Sunday, July 31, 2016 Washington DC • July 21-31, 2016 Volume 88, Number 10 Daily Bulletin 88th North American Bridge Championships [email protected] | Paul Linxwiler, Brent Manley and Chip Dombrowski Wu wins Mini-Spingold Zimmermann, Edmund Wu got a late birthday present when Fleisher meet in his team won the 0-5000 Mini-Spingold two days Spingold final after he turned 26. They The teams of Pierre Zimmermann and Marty defeated the team of Fleisher reached today’s final in the Spingold KO Robert Bernstein 151–146. Teams. Zimmermann defeated Lavazza 150–111, Wu of San Francisco while Fleisher escaped Strul 111–108 in Saturday’s played with Jesse Chao, semifinals. also of San Francisco, Alex Zimmermann is playing with Franck Multon, Dezieck of Taipei, Taiwan, Geir Helgemo, Tor Helness, Krzysztof Martens and and Zhou “Jimmy” Wang Dominik Filipowicz. Fleisher’s lineup is Chip Martel, of Jersey City NJ. William Roy Welland, Sabine Auken, Joe Grue and Brad Zhu of New York also Moss. played on the team through The Zimmermann team, originally seeded No. 8, Thursday but dropped out got off to a big first-half lead of 84–28 in their match Winners of the 0-5000 Mini-Spingold: Edmund Wu, Zhuo “Jimmy” Wang, against Lavazza (4). Lavazza cut the lead in both the Alex Dezieck and Jesse Chao. continued on page 5 third and fourth quarters, but only by single digits each time. The other match was much closer. Fleisher (2) Defenders repeat in Red Ribbon Pairs took a 36–15 lead in the first quarter. Strul, originally Paul Hattis and Jim Orleans won the Bean Red seeded 11th, gained ground in the last three quarters, Ribbon Pairs, defending the title they first won in briefly taking a lead in the fourth quarter before 2015. Hattis, of Newton MA, and Orleans, of Boca giving it back. Raton FL, were second after Friday’s qualifying round and scored 64% in the first final session to take the lead in the event. The second final session yielded Onstott romps only 51% for the pair, but the strength of their carryover allowed them to win by more than a board. in Roth semis Their secret to success this year? “Try to bid The squad led by John Onstott won the notrump,” said Hattis. Orleans noted that he and qualifying round of the Roth Open Swiss Teams on continued on page 5 Friday and maintained an iron grip on the contest Jim Orleans and Paul Hattis are the winners of throughout the semifinal round Saturday. Onstott and the Red Ribbon Pairs for the second year in a company (Drew Casen, Mike Passell, Chris Compton row. and Joshua Donn) finished well ahead of the pack and will enjoy an almost full-round carryover advantage Juanita Chambers over their closest competitor, Robert Hollman’s team 1956–2016 who sits second after the semifinal. In third is the Three-time world champion and 18-time NABC As Deas said, most team captained by Jimmy Cayne. winner Juanita Chambers died Friday in Dallas people who are away Forty-four teams advanced to today’s two-session TX at age 60. Chambers was slated to play on the from the game for final. U.S. Women’s team at the World Bridge Games in such an extended Wroclaw, Poland, in September with partner Lynn period of time aren’t Deas. able to play at the Byrnes leads “We played forever,” Deas said. “We used to win same level again. For Mixed Swiss everything. Both of our dreams had always been to Chambers, it was The squad captained by Dori Byrnes of Morris play together in a world championships.” just a year and a half Plains NJ leads the list of qualifiers in the NABC In the past few years, Chambers had made a between returning to 0-10,000 Mixed Swiss Teams. In second is team led remarkable comeback after leaving bridge in 2001, play in side games at by R. Rubinstein of Brooklyn NY, and in third is when decades of drug abuse caught up with her. continued on page 4 Howard Parker’s (Clements CA) squad. Twenty-eight teams will compete in today’s two- Thanks for coming to DC! session final. By Tournament Chair Margot Hennings and Co-Chair Susan Bowles On behalf of the entire local tournament Goodwill Message committee, we want to thank all of you – the As we fold up our bid boxes and prepare to leave, players, the directors, the spouses, the families – for let’s again thank our hosts for their coming to the 2016 DC North American Bridge hard work and gracious hospitality. Championships. We also want to thank the countless Sandy DeMartino, Chair number of volunteers who often gave up their bridge Aileen Osofsky Goodwill playing time to be sure that