POST MORTEM Volume 53 • Winter 2011

GNYBA

Published by the Greater New York Bridge Association NYC Club Directory

Brooklyn Manhattan Queens

Bay Ridge Bridge Club Cavendish Bridge Club Reform Temple of Ft. Hamilton Senior Center 177 East 87th Street Forest Hills 9941 Ft. Hamilton Pkway 1556 Third Avenue 71-11 112 Street 718-377-6817 212-876-2196 718-544-0389

Sephardic Community Honors Bridge Club 133 East 58th Street Staten Island 1901 Ocean Parkway 14th floor 718-954-3150 212-230-1230 Bridge Club of 718-377-3666 Staten Island Manhattan Bridge Club 444 Manor Road East—1233 Second Ave. 718.273.3106 917-699-2929 West—250 West 57th Street 212-845-0155

Call your local Bridge Club for times, lessons and special events Changes to the Duplicate Club Directory should be addressed to the Editor: [email protected]

POST MORTEM Title Registered in U.S. Patent Office Published by the Greater New York Bridge Association

Thanks to Committee Members for all their help: Jesus Arias, Peter Bonfanti, Tse Mei Ling, Rachael Moller, Barbara Raynor, Christopher Rivera, Stephannie Russo, Maria Tsoukalas, and Ilana Seror

Post Mortem communications can be sent to the Editor, Barbara McLendon, 180 East End Avenue, NY 10128 or at [email protected]. Post Mortem will be published twice a year and distributed free of charge to members of Unit 155. Elsewhere subscription price is $5 per year. Advertising rates: Full Page: $400; 1/2 Page: $250; 1/4 Page: $125.

If you would like to submit an article for consideration, please e-mail the Editor at [email protected] Table of Contents

President’s Letter ...... 2 Calendar of GNYBA/Other Bridge Events ...... 3 GNYBA Members ...... 4 Edgar Kaplan Winter Regional Flyer ...... 5 February 299er Weekend ...... 6 Victor Mitchell Pro Am Flyer ...... 7 0-199er Silver Point Weekend ...... 8 Betty Kaplan Flyer ...... 9 ...... 10 Grand National Teams Flyer ...... 12 Winners 2010 …………...... ……… 13 GNYBA Double Knock-outs ………………...... …………… 14 Double KO Flyer ………………...... ………………...... ……… 15 Master Point Races and Dinner ………...... ……………. 16 Master Point Winners 2010 ………………...... …………… 17 Players of the Year 2010 ……………...... ……………… 18 Defense to Preemptive Bids by Elliot Sternlicht ….…...... … 19 Hands from Toronto National by Barry Rigal ……...... …… 21 Improving Partnerships by David Gurvich & Rachael Moller ………...………… 24 Message from the President

“The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.” Alfred Lord Tennyson

Those of you who are new to bridge have no idea how this game can become one of the most important things in your life. Those of us who love the game with great passion want to encourage all of the 3300 bridge players in our Unit 155 to enjoy the game as much as we do.

We are publishing the Post Mortem in the hope that the newer players can be made aware of all the events the Greater New York Bridge Association runs, most under the auspices of our Tournament Chair, Ryan Connors, who took on the job when Peter Bonfanti retired after five grueling years.

The highlight of this year is the Edgar Kaplan Winter Regional, which will be at the Hilton New York Hotel from December 26 – 30. I’m sure you remember the storm last year that hurt attendance and caused the GNYBA to lose quite a lot of money. Sadly, we feel we must increase the fee to $20 to help pay for future Regionals. Please come and play often.

Little did Ryan know how difficult it was going to be to find hotel space for our events. The Hilton and New Yorker are not available to us after December. Other hotels are either too small, too expensive, or are also totally booked, hard to imagine in this economy. After looking at over 25 possible spaces, through the efforts of Roberto Verthelyi, we are delighted to tell you we have booked the Park Central at 56th and 7th Avenue for our May Regional.

Throughout the year we have events for every level. Many of us think team events are the most fun and certainly the way to win the most points. We have the Harter Cup for non-life masters as part of the Double Knock Outs, so find 3 to 5 friends and fill out the flyer on page 15. The Betty Kaplan on February 11th is for players with more experience.

The Pro Am on February 10th is a wonderful way to play with a New York Life Master or perhaps an international bridge star. Also that weekend there are two days of silver point events for players with fewer than 200 points.

Many thanks to all the Board Members, Directors, Club Owners and players who have been instrumental in keeping bridge alive and well in New York. See you at the bridge table!

