Saturday, July 31, 2010 Volume 82, Number 9 Daily Bulletin 82nd North American Bridge Championships Editors: Brent Manley, Paul Linxwiler and Dave Smith Meyers squad dominant Diamond, Meltzer in Spingold final Teams captained by John Diamond and Rose in Mixed BAM victory Meltzer will play 64 boards today to determine the In one of the strongest winner of the 2010 Spingold Knockout Teams. performances ever in the event, Diamond (Brian Platnick, Eric Greco, Geoff the foursome captained by Jill Hampson, Fred Gitelman and Brad Moss) earned Meyers led from the outset in their spot in the final with a 121-89 victory of winning the Richard Freeman the team led by James Cayne (Michael Seamon, Mixed Board-a-Match Teams by Alfredo Versace, Lorenzo Lauria, Antonio Sementa 5.46 boards. and Giorgio Duboin). The winners are Meyers, The Diamond-Cayne match was interrupted for Santa Monica CA; Gary Cohler, about 30 minutes during the second quarter when Miami FL, and JoAnna and Sementa began feeling ill. Medical help was called Lew Stansby, Dublin CA. for, and Sementa was taken to a local hospital. Two Meyers and Cohler were playing boards were thrown out and additional boards were together for the first time. put in play. Sementa later returned and finished out Second place went to Gloria the match playing with Duboin. Lauria and Versace and Les Bart, Bradenton FL, continued on page 5 and Sally and Kit Woolsey, Mixed BAM winners Gary Cohler, Jill Meyers, JoAnna Stansby and Kensington CA. Lew Stansby. continued on page 5 Russell, Kleinplatz in Mini-Spingold final Jacob, Kamel get The squads led by Jim Russell and Morrie Kleinplatz routed their opponents in their respective semifinal matches in the Mini-Spingold Fast Open win I 0-5000 Knockout Teams to advance to today’s Dan Jacob and Nagy Kamel, two longtime pace – 11-minute rounds, compared to the usual 15 final. friends who played together for the first time at the minutes. Said Jacob, “I’m typically a fast player.” The Russell team (Nancy Spear, Mark Jones 2010 Spring NABC in Reno, had two solid sessions Kamel added: “I like a fast pace.” and Stephen Stewart) defeated Matt Cory’s squad in the NABC+ Fast Pairs final to win the event by 175-38 in three quarters of play. about 31 matchpoints on a top of 51. The Kleinplatz team (Mark Leonard, Robert Second place went to Steve Shirey of Fort Stayman and John Boyer) won 106-32. Their Worth TX and Allan Stauber of Palm Beach opponents, captained by Adam Parrish, gave up at Gardens FL. the half. Jacob, of Vancouver, and Kamel, of Plano TX (suburban Dallas) played together in the inaugural Platinum Open Pairs in Reno. They finished 10th in the event. The two have been friends for years and played as teammates but never as partners. They are both engineers, and Kamel is also a part-time bridge pro. They had a slim lead after two qualifying sessions, following up with a 62.52% game in the first final session and 55% in the second final. Both said they were comfortable with the continued on page 5 Dan Jacob and Nagy Kamel Gu team wins Mini-Spin II Jennifer Gu’s California-based squad Callaham’s team 112-82. capitalized on strong first- and last-quarter Playing for the winners were Adam Portley, performances to win the Mini-Spingold II 0-1500 Jennifer’s sister Belinda Gu and Jonathan Pines. Knockout Teams. The Gu squad defeated Steve Callaham’s lineup included David Schulman, Patrick Corn and Megan Corn. The Gu team jumped out to 46-8 score in the first quarter, but Callaham struck back in the second set, narrowing the margin to 8 IMPs Madeline Wheaton of Altamonte Springs FL at halftime. After three quarters, sorts her cards during the Youth NABC on Gu’s lead was narrower still (76-72), Friday. For more on the tournament for young but in the last quarter, Gu scored 34 players, see the special section inside. to Callaham’s 10 to win the contest. Jennifer works for an Goodwill message educational software company. Here’s a reminder that the Belinda and Portley are software preferred way to call a tournament engineers. Pines is a graduate director is to raise your hand and student in computer sciences at Winners of the Mini-Spingold KO 0-1500 Knockout Teams: say, “Director, please.” Jonathan Pines, Belinda Gu, Jennifer Gu and Adam Portley. Harvard. Keep your hand up, also, so the director will know where to find you. Attendance: 9871 tables Aileen Osofsky 1926-2010 National Goodwill Committee Chairman Page 2 Daily Bulletin SPECIAL EVENTS MEETINGS / SEMINARS / RECEPTIONS All events will be held in the Marriott Saturday, July 31 4-6 pm Youth NABC reception. Room: Mardi Gras. 10 am-noon. Bridge Classes Just for Parents. One class for beginners, 1-6 pm Vugraph. Room: Galerie 1-2, 2nd floor. another for those who know the basics. Location: Mardi 8 pm-Midnight Gras Ballroom, Salon E. CELEBRITY SPEAKER PROGRAM Be sure to hear these free expert lectures in the Galerie 4-6. 