Winners of the Fall NABC Robot Individual Practice Tournament #2
Last weekend, November 16-17, ACBL BBOers were invited to play in the second NAB...
The Vanderbilt Knockout Teams event at the Spring 2023 NABC+ in New Orleans is drawing to a close, with the quarterfinals held on March 16. The matches were intense, and four top teams were vying for a spot in the semifinals. WOLFSON emerged victorious against McAllister with a score of 128-100. Meanwhile, Andy Goodman's team won against Fleisher, which withdrew from the match after three quarters, trailing by 91 IMPs. BERNAL beat Knottenbelt's team 119-86 in a dominating performance. In case you missed it, you can read the previous day's news here.
Meanwhile, the quarterfinal match between ZHAO and DINKIN featured an interesting board that showcased the competitive bidding skills of Yinghao Liu and Linlin Hu. ZHAO had won the first two sessions and was leading 2 IMPs with a score of 108-106 after the third session. However, DINKIN came back strong in the fourth session and was leading with a score of 129-138 until board 27.
Board 28 proved to be crucial in the match. In a closed table, Yinghao opened with a Multi 2♦ bid, showing a weak two-bid in the major suit, which was followed by Linlin's 2♠ bid as a pass or correct bid. Jassem was put in a difficult position to show his hand, but he eventually bid 2NT, which was passed by his partner. With the ♥A in hand, Yinghao confidently led with ♠6, which was won by dummy's ♠Q. Jassem attempted to finesse clubs and was successful. He then looked to find some tricks in hearts, but lost to East's ♥Q. Linlin Hu returned a spade which was aced by Jassem. Jassem then played his club winners, followed by a heart which was again won by Yinghao's ace. This allowed Yinghao to claim his other four spade tricks and made the contract down 1.
On the other table, Jing Liu - Hongji Wei found the good contract of 4♥. With a spade lead, Jing Liu managed to make 11 tricks, scoring 13 IMPs for ZHAO. In the next two boards, ZHAO was able to secure 6 IMPs each, ultimately leading them to victory over DINKIN with a score of 153–138.
The semifinals of the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams event will take place today, on March 17, with Jeffrey Wolfson's team facing off against Goodman's team, and Bernal's team taking on Zhao's team. The competition is expected to be fierce, with these top teams battling it out for a chance to advance to the finals and ultimately win the coveted Vanderbilt Trophy. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting event!
The Silodor Open Pairs event is shaping up to be an exciting one, 284 pairs registered and 156 pairs qualifying to play in today's two-session final. Sjoert Brink and Bas Drijver have a significant lead with 72.05% score, earning them a commanding carryover of 308.00. Corey Krantz and Bruce Lang took second place with a carryover of 264.01, followed by Jeff Meckstroth and David Berkowitz with a carryover of 230.04. There is still plenty of opportunity for other pairs to make a comeback and challenge for the top spots. The next session will be played today, March 17, and all eyes will be on the top pairs as they battle it out for the champion.
The Smith Life Master Women’s Pairs event also kicked off on March 16, with a total of 96 pairs entering the competition, an increase from 59 pairs last spring. Lynne Feldman and Kitty Cooper put up consistent performances in the first two qualifying sessions, scoring 61.58% and 62.52%, and earning them a carryover of 80.86, putting them in first place. Linda Epstein and Giorgia Botta trail closely behind in second place with a carryover of 79.80, followed by Sandra Rimstedt and Janie Woo with a carryover of 68.10. 52 pairs qualified for today's two-session final, where the top pairs will have to continue their impressive performances if they hope to take home the win.