Barbara McLendon, President Greater New York Bridge Association

2 2012 Calendar of GNYBA/Other Bridge Events

Jan. 5 Board Meeting—Manhattan Jan. 10-16 RYE BROOK REGIONAL Jan. 21-27 BERMUDA REGIONAL Jan. 27-29 Allendale, NJ Sectional Jan. 28 Sat. Aft. ACBL-wide Internat’l Fund Game #1 All of February Junior Fund Games Feb. 10-12 Woodbridge, NJ Sectional Feb. 10-12 Pro-Am, Betty Kaplan , 199er Feb. 12 GNT Championship & B (Cavendish) Feb. 15-20 CROMWELL REGIONAL Feb. 19 GNT Flights A & C (Manhattan) Feb. 27-Mar. 4 STaC, Units 155 & 242 Mar. 5 Mon. Aft. ACBL-wide Senior Game Mar. 6 Tues. Ev. Canada-wide Olympiad Fund Game Mar. 6, Tues. Board Meeting, Cavendish Mar. 15-25 NABC—MEMPHIS, TN Mar. 21 Wed. Ev. ACBL-wide Charity Game All of April Charity Club Championship Games April 13 -15 Allendale, NJ Sectional April 27-29 Week-end STaC April 16-22 GATLINBURG REGIONAL May 1-6 SMITHTOWN REGIONAL May 3, Thurs, Board Meeting, Honors May 10 Thurs. Aft. ACBL-wide Internat’l Fund Game #2 May 18-20 Woodbridge, NJ Sectional May 23-28 NEW YORK REGIONAL May 28 Memorial Day All of June NAP Club Qualifying June 1 Fri. Ev.. Worldwide Bridge Contest June 2 Sat. Aft. Worldwide Bridge Contest June 4 – 10 STaC, Units 155 & 242 June 11-17 SARATOGA SPRINGS REG June 15-17 Week-end STaC. All of July NAP Club Qualifying July 5, Thurs. Board Meeting, Manhattan July 12—22 NABC—PHILADELPHIA, PA July 13 ACBL-wide Internat’l Fund Game #3 July 30 – Aug. 5 PARSIPPANY REGIONAL All of August NAP Club Qualifying All of Sept. Club International Fund Games Begins Sept.1 NAP (Unit and District Qualifying) Sept. 7 – 9 Allendale Sectional Sept. 13, Thurs Board Meeting, Cavendish All of October Jane Johnson Club Appr. Games Oct. 4 Thurs. Ev. ACBL-wide Instant Matchpt. Game Oct. 12 – 18 STaC, Units 155 & 242 Oct. 22 – 28 DANBURY, CT. REGIONAL Oct. 22 Mon. Ev. Canada-wide Olympiad Fund Game Oct. 29 – Nov. 4 LANCASTER, PA REGIONAL Nov. 9 – 11 Allendale, NJ Sectional Nov.16-18 New Event: Bridge Triathlon Nov. 22 – Dec. 2 NABC—SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 26 Mon. Ev. ACBL-wide Charity Game Dec, 6 – Thurs. Board Meeting, Honors Dec. 14 – 16 Woodbridge, NJ Sectional Dec. 26 – 30 NEW YORK REGIONAL

3 GNYBA Board Members

Otto Adamec Jacqui Mitchell, Honorary Rozi Alhale Florence Neuman Kathy Anday-Fallenius Cathy Nathan Ludmila Antonova Sue Picus Gary Bagley Christopher Rivera Jeff Bayone William Rosenbaum Ryan Connors, Tournament Chairman Andrew Rosenthal, Chairman Shelly Dunietz Igor Savchenko Stanley Gingold Francine Schnoll Kerry Kappell, Treasurer Aaron Silverstein Scott Levine Suzette Solomon Al Levy, Honorary Maria Tsoukalas Tse Mei Ling, Administrative Vice President Barbara McLendon, President Many thanks to Randi Adelman, Kent Mignocchi Secretary, who is rotating off the Alan Miller Board after serving 7 years

Election Notice

There will be an election of new Board Members on Tuesday, December 27 between matches during the Regional. Candidates, time and place to be announced in the bulletin.

Edgar Kaplan Winter Regional

You don’t want to miss the December Regional. There are single session events for newcomers (under 200 ) and lectures by New York experts. To support those players needing gold, we’re having two Bracketed Round Robin Swiss Teams. You will only be playing against people at your masterpoint level. However, if you wish, for a greater challenge, you can play in a higher bracket. Again we’re having a Golden Opportunity Pairs Event for people with fewer than 750 points–the only way you can win gold in Flight C pairs. The New York Hilton Hotel is lovely, centrally located in midtown, and we have discounts for lunch and dinner at many local restaurants.

4 5 February 10-12 199er Weekend

VICTOR MITCHELL PRO AM

The Victor Mitchell Pro Am tournament pairs new, amateur players–those with fewer than 50 master points–with New York “professionals” (Life Mas- ters or better). It was named to honor one of the great professional bridge players, a Grand Life Master who represented the United States interna- tionally many times and won five national titles. He was a bridge player’s bridge player, who possessed to a rare degree the attribute that experts value highest. They call it table presence; it means, simply, the utmost awareness of what is going on in the minds of the other three players at the table. Without it, the highest technical skill is unavailing. With it, and the kind of skill that he possessed, you have a lifesaving partner and a deadly opponent. His wife, Jacqui Mitchell, is still one of the world’s top-ranked female players and attends this event. It is an excellent opportunity to play with a wide range of bridge talent in a relaxed competition. Be sure to fill out the flyer on page 7 to reserve a place.

199er SILVER POINT WEEKEND

In the quest for Life Master, silver points are always the hardest to get. Eventually, gold points rain down on you in great big clumps, but silver points seem only to dribble in for even the best players. The 199er Silver Point event is an opportunity for newer players to earn silver points without having to face overwhelming competition. Only players with fewer than 200 master points are eligible. Even if you’ve never considered pursuing Life Master status, this is a fun event, and, who knows? Your first taste of silver may leave you hungry for more.

