Sunday, December 8, 2019 Volume 92, Number 10 Daily Bulletin 92nd Fall North American Bridge Championships [email protected] | Editors: Paul Linxwiler and Chip Dombrowski Lavazza in front Thanks for coming to San Francisco! By Jim Leuker, Chairman, Fall 2019 NABC in Reisinger I’m so happy to I know that you enjoyed the tournament, because With an enormous score in the first semifinal have seen all of you who so many of you told me so. I know you were pleased session – 22.5 wins – Team Lavazza blasted into came to San Francisco with our variety of events, guest speakers, late night the lead in the Reisinger BAM Teams. Lavazza to participate in the Fall snacks, gifts, prizes and more. You told me you (Norberto Bocchi, Dennis Bilde, Philippe Cronier, 2019 North American appreciated the venue and its playing spaces. And Giorgio Duboin, Agustin Madala and Antonio Bridge Championships. there are more good restaurants near the Marriott Sementa) scored 15 in the second session. Combined I hope you had a great than ever. with their carryover from the qualifying round of time, competing against You’ll be pleased to know that we’re scheduled 13.07, the squad had a semifinal total score of 50.57, old friends and making to return to this same site for the Fall 2025 NABC. continued on page 9 new ones. I know I met We’re looking forward to hosting another great players from all over tournament here. North America as well The staff and support personnel of the Marriott Berg leads N.A. Swiss as from Chile, Argentina, China, Australia, the Marquis have done an outstanding job in providing The squad captained by Mary Ann Berg posted Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Iceland and many for all our tournament needs. The ACBL Tournament the top score in the semifinal round of the Keohane other places. North American Swiss Teams to lead the six-session continued on page 5 contest going into today’s final round. Berg, playing with Jason Feldman, Krzysztof Buras, Grzegorz Player roundup: Goals Narkiewicz, Rafal Jagniewski, and Wojciech Gawel As 2019 comes to a close, some of us are looking through the playing areas on Friday asking people finished yesterday with a four-session total of 197.05 forward to what we’d like to accomplish next year this question: What is your goal for 2020? Here are victory points, giving them a carryover of 34.10 VPs in bridge or in life. Daily Bulletin staff wandered their answers. continued on page 7 in the final. In second with a carryover of 22.57 is Sibraud continued on page 9 Zmuda leads JustynaMixed Zmuda’s squad Swisstopped the qualifying round in the NABC+ Mixed Swiss Teams. Zmuda (Dominik Filipowicz, Loretta Rivers, Mike “I want to play more “I started a business. My “My goal for 2020 is to “To get through a bridge Cappelletti and Sandra Rimstedt) scored 122.29 international events goal is to make a million make the ACBL Board session with Glenn victory points and has a carryover of 30.00 VPs in and do well in the dollars in revenue. You more efficient and [Milgrim] without today’s final. Olympiad.” didn’t say it had to be a effective.” forgetting a single In second with a carryover of 25.53 VP is Irene Andy Hung realistic goal.” Joann Glasson convention.” Baroni’s team: Alessandro Gandoglia, Yasuko Australia Jill Hunter District 4 director Barry Rigal Shrenzel and Daniel Lavee. Australian trials winner Boston MA Pennington NJ New York NY“ Thomas Turgeon’s team is in third place with 21.14 VPs. Turgeon is playing with Sandy McCay, Robert Kent and Ellen Kent. Blackwood, von Zedtwitz “Come get recipients for 2020 announced The ACBL Hall of your wine!” Fame Committee has Win a section top here in San announced that National Francisco? Or make the overalls Tournament Directors in any event? Stop by the Prize Matt Smith of Victoria Desk (North Registration) on the BC and Sol Weinstein of bottom level before game time to Yonkers NY have been claim you prize, a bottle of wine chosen as recipients of the (red or white). There are cases 2020 Blackwood Award, and cases of wine left, and the while Chuck Burger of organizers are starting to panic. Do it today! continued on page 3 Chuck Burger Matt Smith Sol Weinstein Micro Bridge wins Goodwill Message World Computer Championship As we pack up our bid boxes and prepare to Micro Bridge won the World Computer-Bridge leave, let’s be sure to thank our hosts. The San Championship and was crowned best bridge-bot of Francisco committee, led by Chair Jim Leuker, has the year, defeating Synrey Bridge in the 64-board exhibited outstanding