Fall NABC – SAN DIEGO PREVIEW

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.

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For details about the Fall NABC in San Diego, look here.

Of the three “nationals” (NABC’s) on the ACBL’s annual calendar, the fall rendition is known to some as “The Board-a-Match Nationals” – the premier event is the Reisinger Teams, scored at board-a-match and played over three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) at the end of the tournament. Like the Soloway Teams, which commences at the beginning of the week, the Reisinger offers recreational players an extraordinary opportunity to play against the world’s best (at least for three boards, on the first Friday, in the qualifying round).

Here’s a run-down of the most major, most accessible, most prestigious events on the calendar for the 2026 fall nationals in San Diego:

Soloway Teams

First held in San Francisco in 2019, this event has proven immensely popular, due largely to the appealing format. A field of about ninety entrants plays two days of Swiss Qualifying to reduce to 32 teams for five days of day-long KO matches.

Born in 1941, Soloway was a money player at rubber bridge in California in the 1960’s, then a member of the Dallas Aces for a year in 1971-72.

Paul had a famous uncle, the legendary and notorious Jewish gangster who was instrumental in the founding of the modern Las Vegas, Benjamin (“Bugsy” Siegel, who saved Paul’s life when the three-year-old toddler fell into a swimming pool at the home of movie star George Raft in 1944.

At bridge, Paul was super-successful as a tournament player, the leading master-point holder for many years until he was passed by Jeff Meckstroth 15 or 20 years ago.

Last year’s winners in San Francisco: Shourie, G. Wolpert, Hans, Hung, Whibbley, Edgtton

For a more extensive biography of Paul Soloway, click here.

Nail Life Master Pairs

The diminutive George Robert Nail was a giant as a bridge player, Born in Kansas City, Nail moved to Houston in his 30’s and operated Nail’s Bridge Center there until his death in the 1990’s. For players who prefer a matchpoint event rather than the Soloway Teams, this two-day, four-session competition is a great alternative – with several hundred top players in the Soloway, “Everyone’s got a chance.”

Clip from Dumb and Dumber:

Winners of 2025 Nail LM Pairs: Wooldridge-Hoskins

Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams

Played over two days near the beginning of the tournament, the Mitchell Teams is a great event, lots of fun and an outstanding chance for ambitious players to play against lots of bridge stars. With 32 top teams still in the Soloway when the Mitchell begins, this event offers a great opportunity for a Top Ten finish for teams that would be unlikely to make even the third round of the Spingold or Vanderbilt.

Mitchell was a life-long New Yorker who loved horse racing, nightlife, and the several Siberian Huskies that he raised with his beloved wife, Jacqui, also a star player.

Mitchell was so enamored with late hours that legend held that around 6 AM each morning, there would be a changing of the guard in the lobby of the host hotel – early riser John Gerber would appear, and Vic would (finally) go to bed..

2025 Winners: Zimmerman, Multon, Brink, Kalita, Drijver, Klukowski (Brink missing from the photo)

Edgar Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs

This elite event is one of the top three pair games on the annual tournament calendar, along with the Summer Life Master Pairs and the Spring Platinums. Kaplan was a long-time partner and friend of mine, and the event, named in his honor, has immense prestige attached. To be eligible, contestants must have placed first or second in a regional pair game (or top ten in a nationals) sometime in the preceding three years.

Kaplan’s bridge biography, as a player, administrator, writer, and long-time publisher of The Bridge Worldmagazine is so extensive that if I try to cite it here there wouldn’t be room for anything else.

He and I placed fourth in the World Pairs in Geneva in 1990, and later that year we won the Reisinger Teams together in San Francisco. For a more extensive cataloguing of Kaplan’s achievements in bridge, click here.

2025 Winners: Rombaut – Rombaut (Father-Son French Pair)

Reisinger Board-a-Match Teams

Named for Curt Reisinger of New York, this board-a-match event is considered by many to be the most demanding on the annual bridge calendar.. Every trick counts, big-time. Inevitably, the top five finishers among the 10 finalists are within just a few boards of one another in the standings.. The pressure is immense – the players live with it, the fans love it. Last year saw a monumental win in San Francisco for a popular and highly-respected American captain and an elite Dutch pair, the Netherland’s own Michielsen – Cullin.

2025 Winners: Goldberg, Michielsen, Poon, Cullin, Palma

Closing Thoughts

San Diego is famous for its zoo – you’ll probably be too busy with bridge to visit it, but you can see what you’re missing by clicking here. While logistical constraints may prevent bridge tourists from visiting Seaworld and the San Diego zoo, the famous Kansas City Barbeque, only a tenth of a mile from the tournament site, will be super-accessible.

 You may remember it as it appeared in the 1986 hit movie with Tom Cruise, Top Gun. 

Follow the tournament for highlights and updated results here at IMP International, and if you attend: Enjoy!

*****

Your Man in America – 

Glubok

Brian will be covering the Fall NABC for IMP International in the January issue.
Click here for a taste of IMP International.