BETTY KAPLAN TEAMS

Many bridge players have several partners. The Betty Kaplan Teams, held annually in Manhattan, is perhaps the only tournament in which you get to play with three of your partners in the same event. Not only do you get to, you are required to. In this event, each team consist of four members, and you must play two rounds with each of your other teammates. Choose your team wisely, because you’ll have to get along with all of them during the course of the day, so plan to play in the Betty Kaplan Teams.

6 Victor Mitchell Pro Am

Friday, February 10, 2012 7:00 p.m. (Arrive by 6:30 to discuss what you play)

Honors Bridge Club 133 East 58th Street

You must have fewer than 50 masterpoints recorded as of 12/31/2011. Partners guaranteed. You will be paired with a New York “Life Master or better” to play in this low-key, fun event. A trophy will be awarded to the overall winner! Reservations required. Send in the coupon below with your check payable to the GNYBA.

(tear below) ......

YES! I’d like to register for the MAIL FORM AND February 11th Pro Am CHECK TO:

Tse Mei Ling

30 East End Avenue YES! Enclosed is my check, New York, NY 10028 payable to the GNYBA 212-535-7049 $32 before January 25; $37 after January 25 MORE INFO: www.gnyba.org

Name:______

Address:______

Phone:______

E-Mail:______No. of Masterpoints: _____

7 0-199er SILVER POINT WEEKEND

Saturday February 11 - Sunday February 12, 2012

Do you have under 200 masterpoints? Are you looking for silver points?

The GNYBA has scheduled 4 single session games especially for you!

Saturday, February 11, 2012–Noon & 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 12, 2012–11:00 a.m. & 3:30 p.m.

Manhattan Bridge Club 250 West 57th Street, 14th floor All events are stratified!

WIN SILVER POINTS!

8 Betty Kaplan Teams

Tired of the same old events? Enjoy the challenge of playing in a tournament but miss the fun of social bridge?

THIS IS THE EVENT FOR YOU!

The Betty Kaplan Teams is an Open Stratified Swiss Team event unique to New York City bridge .

Each team must have exactly 4 players Six nine-board matches will be played You must play 2 of the 6 matches with each of your teammates

Grab 3 friends and come out for a fun-filled Saturday!

Saturday, February 11, 2012 Noon and TBA

The Cavendish Bridge Club 1556 Third Avenue or 177 East 87th Street Third Floor

9 Grand National Teams

The Grand National Teams (GNT) is a knock-out team event that occurs each year at the Summer North American Bridge Championship. To par- ticipate, a team must pre-qualify at the District level a few months ahead of the National. Only one team per flight earns the right to represent a district. The following teams represented District 24 at the 2011 Summer NABC in Toronto:

Open Flight (open to all players): Joe Grue, Kevin Bathurst, Robert Blanchard, Shane Blanchard, John Hurd, Joel Wooldridge

Flight A (<5,000 MPs): Igor Savchenko, Bill Begert, Doug Herron, Ljudmila Kamenova, Valentin Carciu, Sorin Pleacof

Flight B (<2,000 MPs): Ryan Connors, Randi Adelman, Peter Clark, Jess Jurkovic, Stephannie Russo, Maria Tsoukalas

Flight C (non-LMs with <500 MPs): Ilana Seror, Sohail Hasan, Andrew Rosenberg, James Southern, James Stuart III

The A squad (captained by Savchenko) had an impressive run, reaching the final and placing second. The team reports that the most memorable moment was a comeback against the defending champions during the 2nd round: down by 47 IMPs by half time, the team rallied to win the match by 8 IMPs.

Later in the week, in the Semi-finals, an interesting hand was played in 4S by Doug Herron and in 2S by the opponents. Herron (South in the diagram below) was able to make the contract by finessing the spades twice, while the opponents went down 2 tricks.

S T54 S 8 H T96 S KQ72 H J5 D 982 H 8743 D QJT74 C K872 D A65 C AJ93 C Q104

S AJ963 H AKQ2 D K3 C 65

10 Grand National Teams

West led the Q of diamonds, which was overtaken by East with the Ace. A diamond return was won by Herron with the K, who then led a club from his hand, losing to the Ace on his left. The opponents now led a 3rd round of diamonds, which was ruffed in the South hand. A club to the K in dummy allowed Herron to execute the 1st spade to the 9. When the 8 dropped on his left, Herron suspected a 4-1 spade split and decided per- haps he could use the 10 of hearts to get to dummy again for a 2nd spade finesse. He played A and K of hearts and, when the J fell on his left, led a heart to dummy hoping that West was indeed out of trumps. This worked, and now he played the 10 of spades, covered with the Q by East and the A by South. Finally, Herron ruffed his Q of hearts in dummy and led a club to in hand with the J of spades, winning 10 tricks and a super score.

In the other Flights, the Open team reached the Semifinals, while the B and C teams advanced to the 2nd round, placing 4th and 13th respectively on the 1st day, but then lost to a talented Michigan team and a team from Texas playing a system.

.

11 Grand National Teams 2012 GRAND NATIONAL TEAMS DISTRICT 24 FINALS Open & Flight B Round #1 Sunday, February 12, 2012 11:00 AM and 3:30 PM Cavendish Bridge Club 1556 Third Avenue or 177 East 87th Street Flights A & C Round #1 Sunday, February 19, 2012 11:00 AM and 3:30 PM Manhattan Bridge Club 250 West 57th Street, 14th floor You must be a member of District 24 to participate. Teams may include 4-6 players.

Round #1 for the Open event will end with four final teams. Play will be head-to-head or round robin, depending upon the number of teams entered.