6:45 p.m. Jeff Roman The Difference Between Pairs and Saturday, July 31 Teams 9:15 a.m. Barry Harper The 30-Point Deck ENTERTAINMENT / FOOD Marriott: Hospitality will be in the 3rd Floor Foyer following the evening Sheraton session. Saturday, July 31 Saturday, July 31 Late night Penne Pasta w/ Grilled Chicken and Vegetables Between sessions Pralines Sunday, August 1 4:30-6 pm Homemade Pralines 2009 Open Swiss Those extra chances winners: Joel By Brian Senior Wooldridge, How would you play the following 4♠ contract John Hurd, from a bracketed knockout teams match? Two Gavin Wolpert, highly capable declarers, one a former world Robert Hampton, champion, missed the extra chance that would have Krzysztof Buras brought the contract home. and Grzegorz Dlr: North ♠ 9 7 Narkiewicz Vul: N-S ♥ K Q 10 2 ♦ 10 9 8 7 ♣ 10 5 3 ♠ A K J 8 6 4 Roth Open Swiss Roth retired to Boca Raton FL, but was a ♥ 7 3 longtime resident of New York , where he owned ♦ 4 starts today and managed the Mayfair Club. ♣ A K 8 4 The four-session Open Swiss Teams, which is Previous winners and runners-up: South opens 4♠ in third seat, and West leads now named in honor ACBL Hall of Famer Al Roth, 2005 1. Christal Henner-Welland, Michael two top diamonds. begins with today’s two-session qualifier. The Kamil, Claudio Nunes, Fulvio Fantoni, You are going to play for the spade finesse nationally rated event was first held in 2005. Frederik Nystrom, Peter Bertheau; as that is the percentage play in the suit. Our two Alvin Roth 2. Matin Harris, Jacob Morgan, Steve declarers simply ruffed the second diamond, forced Al Roth (1914-2007) Landen, Pratap Rajadhyaksha an dummy entry in hearts, then took the spade is generally considered 2006 1. Christal Henner-Welland, Roy Welland, finesse. After drawing trumps without loss, they the premier bidding Cezary Balicki, Adam Zmudzinski, played three rouneds of clubs, but when East turned theorist of his bridge Antonio Sementa, Bjorn Fallenius; up with ♣Q 9 x x, that led to one down. generation, perhaps of all 2. Nader Hanna, Nagy Kamel, Greg Hinze, The extra chance is to find East with the♠ 10 time. He and longtime Ira Hessel, Ellen Hessel (npc) as well as the queen for which you intend to play partner Tobias Stone are 2007 1. Lou Ann O’Rourke, Marc Jacobus, him. credited with developing Norberto Bocchi, Giorgio Duboin, Geoff Play three rounds of clubs at tricks three to the negative double, Hampson, Eric Greco; 2. George Klemic, five. When you regain the lead, you can ruff the the unusual notrump, 1NT forcing and the weak Drew Becker, Jason Rosenfeld, Angeliki fourth club in dummy and take the spade finesse. two-bid. Magklara Sure enough, East had ♠Q 10 x of trumps Roth, an ACBL Grand Life Master with more 2008 1. Philip Gordon, Josh Donn, Jason along with his four clubs, so this extra chance wins than 12,000 masterpoints, won 26 national titles — Feldman, Terje Aa, Joergen Molberg; 2. your contract. including the Spingold five times, the Vanderbilt George Jacobs, Ralph Katz, Robert Levin, Could this play instead cost your contract? three times and the Reisinger twice. Steve Weinstein, Walid Elahmady, Tarek Well, not if clubs are 3-3, but if West has the ♠10 He represented North America in the Bermuda Sadek and either player has ♣Q J, ♣Q 9 or ♣J 9, the Bowl in 1955, 1958 and 1967. A WBF Life Master, 2009 1. Robert Hampton, Gavin Wolpert, Joel defense may get a trump promotion when you he placed second in the World Team Olympiad in Wooldridge, John Hurd, Krzysztof Buras, would have succeeded on the more straightforward 1968. Grzegorz Narkiewicz; 2. Lou Ann line. During his first world championship O’Rourke, Marc Jacobus, Eddie Wold, The answer is to cash one top club at trick appearance, Roth was declaring a 2♠ contract Roger Bates, Antonio Sementa, Giorgio three. If one of the queen, jack or 9 appears, revert and felt he played the hand before — but as a Duboin to Plan A, leading a heart to dummy to take the defender. The director, Al Sobel, did not believe spade finesse. If only low clubs appear, continue him since the hands had been dealt at the table. She knows her husband with a second and third round. And if a defender Sobel made Roth call out all the cards in each hand Marilyn LaFleur and Tim Frick, a married has played the ♣9 from a doubleton ♣9 x – good — including the spots — before he threw out the couple from Tulsa OK, were playing in a regional luck to him.