Today is a great day in District 24 history as we kick off the national finals of the Grand National Teams. For the first time ever, New York City and Long Island is sending 6 teams to the face-to-face NABCs. Starting in 2019, any district with 8 or more teams in the district finals may send two teams in Flight B and Flight C, and for the first time we cleared the hurdle.
Let’s wish all of our teams good luck. The GNTs run Soloway style, meaning the first day is an 8-round swiss, surviving 16 teams into the 2nd day seeded by victory point results. In the pre-2019 era, day 1 should have 25 teams, one per district, cutting 9 teams. Things are a bit harder now, but thankfully most districts do not field the 2nd B and C team.
In Flight C, TeamMandel and Team Silverstein are playing in a field of 29 teams, which will cut 13 teams moving to day 2. For the observant, we previously called them Team Latta and Team Boge, in order to launch the Battle of the Jacks final (with Mandel / Latta winning).
In Flight B, Team Verrier and Team Schwartz are playing in a field of 34 teams, with a fairly harsh 18 teams cut on the first day. Interestingly, neither team played each other during the District KO stage. Verrier beat Petsch in the semifinals, then lost to Team Latta in the finals (to make things more confusing, Team Latta playing in Flight C is not the same roster).
Flight A is playing under the name Team Trabulus, but for today’s roster, Joseph Byrnes is the acting captain. They defeated Team Lampe in the district finals to become the only qualifying GNT-A team from District 24. They are playing in a normal 24 district field (one district didn’t send a team).
In Championship Flight, Team Lipkin is playing in a 22 team field — Montreal had to cancel last minute due to weather issues 2 other districts did not field a team. Team Lipkin beat Team Miniter in the D24 Championship Flight finals.
It’s time for the 3x per year committee meetings that take place just prior to or during the NABCs. Here are some of the discussions from the MP Committee, C&C, and Advisory Council, my main touchpoints with the national branch of the ACBL.
Masterpoints Committee
The Board of Directors is pushing several motions this time around that impact masterpoints and potentially membership engagement. As a reminder, the board considers membership count the primary priority – numbers have been dwindling for the past few decades, accelerated by the pandemic. We are looking for new ways that clubs, virtual clubs, and tournament sponsors can attract more members and players.
The proposals that impact the MP Committee, NOT YET voted on by the board:
1.) “Eight is Enough” games at clubs which pay silver points.
There is a game type called “Eight is Enough”, where we declare that players with 0-750 have a cost of “1”, 750-3000 have a cost of “2”, and 3000+ players have a cost of “3”. Teams must consist of four players with a total cost of no more than 8. That is, you can have two pros and two amateurs (3+3 and 1+1), you can have four mid-flight players (2+2+2+2), you can do Pro-Am Pro-Am style (3+1 and 3+1), and other interesting combinations. The key is, this is supposed to be a method of equalizing team strength while encouraging newer players to team up with more experienced players. I’m all for it!
2.) Stardust Week – possible 25% gold point weeks return
3.) Club Appreciation Week to pay 10% gold
Competitions and Conventions Committee
The New Convention Cards took a large part of the discussion. First of all, ACBL has heard much of the negative feedback from the new cards. Mostly, the new convention card makes advanced systems much more convenient to describe. However, for most casual players, they find the new cards much more difficult to use. More on this later…
NABC Scheduling Changes
This is a big one. You know those crazy NABC schedules that sometimes makes it hard to know when the multi-day events line up? For example, Solloway is 7 days, Mini-Spingold is 6 days, GNT 5 days, with the 3-day 0-2500 pairs overlapping, etc. It turns out ACBL has a lot of people who think through the schedules to make sure they make sense for a lot of people.
Summer NABC Changes
Here is a proposal for changes coming up for the Summer NABC schedule. The top is the old schedule, the bottom is a proposed new schedule. One key feedback is that the Red Ribbon Pairs should begin on the 2nd Saturday, allowing players who have full-time jobs to fit the 2-day event on the weekend (fly in Friday night, leave by Sunday night).