Flight A, B and C Teams surviving the Round #1 knock out or round robin will play subsequent matches as needed through May 2012 to determine a winner. The winners in each flight are eligible to compete as District 24 representatives in the Grand National Teams Final at the July 2012 Summer NABC in Philadelphia. Entry fees for the NABC Finals will be subsidized by District 24. Multiply your chances to win! Compete in separate flights if eligible. Red/Gold Points awarded.

Open Flight: Open to all Flight A: Players with fewer than 5000 Masterpoints Flight B: Players with fewer than 2000 Masterpoints Flight C: Non-Life Masters with fewer than 500 Masterpoints Masterpoint eligibility is as of September 1, 2011

12 North American Pairs Winners

North American Pairs Winners District Final October 24, 2010

A 1 Joe Grue New York NY Shane Blanchard New York NY 2 Joel Wooldridge Williamsville NY Kevin Bathurst New York NY 3 Eric Robinson New York NY Michael Kopera Brooklyn NY B 1 Martha Coopersmith New York NY Margo Sinclair New York NY 2 Michael Gecht Staten Island NY Harvey Somers Bronx NY 3 Stefano Merlo New York NY Sumit Daftuar New York NY C 1 James Stuart III New York NY Ilana Seror New York NY 2 Waldo White Manhasset NY Silvana Zangri Port Washington NY 3 Kiendl Gordon New York NY Barbara Bayone New York NY

Flight A at Louisville National, March 2011

1 Joe Grue and Shane Blanchard 2 Joel Woolridge and Kevin Bathurst 13 Eric Robinson and Michael Kopera

Flight B at Louisville National, March 2011

13 Sumit Daftuar and Stefano Merlo

Flight C at Louisville National, March 2011

13 Ilana Seror and James Stuart III

13 Double Knock Out

Don’t miss this!

Come play in the GNYBA sponsored double elimination knock-out event. If you have never played in a knockout, this is a team event. The event is divided into 3 flights, based on the masterpoint holding of the team members. Teams may have between four and six members. Players can play on one team in each of the different brackets (as long as they don’t exceed the bracket’s masterpoint limitations!).

Each team will play one match (24-26 boards) against another team in the bracket. Matches will be played approxi- mately once a month, scheduled at the competing teams’ convenience. Once a team has lost two matches, they are eliminated from the event. Matches continue in each bracket until there is a winner. The event will start in January. The registration form is on page 15 and also can be found at the clubs, on line at www.gnyba.org or at the Winter Regional. Come play!!!

2011 Von Zedtwitz Double Knockout Winners

Bruce Rogoff, Josh Parker,.Marty Fleisher, Eric Robinson, Jeff Aker and Brady Richter vs. Arch McKellar, Franco Baseggio, Simon Erlich, Ken Jacobs Jeff Rothstein, Andy Stark (to be played)

New Event

Double KNNov Bridge Triathlon Nov. 16-18

Friday Evening Individual Saturday Open Pairs Sunday Swiss Teams (Betty Kaplan Style– you must play with every member of your team)

14 Double Knock Out

2012 GNYBA DOUBLE KNOCK OUTS Entry Form

(CHOOSE ONE) ___ Von Zedtwitz (Unlimited Masterpoints) ___ Sol Seidman (0-3000 Masterpoints) ___ Harter Cup (NLM, 0-500 Masterpoints)

Captain: ______Home Phone: ______Work Phone: ______E-Mail Address: ______Home Address: ______Masterpoints: ______Assistant Captain: ______Home Phone: ______Work Phone: ______E-Mail Address: ______Home Address: ______Masterpoints: ______Team Members Masterpoints 1.______2.______3.______4.______Team Masterpoint Total: ______

To enter please return this form by January 25 with a check made out to GNYBA for $45 to:

Stephannie Russo 11 Fifth Avenue #12B New York, NY 10003

15 Masterpoint Races and Dinner

Unit 155 Masterpoint Races

There are two masterpoint races in our unit: the Ace of Clubs, which is all the black points you win at the clubs, and the Mini- McKenney for black, red, gold and platinum. The top winner in each of the 13 categories (from 0-5 to over 10,000) receives a certificate for the Ace of Clubs and a medal for the Mini-McKen- ney. These races are still more competitive at the District and the National levels. To see how you are doing at the Unit level go to:

ACBL.org Masterpoint Races (on left) 2011 Masterpoint Races Unit Races by Year Select Ace of Clubs or Mini-McKenney, Unit 155

We hold a dinner to honor the winners. It will be held at the Cav- endish Bridge Club late in April or early May 2012, once all the points are in. We have many people on the District and National lists. You can find their names on the ACBL Masterpoint Races site as well.

