We are in Chicago, Illinois for the 2023 U.S. Summer Nationals, from which the first event broadcast live on BBO VuGraph was the latter stages of the Grand National Teams. We have seen the best of the action from the semi-finals, and we are now left with just two teams standing. They are, representing District 9, Florida, WOLFSON (Jeffrey Wolfson, Jack Zhao, Jerry Stamatov, David Berkowitz, Kevin Bathurst, Jeff Meckstroth) and, from District 25, New England, STIEFEL (John Stiefel, Franklin ‘Frank’ Merblum, Mark Aquino, Geoffrey Brod, Douglas Doub, Allan Graves).

The format is a 60-board match divided into four 15-board stanzas.

As usual, we start with a couple of problems. Firstly, with only your side vulnerable, you are West holding:

What action, if any, do you take? If you pass, what do you lead?

Next, with neither side vulnerable, you are sitting in the East seat with:

What action, if any, do you take?

While you consider those, we begin midway through the opening stanza, with both West players facing the first of the problems above.

John Stiefel could not resist the lure of a vulnerable game bonus, so he tried his luck in 3NT. And, indeed, he was theoretically right, as the 2-2 diamond break means that ten tricks (five diamonds, three clubs and two hearts) can be made in 3NT. Looking at the East hand, it was not so obvious that this was the right spot. Allan Graves jumped to 5♣, offering his partner a choice of minor-suit games.

Jeff Meckstroth duly led his singleton ♠J and the defence quickly took two top spades and a spade ruff to put 5♦ one down: E/W -100.

Jeffrey Wolfson (left) made his international debut in the Rosenblum Cup at the 1994 World Championships in Albuquerque. He won a bronze medal representing the USA at the 2000 Bermuda Bowl and became a World champion with victory in the Senior Teams at the 2017 World Championships in Lyon.

Faced with the same decision on this deal, Wolfson chose to defend. Starting with three rounds of trumps would have ensured the defence seven tricks, restricting declarer to just four trumps and two top spades.

Wolfson led a diamond and Kevin Bathurst cashed two winners in each minor. Possession of the ♥9 means that most continuations will get three more tricks for the defence, but Bathurst found the most spectacular winning play by leading the ♠Q. Declarer won in dummy, ruffed a spade back to his hand, and took a club ruff, but Wolfson discarded his remaining spade on the third round of clubs. Declarer could cash the ♠K to discard his last club, but Wolfson ruffed to score one of his low trumps. E/W +500 and 12 IMPs to WOLFSON, who won the opening stanza 35-12.

WOLFSON scored heavily early in the second stanza and soon the match score was 71-14. But, it was not all one-way traffic.

Mark Aquino opened with his system strong bid and Geoffrey Brod’s 2♥ response showed two Neapolitan controls (A=2, K=1). Jerry Stamatov got his eight-card suit into the auction, and Aquino bid his spades. Jack Zhao passed on the South hand and Brod made a slam try with a 4♥ cue-bid. Aquino knew that his partner had only one ace and, with big holes in both minor suits, he showed no further interest.

South led the ♥K, so declarer just lost two clubs at the end. E/W +650.

Like Wolfson, John Stiefel (right) also began his international career at the 1994 Albuquerque World Championships, where his team reached the Last 16 of the Rosenblum Cup.

On this deal, Kevin Bathurst also began with a strong/artificial 2♣ opening but, playing natural positive response, Wolfson responded with a negative/waiting 2♦. Allan Graves also got in with 3♥ and Bathurst bid his spades. Here, though, Stiefel crowded the auction with a brave raise to 4♥. Having shown no values up to this point, Wolfson found himself with four-card trump support and an ace, as well as potentially useful stuffing in the diamond suit. He not unreasonably decided he was too strong to just bid 4♠, so he showed his heart control. Of course, thanks to Stiefel’s bid, Wolfson had to do so at the five-level. That was enough to encourage Bathurst to bid the slam, and Graves ended the auction with a Lightner double.

