July 23-August 2, 1998 70th Summer North American Bridge Championships Chicago Vol. 70, No. 8 Friday, July 31, 1998 Editors: Henry Francis and Paul Linxwiler DAILY BULLETINMunson vs. Wei-Sender The in team Wagar captained by KittyKO Munson final upset the defending champions in the Wagar Women's Knock- out Teams to advance to the final. MUNSON (Susan Wexler, Margie Gwozdzinsky, Carol Simon, Linda Lewis and Karen Barrett) jumped out to a 62-28 lead in the first quarter of play against the #1-seeded team of Jill MEYERS (Randi Montin, Renee Mancuso, Shawn Quinn, Tobi Sokolow and Mildred Breed). MEYERS never recovered as MUNSON went on to win the match 162-125. In the other bracket, the team of Kathie WEI- SENDER (Juanita Chambers, Stasha Cohen, Pam Wittes, Irina Levitina and Jill Levin) handily defeated the squad captained by Edith FREILICH (June Deutsch, Janice Seamon, Rita Seamon, Rhoda Walsh, and Shannon Lipscomb) by a score of 185-68. MUNSON will play WEI-SENDER in the 64- board final beginning at 1 p.m. today. Bill Pencharz, left, president of the European Bridge League, confers with Panos Gerontopoulos, center, head of the continued on page 6 World Bridge Federation Youth Program, and David Silber, new ACBL CEO. Europe president offers Bill Pencharzviews of England, president on of Americanthe Euro- but you have all sorts bridge of other events going on at the pean Bridge League, is taking a close look at how the same time. I think maybe the answer for Europe is to ACBL runs a major tournament as he makes his first do something like this -- perhaps have a bridge festi- visit to a North American Bridge Championship tour- val in which the key event is the team championship.” nament. Pencharz was talking strictly about major cham- Sponsorships pionships. “At the local level it’s always possible to “I want to see how you do things,” he said. Ma- find a sponsor to help defray the costs. We some- jor European tournaments, which depend financially times get the local representatives of multi-national on sponsorships, are suffering because major spon- companies as local sponsors, but they do this out of Winners of Director awards Charley MacCracken and sors just aren’t available. Pencharz had learned that their local budget. We actually had some sponsor- Su Doe. ACBL tournaments frequently make money, and he ship from Mercedes Benz at the European Mixed wanted to learn what the ACBL does differently. So Championships in Aachen, Germany -- but it was he came to Chicago to find out. strictly the local branch of Mercedes Benz. Tournament directors “In Europe, we hold the European Team Cham- “We have just gained a major sponsor -- Prokom, pionships, and the only thing that is happening is the a Polish computer software firm. They are going to honorSu Doe of Doe, Irving TX MacCracken and Charley MacCracken main event. Here you are staging the Spingold, ap- be a full sponsor of the European Pairs Champion- of Memphis were honored yesterday by their fellow proximately the equivalent of our European Teams, continued on page 4 tournament directors. Su was presented with the Tom Weeks Award as the most improved director of the year. The Fred Friendly Award, which goes to the di- rector who best exemplifies the spirit of Fred Friendly (the late Paul Stehly), went to Charley. The awards Onstott ousts Cayne were made at the meeting of the Professional Tour- nament Directors Association. Once again,from a comeback Spingold is the story. This time Su, a full-time director, works most weekends and it’s the John Onstott team -- they were 13 down to mostly in the Texas area. “I really enjoy being a di- Jimmy Cayne with 16 boards to go, but they came up rector,” she said. “I like people and it’s mostly fun. with a 50-27 final quarter to win, 119-109. No two days are alike. I love working with intelli- As a result ONSTOTT, who had trailed at every gent, different people.” quarter, took over CAYNE’s #4 seed. Playing with She started playing bridge with her mother when Onstott are Chris Compton, Ross Grabel and Jon she was in junior high. She continued playing through Wittes. college, but temporarily gave up the game when she Richard Schwartz also had to come from behind, went on to graduate school. Finally she started play- but the drive was not as dramatic. SCHWARTZ was ing again, but she had one major problem -- she was down only 7 IMPs to Luella Slaner, but SCHWARTZ too terrified ever to call the director. Madelyn Bachman and John Javella made it look easy over the last quarter, outdistancing