November 18-November 28, 1999 Boston, Massachusetts 73rd Fall North American Bridge Championships Vol. 73, No. 11 Monday, November 29, 1999 Editors: Henry Francis and Paul Linxwiler North American Swiss Teams champions (l to r): David Berkowitz, Larry Rita Shugart, playing captain of the Reisinger Board-a-Match Teams victors, Cohen, Jeff Wolfson and Neil Silverman. accepts the Curt Reisinger Trophy from Bruce Reeve, District 7 director. Shugart's teammates (l to r) are Andrew Robson, Tony Forrester and Geir Helgamo. This is the same team that triumphed in this event a year ago in Orlando. These world champion players from Italy finished second in the Reisinger Runners-up in the North American Swiss Teams were (l to r) Billy Miller, Board-a-Match Teams (l to r): Dano DeFalco, Giorgio Duboin, npc Maria Teresa Curtis Cheek, Brian Gunnell and Kyle Larsen. Lavazza, Guido Ferraro and Norberto Bocchi. Silverman team Shugart dominates in strong in NA repeat Reisinger win The team of Rita Shugart, Andrew Robson, Tony Swiss final Forrester and Geir Helgemo reprised their victory in last year’s Reisinger Board-a-Match Teams by The team of Neil Silverman, Jeffrey Wolfson, completely dominating the 1999 contest, posting a David Berkowitz and Larry Cohen won the North score of 40.05. American Open Swiss. The squad led throughout both The squad led after the first final session by 5.5 sessions of the final, finishing with a score of 147.57 points, and continued to pile on the pressure in the Victory Points. Silverman of Fort Lauderdale and Wolfson of Chi- second session to win the contest by the amazing cago IL, are a longtime partnership, and are members margin of 8.15 points. At various stages of the sec- of one of the two teams that will represent the United ond final set, Shugart and her teammates even chal- States in the 2000 Bermuda Bowl. Berkowitz and lenged the Reisinger record of 10 wins set in 1963 Cohen are the well-known pairs specialists who have by Edgar Kaplan , Norman Kay, Robert Jordan and scored many national wins, and were second in the Arthur Robinson. World Open Pairs in Lille, France last year. For Shugart of Pebble Beach CA, Robson of In second place with 119.95 VPs was the team of Carmel CA, Forrester of England and Helgemo of Brian Gunnell, Kyle Larsen, Billy Miller and Curtis Norway, this is the second win in a major event at Cheek. They were the only team to defeat the winners, the Boston NABC. The foursome also won the Open but it was a narrow victory and not enough to position the Board-a-Match Teams. Gunnell squad close enough to the Silverman team who District 7 Director Bruce Reeve presented the scored several blitzes, including one in the final round. trophy to Shugart who thanked her teammates, “for their wonderful play.” PLAYER OF THE YEAR! John Mohan is the 1999 In second place was the Italian team of non-play- Attendance: 12,749 Player of the Year, the result of winning 832.78 ing captain Maria Teresa Lavazza, Norberto Bocchi, platinum points at the three NABCs. Jeff Meckstroth Giorgio Duboin, Dano DeFalco, Guido Ferraro with The total attendance for 1999 Boston came to al- was a fraction ahead of Sam Lev for second place, 