69th Summer North American Bridge Championships • July 24 - August 3, 1997 • Albuquerque, New Mexico Vol. 69, No. 8 Friday, August 1, 1997 Editors: Henry Francis and Brent Manley Problem-solving Goldman works to make bridge better In his days with the Aces -- the world’s “Bobby has always been not only a hard first full-time professional team -- Bobby worker but interested in doing things for the Goldman was known for his dogged deter- game,” says Nadine Wood, who has worked mination as a problem solver. with Goldman on countless committees on “Anything that came up,” recalled Bob Alerts, competition and other issues. 2 Hamman in his autobiography, “Bobby would As a professional player with five world stay on it until it was worked out all the way. championships, 18 North American titles He just wouldn’t quit.” and numerous other accomplishments -- in- In those days, the issues Goldman dealt cluding the development of many bidding with were related to the Aces’ growth as a conventions -- the 58-year-old Goldman team -- such as discipline and bidding theory. could choose to rest on his laurels. Today, nearly 30 years later, Goldman is That’s not his way. still searching for perfection -- for ways to Of late, he has become concerned that make bridge a better game. The focus may the appeals process has gotten out of hand - be different, but his intensity has not dimmed - and he strongly objects to what he calls in the least. “windfalls” for the non-offenders in certain Bobby Goldman Continued on page 6 Top seeds still alive in Spingold The top-seeded Nick Nickell squad survived a Mark Molson, Drew Cannell and P.O. Sundelin. shaky fourth quarter to advance to the quarterfinals of The #2 seed, led by Steve Robinson, had a much the Spingold Knockout Teams, staying on course for a easier time, winning 129-92. Cayne’s squad roared from fifth straight win in the event. behind, knocking off a Canadian foursome led by Peter 3 Nickell, Richard Freeman, Bobby Wolff, Bob Jones, 189-136. Hamman, Jeff Meckstroth and Eric Rodwell led the Jack The #4 seeded Robert Klein squad, which had up- Coleman squad, 103-69, with 16 boards to go but set the Richard Schwartz team on Tuesday, was routed dropped 20 IMPs in the final set and finished with a by Moss and company, 169-97. 131-117 victory. The closest match of the day involved the teams Today’s matchups, by captain, are #1 Nickell ver- captained by Peter Nagy and Baze. In the wild swing- sus #8 Glenn Eisenstein; #2 Steve Robinson versus #7 ing match, Baze jumped out to a 26-8 first-quarter lead, Directors Ron Johnston and Jack Mehrens Rita Shugart; #3 Jimmy Cayne versus #6 Jeff Wolfson, only to see Nagy go ahead at the half, 63-59. Baze re- and #4 Mike Moss versus #5 Grant Baze. gained the lead after three quarters, 104-82, and then Coleman was playing with Mark Stein, Boris Baran, held on for a 113-111 win. Fellow directors honor Johnston and Mehrens Wei-Sender, Meyers in Women’s KO final Two veteran tournament directors, Jack Mehrens and Ron Johnson, have been honored by their peers for outstanding work. The team captained by Kathie Wei-Sender, trailing Mancuso and Shawn Quinn. They routed the Jo Morse The Professional Tournament Directors Association by 12 IMPs going into the final quarter, rallied for a team -- Karen McCallum, Hjordis Eythorsdottir, Rose chose Mehrens for the 1997 Tom Weeks Award as the 138-125 victory to make it to the final of the Women’s Johnson, Phyllis Quinn and Lynn Baker -- 194-82. most improved tournament director. Johnson earned the Knockout Teams. The Meyers squad raced to a 58-15 lead after one 1997 Friendly Award as the TD who most embodies The Wei-Sender quintet was down, 116-104, with quarter and poured it on the rest of the way. the principles for which the late TD Paul Stehly stood. 