16 2010 Winners

2010 MINI-MCKENNEY MASTERPOINT RACES

0 to 5 Joan Robertson 93.64 5 to 20 Arthur Gordon 119.53 20 to 50 Gillian Miniter 105.02 50 to 100 Nina Steinberg 142.36 100 to 200 Rosette Scheib 225.42 200 to 300 Martin Deneroff 219.72 300 to 500 Barry Lang 315.59 500 to 1000 Alison Wilson 277.89 1000 to 2500 Bill Begert 370.64 2500 to 5000 Andrew Rosenthal 1178.31 5000 to 7500 Jesus Arias 813.67 7500 to 10,000 Judith Bianco 1161.01 Over 10,000 Aaron Silverstein 1530.87

2010 ACE OF CLUBS MASTERPOINT RACES

0 to 5 Joan Robertson 57.62 5 to 20 Arthur Gordon 104.39 20 to 50 Gillian Miniter 97.78 50 to 100 David Hawkins 119.02 100 to 200 Rosette Scheib 183,48 200 to 300 Luna Benardette 125.51 300 to 500 Barry Lang 259.49 500 to 1000 Martha Coopersmith 176.83 1000 to 2500 Bill Begert 258.26 2500 to 5000 Eric Mock 313.77 5000 to 7500 Jesus Arias 541.12 7500 to 10,000 Pietro Campanile 243.52 Over 10,000 Aaron Silverstein 237.13

PLAYER OF TEAM PLAYER BOB FACTOR FLIGHT B THE YEAR OF THE YEAR PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

Joe Grue Chris Willenken Richard & Tom Feuer

17 GNYBA GNYBA The Bob Factor Player of the Year Team Player of the Year Flight B Player of the Year

10/17/2011 10/17/11 10/17/11 1 Joe Grue 270 1 Chris Willenken 219 1 Richard Feuer 118 2 Chris Willenken 219 2 Joe Grue 182 2 Thomas Feuer 118 3 John Hurd 182 3 John Hurd 182 3 Harvey Schwartz 89 4 Melanie Tucker 180 4 C. Henner-Welland 160 4 Richard Whitehead 75 5 Michael Polowan 174 5 Roy Welland 160 5 Jill Marshal 73 6 andrew Rosenthal 172 6 Melanie Tucker 136 6 Ryan Connors 60 7 C. Henner-Welland 160 7 Pietro Campanile 126 7 Linda Connelly 50 8 roy Welland 160 8 Glenn Milgrim 123 8 Marths Coopersmith 50 9 Glenn Milgrim 152 9 Andrew Rosenthal 122 9 John Dudas 50 10 Bjorn Fallenius 137 10 Jeff Rothstein 116 10 Linda Dudas 50 11 Pietro Campanile 126 11 Jesus Arias 111 11 Lynn Gilgor 50 12 doug Doub 125 12 Uday Ivatury 110 12 Irma Schulman 50 13 Susan Schnelwar 125 13 Jaggy Shivdasani 110 13 Margo Sinclair 50 14 yiji Starr 125 14 Ira Herman 102 14 Bruce Neiger 46 15 Jared Lilienstein 121 15 Jared Lilienstein 100 15 Bob Rebelein 44 16 John Kranyak 116 16 Michael Polowan 100 16 Randi Adelman 38 17 Jeff Rothstein 116 17 Adam Wildavsky 100 17 Joanne Brumberg 38 18 Jesus Arias 111 18 Shane Blanchard 96 18 Konrad Dziekanski 38 19 uday Ivatury 110 19 John Kranyak 94 19 Louise Eisenstein 38 20 Jaggy Shivdasani 110 20 Allen Kahn 91 20 Michael Gecht 38 21 Ira Herman 102 21 Martin Fleisher 90 21 Harriet Geller 38 22 adam Wildavsky 100 22 Bjorn Fallenius 87 22 Barbara Hendra 38 23 Shane Blanchard 96 23 Susan Schnelwar 87 23 Darlene Pogrebinsky 38 24 Sylvia Moss 94 24 Michael Kamil 82 24 Igor Pogrebinsky 38 25 Judi Radin 94 25 R. Jay Becker 78 25 Dan Rogers 38 26 allen Kahn 91 26 Michael Rosenberg 63 26 Harvey Somers 38 27 Martin Fleisher 90 27 David Moss 57 27 Jack Price 36 28 david Moss 86 28 Simon Erlich 55 28 Clifford Reitz 36 29 kevin Bathurst 84 29 Jeff Aker 50 29 Jeffrey Ahearns 35 30 Michael Kamil 82 30 Lapt Chan 50 30 Robert Bertoni 35 31 r. Jay Becker 78 31 Steve Garner 50 31 Stanley Kallman 33 32 eric Robinson 78 32 Phil Martin 50 32 Bernie Weiss 33 33 aaron Silverstein 76 33 Eric Robinson 50 33 Eugene Barrack 29 34 Chris Compton 70 34 Bruce Rogoff 50 34 Paul Frean 29 35 Michael Lipkin 70 35 Bill Begert 49 35 Peter Hoffman 29 36 Marty Seligman 70 36 Kevin Bathurst 46 36 John Kruettner 29 37 Beverly Perry 65 37 Robert Blanchard 46 37 Chieni Liao 29 38 alex Perlin 63 38 Bryan Glubock 46 38 Farley Mawyer 29 39 Michael Rosenberg 63 39 David Gurvich 41 39 Mark Rosenholz 29 40 david Rosenberg 59 40 Margie Gwozdzinsky 41 40 Sheldon Schneider 29 41 Michael Kopera 57 41 Michael Lipkin 41 41 Patricia Stacom 29 42 Franco Baseggio 56 42 Alex Perlin 41 42 Phillip Tseng 29 43 Simon Erlich 55 43 Alison Wilson 41 43 David Carter 28 44 richard Schwartz 53 44 Marc Nathan 38 44 Sumit Daftuar 28 45 Michael Prahin 51 45 Richard Zeckhauser 38 45 Kathy Emery 28 46 Jeff Aker 50 46 Alan Miller 33 46 Pat Emery 28 47 lapt Chan 50 47 Greg Reich 33 47 Emile Heredia 28 48 Steve Garner 50 48 Bill Rosenbaum 33 48 Stefano Merlo 28 49 Phil Martin 50 49 David Rosenberg 30 49 Terry Oleske 28 50 Josh Parker 50 50 Alan Applebaum 26 50 William Palmer 28 51 Bruce Rogoff 50 51 Franco Baseggio 26 51 Jeanne Perkins 28 52 Bill Begert 49 52 Victor King 26 52 Bradley Calcagni 25 53 robert Blanchard 46 53 Jonathan Weinstein 26 53 Deborah Cristfield 25 54 Bryan Glubock 46 54 Larry Ascher 25 54 Keith Gellman 25 55 david Gurvich 41 55 William Ehlers 25 55 Karen Haines 25 56 Margie Gwozdzinsky 41 56 Michael McNamara 25 56 Sara Kaminker 25 57 alison Wilson 41 57 Jonathan Ohliger 25 57 Rochelle Kassin 25 58 Marvin Deneroff 40 58 Lee Ohliger 25 58 Gail Maslaton 25 59 kent Mignocchi 40 59 Diana Tenery-Ascher 25 59 Ram Morisetti 25 60 richard Barabino 38 60 Robert Heitzman, Jr. 24 60 Doug Nelson 25 61 Megan Corn 38 61 Doug Herron 24 61 Elllyn Plato 25 62 Patrick Corn 38 62 Igor Savchenko 24 62 D. Pochos Stayman 25 63 Gail Greenberg 38 63 Daniel Wilderman 24 63 Ellen Reller 25 64 Jeffrey Hand 38 64 Harry Apfel 23 64 Margery Reyman 25 65 Scott Levine 38 65 Eugene Saxe 23 65 Arnold Riback 25 66 Ted Mao 38 66 James Scott 23 66 Janet Serure 25 67 Marc Nathan 38 67 Dori Byrnes 16 67 Joan Sitt 25 68 linda Nitabach 38 68 David Hoffner 16 68 Toby Baskind 22 69 Barry Rigal 38 69 Steve Landen 16 69 Marianne Beke 22 70 Joel Woolridge 38 70 William Pettis 16 70 Manish Chopra 22