31.90 points. This team, with the addition of most exactly 1000 tables above the pre-tournament es- with Eric Rodwell fourth. They were the only four Attanasio Failla, will represent Italy in the 2000 timates. The final count: 12,749 tables. players to earn more than 700 platinum points in 1999. Bermuda Bowl. Page 2 Daily Bulletin The wildest hand REISINGER BOARD-A-MATCH TEAMS 10 Teams One of the most interesting hands to be seen on 225.00 1 Rita Shugart, Pebble Beach CA; Andrew Robson, Carmel CA; Tony Forrester, vugraph was Board 23 from the evening session of the Herrefordshire, England; Geir Helgemo, Trondheim, Norway 40.05 Reisinger Board-a-Match Teams. 168.75 2 Maria Teresa Lavazza NPC, Milano, Italy; Giorgio Duboin - Guido Ferraro - Board 23 « -- ª Noberto Bocchi, Torino, Italy; Dano Defalco, Padova, Italy 31.90 Dlr: South 6 126.56 3 Gerald Sosler, Purchase NY; Kay Schulle, Oak Harbor WA; Andrea Buratti - Vul: Both © A J 10 9 8 7 5 Massimo Lanzarotti, Italy 30.08 ¨ 9 8 4 3 2 103.85 4 Nick Nickell, New York NY; Richard Freeman, Atlanta GA; Bob Hamman, Dallas « K 10 4 « A Q 8 5 3 2 TX; Paul Soloway, Mill Creek WA; Jeff Meckstroth, Tampa FL; Eric Rodwell, ª A Q 5 4 3 ª K J 9 2 © K © -- Clearwater FL 30.00 ¨ K Q 10 7 ¨ J 6 5 96.43 5 James Cayne, New York NY; Chuck Burger, West Bloomfield MI; Mike Passell, « J 9 7 6 Plano TX; Michael Seamon, Miami Beach FL 27.97 ª 10 8 7 90.00 6 Sam Lev - Michael Polowan, New York NY; John Mohan, Frederiksted VI; © Q 6 4 3 2 Barnet Shenkin, Boca Raton FL; Piotr Gawrys - Jacek Pzczola, Poland 26.46 ¨ A 84.38 7 Debbie Rosenberg, New Rochelle NY; JoAnna Stansby, Castro Valley CA; Norb The vugraph commentators were having a ball with Kremer, Schenectady NY; David Levy, Cannes La Bocca 25.08 this one. It appears that East-West can make a small 79.41 8 Richard Schwartz, East Elmhurst NY; Robert Levin, Orlando FL; Steve slam in either major. But what about North-South? Weinstein, Glen Ridge NJ; Drew Casen, Coconut Creek FL; Lee Rautenberg, Where are the losers if N-S play in diamonds? The Boca Raton FL 23.23 only loser is a heart -- 6© is cold. This is what hap- 75.00 9 Douglas Doub, Hartford CT; Franklin Merblum, Bloomfield CT; Stephen pened when Augie Boehm and Richard Margolis held Goldstein, Elkins Park PA; Rich Rothwarf, Philadelphia PA 23.07 the N-S cards. 71.05 10 Leonard Helman, Santa Fe NM; Phillip Alder, Hobe Sound FL; Richard West North East South Margolis, Melbourne FL; August Boehm, New York NY; Mark Horton, England 21.50 Levin Boehm Weinstein Margolis Pass 1ª 4© 5© 6¨ NORTH AMERICAN SWISS TEAMS Dbl Pass Pass 6© Pass Pass Dbl All Pass 16 Teams Making of course! 160.00 1 Neil Silverman, Fort Lauderdale FL; Jeffrey Wolfson, Chicago IL; David Berkowitz, Old Tappan NJ; Larry Cohen, Boca Raton FL 147.57 But let’s look at the E-W slams again. It appears 120.00 2 Brian Gunnell, Jacksonville FL; Kyle Larsen, San Francisco CA; Curtis that 6« is fine as long as declarer doesn’t cash the «K ª Cheek, Huntsville AL; Billy Miller, Las Vegas NV 119.95 first. But what about 6 ? What if North leads a club to 90.00 3 Pam Wittes, Venice CA; Tobi Sokolow - James Griffin, Austin TX; Renee South’s singleton ace, and South