The Summer NABC is the 2nd most accessible event NABC of the year, with plenty of players coming for their first national tournament due to GNT. While there, you can play in the 3-day 0-2500 pairs (a great event), the micro-spingold, and the Red Ribbon Pairs.
Spring NABC, Still the Most Accessible
Of the three NABCs each year, it seems like Spring is by far the best for mid-flight and newer players. there is a new Women’s Swiss event on the final Saturday / Sunday. Current schedule shown on the top, it is clear the 2nd half of Spring NABCs is designed for Flight B and C players. You can arrive on Monday night with a clear roadmap of what to play the next 6 days: 0-2500 Swiss, 0-2500 Pairs, and hopefully an NAP game if you qualified, otherwise a 2-day open swiss. For next Spring 2024, it seems there will be a new Women’s Open Swiss on the final Sat/Sun, to start right after the conclusion of the Women’s LM Pairs. Btw, there is also talk of eliminating the requirement to be a life master to play in that event, making it simply the Women’s Open Pairs.
Security Chromebooks
As a bridge security mechanism, the round of 16 and higher in many national level team events will use Chromebook bidding and playing machine as opposed to the previously used bidding screens. This worked out ok during the Spring 2023 NABCs and now it will continue to be expanded.
Unit 140 is a bit more organized than we are, and they actually have their next 3 sectionals already approved on the ACBL calendar. In addition to the July 28-30, 2023 sectional, there will be at least two Edison sectionals next year:
May 17-19, 2024 October 18-20, 2024
I certainly don’t plan my silver point runs more than 6 months in advance, let alone a whole year, but good to know it’s there. Another important point, we can ensure our NAP 2024 dates do not collide with our neighbors (for example, in 2024, perhaps NAP should be Flight B on October 13th and Flight A/C on October 27th).
Changes This Time?
We last ventured to Edison on May 20th. Other than the butterflies turning into mermaids, the schedule looks identical. Pairs on Fri/Sat begin at 10am and 2:30pm, with a relatively quick pizza and soda lunch in between. Sunday is the Swiss Teams beginning at 10:30am. Again, note the time difference: Fri/Sat starts at 10:00. Sunday at 10:30. There have been some carpool close calls if only one person thinks the pairs day is 10:30 as well. My advice: treat every day like a 10am start — you’ll be able to better enjoy the Sunday bagel breakfast.
As usual, each pairs session is an independent single-session. If you only want to play for 3 hours, then it’s best to go for the afternoon 2:30pm; those have the GrassRoots bonus, paying a regionally rated amount (27.27% more than a normal sectional).
Team Verrier defeated Team Petsch in a 36 board semifinal KO on Saturday, June 10th. After some negotiations over the time, length, and venue, the captains settled on the secret 4th floor room at 177 East 87th Street. Most of us have never personally entered this room; but apparently mahjong, canasta, and bridge knockouts take place there.
The teams split the first two quarters with Verrier leading 18-9 in Q1, followed by Petsch closing the gap to 37-32 by the halfway mark. In a very IMPs-heavy second half, Verrier’s team scored 60 IMPs vs 36 IMPs across the final 18 boards, closing out the match with a 97-68 lead.
18-9 37-32 68-50 97-68 (Verrier wins)
What’s Next For GNT-B and the National Finals?
Team Verrier will take on Team Latta, sometime after the Battle of the Jacks, to see who receives the GNT-B District title and the 33.5 gold points. However, Team Latta has already decided to play in the Flight C national finals, leaving the 2nd Chicago slot to our remaining semifinalist teams.
The Team of Melanie Petsch, James Beha, Daniel Lev, and Linda Einhorn-Ihde, as well as Team Schwartz consisting of Michael Schwartz, Janie Woo, Barbara Schwartz, and Christopher Rivera will each receive 16.75 gold points for coming in tied 3rd/4th. They will also be merging teams to form a roster for the nationals finals in Chicago next month.