18 The Bob Factor Flight B Player of the Year Articles by New York Experts: Elliot Sternlicht

10/17/11 1 Richard Feuer 118 DEFENSE TO PREEMPTIVE BIDS by Elliot Sternlicht 2 Thomas Feuer 118 3 Harvey Schwartz 89 4 Richard Whitehead 75 When your right hand opponent opens the bidding with a preemptive bid, it puts you under a 5 Jill Marshal 73 lot of pressure. A lot of bidding space has been taken, and you are forced to guess what bid 6 Ryan Connors 60 to make at a high level. 7 Linda Connelly 50 8 Marths Coopersmith 50 9 John Dudas 50 No matter what action you take, you may go wrong: all of the strength may be behind you, 10 Linda Dudas 50 and you do not know what your partner holds. A general guideline to follow is to be very 11 Lynn Gilgor 50 12 Irma Schulman 50 careful when bidding directly over a preemptive bid – do not strain to bid. If you make a bid, 13 Margo Sinclair 50 you must have a very good suit or very good distribution. However, in fourth, or 14 Bruce Neiger 46 seat, you should strain to bid with shortness in the opponent’s suit. An easy way to remem- 15 Bob Rebelein 44 16 Randi Adelman 38 ber this is: Refrain in 2nd seat, strain in 4th seat. 17 Joanne Brumberg 38 18 Konrad Dziekanski 38 In order to the opponent’s preemptive bid with a suit of your own, you need better 19 Louise Eisenstein 38 20 Michael Gecht 38 than a minimum opening bid. There is no such thing as a over a preempt. With 21 Harriet Geller 38 a preemptive bid of your own, you must pass in direct seat when your RHO opens with a 22 Barbara Hendra 38 23 Darlene Pogrebinsky 38 preemptive bid. Bidding your own suit would show substantially more values. For example, 24 Igor Pogrebinsky 38 suppose you hold: 25 Dan Rogers 38 26 Harvey Somers 38 27 Jack Price 36 S KQJ7653 28 Clifford Reitz 36 H 83 29 Jeffrey Ahearns 35 D 5 30 Robert Bertoni 35 31 Stanley Kallman 33 C Q87 32 Bernie Weiss 33 33 Eugene Barrack 29 You must pass over your RHO’s opening bid of 3C, 3D or 3H. In balancing seat, it is auto- 34 Paul Frean 29 35 Peter Hoffman 29 matic to bid 3S, as your partner might have been forced to pass with an opening bid which 36 John Kruettner 29 was unsuitable to take any action over the preempt. 37 Chieni Liao 29 38 Farley Mawyer 29 39 Mark Rosenholz 29 Here are some examples of bidding over preemptive bids from a recent National tournament: 40 Sheldon Schneider 29 41 Patricia Stacom 29 DLR: North North 42 Phillip Tseng 29 43 David Carter 28 VUL: None S Q2 44 Sumit Daftuar 28 H 5 45 Kathy Emery 28 46 Pat Emery 28 D J74 47 Emile Heredia 28 C KJT9765 48 Stefano Merlo 28 49 Terry Oleske 28 50 William Palmer 28 West East 51 Jeanne Perkins 28 S 8743 S AKT5 52 Bradley Calcagni 25 H AQ874 H J632 53 Deborah Cristfield 25 54 Keith Gellman 25 D KQ85 D 93 55 Karen Haines 25 C C AQ3 56 Sara Kaminker 25 South 57 Rochelle Kassin 25 58 Gail Maslaton 25 S J96 59 Ram Morisetti 25 H KT9 60 Doug Nelson 25 D AT62 61 Elllyn Plato 25 62 D. Pochos Stayman 25 C 842 63 Ellen Reller 25 64 Margery Reyman 25 Bidding: N E S W 65 Arnold Riback 25 66 Janet Serure 25 3C P P 3H 67 Joan Sitt 25 P 4C P 4H 68 Toby Baskind 22 P P P 69 Marianne Beke 22 70 Manish Chopra 22

