Orlando Daily Bulletin 9
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
November 19-29, 1998 72nd Fall North American Bridge Championships Orlando, Florida DailyVolume 72, Number 9 Saturday, November 28, 1998 Editors: Brent Manley and Henry Francis Shugart teamBulletin forges earlyThe international Reisinger team captained by leadRita Shugart took a lead of more than three boards into the semifi- nal round of the Reisinger Board-a-Match Teams, which resumes play today without four of the stron- gest teams in the field. Shugart, of Pebble Beach CA, is playing with Andy Robson, England and Carmel CA; Tony Forrester, En- gland, and Geir Helgemo, Norway. Alan Sontag, left, and Peter Weichsel The foursome ended the first day of play with 36.50, Chyah and Kent Burghard well ahead of the second-place squad -- Jeff Wolfson, Neil Silverman, Chip Martel, Lew Stansby, Zia Mahmood and Michael Rosenberg -- who posted 33.40. Its back to the future as The list of non-qualifiers included four surprises. Now on the sidelines are: • The defending champions -- Bart Bramley, Sontag,Fifteen years Weichselafter they dissolved onereunite of the most Foreigners see Sidney Lazard, Steve Garner and Howard Weinstein. successful bridge partnerships in history, Peter The same team earned a bronze medal in the Vivendi Weichsel and Alan Sontag are at it again -- and more Daily Bulletin Rosenblum Knockout Teams at the World Bridge excited than ever to be facing each other at the bridge Championships in Lille, France, last summer. table. • Jimmy Cayne, Chuck Burger, David “We’re very happy to be doing it again,” says Obviouslybefore you are reading we your Dailydo Bulletin at Berkowitz, Larry Cohen, Mike Passell and Michael Sontag. the moment. Would you be surprised to learn that Seamon. Weichsel agrees: “We love it.” bridge enthusiasts all over the world have already read • Eddie Wold, George Rosenkranz and four Pol- The two are older -- Weichsel is 55, Sontag 52 -- the Bulletin you’re looking at? Thanks to the ACBL’s ish players who were on the winning Spingold team in and perhaps wiser than in the days when they took the presence on the Internet, the Daily Bulletin is avail- bridge world by storm. Weichsel, trim and athletic in able to the world usually at 7:30 every morning. The Continued on page 2 appearance, no longer sports the shoulder-length hair printed Bulletins usually arrive at the hotel a short time that was his trademark in the Seventies. Sontag, ever after that -- usually between 8 and 8:30 a.m. the hyperactive ball of energy and rapid-fire chatter, ACBL has a major presence on the Internet, prin- now wears an earring. cipally the website (www.acbl.org), where you can get NABC Co-chairs: objectives So far, the reunion has been a happy one, and their all kinds of information about bridge and the ACBL. results are indicative of two players having a good time. Here are some of the things you can find on the ACBL met -- players had fun Since they resurrected the partnership at the 1998 website: Spring NABC in Reno, they have reached the • NABC Daily Bulletins as soon as they are quarterfinal stage of the Vanderbilt and Spingold knock- available at the tournament site. These Bulletins are outs and were third in the Open Board-a-Match Teams produced in four flavors: (1) regular text; (2) Adobe at this tournament. Acrobat (you’ll need special software for this); Post- Weichsel and Sontag are playing the Reisinger script (special software) (4) html -- the most popular. Board-a-Match Teams with George Jacobs, Ralph Katz, You can read this on your Internet with no special soft- Lorenzo Lauria and Alfredo Versace, ending the first ware. It even carries most of the Daily Bulletin pic- day of play tied for seventh. tures in color! To get the Bulletins you go to Weichsel and Sontag will have to go a long way to www.acbl.org, then to orlando, then to daily bulletins, match the success they had in the past, but they are committed to working hard to reach their former level. Continued on page 8 In the Seventies and early Eighties, they were ar- guably the strongest pair in the world. Certainly their record was impressive. The two met when they both lived in Queens NY. “We didn’t like each much other at first,” says Sontag, Co-chairmen Jim and Martha McGhee Itabashi, Robison but that soon changed and they started talking about playing together. Back in 1992, the last time Orlando hosted the Fall The partnership officially kicked off when they The Thanksgiving Jackpot Pairs sponsored by NABC, Martha McGhee was chairman of the Inter- Top Jackpot Pairs joined C.C. Wei’s highly successful Precision Team in Bridge Ventures was a major success. For Mark mediate/Newcomer