The team of Norman Trabulus, Joseph Byrnes, David Joseph, Dina Schechter, Charles Bilich, and Michael Krevor won the District 24 GNT Flight A with each player taking 40 gold points.
The Trabulus team used one of the most unique 6-player configurations during the semi-final and final KO matches. Instead of the two more common anchor-pair or 3-pair configurations, the Trabulus team operates two troikas (the Russian 3-horse carriage). Each group of three has 3 established partnerships, allowing for a North-South troika and an East-West troika. With seating rights, the Trabulus team can send in 18 different viable configurations!
The 2nd place team of Jordan Lampe, David Marker, Jacqueline Chang, David Yoon, and Christopher Moh each win 30 gold points and an invitation to the Blue Ribbon pairs.
In Flights B and C, defending Flight C champions Jack Latta and Maya Jonas-Silver have qualified into the finals in BOTH flights. Each player will win at least 40 Masterpoints (32.5 gold and 7.5 red), and up to 53 points if they win both finals. Each player also receives an invitation to both the Red Ribbon Pairs during the summer NABC and the Blue Ribbon Pairs in the fall NABC.
A player may only represent the district in one flight of the GNTs, leaving them with an interesting choice of which flight to play (the B and C rosters happen to not be an exact overlap due to unforeseen circumstances). What would you do if you qualified for both B and C and had to choose? Do you go for the glory in B, or perhaps play one last time with the NLMs in Flight C? What if you would only receive the travel subsidy for one flight and not the other?
Big news for intermediate and newer players! We are bringing back the Countess Cup, the award created in honor of New York world champion Margie Gwozdzinsky. The Countess was a major presence in the local bridge scene, where she volunteered many times to mentor newcomers in Pro-Am-Am-Am events (also making a comeback, stay tuned).
On Saturday, June 24th, join us and compete for the 3rd annual Countess Cup. The top 99er pair and 499er pair will receive trophies, silver pigmented Masterpoints, and potentially long-lasting fame. For newer players, this is a rare chance to experience the excitement of a two-session pairs event while still winning a generous amount of silver points for each independent session.
If you are looking for a partner or wish to reserve a spot, email us at tournaments@gnyba.org.
Karen Jenkins and Eileen Serwer (2019) Jeffrey Marino and James Axente (2018) [Also pictured, former GNYBA president Bonnie Gellas]
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Bracketed Teams June 25th, Silver Points
For those itching to play more teams, especially for anyone practicing for GNTs, mark Sunday, June 25th on your calendars. The final Sunday of the June sectional is a two-session bracketed teams event starting at 10:30am at 177 East 87th Street. Win silver points playing IMPs without venturing outside of NYC.
If you are a pair looking to for a team with another pair, email us at tournaments@gnyba.org.
Register for either event: https://bridgewinners.com/tournament/view/gnyba-2023/
The GNT-C Semifinal match between Team Romeo and Team Boge took place today. After some haggling over the date, time, and venue, the teams ultimately agreed to play their knockout at the Regency Whist Club! Known for their invite-only money game and classy bartenders, the club regulars might have been surprised to spot two teams of extremely young players locked in an intense competition to determine who goes to the Chicago nationals.
Finals: Latta vs Boge
Congrats to Jack Boge, Avery Silverstein, Jingyang Ng, Jessica U, and Yanlai Yang, who won the match 65-46, recovering from a 26-29 deficit in the first half of the match. They will face off against defending champions Jack Latta, Kenneth Mandel, Andrew Jeanguenat, and Maya Jonas-Silver in the anticipated Battle of the Jacks GNT-C finals (Boge vs Latta).
Each finalist team will receive an invitation to represent New York City and Long Island during the Chicago 2023 summer NABC. They will also each receive a red ribbon qualifier, which allows entry to the Bean Red Ribbon pairs held annually during the summer NABCs.