finds the spade Mancuso, Los Angeles CA; Danny Sprung - Jo Ann Sprung, Philadelphia PA 109.35 switch? North can ruff, and if he leads a second club, 73.85 4 Gary Gottlieb, Brooklyn NY; Mark Gordon, Purchase NY; Winthrop Allegaert, South gets a ruff to inflict a two-trick defeat on a deal New York NY; Richard Zucker, Dobbs Ferry NY 99.22 that looks like a slam. 68.57 5 Joseph Silver, Hampstead PQ; Richard Coren, Hollywood FL; Marc Jacobus, The result on vugraph was as prosaic as the com- Las Vegas NV; William Pettis, Silver Spring MD 97.30 mentators were poetic. Both East-Wests got to 6ª, and 64.00 6 Kenneth Kranyak - John Kranyak, Bay Village OH; Joe Grue, Minneapolis MN; neither N-S found the killing defense. Can you believe Alan Le Bendig, Los Angeles CA 96.00 it? Just a push! 60.00 7 Ed Ulman - Tony Glynne - Betty Rossmann, Portland OR; Brenda Keller - But at the other table in the match above, they fol- Bruce Ferguson, Boise ID 94.98 lowed the maximum line. 56.47 8 Ron Gerard, White Plains NY; Mark Feldman, New York NY; Russell Ekeblad, West North East South Providence RI; John Sutherlin, Dallas TX 90.08 Horton Casen Alder Rautenberg 53.33 9 John Malley, Pascoag RI; Daniel Colatosti, Waltham MA; Barbara Stone, Pass Framingham MA; Robert Stone, Mc Lean VA 88.98 1ª 4© 5© Pass 50.53 10 Edith Rosenkranz, Mexico; Robert Morris, Las Vegas NV; Bob 6¨ Pass 6© Pass Etter, Sacramento CA; Neil Chambers, Schenectady NY; John Schermer, 6ª All Pass Seattle WA 86.22 Drew Casen got off to the club lead, and Lee 48.00 11 Jack Coleman, San Francisco CA; Chris Compton, Dallas TX; Jon Wittes, Rautenberg found the switch to the spade, which Casen Claremont CA; Ross Grabel, Huntington Beach CA; Mike Shuman, Pasadena CA 82.81 ruffed. Casen in turn led a club that was ruffed, so that 45.71 12 Bernie Chazen, Tamarac FL; Jim Sternberg, Jupiter FL; Allan Cokin, Palm was a two-trick set. But it didn’t matter -- the 1540 Beach FL; Richard Reisig, Delray Beach FL; Robert Lipsitz, Palm Harbor plus in the other room was sufficient for Boehm and FL; Joseph Shay, Ponte Vedra FL 82.52 43.64 13 Jeff Schuett - Ginny Schuett, Riverwoods IL; Kerry Smith, Milwaukee WI; Co. to win the board. Dick Bruno - Claude Vogel, Chicago IL; Sangarapil Mohan, Oak Brook IL 75.65 41.74 14 Justin Lall, Plano TX; Rhoda Walsh, Los Angeles CA; Brenda Bryant, Ferndale MI; Hemant Lall, Tarzana CA 74.41 40.00 15 Mike Levine - Zeke Jabbour, Boca Raton FL; Frederick Hamilton, Fresno CA; 2ND SATURDAY ZIP KO I Tom Sanders - Chuck Said, Nashville TN; Arnold Fisher, Clementon NJ 72.98 10 Teams 38.40 16 Shome Mukherjee, Randolph MA; William Hunter, Reading MA; Paul Kinney, 3.03 1 James Greer - Maeve Mahon, New Canaan Jamaica Plain MA; Sheila Gabay, Newton MA 25.98 CT; Barry Margolin, Arlington MA; Gary Lifton, Brighton MA 2.27 2 Michael Diesel - Stephanie Hamilton, Medford MA; Larry Mori, Clearwater FL; Richard Anderson, Regina SK FRIDAY ZIP KO #2 Bellini, St Petersburg FL 1.52 3/4 Tom Shannon, Toronto ON; Rob Kischuk, 12 Teams Scarborough ON; Patricia Wood, Hartsdale NY; William Wood 3.34 1 Greg Warden, Roxbury MA; David 2ND SATURDAY 299ER ZIP KO Jr, White Plains NY Gurvich, New York NY; Rachael Moller,