March 18-28, 2004 47th Spring North American Bridge Championships Reno, Nevada DailyVolume 47, Number 10 Sunday, March 28, 2004Bulletin Editors: Paul Linxwiler and Henry Francis Jacobs claims Vanderbilt Trophy The team captained by George Jacobs put on a show of strength in the second half of the Vanderbilt Knockouts, winning the 64-board contest against Richard Schwartz’s team 128–101. The other members of the Jacobs squad are partner Ralph Katz and Italian teammates Norberto Bocchi, Giorgio Duboin, Alfredo Versace and Lorenzo Lauria. This is the second Vanderbilt victory for Jacobs, Katz, Lauria and Versace. They won in 1999 playing with Peter Weichsel and Alan Sontag, instead of Bocchi and Duboin for whom this is the first win in the contest. Jacobs overcame a small first-half deficit. They trailed by 16 after the first quarter, but cut the Schwartz’s lead to six by halftime. By the end of the third quarter they led Schwartz by 18 and Vanderbilt champions Lorenzo Lauria, Alfredo Versace, Giorgio Duboin, Ralph Katz, George Continued on page 6 Jacobs and Norberto Bocchi are presented the Vanderbilt trophy by ACBL President Bruce Reeve. Gates in Reno, District 23 pairs lead Bertheau tops in Open; plays Open Swiss NAP Flights B & C Fellars leads Women’s Bridge enthusiast and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is attending the Reno NABC this weekend. The leaders of the North American Pairs Flight An international squad of Swedes, Italians and Gates, who makes occasional appearances at B after the two-session qualifying round are the Americans led by Peter Bertheau were first in NABCs, entered the Jacoby Open Swiss Teams District 23 duo of Tom Wylie of Woodland Hills yesterday’s Jacoby Open Swiss qualifiers. The with partner Sharon Osberg and teammates Barnet CA and Steven Yaffe of Sherman Oaks CA. leaders scored 120 on an 80 average. Shenkin and Mark Feldman. District 23 is also atop the leader sheet in the In the Machlin Women’s Swiss, the team led by At a pre-game press conference, Gates said that Flight C NAP contest. Robert Forster and Sumit Sharon Fellars finished well in front, posting a 127 he was here to enjoy a weekend of bridge. Daftuar of Pasadena CA were first. on an 80 average. Speculating on the difficulty of the event, Gates said, “This will be quite a tough field. I’ll have quite a bit to learn this time. This is probably the toughest event I’ve ever entered.” Chairmen thank all When asked about his level of participation in ACBL events, Gates indicated that his schedule is for successful NABC hectic, making it difficult to play more often. “Over time, however, I’m getting to play more,” he said. Reno NABC tournament chairmen Sheila The Gates team made the cut in the qualifying Wimer and Cynthia Sinn, hosts of a record- breaking Spring NABC, thanked their tournament round of the Open Swiss, and will play in today’s committee chairmen and volunteers for helping to two-session final. make Reno so successful. “Without the volunteers, there’s no way to do Reno tournament chairmen Sheila Wimer and this job,” said Wimer. Cynthia Sinn. “Most of all, however, we want to thank all of the players for coming to Reno and helping us people and all of their smiling faces — was the best break the attendance record,” said Sinn. part.” The duo joked that they were “still friends” “It’s amazing — once the tournament gets despite the stress of planning and hosting a national underway, everything seems to fall into place,” said championship. Wimer. Wimer, of Reno, and Sinn, of Portland OR, In addition to wishing everyone a safe trip were able to build broad support for the NABC home, Wimer and Sinn invited everyone to return from across District 20. to Reno for its famous end-of-the-year regional, Sinn said, “Planning this event was fun, but the Dec. 26–31. execution — seeing it all work out, seeing all the “Come back to see us,” they said. Page 2 Daily Bulletin Slam double Dodging bullets Alfredo Versace, a member of George Jacobs On this deal from the quarterfinal round of the Vanderbilt squad, found the right opening lead on Vanderbilt Knockouts, David Berkowitz and Larry this deal from the final match against Richard Cohen (of Richard Schwartz’s team) dodged a Schwartz’s team. Versace was playing with likely significant penalty