program. This time around Martha 1971. The team disbanded in 1973, but Sontag and Itabashi, Jim Robison, Jiang Gu and Xiaodong Shi it and husband Jim are co-chairmen of the whole tourna- Weichsel were just getting started. They won the pres- was a super success -- they were big money winners ment. and they won the most masterpoints. “I’m telling everyone this year that I got a promo- Continued on page 6 Altogether 278 pairs entered the Thursday Strati- tion,” Martha jokes. fied Open Pairs. Of that number 99 put up the extra The “promotion” involved 18 months of prepara- money that made them eligible for Jackpot awards. That tory work, including a very intense last six months, means approximately 35% of the field played in the complicated by Jim’s major surgery for cancer Oct. Jackpot Pairs. Those in the field raced to the wall when 12. the names of Jackpot eligible pairs was posted, and Luckily, according to Martha, they had the right New Yorkers lead the general atmosphere throughout was excitement. people helping with various tasks -- and it’s all come Itabashi, of Murrieta CA, and Robison, of Las Ve- together for a successful NABC. gas, not only were tops in Strat A of the Jackpot Pairs The benchmark for success, of course, is whether ANA team of SwissNew York players Teams -- two pairs of hus- -- they won the entire event. They received $687 in the players had a good time. bands and wives -- took a 4-IMP lead after the first cash and 34.41 masterpoints apiece. They edged out “Someone came up to me at a restaurant down the two qualifying sessions of the North American Swiss Barry Schaffer of Frisco TX and Colby Vernay of Lacon road,” Martha relates, “and told me what a nice tour- Teams. Steve and Betty Bloom, Duanesburg NY, and IL by less than half a matchpoint. Schaffer and Vernay nament we’ve had and how much fun she has had. It Mel and Janet Colchamiro, Merrick NY, scored 115 also were in the Jackpot, so they collected $514 apiece. made it all worthwhile.” IMPs to 111 IMPs for the squad in second place: Gene Freed, Syd Levey, Barry Schaffer, Colby Vernay, Jon Continued on page 3 Continued on page 8 Brissman and Bryan Storey. Page 2 Daily Bulletin SPECIAL EVENTS Zilic zooms past John15,000 Zilic of Houston plateauearned 61 masterpoints by 9:15 a.m. Intermediate/NewcomerSaturday, Speakers Nov. Program: 28 Harry Falk, Eight over Eight. placing eighth in the Blue Ribbon Pairs, partnered by Orlando Room. Falk, Jupiter FL, is manager of the Bridge Center of Martin Sylvia Summers. Entering the event he needed only County and a certified director. He is an accredited teacher and a Two-Star 10 points to go over 15,000 lifetime masterpoints, so Teacher (a recognition earned by teaching 100 students in each of two of the he made the leap with room to spare. Club, Diamond, Heart or Spade Series courses). Zilic already held the rank of Grand Life Master 7:15 p.m. Intermediate/Newcomer Speakers Program: Max Hardy, Overcalls. Orlando because he has won Room. Hardy, Las Vegas, is an Associate National Tournament Director, a three North American bridge teacher and a professional player. His total of more than 10,000 championships -- two masterpoints is tops among tournament directors and ACBL employees. Hardy, open pairs and one founding editor of Southern California Bridge News, is the author of eight Swiss teams. He also books including Five Card Majors -- Western Style. has placed second three 11:30 p.m. Pizza.Coconuts, on the Recreational level. times in North Ameri- can championship events. Zilic doesn’t play All day Fifty-cent hot dogsSunday, Nov. 29 tournament bridge as Noon & 7 p.m. Vugraph. Plaza International Ballroom. much as he used to. He runs the Ace of Clubs in Houston, and he also teaches bridge. During the past four years, he has taught more than 400 stu- dents, using the Audrey Grant texts. “I play only about eight weekends a year now,” he said. “That’s usually A spot of torture -- tortured by spots two NABCs and a few regionals and sectionals.” By AlanMy Truscottteam was only 9 IMPs behind the top-seeded unsure about the location of the last diamond. He Mike Levine team going into the final session of the shifted to the ¨10, and Chuck Said, as South, took full Senior Knockout semifinal Wednesday night. The advantage of the opportunity. fourth deal was a turning point. He won with the ace and led the «Q, covered by Dlr: East « A J 8 4 the king and ace. South cashed two heart winners, Vul: Both ª A K 10 6 throwing his remaining diamond, and ruffed a heart to UnexpectedPaul and Mary Vickers scored very tricks well here when © 9 5 reach this position: Paul took advantage of a defensive slip to make an ¨ Q 9 8 « J 8 4 unlikely number of tricks.