16 boards to play but outscored their opponents, 34-9, All but two members of the Meyers team will be Stehly was known as Fred Friendly. in the final quarter. trying for their first win in the event today. Montin won Johnson, 55, has been directing for about 20 years. Wei-Sender, Lynn Deas, Beth Palmer, Juanita in 1982. Quinn won in 1995 and 1996. He was first recruited as a director back home in Water- Chambers and Stasha Cohen defeated Rozanne Pollack, On the Wei-Sender squad, only Deas is without a loo IA, where an older director was on the verge of Connie Goldberg, Lisa Berkowitz, Marinesa Letizia, Women’s KO victory. Cohen was a member of the win- retirement. Carol Sanders and Dorothy Truscott. ning team last year, her fourth win in the event. Wei- Along the way, Johnson’s other job -- teaching The other finalist is the team led by Jill Meyers -- Sender has won the KO three times and won once be- chronic disruptive students in an independent school -- Randi Montin, Tobi Deutsch, Mildred Breed, Renee fore the event was changed to a knockout in 1976. Continued on page 7 The count climbs Greco, Hampson lead IMP Pairs Yesterday afternoon was the biggest session of the Eric Greco and Geoff Hampson, two of the hottest tournament to date -- 602 tables. Another 573 at night player who starred for Canada before moving to Fenton young players in bridge, took a slim lead after two quali- brought the table count to 8614.5 -- far, far ahead of MI. fying sessions of the IMP Pairs. Albuquerque 1982, which had 7155 tables at this point. They amassed 147 IMPs after two sessions, to 142 Greco, of Annandale VA, is among the top Junior The 1997 count is likely to rise well into the 11,000s. for Margot Hennings of Falls Church VA and David players in North America. Hampson is a former Junior We should be close to 10,000 when play finishes today. Milton of Herndon VA. 2 Daily Bulletin SPECIAL EVENTS Tale of the Ape By Powhatan Wooldridge Friday, August 1 Dlr: South ♠ 10 8 5 4 3 9:00 a.m. Club Director’s Exam, Ballroom B Vul: None ♥ Q J 10 7 5 4 2 9:00 a.m. TAP Seminar II, Enchantment E-F ♦ 6 12:15 p.m. Intermediate/Novice Speakers Program -- Dorothy Truscott: Bid Better, Play Better, Ballroom B. ♣ -- 7:15 p.m. Intermediate/Novice Speakers Program -- George Pisk, Bridge Humanism: the Voice of the People, ♠ K 9 7 2 ♠ A Q 6 Ballroom B. ♥ -- ♥ K Midnight Hot dogs & chips -- plus late night entertainment, NW Exhibit Hall ♦ Q J 7 2 ♦ K 9 5 4 3 ♣ K J 9 3 2 ♣ 8 7 5 4 ♠ J Saturday, August 2 ♥ A 9 8 6 3 9:00 a.m. TAP Seminar II, Enchantment E-F ♦ A 10 8 5:00 p.m. TAP Seminar II, Enchantment E-F ♣ A Q 10 6 12:15 p.m. Intermediate/Novice Speakers Program -- Jerry Helms: Understanding the Language, Ballroom B. In the qualifying round of the NABC Senior Swiss 7:15 p.m. Intermediate/Novice Speakers Program -- TBA, Ballroom B. Teams, Marcia Freed sat North and heard her partner Midnight Ice cream bars -- plus late night entertainment, NW Exhibit Hall open 1♥! The bidding proceeded: West North East South Sunday, August 3 Marcia John 1♥ Noon - 5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. - Midnight -- VuGraph -- Ballroom IV, V & VI, Enchantment A-B-C-D Dbl 4♥ 4♠!! 5♥ 5♠ ? At this point it seemed virtually certain to Marcia that the opponents were 4-4 in spades and her partner Elizabeth Sawicki was was void. Since her fifth spade could be established by ruffing, she bid 6♥ with confidence. East doubled. special to the Gordons John, a firm believer in the adage that the preemptor should not bid again, scowled. West led a spade to East’s ace as John followed In an earlier Daily Bulletin, we reported that Eliza- with the jack. East had bid 4♠ on A-Q-x, presumably beth Sawicki of Melbourne, Australia, died in Israel after as a lead director, planning to run to his five-card dia- a bridge collapsed and she ingested contaminated wa- mond suit if doubled. All was well, however, since John ter. The following was offered to the Daily Bulletin by held the two red aces and was soon claiming. two of her friends, Robb and Linda Gordon. At the other table this is how the auction went: We met Elizabet (Elizabeth’s OKbridge name) in 1 West North East South the fall of 1993 on OKbridge. I started playing with her Powhatan Jill on the net because she stood out for her sense of humor 1♥ and sauciness. She said she once threw a board at her Dbl 1♠!2♦ 3♣ husband, but I was safe because she didn’t want to break Pass 3♦ Pass 4♥ her monitor. 5♦ 5♥ Dbl! All Pass Elizabet played quite well and was an understand- Pow was quick to justify Jill’s double to their team- ing partner, despite the inevitable style differences be- mates -- “It was a striped-tailed ape double.” That’s a tween bidding in Australia and the U.S. double of a game bid aimed at keeping the opponents In the summer of 1994, Elizabet asked me online from bidding a slam. Marcia’s decision to bid on to 6♥ for suggestions for a place to stay in New York City. It had converted a 7-IMP loss to a 10-IMP gain.