November 18-November 28, 1999 Boston, Massachusetts 73rd Fall North American Bridge Championships Vol. 73, No. 9 Saturday, November 27, 1999 Editors: Henry Francis and Paul Linxwiler Mohan takes lead Italians lead Meyers leads in Player of Reisinger Teams in Herman the Year race Trophy race Twenty-six teams advanced to today’s semifinal With his victory in the Edgar rounds in the Reisinger Board-a-Match teams. At each of the three an- Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs, John The Italian team of Maria Teresa Lavazza, Giorgio nual North American Bridge Mohan of St. Croix, Virgin Is- Duboin, Guido Ferarro, Noberto Bocchi and Dano Championships, ACBL lands, has taken the lead in the DeFalco led the field of qualifiers with 36 wins. Bart awards a trophy to the player 1999 Player of the Year contest. Bramley and Sidney Lazard, members of the winning 1997 who earns the most The Player of the Year title team, teamed up with Bobby Wolff and Dan Morse to masterpoints at that NABC. goes to that player who earns the finish the qualifier in second place with 35 points. In the Spring it awards most platinum points --- given The defending champion squad of Rita Shugart, An- the Mott-Smith Trophy, in for high finishes in nationally-rated events --- in a cal- drew Robson, Tony Forrester and Geir Helgemo are in the Summer it’s the Fishbein Trophy and in the Fall, endar year. Mohan currently leads the race with 742.78 third with 34.5. ACBL awards the Lou Herman Trophy for the best platinum points. Currently in second place is Sam Lev individual performance by a player. of New York NY with 684.22 points. Lev and Mohan With the weekend events yet to play, Jill Meyers won the Life Master Pairs at the Summer NABC in of Santa Monica CA is leading the Herman Trophy San Antonio earlier this year. contest here in Boston with more than 300 masterpoints Longtime partners Jeff Meckstroth and Eric to her credit so far. The bulk of Meyers’ points have Rodwell occupy the third- and fourth-place positions come from the Women’s Board-a-Match Teams and with 670.69 and 653.35 platinum points respectively. the Edgar Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs, both of which Meckstroth, a member of the powerful sextet she has won. captained by Nick Nickell, can still win the contest if Last year’s winner was Eric Rodwell, who earned his team significantly outperforms Mohan’s in this 328.59 masterpoints at the Fall NABC in Orlando. weekend’s Reisinger Board-a-Match. Lev, who is a At the 1996 Fall NABC in San Francisco, Michael teammate of Mohan, cannot surpass him in total points, Rosenberg set the record for the most masterpoints won nor can Rodwell overtake Meckstroth in the contest during the Fall championships, racking up an impres- for the same reason. sive 445.77 masterpoints. Jill Meyers could also theoretically win the POY Continued on page 5 race, if her team were to win the Reisinger while the other leaders were to make an early exit. Silverman squad leads NA Swiss Continued on page 5 The team of Neil Silverman, Jeff Wolfson, David Berkowitz and Larry Cohen led the field of qualifiers af- ter the first day of play in the North American Swiss Attendance revives A familiar face to regular NABC attendees, National Teams. Tournament Director Tom Quinlan --- known to many Of the 140 teams that entered the contest, 50 quali- The table count Friday climbed back over 1000 simply as ‘TQ’ --- will be cutting back on his own regular fied for the semifinal round. after the expected drop that took place on the Thanks- NABC attendance. Quinlan, who has been a tournament The Silverman team posted a score of 124 Victory giving holiday. The 1126.5 tables in play yesterday director for 35 years and a director at North American Points. In second, with 121, was the team of Brian raises the overall total to date to 11,042.5 tables. Bridge Championships for 25 years, was a Director-in- Gunnell, Kyle Larsen, Curtis Cheek and Billy Miller. Chances are the tournament total won’t quite reach Charge for the NABCs from 1987-1998. Quinlan The third-place squad contains the father-son duo of announced his plans to retire from full-time status earlier 13,000, but the turnouts throughout have been higher Hemant and Justin Lall who are playing with Rhoda Walsh this year. A UC Berkeley graduate, Quinlan and wife than anticipated. Janice Nakao, live in San Mateo CA. and Brenda Bryant. They qualified with a score of 120. Bridge a game of personalities Life Imitates Art