The two teams will face off to see who wins the top prize of 20 Masterpoints, a $1000 travel subsidy, and some very limited fame in the GNYBA archives.
Congrats to Semi-finalists
For winning 3rd/4th in the District, the team of Tom Romeo, Puja Chadha, Sara Bayone, and Danielle Tawil, as well as the team of Lori Rosen, Deborah Tormey, Richard Vella, and Alan Davidson, will receive 10 Masterpoints, half red half gold.
Prior Year GNT-C Winners
(Won Top Seed after the National Finals Round Robin) 2022: Jack Latta, Kenneth Mandel, Andrew Jeanguenat, and Maya Jonas-Silver
(Team Xing won the National Finals held online) 2021 – 1st : Margot Wagner, Ben Weisgal, Anthony Chiocchi, Damon Suden, Mo Oehlerking 2021 – 2nd: Hengrui Xing, Tingran Wang, Jiaheng Hu, Yang Xu
2020: Aaron Liebhaber, Adam Siegel, Lee Lin, and Frank Dinoff
2019: Lee Lin, Matthew Gordon, Siqing Yu, Nicole Hudak, and Frank Dinoff
2018: James Keiger, Jing Zhang, Lee Lin, and Christopher Moh
2017: Yoko Glubok Sobel, Alan Davidson, Scott McDermott, Daniel Lev
The Team of Melanie Petsch, James Beha, Daniel Lev, and Linda Einhorn-Ihde emerged as the winners in the GNT-B opening round robin. Melanie originally faced off against Linda and Daniel during the GNT-A round robin two weeks ago on May 7th. This time, they joined forces to take 99.32 Victory Points after 8 rounds with 5 wins and one push.
The other three advancing teams are Latta, Schwartz, and Verrier.
The Dilemma of Choice
A long-standing GNT ritual is the winners choice of opponents in the KO round. The leading team must choose either the 3rd or 4th place team as their semi-final match, which leaves the 2nd place team to play against the opponents they did not choose. Adding to the fun and stress, the team captain has a very limited time to decide — usually about 5 minutes after the director updates the final scoreboard!
Put yourself in the captain’s shoes as your team huddles in a corner to discuss. How would you make your choice? To minimize second-guessing yourselves, picking the 4th place team seems to be a safe choice. But you could attempt some rapid ACBL Live results stalking (or Power Ratings if anyone still uses that). Perhaps you consult the limited 6 boards of datapoints you have from the day’s round robin match. Maybe pick the more friendly team (less annoying team?), because win or lose you are spending half the day together.
Who Did They Pick?
Team Petsch ultimately opted to play against Team Verrier, consisting of Celia Verrier, Carole Pasquarelli, Lore Monnig, and Joann Goodspeed. One of the main factors was actually finding which opponents have the most compatible schedule for actually choosing a date and time to play. On that front, we can apologize on behalf of GNYBA for holding the GNTs so late in the season. Next year we will move them back to February.
The other side of the bracket is Michael Schwartz, Janie Woo, Barbara Z Schwartz, and Christopher Rivera, playing against the GNT-C finalists Team Latta.
Bracketed Teams June 25th, 2023, Silver Points
For those itching to play more teams, especially for anyone practicing for GNTs, mark Sunday, June 25th on your calendars. GNYBA is holding a silver point sectional from June 22nd to June 25th, with the final Sunday event consisting on a two-session bracketed teams event. Win silver points without venturing outside of NYC.
While some of us played in the Edison Sectional today, many of the strongest players in our district competed in the Grand National Teams Championship Flight.
NOABC Victories
Katherine Todd (0-5000 Teams Champion)
Zia Mahmood
(Open KO semifinals)
Joe Grue
(Open Pairs 4th)
Team Liebhaber
(0-1500 Teams semifinals)
GNYBA League Nov 2020
Season One Results Team New England
Better Than Ok On A Good Day
Team Sam
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