on this auction against Zia Lorenzo Lauria against David Berkowitz and Larry Mahmood and Michael Rosenberg (of Roy Cohen. Welland’s squad). Dlr: South ♠ K 8 6 5 4 3 Dlr: West ♠ 2 Vul: E–W ♥ A Q 10 5 3 Vul: N–S ♥ Q 10 5 3 ♦ — ♦ 8 4 3 ♣ 7 3 ♣ A Q 10 8 3 ♠ 9 ♠ 7 2 ♠ K 10 8 4 ♠ J 7 3 ♥ K J 9 8 6 4 ♥ — ♥ K 6 ♥ J 8 7 2 ♦ A 10 7 2 ♦ K Q J 6 5 3 Second in the Red Ribbon Pairs were ♦ J 6 ♦ Q 10 7 ♣ 9 5 ♣ A 8 6 4 2 Harvinder Sidhu and Mark Brighouse. ♣ K J 9 7 5 ♣ 6 4 2 ♠ A Q J 10 ♠ A Q 9 6 5 ♥ 7 2 Neat defense ♥ A9 4 ♦ 9 8 4 ♦ A K 9 5 2 Good defense may not be as spectacular as ♣ K Q J 10 ♣ — good declarer play, but it wins tournaments. Here’s West North East South West North East South a deal where Jacob Morgan and Marty Harris, Versace Berkowitz Lauria Cohen Berkowitz Rosenberg Cohen Zia winners of the Red Ribbon Pairs, defended well. 1♦ (1) 1NT Pass 2♥ Dbl Board 15 ♠ K 8 5 1♥ Dbl (2) Pass 2♠ Pass 3♣ Pass 3♠ Dlr: South ♥ K 4 3 Pass 4♣ (3) Pass 4♠ Pass 3NT Pass 4♦ Vul: N-S ♦ K J 9 8 7 Pass 6♠ Dbl All Pass Pass 5♦ All Pass ♣ J 9 (1) Precision, 11–15, could be short. 1NT was 10–12. Cohen, East, was sure that his ♠ J 10 9 7 ♠ Q 4 2 (2) Spades, four or more. side was about to get nailed since he was looking at ♥ A 10 5 ♥ Q J 9 (3) Splinter(!) a balanced 4-count. Therefore, he ran immediately ♦ Q 10 4 ♦ A 6 3 2 After a Precision 1♦ start by Cohen, Versace to 2♥ — right or wrong — and prayed no one could ♣ K Q 2 ♣ 7 6 3 overcalled 1♥. Berkowitz and Cohen play that 1♠ double. ♠ A6 3 here would show the minors, so Berkowitz doubled Zia doubled in fourth seat to show values and ♥ 8 7 6 2 to show spade length. this was passed around to Rosenberg, North. ♦ 5 Cohen rebid 2♠ to show a maximum (in Rosenberg pondered this for some time as Cohen ♣ A 10 8 5 4 context) with four-card spade support. Berkowitz nervously observed what part of the bid box West North East South then hit upon the clever idea of splintering in a suit Rosenberg’s next call might come from. If it were a Pass in which he actually held two fast losers. This tactic pass card, Cohen was probably looking at a phone 1♦ (1) Pass 1NT All Pass is sometimes useful not only in possibly finding out number-sized penalty. Eventually, however, (1) One-round force. something important about partner’s hand, but also Rosenberg produced the 3♣ card, and East–West Harris led the ♣4 – attitude – to dummy’s king. in possibly getting the opponents off to the wrong were off the hook. Declarer attacked the likely entry to the South hand opening lead. The effect of the mini-notrump was to gobble by leading a spade to his queen, but Harris ducked Cohen rebid 4♠, but Berkowitz inferred from up valuable bidding space for North–South. Zia and – the key play. He followed with the 3, which was this (correctly) that Cohen had signed off in game Rosenberg arrived in 5♦, and Berkowitz hit on the a reverse Smith Echo saying that he wanted partner because he had concentrated club values. That excellent lead of the ♦J. to continue clubs when he got in. A second spade suggested, in turn, that there was less chance for Zia won in hand, cashed the ♠A and ruffed a went to Morgan’s king, and he did as requested – he Cohen to hold wasted diamond values, so spade. A club was ruffed in the closed hand and returned the ♣J to partner’s ace. Harris drove out Berkowitz jumped to the slam. another spade ruff followed. A club ruff was next, the ♣Q by returning the ♣10, showing that his Lauria, however, doubled hoping to get a heart followed by the ♦K and a spade to Berkowitz’s entry was in spades. ruff, and the spotlight turned to Versace. Should he king, on which Cohen pitched his remaining club, Declarer led a spade himself, and Harris won to lead his long suit first or should he try to cash the the key play since Berkowitz would otherwise have cash his two long clubs. North’s first discard was ♦A to get a look at dummy? The ♦A seems rather been endplayed. After East’s club discard, the ♦9 – good diamonds – so Harris switched to his tempting, considering that the opponents have Berkowitz safely exited with a club, ruffed by singleton diamond to partner’s jack, and declarer splintered in clubs, but Versace eventually settled Cohen and now the defense had to come to a heart ducked. North continued with the ♦K to declarer’s on the heart lead.