hospitality. final, 120-35. Sandy DeMartino, Chair This was a big win for the Micro Bridge Team, Aileen Osofsky Goodwill Committee as for the past five years Micro Bridge has lost its semifinal or final match. The other semifinalists were Wbridge5, losing its semifinal match to Micro Bridge 182-140, and ATTENDANCE Q-Plus Bridge, losing its semifinal match to Synrey through Saturday Bridge 175-133. Hans Leber (Q-Plus Bridge), Yu Peng (Synrey Bridge), Gérard Joyez, accepting the gold medal The annual event attracts bridge-bots from for Micro Bridge, Zhihui Shi (Synrey Bridge) and 9762.5 tables continued on page 5 Yves Costel (Wbridge5). Page 2 Sunday, December 8, 2019 Daily Bulletin SPECIAL EVENTS MEETINGS / SEMINARS / RECEPTIONS Sunday, December 8 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Peter Pender Memorial Vugraph. (outside Yerba Buena 8, Lower Level) TOURNAMENT APPEALS In order to keep the bridge public informed of appeals results in a timely so Law 73E2 did not apply. The director ruled that fashion, the NABC Daily Bulletin staff publishes write-ups. Every effort is made to the table result would stand with no adjustment. ensure that these reports are accurate and complete. Before they are published in Law 73D1 says that a player should be careful the NABC Appeals Casebook, however, revisions may be made. about variations in tempo, but to vary one’s tempo unintentionally was not an infraction. Inferences from He believed that E-W would find a defense to defeat such a hesitation may only be taken by an opponent APPEAL CASE 2 it some of the time. By Laws 16B1 and 12C1c, Event: Nail Life Master Pairs and at his own risk. the contract and result were changed to 80% of 3♣ Session: First Final The Appeal: E-W requested a review of the doubled making (N-S plus 670) and 20% of 3♣ Subject: Tempo ruling. The reviewer spoke with West. E-W disagreed doubled down one (N-S minus 200). Director in Charge: Kevin Perkins with the director’s conclusion and felt that the table The appeal was deemed to have merit. director could not possibly have polled the right level Reviewer: Matt Koltnow Helene Bauman of player. To them, a player of North’s caliber would Panel: Matt Koltnow, Gary Zeiger, David Board 21 ♠ A 6 2 have worked the problem out already. By this point Metcalf Vul: N-S ♥ Q J 9 5 in the play, for declarer to have 14 HCP, he would Play analyst: Jonathan Fleischman Dlr: North ♦ 9 need to have one of the red kings. If he has the ♥K, ♣ Q J 9 8 3 then he has the rest of the tricks; it would not matter Bo Xiao Rory Xiao APPEAL CASE 3 what North plays. If he has the ♦K, then he will ♠ K 10 9 7 ♠ 5 3 Event: Mitchell Open BAM Teams have a play to make in the diamond suit. (squeeze ♥ A K 10 3 2 ♥ 7 6 Session: First qualifying session vs. finesse). A player of this level should anticipate ♦ J 10 3 ♦ A K 8 6 5 4 Subject: Tempo and Deception the position and be prepared to pitch a diamond in ♣ K ♣ 10 7 5 Director in Charge: David Metcalf tempo to avoid giving away the position (if he has Jim Wakefield the queen) or deceiving declarer (if he does not). ♠ Q J 8 4 Adam Stokka E-W asserted that the conditions for 73E2 had been ♥ 8 4 Board 9 ♠ A 7 5 met – an innocent player drew a false inference from ♦ Q 7 2 Vul: E-W ♥ Q 8 3 a player who had no demonstrable bridge reason for ♣ A 6 4 2 Dlr: North ♦ 10 8 6 5 2 his tempo and could have known at the time it would ♣ 10 2 work to his advantage. They therefore felt they were West North East South Mitch Dunitz Iftikhar Baqai entitled to an additional trick. 2♣ (1) 2♦ Dbl (2) ♠ J 10 3 2 ♠ K Q 6 The reviewer also spoke with North who said Redbl 2♥ (3) Pass 2♠ (4) ♥ 6 2 ♥ A 9 7 5 4 that declarer’s plays were somewhat confusing, and it Dbl 2NT (5) Pass 3♣ ♦ A J 4 ♦ K 7 took time for him to work out the position. Dbl (6) Pass 3♦ All Pass ♣ K 6 5 3 ♣ Q 8 4 The Decision: The reviewer gave the North hand (1) 11-15 HCP, natural, Alerted Anne Lamport to two additional players as a single-dummy defense (2) Asks for further description, Alerted ♠ 9 8 4 problem. They chose (or agreed to) the same plays (3) Shows a four-card major, Alerted ♥ K J 10 through trick eight. When it came time to discard (4) Asks for further description, Alerted ♦ Q 9 3 at trick nine, it took one of the experts nearly 45 (5) Minimum with four hearts, Alerted ♣ A J 9 7 seconds, at which point he said that declarer’s play in (6) Break in tempo, agreed (disputed length of hearts was confusing and he could not work out what time, but noticeably longer than prior calls) West North East South was correct to play next.