The Hypothetical King Air George by David Lindop By Brian Glubok By Carl Berenbaum World-renowned bridge teacher Audrey Grant As chairman of SCA Corporation, the world’s top George Krizel came to America from Russia 20 has been a busy lady at this tournament. She came bridge player, Bob Hamman, insures million-dollar years ago. He became a successful businessman sell- into Boston a month before the tournament to do promotions at sporting events. Many of you will re- ing electronic cash registers. He constantly modi- promotional work with the local organizers, teach- member the “ATT Million Dollar Shoot-out”, held fied his business as computers became state of the ers and bridge clubs. She was back again before during half-time of a recent NBA Final. The contes- art. He was 51 before he ever played bridge. the tournament started, doing more work with the tant, a seventy-something Floridian, attempted five His wife Rita introduced him to the game last media and urging new players to come out and try shots from the top of the key, the last one for a cool year. Just before Christman George wandered into the game. She also gave a series of morning lec- million simoleons . Bob had a tense moment after the his local bridge center, the Bensalem Bridge Club tures during the tournament which attracted rave retired geriatic nailed the first of his five 25-footers; in Bensalem PA, just outside of Philadelphia. The reviews and helped to boost the attendance at the fortunately for the fortunes of SCA his next four shots director and owner of the club, Kathy Seehousen, I/N program to record levels. fell errant, assuring a nice profit for the firm. brought George to my table and told him to watch Audrey has made her primary mark in bridge Last month, Bob treated Kansas City shoppers to me. I was giving a “playing lesson”, and it is al- in the teaching field. Her books are used all over $400,000 worth of free appliances when the Kansas ways a pleasure to have a kibitzer, especially one the world for teaching because her methods have City Chiefs shut out the San Diego Chargers. Expen- who can’t recognize my mistakes. proved so provocative and so interesting to new sive, but a good bet for SCA: yesterday’s 21-0 Thanks- George was hooked. He learned a lot about the players. Her hands-on approach is especially ap- giving victory for the Dallas Cowboys over the Miami game that night. He played with anyone with whom pealing to those who are just getting their foot in Dolphins was only the third NFL shutout of the year. Kathy could fix him up for five months. He then the bridge door. Back in the mid-Sixties, Bob flew up from LA told me he was ready to take lessons. He told me he It’s a wonder she could find any time to play. each week to teach a bridge seminar in San Francisco. wanted to play every convention he had ever heard We did manage, however, to get in a session on Kyle Larsen, my partner against Bob on this deal from about. I refused and made him play Standard Ameri- the Thursday evening Board-a-Match, playing the second final session of the Blue Ribbon Pairs -- can with only Stayman, Blackwood and negative with our son, Jason, at the other table. One of the and a teenager at the time -- was one of his students. doubles for two months. I told him that conventions Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 Page 2 Daily Bulletin SPECIAL EVENTS A good read by Barry Rigal Saturday, November 27 Dave Treadwell read the position nicely here. Board 21 « Q 10 3 9:00 a.m. - Noon Easybridge! accreditation course B with Easybridge! staffers Priscilla Smith and Donna Dlr: North ª 8 7 4 Bowser. Simmons Room, Marriott. Vul: N-S © 10 7 4 2 10:00 a.m. - Noon Free Bridge Lesson with Harold Feldheim, well-known bridge writer and teacher. Teachers ¨ are invited. Grand Ballroom Salons G-J, Marriott. Q 7 6 12:15 p.m. Intermediate/Newcomer Speakers Program: Billy Miller, Billy Miller, Live, Salon G, « A K J 6 5 « 7 4 2 Marriott. Miller, Las Vegas, is a professional player whose “Dear Billy” columns appear in ª A 9 ª Q 6 2 The Bridge Bulletin. © A 8 3 © Q 6 5 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Bridge Plus+ -- a low-key, fun duplicate game. Grand Ballroom Salons G-J, Marriott. ¨ A 3 2 ¨ K 8 5 4 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Newcomer Reception, Grand Ballroom Salons G-J, Marriott. « 9 8 6:45 p.m. Intermediate/Newcomer Speakers Program: Alan LeBendig, Responding to Preempts – ª K J 10 5 3 How High Do You Go? Salon G, Marriott.