Championship Day in Las Vegas Life Master Pairs Grand National Teams
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Monday, July 22, 2019 Volume 91, Number 4 Daily Bulletin 91st North American Bridge Championships [email protected] | Editors: Paul Linxwiler, Chip Dombrowski, Sue Munday Championship Day in Las Vegas Life Master Pairs Grand National Teams Winners of the 2019 Grand National Teams Championship Flight from District 17: Roger Lee, Haig Tchamitch, Daniel Korbel, Sheri Winestock, Fred Gitelman and Geoff Hampson. Winners of the von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs: Ed Nagy and Gary Soules. Winners of the Goldman Flight A GNT from District 9 (Florida): James Scott, captain David Treitel, Edward Schusler, Bruce Lang, Juan Castillo and Saul Gross Winners of the Bruce LM–6000 Pairs: Henri Farhi of Chula Vista CA and Norman Schwartz of Carlsbad CA Winners of the Sheinwold Flight B GNT from District 16 (Texas): Bill McCarty, Suvabrata Biswas, Pawel Hanus, Ari Sippola, captain Thomas Rush and Wes Peirce Winners of the Young 0–2500 Pairs: Thomas Peters of Dayton MD and Ernie Schuler of Wheaton MD GNT Flight C champions from District 21: Chris Chen, captain Qucheng 10K Pairs Gong, Jakob Karstens and Andrew Sinclair. ATTENDANCE Goodwill Message Today is Goodwill Day. through Sunday Remember, nothing is stronger than the power of a smile, a kind word or an honest compliment. Winners of the NABC 0–10,000 Pairs: Elliot 4777 tables Sandy DeMartino, Chair Sternlicht and Robert Kuhnreich of New York Aileen Osofsky Goodwill Committee Page 2 Monday, July 22, 2019 Daily Bulletin SPECIAL EVENTS MEETINGS / SEMINARS / RECEPTIONS All meetings are at The Cosmopolitan. Tuesday, July 23 Monday, July 22 8am–noon Best Practices Teacher Assessments. Condesa 5, second Goodwill Day floor 8am–5 pm Best Practices Teacher Assessments. Condesa 5, second 9 am–noon Club Director Refresher Course. A continuing floor education course for club directors to increase their skills. 10 am–noon Competition and Conventions Committee meeting. Participants must attend both sessions. Fee: $15 covers Bellavista Boardroom, second floor both days. Sign up at the door. Condesa 8, second floor 10:30 am–noon Goodwill Committee meeting. Suite 1537, 15th floor Wednesday, July 24 11 am–noon USBF Board meeting. Condesa 8, second floor 9 am–noon Club Director Refresher Course, session 2. A 5–7 pm Goodwill Reception. Aileen Osofsky ACBL Goodwill continuing education course for club directors to increase Committee members only. Condesa 3, second floor their skills. Participants must attend both sessions. Fee: $15 covers both days. Condesa 8, second floor 6–7 pm College Player meeting. Jardins Boardroom, second floor CELEBRITY SPEAKER PROGRAM Don’t miss these free lectures by some of the best-known players in the Tuesday, July 23 game! Brera 2 on the third floor of The Cosmopolitan. 9:15 a.m. Phillip Alder Play the Right Card 6:45 p.m. Julian Laderman Inspired Declarer Play Monday, July 22 9:15 a.m. Barbara Seagram The Killing Lead Wednesday, July 24 6:45 p.m. Robert Todd Hand Evaluation and 9:15 a.m. Ellen Kent Parameters of Preempts Re-Evaluation 6:45 p.m. Kevin Wilson Fitting Honors HOSPITALITY Food will be served nightly following the evening session in the Gracia Tuesday, July 23 Commons on the third floor. Vegetable spring rolls. Monday, July 22 Wednesday, July 24 Quesadillas. Baked sausage pastries. Entry fees Parking A valid ACBL player number is required to Parking is free for registered guests at The play in all events at the NABC. Cosmopolitan. For others, parking is $15 per day Players must be ACBL members whose for self-parking or $20 per day for valet, or $10 service fees or dues are current in and $15 for up to four hours. At Planet Hollywood, order to compete in any of the following parking is free for everyone. nationally ranked events: Grand National Teams (Championship Flight), von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs, Spingold Knockout Teams, Wagar Women’s Bridge Bucks and Pairs, Truscott/USPC Senior Swiss Teams, check cashing Wernher Open Pairs, Freeman Mixed Board-A- Bridge Bucks and check-cashing services will Match Teams and the Roth Open Swiss Teams. be available outside the Gracia Ballroom on the The entry fees for these contests are $30 per player third floor from 9:30 – 10 a.m. and noon to 1 p.m. per session. For team events, this means $120 per Check-cashing limit is team per session for four-person teams, $150 per $500. team per session for five-person teams, and $180 Players may purchase