19 Articles by New York Experts: Elliot Sternlicht

In a team game, at one table, East was willing to pass over his RHO’s preemptive bid, and when his partner bid 3H in balancing seat, East cuebid 4C to show a heart fit with slam inter- est, and passed over his partner’s 4H signoff. This contract made exactly ten tricks.

At the other table, East could not bear to pass, and made an offshape . West kept bidding until his side reached 6H, mercifully undoubled. This contract went down two tricks for an 11 IMP swing.

Here is another example, from a matchpoint event:

DLR: West North VUL: None S QT87 H K65 D AJ43 C A3 West East S 52 S 9 H AJT9743 H Q82 D T D 97652 C K74 C QJ98 South S AKJ643 H D KQ8 C T652

Bidding: W N E S 3H P P 3S P 4H P 5D P 6S All pass

Again, when West preempted with 3H, North was forced to pass. Making a takeout double with three cards in the opponent’s suit and a doubleton in an unbid suit is losing bridge, and North was not strong enough to overcall 3NT. South balanced with 3S, and when North cuebid 4H, South had slam interest and cuebid his second round diamond control, denying first or second round club control. North had an easy 6S bid, and +980 was a tie for top.

When you pass with the North hand, it is important that you pass in . If you take a long time before passing, partner is under ethical constraints not to take advantage of your hesitation.

20 Articles by New York Experts: Barry Rigal

Hands from the Toronto National by Barry Rigal

Board 60; Dealer North; E/W Vul. (Rotated 90 degrees) S K 10 3 H Q 4 D 9 6 4 C A 9 6 3 2 S A J 8 4 S 9 5 2 H 7 H J 10 9 5 3 D Q 7 5 D A J 8 3 C K J 8 5 4 C 7 S Q 7 6 H A K 8 6 2 D K 10 2 C Q 10

At one table, Landen and Gerstman had reached 1NT and made 120. This was what hap- pened in the other room

West North East South D Clerkin Hamman J Clerkin Zia Pass Pass 1NT Pass 3NT All pass

Zia won the club lead cheaply in hand and faced the first critical decision. He started well enough by advancing the spade queen, hoping to steal a spade trick and then set up hearts. Denny took the spade ace and advanced the club king; Zia made his second good play when he ducked. East pitched a small heart and now Denny found the critical diamond shift. Jerry won the ace and returned the three. Zia made his third nice play when he rose with the king, and Denny made the critical error by playing low. Had he unblocked the queen, the defend- ers could have prevailed, but now, when Zia cashed the top hearts, this was the ending as the third top heart was led: S K 10 H --- D 9 C A 9 6 S J 8 4 S 9 5 H --- H J 10 D Q D J 8 C J 8 C --- S 7 6 H A 8 6 D 10 C ---

On the heart ace Denny had three unpalatable choices. A club would be immediately fatal, a diamond would let Zia finesse in spades and play ace and another club, conceding a club but leaving dummy high. And the actual choice at the table of a spade saw Zia finesse in spades and cash the spade king, then exit with a diamond to West to lead clubs into dummy’s tenace.

21 Articles by New York Experts: Barry Rigal

When the Nickell team defeated Welland in the quarter finals, Zia had the opportunity for another 3NT contract.

Consider the hand as a single-dummy problem. Look just at the East/West cards as you declare 3NT on a top club lead.

Board 47; Dealer South; NS Vul. S 3 2 H Q 6 4 3 D 8 6 2 C Q J 10 3 S 10 4 S A K 9 7 5 H A J 10 7 H K 8 2 D K Q 5 4 3 D 9 7 C A K C 7 5 2 S Q J 8 6 H 9 5 D A J 10 C 9 8 6 4

West North East South Smirnov Rodwell Piekarek Meckstroth Pass 1D Pass 1S Pass 2H Pass 2S Pass 2NT Pass 3NT All pass

Smirnov won the club lead and went after spades, running the ten, then winning the club return and testing spades. If they split, he would need to find the heart queen or guess who had the diamond ace by playing on that suit. As you can see this line was not a success; when declarer played South for the heart queen after running into the foul spade break, he made just seven tricks.

