak, 21, is a senior studying mathematics at Columbia University in New York. This is the second gold medal for Wooldridge, Hurd, Kranyak and Grue. They were members of the winning squad from the 2001 championship in Brazil. That team also included Kent Mignocchi and Brad Campbell. In Paris in 2003, the U.S. team made it to the final of the championship against Italy (with Kevin Bathurst replacing Steinberg, Demuy, Wolpert, Halasi, Grainger, Capes and Lavee Campbell), but lost by the frustrating margin of a half IMP. They went on to take the bronze Lall heard his partner make a negative double and medal that year. In 2005, Lall and Greenberg was sufficiently impressed that he checked on aces were added to replace Mignocchi and Bathurst and then bid the diamond slam. Buras led a spade who, at the advanced (!) age of 27, are too old to the queen and ace and Lall led his club. It would to participate in Youth events any longer. have done Buras no good to go up with his ace. If he This deal from the final match (taken from the switches to a heart, declarer has a club trick and two on-site Daily Bulletins by Brian Senior and spade ruffs in dummy. A trump lead reduces the spade Ron Klinger) swung 11 IMPs to USA1: ruffs to one, but now declarer can ruff out the clubs and has the A in dummy as a late entry to cash Dlr: North 10 them. Buras actually played low on the club, but Lall Vul: None A 9 4 2 went up with the king and took his two spade ruffs for 9 3 plus 920. K J 8 7 6 5 K J 9 6 5 Q 4 3 Q 8 3 N K J 7 6 5 W E 8 6 S 10 7 2006 USA Youth A 10 3 Q 4 2 Team Trials A 8 7 2 10 A K Q J 5 4 2 9 West North East South Wooldridge Kalita Hurd Kotorowicz Pass Pass 1 Join us for the 2006 World Youth Team 1 1NT (1) 2 3NT Trials in Denver CO. Win a trip to All Pass represent the United States! (1) Transfer to clubs. Junior Team Trials are set for Friday and After the 1 overcall, Kalita transferred to clubs Saturday Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 at the Denver and that did not encourage Kotorowicz to look beyond NABC. Times will be at 1:00 pm and 7:30 pm. If game. It seemed likely that North had some heart more than eight teams enter, the event will extend length, so Kotorowicz punted 3NT, ending the auction. through Sunday. Teams must consist of four U.S. Hurd led a heart to the queen and ace and Kalita residents born in 1980 or later. cashed his nine tricks for plus 400. The winning team will qualify to play in the 2006 World Youth Team Championship. West North East South If you need a partner or a team, please Buras Greenberg Araskiewicz Lall contact [email protected]. Pass Pass 1 For more details about the 2006 World Youth 1 Dbl 2 4NT Team Championship, please visit the WBF web Pass 5 Pass 6 site at www.worldbridge.org. All Pass 2 time, lunch and before school. for newcomer pairs with 0-5 Because of this, the students love masterpoints. their bridge.” Banh now is Leo Cardillo, a freshman at the president of the University of Virginia Northern Virginia with plans to major Bridge Association, in math and physics. helped Banh Although he is proud establish the free of his achievements in lesson series bridge, he says, “My King David and run the club. academic record is crowned He said Banh my most impressive David Banh is responsible for recently has asset.” In high school, a 16-table club at a high school. been contacting he completed 84 No wonder his commitment to the other nearby college credits in game both at and away from the school boards to courses from Brigham table has earned him the crown as encourage them to Young, Stanford and the 2005 King of Bridge. promote bridge as David Banh George Mason universities and The award for the King or an extracurricular activity. Advanced Placement tests. Queen of Bridge is presented Banh, 17, who holds the rank Banh also plays the piano and each year to an ACBL member of NABC Master, also serves on is involved in chess. His high who is a graduating high school the Northern Virginia unit board as school chess team won the Virginia senior and has been cited for the youth representative. Due to state championship. promotional contributions to bridge his input, the Washington Fourth of Banh learned to play bridge four as well as outstanding tournament July Regional had special games (continued on page 4) performances. A graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in his hometown of Starting early Annandale VA, Banh spent the Youngsters who play bridge at an early age often become some of our top past four years developing his high players. Each year a high school senior is named the King or Queen of Bridge. school bridge club and its players. The award is given by the ACBL Educational Foundation to a high school Besides being the organizing force, senior who has contributed to bridge and done well in tournament play. he teaches and plays with his fellow Where are they now? students. Here is an update on a few of the recent King and Queen of Bridge title “I work to maintain a pleasant holders. environment for the other players Robert Glickman, of Woodland Hills CA, was awarded the title in 2004. to enjoy,” he says. “Bridge, though He is a student at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is majoring it may be a most complicated, in computer science and economics. He has been chosen for the ACBL enjoyable yet challenging game, Youth Team for bridge players under 21. As a member he is expected to is still just that, a game.” His club compete in the World Schools Team Championship next year at a venue to promotion, which he described be decided. as “very aggressive,” was more Scott Waldron, of Cockeysville MD, is a student at Johns Hopkins successful than he expected, with University. The 2003 award recipient is majoring in computer science and is a table count that has grown to treasurer of his school’s local chapter of ACM, an organization for computer 16 and the recruitment of several persons. He still plays bridge, but not as much because of his studies. dozen young ACBL members in the John Kranyak, of Bay Village OH, won the World Youth Team Champion- process.