per team per session for six-person teams. When Bridge Bucks using all major screens are in use, there is an additional fee of $10 credit cards. per pair or $20 per team per session. Note: Only ACBL members are eligible to play in NABC+ events. $1.50 per person per session benefits the International Fund. Hotel rewards program The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has the Players must also be current ACBL members most valuable rewards program on The Strip. It’s to play in the Grand National Teams (Flights easy. Join Identity Membership & Rewards to A, B & C), the 0–6000 and 0–2500 Mini- unlock exclusive offers for casino play, rooms, Spingold Knockouts, the 0–10,000 NABC Pairs, dining, concerts and more. Earn points on your the 0–10,000 Mixed Swiss Teams, the Bruce gaming and other spending on property. Let your LM–6000 Pairs, the Young 0–2500 Pairs and the curiosities uncover surprises beyond the velvet Bean Red Ribbon Pairs. The entry fee is $22 per rope. player per session. For the team events, this means If you earn 500 Identity slot points, you $88 per team per session for teams of four, $110 Check out receive one complimentary meal at Wicked Spoon per team per session for teams of five, and $132 our interactive Buffet. Earn 1000 slot points and get two. Or with per team per session for teams of six. (The GNT 5000 Identity slot points, you can spin the wheel restaurant map at Flights A, B & C have no fee the first two days of for free slot play. Visit the Identity Desk for more acbl.org/foodmap the contest.) When screens are in use, there is an information. additional fee of $10 per pair or $20 per team per session. Regional events are $20 per player per session for ACBL members, and $24 for lapsed members. For multi-session team events of three sessions or Stay in touch more, the entry fee is $80, $100 or $120 for teams Is your email address on file? Is it up to date? of four, five or six, respectively. For team events Let ACBL know. Call toll-free in the U.S., 800– of one or two sessions, the entry fee is $80 per 264–2743; outside the U.S. 1–662–3191 Monday– session. Smoking Policy Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time). You Smoking is not permitted in the playing area Events with a masterpoint limit of 300 or may also email [email protected] or update your during any bridge playing event at an NABC. This lower are $15 per player per session for ACBL info at acbl.com by logging into MyACBL. includes electronic smoking devices. members, $19 for lapsed members. Daily Bulletin Monday, July 22, 2019 Page 3 JUST FOR NEW PLAYERS If the heart finesse works, you can discard a keeps you alive for Take All Your Chances spade on the ♥A, probably set up the spades for the heart finesse. Eddie Kantar two diamond discards and chalk up an overtrick. If Your chance of spades cannot be established for two discards, you making this hand North (Dummy) will concede a diamond and ruff your remaining by first playing ♠ A J 6 5 4 diamond. Easy enough if the heart finesse works, the ♠A K and ♥ A Q but what if doesn’t? They cash a diamond and then taking the ♦ 3 2 down you go, and maybe the spade finesse was heart finesse, if ♣ J 8 3 2 right all along! necessary, is a bit If the spade finesse works, and the suit breaks more than 65%, South (You) 3–2, you have 13 tricks; and if the suit breaks 4–1, better than a taking ♠ K 3 2 you can concede a diamond, ruff a diamond and a spade finesse ♥ 8 make your slam without worrying about who has after cashing the ♦ A 9 5 the ♥K. But if the spade finesse loses, they take a king first. Tip: When you can’t afford to give ♣ A K Q 10 9 5 diamond and down you go. up the lead and you have two finesse suits, one After you open 1♣ and jump to 3♣ after So which finesse should you take? Neither just missing a queen, the other a king, and if you partner’s 1♠ response, partner leaps to 6♣. West yet, it was a trick question. pick the right one you will make your contract, leads the ♦Q. Clubs are 2–1. Plan the play. You can increase your chances dramatically don’t try either! Play the ace-king of the suit You have two suits with finesse possibilities by playing the ♠A K to see if the queen drops missing the queen, and if the queen doesn’t to play around with, spades and hearts, but be singleton or doubleton (33%). If it doesn’t, take drop, try a finesse in the suit missing the king. reminded, if the opponents get in they will cash the heart finesse. This must be better than guessing Incidentally, if the contract were 7♣, you a diamond! which finesse to take.