West North East South Zia Bramley Hamman Welland Pass 1D Pass 1S Pass 2H Pass 2S Pass 2NT Pass 3NT All pass

Zia won the club lead in hand and led a low spade to dummy, planning to try to score a diamond trick then decide whether to revert to spades or play on hearts. As everyone knows, Zia has one of the finest “noses” in the game. When he led a low spade to dummy’s ace at trick two, he saw North follow small and South take a few seconds before following with a small spade. Since South could have no problem in deciding which spade to play, Zia worked out why he was hesitating: he had the diamond ace and was wondering if this was a position where it was necessary to take the ace, and then play on clubs. That being so, Zia rejected the percentages and crossed to the diamond king, then went back to the spade king to play a second diamond. He played a third diamond when his honors held, and now the defenders cleared clubs. Zia was already up to 9 tricks, and when he played North for the heart queen he emerged with an impressive 11 tricks.

22 Articles by New York Experts: Barry Rigal

At an earlier point in the same match, Zia reached 3NT after a nebulous 1C opening from Welland. These were the cards.

S 8 2 H A Q 6 D 9 8 6 2 C Q 10 8 7 S Q 10 7 5 4 3 S A J H 4 3 H J 9 7 2 D K 10 3 D J 7 5 4 C 9 3 C K J 5 S K 9 6 H K 10 8 5 D A Q C A 6 4 2

West North East South Bramley Hamman Welland Zia 1C 1NT 2S Dbl Pass 3H Pass 3S Pass 3NT All pass

The defenders led a spade to the ace and a spade back. Zia ducked and won the third spade as Welland pitched a diamond. Now came a small club, and Zia guessed to put in the ten, losing to the jack. When a diamond came back, Zia decided that West’s decision to clear spades suggested he had an entry, so he went up with the ace, crossed to the heart ace and ran the club queen, scooping the nine from West. After cashing three club tricks (East discarding a diamond, West one diamond and one spade), Zia had one more decision: had East started life with a 2-3-5-3 pattern or with a 2-4-4-3 shape? Zia had not come this far into the deal to misread the ending. He took the heart queen and finessed, to bring home nine tricks.

23 Articles by New York Experts: Gurvich & Moller

Improving Partnerships by David Gurvich & Rachael Moller

The simplest and fastest way to improve your results is to avoid blunders. That doesn’t mean failing to make an overtrick on a squeeze, making the wrong , or even playing a hand incorrectly. There are books and articles devoted to these topics. What it means is focusing on getting the basics right, and by basics we mean:

1. Cashing the setting trick when defending; partner may not know you have it. 2. Knowing when doubles are takeout, penalty, or card showing; misinterpreting doubles can be one of the most costly blunders. 3. Having a clear understanding of when bids are forcing, invitational, or an attempt to sign-off; the blunders here are limitless. 4. Signaling partner correctly and taking partner’s signals into consideration; effective communication with partner is the key to success.

System Notes

Let’s start with the obvious. The first step in order to avoid blunders is to fill out a . The ACBL requires having two fully filled out convention cards at the table. Far from being a regulatory burden, this is your first opportunity to start on the same page as partner.

Here are some pointers. It is OK not to know a convention. If partner asks to play a convention you don’t know or don’t want to play, just say that you would rather not play it today. Do not agree to play something that you don’t understand simply because your partner wants to play it. Agreeing on basic concepts that occur frequently is more important than knowing the nuances of conventions that seldom come up. For instance, it is more important to know when a double is takeout than to know whether you play retransfers after Stayman. What is a minimum opener? Are you playing 4- or 5-card majors? Are you playing 2/1 as game forcing? What is a forcing raise? An invitational raise? Are aggressive?

There are always traps in a new partnership; both partners believe they understand an agreement, but they understand the agreement in different ways. (Is system on after a double? We didn’t discuss that. Is it on after some doubles?) When you get into one of these murky areas, try to avoid calls which are ambiguous. I try to have the following agreement with pick-up partners: any call we haven’t discussed is natural and, during a constructive auction, forcing.

Play

Effective communication should continue during the play. Let’s assume that today you are sitting opposite a longstanding partner. You have even taken the opportunity to review your convention card prior to the game. Your styles and philosophies are compatible and you are all set to enjoy yourself. Now is not the time to relax; now the curtain rises and the play begins. Only constant vigilance by both partners will prevent avoidable errors. Your primary purpose is to make life easy for partner.

Defenders are at a disadvantage in knowing less about the combined partnership assets; thus signaling becomes vitally important. The most important aspect in signaling is trust.

24 Articles by New York Experts: Gurvich & Moller

Try to make your signals trustworthy and trust the signals your partner makes. The declarer will attempt to deceive you both.

Yelling is not an effective method of communication. Your partner will not appreciate being yelled at, and both partners’ play is likely to suffer. When a volatile situation arises, the best thing you can do is say that you would prefer to look at the hand after the session and that you don’t want to talk about the hand now. Frequently, a minor poor result will lead to four major poor results, simply by distracting both partners. Each board that results in a bottom instead of an average reduces your score by around 2%. That first result might be good, bad, or indifferent, but is only one board. The subsequent poor results will turn an above average game into a nightmare.

Discussing your system during a session is a major distraction. Try to keep discussions about hands for before and after the session. Not discussing hands in the middle of a session has three positive benefits:

1. You don’t annoy your opponents. 2. You don’t upset yourselves. 3. You tend to finish sooner and have more time during breaks.

If you must talk about hands, keep the topic to the following:

1. Sorry, what is our agreement? 2. Sorry, I misplayed/misbid. 3. I owe you a beer, I made a horrible blunder.

If you think partner has made an error, don’t say a thing. You may be incorrect, and in my experience, partners don’t react well to statements like “HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?”

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