you were treated to a Committee great bridge experience. You can read the names of the key committee chairs in the program/restaurant guide that you received at registration, and you have personally met many of them during your stay here. Please do thank them for their dedication and their ATTENDANCE continued smiles throughout a very long 10 days. It through takes a village, or in this case, a district, to put on a really great NABC, and District 6 has always prided Saturday evening itself on putting on a great one! We hope you all enjoyed the Capitol Steps on 12,246.5 tables continued on page 4 Page 2 Sunday, July 31, 2016 Daily Bulletin SPECIAL EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT and HOSPITALITY Sunday, July 31 T-shirt DC NABC T-shirts are still available for sale at the Tournament Information Desk on Announcement: the Lobby Level. Last call to get one before they sell out! Price reduced to $10 for all sizes. Limited sizes and colors remain. Tonight’s Hospitality/Entertainment: Freshly Popped Popcorn. outside Hoover, mezzanine level. Peter Pender Memorial Vugraph Presentation. Possible live commentary in evening session. 11 am and 5 pm. Hoover, mezzanine level. Cinderella at the NABC An alert reader. Afternoon game, By Allison Taylor, Washington DC By Barry Rigal On the Wednesday evening before the Summer evening hands Did you play in an afternoon pair game earlier NABC started, a charming French woman at my Fans of Dave Barry’s side-splitting column will this week and wonder why the hand records were social bridge club mentioned that there were free no doubt be familiar with his use of the above phrase, labeled for the 7:30 p.m. pairs? Shortly after noon lessons at the upcoming tournament and sent me a which usually precedes a tall but true tale. last Saturday (July 23), a player was checking on link. Having resumed playing social bridge recently In this case, our reporter is Ira Herman, who gave ACBL Live for results from the previous evening, after a break of 48 years, I was eager to improve my this splendid take on an old theme. and noticed that the hand records for that afternoon play. – a game that was about to begin — were already The morning of Friday, July 23, when I finally ♠ A Q 7 being displayed. She told this to a director and, in the found the proper room at the Marriott thanks to a ♥ K Q J 7 6 4 2 interest of game security, the decision was made to very helpful official, instructor Barbara Seagram ♦ 10 5 3 use the evening deals instead for the afternoon game. was halfway through the lesson. Another official ♣ — A new set of boards was then created for the evening immediately put me at a table where a hand had been session. dealt and sorted, and I was instructed to bid before ♠ K 10 6 2 Thanks to Amy Rhodes of New York for bringing I even sat down. Barbara’s clear and effective step- ♥ 8 3 this to the attention of the directors. by-step instruction proved so useful that at the end, ♦ Q J 7 2 when she encouraged people to grab a partner and ♣ A 6 4 head down for the free Newcomer’s game in less than After North opens 4♣ (Namyats), you declare 4♥ You oughta be in pictures half an hour two floors down, I assumed it was just on the lead of the ♣K. Plan the play. If you achieve a new masterpoint milestone here another lesson and decided to participate. A lovely At the table, South did what the majority in DC – Life Masters and upwards – please come woman named Sheila asked me to be her partner, and of declarers would surely have done, escaping by the Bulletin office we agreed to meet at our assigned table. punishment thanks to a careless defense. South and let us take your When we both got there, she asked me what pitched a diamond on the ♣A and led a heart up. This picture. We’re eager to conventions I played. I could only answer I wasn’t was the full story (spots approximate): congratulate you and sure. Her pleasant face froze. Then, without any ♠ A Q 7 share your achievement in introduction, we were hurried to play. Only then did ♥ K Q J 7 6 4 2 the Daily Bulletin. Wilson I understand that this was a competition and started ♦ 10 5 3 Room, Mezzanine level. apologizing to my partner for my ignorance. After ♣ — the fifth “I am so sorry,” the other players shushed ♠ 9 6 4 ♠ J 8 5 me. Silenced, I played with terrorized and mortified ♥ 9 ♥ A 10 5 Email us focus. ♦ A 9 8 6 ♦ K 4 Fourteen hands later, exhausted and humbled, I Got a hand you just have to share or a nice story? ♣ K Q J 10 2 ♣ 9 8 7 5 3 We’d love to see it.