The NABC Summer Nationals – Dispatches From the Front

BRIAN GLUBOK

Brian is a highly accomplished American bridge player hailing from New York City. Glubok, an alumnus of Amherst College, has consistently excelled in North American Bridge Championships, securing numerous titles, including wins in the Jacoby Open Swiss Teams, Reisinger, and Spingold events. In addition to his domestic success, Glubok came close to victory in the World Mixed Pairs Championship in 2010, finishing as the runner-up.

Brian will be writing for IMP about the Summer NABC in Minneapolis. This is the fourth of the series.

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For details about the Summer NABC in Minneapolis, look here.

MINNEAPOLIS, July 13 

The premier event on the annual ACBL calendar began today, the Spingold Teams, started today – 77 teams entered – the top 25 seeds have byes, the remaining 52 play four-way matches with 3 survivors for the other 39 spots in the round of 64 tomorrow.

Bob Hamman and I partnered up for the first quarter, which featured these two interesting slam deals:

Cold seven…

On one, our opponent and also our teammate held AKJxx, Ax, void, AKQxxx – I am appalled to report that at both tables the opening bid chosen was One Club (at our table they have an excuse – it was a multi-way bid, including “Strong, artificial, forcing” – at both tables the bidding continued with a One Heart overcall, and an artificial double, promising the values to respond (6+ HCP?) and four or five spades.

It is not possible to play below 7 Spades after that start. Yet one table in our match did. 

Dummy was xxxxx, Qx, KTxxx, x – not really enough for the double of One Heart, but more than enough to make 7 Spades close to 90% to make.

Bridge Movie

Here’s another interesting deal, let’s present it as a “Bridge Movie” (the marvelous long-running feature from BW magazine).

I held Ax, A, AJ9xxx, AK8x – I consider it reasonable to open 2 Clubs with this hand, but the distribution pattern is uncomfortable – the likely 2C – 2D – 3D start will be awkward. So I opened One Diamond,

The opponents stayed silent – Bob responded One Heart.

I rebid Three Clubs – what else, right?

Bob rebid 3 Hearts – some say this promises six, I would think 3H might be the bid of choice with five card length – but, either way. I bid 3NT, and Bob removed to 4 Clubs – that left it to me to find a call after this sequence – 1D – 1H – 3C – 3H – 3NT – 4C – ?

Partner is unlimited, so I have to allow for the possibility of a grand slam (King and one diamond and Queen-jack fourth of clubs, say – but even opposite that, I won’t be cold – ) – 

So, with 7 Clubs unlikely, I had to decide whether I could play below six. I decided I couldn’t, so – I simply bid Six Clubs, ending the auction.

LHO led the inevitable spade and Bob tabled xx, KTxxxx, x, QTxx – 

In seven clubs, the play might have been more straightforward – I’d play for 4-3 diamonds and 3-2 clubs and ruff three diamonds in dummy – interested readers can work out the exact sequence of plays – but I was only in Six Clubs, so I took this line of play instead – 

Pro Tip: On a tricky hand like this one, it is okay to move cards within your hand to one side, in the order you intend to play them. Here’s how I played:

  1) Ace of spades

  2) Diamond ruff

  3) Heart to ace

  4) Ace of Diamonds, throw a heart

  5) King of hearts, throw a spade

  6) Spade ruff

  7) Diamond ruff

  8) Spade ruff

  9) Diamond towards dummy – if LHO shows out, I’ll be able to ruff with the ten (or over-ruff with the queen if he ruffs with the jack) and then

  9B) If LHO follows, I ruff with the club ten – I’ll need LHO to have the trump jack, along with his four card diamond length.

  Then: 

10-12: Cross – ruff three more tricks as the opponents begin to underruff – with that line, I’ll have twelve tricks – 8 trumps on the cross-ruff, three aces, and the king of hearts

Not a bad slam, right? For the grand, I’ll need 4-3 diamonds, 3-2 clubs, and hearts 3-3 or 4-2 (around 20%, total – maybe a little higher, for once one suit splits well, the likelihood of the other suits splitting well increases, somewhat).

For the “simple” small slam, I need:

Hearts no worse than 4-2, diamonds no worse than 4-3 (some limited chance against a 5-2 split), and, probably, clubs 3-2 (though I may be okay with clubs 4-1) and, if the diamond length is on my left, I probably need the jack of clubs on my left as well (so I don’t get over-ruffed on the fourth round of diamonds).

  All in all, around 70%. Good slam right?

  At the other table they bid:

  1D – 1H – 3C – 5C – Pass – 

  That’s how they bid nowadays, don’t get me started.

  That’s all for now – Dinner with Hamman, and Round of 64 tomorrow.

  Signed,

  Your Man in America – 

  Glubok

  Here’s a song I should have included in my most recent column, but hey – maybe it’s Sunday morning when you’re reading this, wherever you are.

 A wistful tune, from Andy Warhol’s legendary “Velvet Underground”

  Link to “Sunday Morning“:

Gotta hop, dinner with Hamman tonight – review the system, dontcha know –