Grand National Teams Super Flight - Rich Newell Team and Highlights

Rich Newell's team faced many professional and elite players - but alas -

did not make the cut to today's events.  Yet Rich was kind enough to give us some of the details

of what happened to his team.  Just BEING in the event was an achievement; thanks, Rich!

 

The rank next to each opponent was how they finished the event out of 24 teams.  I sat out rounds 1 & 2

Round 1 vs Patel RANK 19 (Mike & Steve / Mike & Barry)

Only one other pair bid this vulnerable game which cannot be set, so that was a loss of 12.   Another game swing in each direction, and we lost some partscores.

 

Round 2 vs Jacobs/Vogel RANK 23 (Mike & Steve / Mike & Barry)

Well, there’s one way to get to the slam, preempt on 11hcp and tell your partner you have a good suit and a good hand.

At the other table George Jacobs and George Vogel bid 1H 2D 2H 4S (1430) 5D (2 no Q) and Clade bid 7NT.  Double dummy the jack of diamonds must be led and wasn’t, but after cashing the spades and diamonds south doesn’t have any trouble holding on to the queen of spades and ten of diamonds so -1 and 20 IMPs to Flader, which was our margin of victory.   Only two people tried 7NT so our luck equalized a bit.

Result: Win 33-13, 17.21 VP, 19.35/40 

 

Round 3 vs Debbie & Michael Rosenberg RANK 3 (Rich & Tony / Mike & Barry)

3C was not the strongest superaccept.  3S was unspecified shortness which turned out to be clubs.  The ten of diamonds was a good lead but no way for declarer to go wrong, lose 13 in a match that was lost by 19.

 

Round 4 vs Apfelblum RANK 21 (Rich & Tony / Mike & Steve)

I’m familiar with a pair on this team; Art Korth (ArtK78) and his partner GuyMath.  They are aggressive nonvul opening all 10+hcp hands, I’ve played against them many times on BBO. 

As west I played four spade partials which all gained IMPs, helping us to a 12-6 win.  Curiously my pair of +110’s  were BOTH passed out at the other table.  On one of those hands I bravely bid 2S vulnerable 3^rd seat with the west hand below.  They won two clubs, a heart, a diamond, and a diamond ruff, but never got the trump going and at the end I had a high cross ruff.  North should have sent his 87 to disturb my K6, curious.  The top teams would have me scrambling for the double dummy result of -100.

Ages ago Toby & I played a 10-12 NT nonvul and we once had success in the Silodor Pairs - I distinctly recall Toby leaving the table telling me he was thrilled at +90 knowing the hand would frequently get passed out.

Result: Win 12-6, 12.57 VP, 35.39/80 

 

Round 5 vs Munday,Oshlag,Sealy,Foster RANK 11 (Rich & Tony / Mike & Barry)

Perhaps I should bid 1NT forcing and maybe Tony could have braved 2S but I don’t know if that would have prevented this slam.  The other team bid 1N forcing and north’s 2S bid (Michaels) resulted in an immediate 4H contract by our teammates, but the 4D splinter bid was key.

All my takeout double did here was clarify to north that their heart suit was working.  5D is only down 1 but my hearts are now worthless, and if Tony has more than one heart now it could easily go for -500.  So the opponents were +420 N/S and +130 in 4D E/W at the other table, lose 11.

Result: Lose 0-34, 0.71 VP, 36.10/100 

 

Round 6 (Mike & Steve, Mike & Barry)

At this point I find out that the team with Will Engel and Ron Ashbacher (RANK 24) withdrew after 4 rounds with a score of 14.41/80, causing a sitout.  Whichever team presumably near the bottom of the leaderboard receives that sitout and 12 victory points.  Well for round 6 that team is us, so we are at 49.7/120 with two rounds to go and about 6 victory points shy of 16^th place.  Usually a 3-way in a swiss match tells you you’re not doing so well, but here they rest you and give you 12 victory points. 

Result: Sitout, 12 VP, 65.52/140

 

Round 7 vs Sloofman RANK 22 (Rich & Tony / Mike & Barry)

This was one of the weakest teams.  I was also south and at both tables it went low to the ace of hearts and another.  At my table the king was won and a club to the ten and jack, giving Tony a crucial tempo to set up hearts, and from there it was an easy down 1.  At the other table the queen of heart was won in dummy and a club to the queen.  South chose to duck this to preserve his entry and Mike lost to the J next, but with South shutout from the fourth heart Mike was able to get two tricks from the spade suit to win 10.

Result: Win 28-5, 17.42 VP, 65.52/140

At this point we are 16^th, we just need a win!!! 

Round 8 vs Robinson RANK 8 (Rich & Tony / Mike & Barry)

We got nickled and dimed here, nothing quite worth extending this.

Result: Lose 1-14, 5.07 VP, 70.59/160 

And we finished 18^th .

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[RICHARD U NEWELL]

If anybody would like to see the actual hands, email me at [email protected] for the writeup.