Reports from the Spring 2025 NABC Memphis

Photos source: ACBL

The final of the 2025 Vanderbilt pitted the number 3 seeds, Fleisher, against number 12, Wolfson.

A Brilliant Opportunity

The Fleisher team took a strong grip on the Vanderbilt final at an early stage, and never relinquished it’s hold. Towards the end, this deal afforded an opportunity for a beautiful piece of play:

East’s gamble that his partner would have some spade support did not pay off. North led the ♣4 and declarer won with dummy’s ♣K and played the ♦10. If South covers that with the ♦J declarer will be looking at -1100, but when he followed with the ♦3 North had to win with the ♦K and declarer could win the club return with dummy’s ♣10 and play a second diamond, escaping for -800.

Closed Room

If declarer could take ten tricks it would minimize the damage. West led the ♠8 and declarer won with dummy’s ♠A, played a heart to the ace and a heart to the nine, West discarding the ♣3. Declarer cashed the ♠K and continued with the ♠9, East winning and exiting with the ♥5. Declarer won with dummy’s ♥Q and ruffed a spade. At this point he knew West was 1-1-4-7. Would he find the brilliant play of the ♦J? Alas not. A diamond to the king allowed the outstanding trump to be drawn and when declarer continued with a diamond and East played the ♦10 declarer finessed, allowing West to win and play two rounds of clubs, East taking the last trick with the ♠5 for two down, -200 and a 14 IMP loss.

Fleisher led by 10 IMPs at the end of the first quarter and increased that to 39 at the end of the second. They added another 15 IMPs in the third quarter and although Wolfson had the satisfaction of taking the fourth quarter it was Fleisher who won, 138-98. It was Chip Martel’s seventh win, Thomas Bessis’s third, Marty Fleisher and Alfredo Versace’s second and a first for Antonio Sementa and Cédric Lorenzini.

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