Stiefel duly led a diamond for his partner to ruff. Graves cashed the ♣A to make sure of one down, but there was nowhere for declarer to put his second club loser, so he ended two down. E/W -500 and 15 IMPs back to STIEFEL.

WOLFSON won the second stanza 41-25 and thus led by 38 IMPs, 76-38, at the midway point of the match. It was not an insurmountable lead, but the trailing team would need The Great Dealer to provide boards with some potential for swings. There was little of that in the third stanza and, with just two boards remaining, WOLFSON led the set 12-5. The next deal offered a small chink of light…

Jeff Meckstroth came in with a 2♠ overcall after Douglas Doub’s weak (12-14) 1NT opening, and Frank Merblum steered his partner into the thin heart game.

Meckstroth led the ♠K, declarer winning with the ace. To make the contract, declarer must start trumps right away, although a diamond to the ace and then the ♥K would also have worked on this layout. When Doub played a diamond and put in the ten from dummy, the defence was quick to pounce on the error. David Berkowitz (left) won with the ♦K and returned his second spade, declarer ruffing in dummy. Now declarer led the ♥K, but it was too late. Meckstroth won with the ♥A and played a third spade. Declarer pitched a club from dummy, so Berkowitz ruffed with the ♥J and returned a club for his partner to ruff. One down: N/S +50 and a chance to reduce the deficit missed perhaps.

Jerry Stamatov opened a nebulous 1♦ on the East hand, so Mark Aquino was able to overcall at the one-level. Jack Zhao started with a negative double and Stamatov rebid 1NT. When Aquino then bid his spades again, Zhao doubled to show extra values and thus left his partner with the second of this week’s problems,

With Zhao not having shown his fifth heart, it is not obvious how Stamatov is supposed to propel his side to their potential game contract. Despite his spade holding lying under the bidder, Stamatov had no obvious way forward, so he elected to defend.

Zhao opened the ♥K, which was allowed to win. To beat the contract, the defenders must now play two rounds of trumps to prevent the heart ruff. Zhao correct switched to his singleton spade, but Stamatov withheld his ace, allowing declarer to win cheaply with the ♠6 in dummy. A heart to the ace and a heart ruff quickly followed. Now declarer played a diamond to the queen and ace. A heart continuation may look best, but there is no winning defence from here. Zhao’s actual return of the ♦J made things comfortable for declarer with the ♦8 falling from the East hand. Aquino won with the ♦K, ruffed a club to hand, and advanced the ♠K. Stamatov ducked, but it makes no difference: the defenders can make only one diamond and two trumps from here. N/S +470 and 9 IMPs to STIEFEL meant that the trailing team won the third stanza by 2 IMPs, so they go into the final set trailing by 36 IMPs.

Alas, the final set of boards was as dull as the third had been. WOLFSON won the set 19-18 and the match by a score of 107-70. Congratulations to the Grand National Teams winners: Kevin Bathurst, David Berkowitz, Jeff Meckstroth, Jeffrey Wolfson, Jerry Stamatov and Jack Zhao.

For Jeff Meckstroth (right), who had lost in the final of this event last year, this was his 15^th Grand National Teams title and his 20^th appearance in the final. It was the ninth victory in the event for David Berkowitz, who retains his 100% record of winning GNT finals. Curiously, this is only the sixth NABC title won by Berkowitz since 2011, and all of those six have been in the GNT. Jeff Wolfson had previous played two GNT finals, winning in 1997 and losing in 1992. For Kevin Bathurst, it was his fourth GNT final, with his only previous win coming in 2014.  For both Jerry Stamatov and Jack Zhao, this was their first appearance in a GNT final.

We will be back in Chicago soon for the prestigious Spingold Knockout Teams. We will bring you the best of the action from the Round of 64 onwards. You can expect not only a feast of superb bridge but, as always in these events, plenty of shock results too. Lights… cameras… Action!