After three days of intense competition, the Stars & Platinum Robot Individual has come to a close. There were 1187 players competing in what turned out to be a really exciting tournament. Alex Perlin (ashdown4) from Metuchen, NJ, emerged as the champion with an impressive overall result of 63.62%. With his consistent and strategic play, he secured the top spot on the leaderboard.

Alex's journey to the top was all about consistency, as he started with a score of 63.35% on Day 1, which ranked him 11th. However, he improved on Day 2 with a score of 66.18%, placing him in 5th. On the final day, he scored 61.32%, which was 14th, but his overall performance throughout the tournament was consistent enough to secure his position as the champion.

Robert Schachter (punkydoodl) from Eden Prairie, MN, came in second place with an overall result of 62.67%. He started with a score of 56.04% on Day 1, then he scored well on Day 2 with 66.19%, which placed him at Rank 6. On the final day, his performance peaked as he scored 65.77%, earning him the first-place spot on the day.

Bob Crossley (juggler) from Sequim, WA, secured the third spot on the leaderboard with an overall result of 62.01%. Bob's performance was also a journey of ups and downs throughout the tournament. He scored 59.52% on Day 1, 67.54% on Day 2, and 59.98% on Day 3.

Play the board of the day

Now, let's move on to the board of the day. Playing 1NT, West leads with the ♥2 and East follows with the ♥3. How would you play the hand?

Before you scroll down, please think about how could you make 7 tricks on this hand. This might seem impossible, but it's not.

Alex Perlin played this hand on board 13 on Day 2, and he successfully made the contract, earning him 91.43% for this board. Here's how Alex Perlin played the hand:

He won the opening lead with the ♥K and played another heart, unblocking the suit. He then played another heart to knock out the ace. Next, he played a spade to make an entry to dummy. If the opponents ducked it, he could enjoy his remaining hearts. But if the opponents took it with the ace, he got an entry to dummy and additional spade tricks. So, he made 3 tricks in hearts, 3 tricks in spades, and 2 tricks in clubs. Alex used unblocking, timing, and tempo strategies, which are all important techniques.

Stars and Platinum is a tournament for top players to compete against each other in a big field, and it's a great place for them to showcase their expertise and skills. Congratulations to the prize winners and to all the players who participated in the tournament. We look forward to seeing more exciting plays next month.

Overall Result

See the full results from Day 2 here.