So she decided to learn the rules. She pestered SLANER, 87-18. Tom Whitesides with questions and problems. She Second-time partnership The other six seeds made it to the quarterfinals. took Edith McMullin’s course for novice-intermedi- Most of the matches were not close, but BRAMLEY ate directors. And then one day Whitesides needed Atakes hastily-put-together National partnership 199er Pairswon the Na- and SHUGART had to work a bit to advance. Bart another body, and he called on Su. Thus began her tional 199er Pairs, and despite the fact that the pair Bramley and Co. held off a fourth-quarter surge by directing career. had played together only once before, led the field John Sutherlin to win, 117-102. Rita Shugart was Charley came up with a prize quote the PTDA for the entire event. ahead by only 18 heading into the final heat against dinner. “After all these years, finally I can be grumpy.” Madelyn Bachman, of Palos Hills IL, and John Mike Lawrence, but the best LAWRENCE could do His initiation into bridge came through honey- Javella, of Burnham IL, won the two-session event was a 20-20 tie over the last 16 boards. SHUGART moon bridge with his grandmother. Then his great by less than a board over the second-place pair. They prevailed, 135-117. continued on page 6 continued on page 6 continued on page 6 Page 2 Daily Bulletin GeorgeNever Klemic and BrianSay Meyer Die barely made it SPECIAL EVENTS to the finals of the Red Ribbon Pairs, qualifying 155th 9 a.m. - 12 noon Using the Computer forFriday, Teachers andJuly Clubs, 31 Lynn Berg, instructor. Waldorf out of 156 pairs to make the cut. After the first final Room. No charge. Purchase of course materials optional. session, they were 82nd. 12:15 p.m. Intermediate/Novice Speakers Program -- Dorothy Truscott: Bid Better, Play Never willing to quit, however, the Juniors won Better, Williford Room. Truscott, New York City, was inducted into the ACBL the evening session with a 70% game and vaulted to Bridge Hall of Fame at the beginning of the Summer NABC. 10th overall. She has won four world titles -- the Venice Cup in 1974, 1976 and 1978 and the The following deal helped Klemic and Meyer in World Women’s Teams in 1980. She finished second in the 1965 Bermuda Bowl their comeback: -- the only woman besides Helen Sobel Smith to represent the U.S. in open Dlr: North « 8 6 4 competition -- and third in the 1966 World Open Pairs, the highest finish ever by Vul: N-S ª K 10 9 5 a woman. Truscott is the author of two bridge books that are considered classics: © K Q J 10 4 Bid Better, Play Better and Winning Declarer Play. Among her contributions to ¨ 10 bridge theory are the unusual jump to show a singleton and support for partner’s « J 10 5 3 « A K 9 7 2 suit (a splinter bid) and responses to Blackwood after interference (DOPI). ª 8 2 ª J 6 3 7:15 p.m. Intermediate/Novice Speakers Program -- John Blubaugh: Losing Trick Count, © 9 6 3 © A 8 Williford Room. Blubaugh, Indianapolis, began playing bridge at age 37 and ¨ 9 7 6 2 ¨ Q J 3 became a Life Master 15 months later. He is a two-time winner of Mini- « Q McKenney awards: Rookie of the Year in 1987 and Regional Master of the Year ª A Q 7 4 in 1988. Blubaugh is a Diamond Life Master who has won numerous regional © 7 5 2 titles. ¨ A K 8 5 4 Midnight Blues Night, Boulevard Room. West North East South Klemic Meyer Pass 1NT Pass Pass Pass 9:15 a.m. Intermediate/NoviceSaturday, Speakers Program Aug. -- 1Lowell Andrews: Too Weak to Pass, Meyer won the opening lead of a low club with Williford Room. Andrews, Huntington Beach CA, is a retired tournament the queen. The «A was cashed, and Meyer now led director who now plays bridge professionally and directs on bridge cruises. A the ¨3 towards dummy. South, unsure of whether Diamond Life Master, he was won numerous regional titles. North or declarer held the ¨J, ducked. Meyer then 1 and 8 p.m. Vugraph: Spingold semifinals, International Ballroom. cashed out, taking eight tricks altogether. Note that 2:15 p.m. Intermediate/Novice Speakers Program -- Fred Hamilton: Hand Evaluation, the opponents are cold for 11 tricks in hearts. Williford Room. Hamilton, Fresno CA, is a professional bridge player and two- Plus 120 was good for 74 out of 77 matchpoints. time world champion: the Bermuda Bowl in 1976 and the World Senior Pairs in 1994. A WBF Grand Master and ACBL Grand Life Master, he has won more than 25,000 masterpoints and more than 200 regional titles. Promoting the 6 Noon and 7 p.m. Vugraph: SpingoldSunday, finals, International Aug.