Sunday, Dec. 5
Nickell leads Reisinger quals
The squad led by Nick Nickell posted the best result in the semifinal round of the Reisinger Board-a-Match Teams, scoring 31 wins in Saturday’s contest. As Nickell tied for the best score in the opening round on Friday, the two results combined to put them in the lead for today’s two-session final. Nickell (Ralph Katz, Robert Levin, Steve Weinstein, Geoff Hampson, Eric Greco) has a carryover of 3.89.
In second with 3.31 is Antonio Palma’s crew: Fredrik Nystrom, Simon Cope, Frederic Wrang, Joaquin Pacareu, Thomas Paske). Third with 2.74 is Andrew Rosenthal (Aaron Silverstein, Chris Willenken, Jan Jansma, Boye Brogeland, Christian Bakke).
Dinkin leads NA Swiss
After finishing third in Friday’s opening round, Sam Dinkin’s squad moved into the lead in the Keohane North American Swiss Teams after yesterday’s semifinal action. Dinkin (Michael Shuster, Jacob Freeman, Daniel Lavee) begin today’s final round with a carryover of 25.28 victory points.
In second with 21.45 VPs is Gary Donner (Cecilia Rimstedt, Per-Ola Cullin, Marion Michielsen, Joe Grue, Brad Moss).
Third place is occupied by Paul Street (Nicolas L’Ecuyer, Ron Pachtmann, Piotr Pawel Zatorski, Massimiliano Di Franco, Andrea Manno) with 20.78 VPs.
Lewis leads Mixed Swiss
The team captained by Paul Lewis topped the qualifying round in the NABC+ Mixed Swiss Teams. Lewis, playing with Linda Lewis, Ron Smith and Hjordis Eythorsdottir, scored 117.46 victory points and has a carryover of 29.16 VPs in today’s final.
In second with a carryover of 27.95 VP is Cenk Tuncok’s team: Riva Salhon, Christina Madsen, H. Hunt, John Kranyak and Allison Hunt.
Daniel Jackson’s team is in third place with 17.08 VPs. Jackson is playing with Roxie Tom, Bill McCarty and Rosemary Kelley.
Saturday, Dec. 4
Three-way tie in Reisinger
The opening round of the Reisinger Board-a-Match Teams produced a tie between three squads. The leaders are Sylvia Moss (Roger Lee, Lorenzo Lauria, Alfredo Versace, Jacek Kalita, Michal Nowosadzki); Andrew Rosenthal (Chris Willenken, Jan Jansma, Aaron Silverstein, Boye Brogeland, Christian Bakke); and Nick Nickell (Ralph Katz, Robert Levin, Steve Weinstein, Geoff Hampson, Eric Greco).
Each of the three teams scored 30.5 wins in Friday’s qualifying round, and they will have a carryover of 12.20.
Eighteen teams entered the Reisinger; 14 advanced to today’s semifinal round.
Tulin leads NA Swiss
The squad captained by Stan Tulin (David Bakhshi, Louk Verhees Jr., Cornelis Van Prooijen, Dror Padon, Alon Birman) posted the top score in the qualifying roud of the Keohane North American Swiss Teams. The Tulin squad has a carryover of 88.69 victory points for today’s semifinal round.
In second with 81.52 VPs are Sveinn Eiriksson, John McAllister, Gerry McKim and James Heneghan.
In third are Sam Dinkin, Michael Shuster, Jacob Freeman and Daniel Lavee with 79.23.
Of the 57 teams that entered the contest, 30 advanced to today’s round.
Friday, Dec. 3
Oregon duo leads Senior Mixed
Roger McNay of Beaverton OR and Irva Neyhart of Portland OR topped the qualifying round of the Senior Mixed Pairs. Pairing 60.93% and 63.64% games in the first and final qualifying sessions, McNay and Neyhart have a carryover of 98.18 for today’s two-session final, approximately two boards.
In second with a carryover of 75.30 are Russell Samuel of Coram NY and Victoria Gregory of Pittsburg KS
Sara Rothmuller of Occidental CA and Allan Deserpa of Tempe AZ are third with 71.76.
Fifty-two pairs qualified for today’s two-session final.
Martin–Cahan lead 10K Fast
After Thursday’s qualifying round, the leaders in the 0-10,000 Fast Pairs are Roy Martin of Vestavia Hills AL and Denny Cahan of Atlanta GA. Martin and Cahan posted solid 58.47% and 63.06% games in the first and second qualifying sessions, giving them a carryover of 23.46 matchpoints, roughly three boards, for Friday’s final.
In second are Barry Margolin of Arlington MA and Nicolas Hammond of Alpharetta GA with a carryover of 16.01 mtachpoints, while Jeffrey Ford and Aaron Mohrman of the Seattle area are third with 15.73.
Thursday, Dec. 2
Spector meets Palma in Soloway final
The squads captained by Warren Spector and Antonio Palma will square off in today’s final of the Soloway KO Teams.
Spector is playing with Gavin Wolpert, John Kranyak, Vincent Demuy, John Hurd and Kevin Bathurst. Palma’s squad is Fredrik Nystrom, Juan Carlos Ventin, Joaquin Pacareu and Frederic Wrang.
In the semifinal round, Spector defeated Laurence Lebowitz’s squad 143–121, with Spector leading the entire match. Playing with Lebowitz were Adam Grossack, Zach Grossack, Michael Rosenberg, Dennis Bilde and Agustin Madala.
In the other bracket, Palma started out with a first-quarter tie against Mike Levine’s team, but Palma pulled ahead in the second set and retained the lead the rest of the match, winning 139–114. Playing with Levine were Eddie Wold, Jeff Meckstroth, David Berkowitz, Geir Helgemo and Tor Helness.
Willenken–Jansma lead Blue Ribbon
Boosted by an enormous first semifinal session, Chris Willenken and Jan Jansma are in the pole position in the Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs going into today’s final. Willenken and Jansma, who were third after Tuesday’s qualifying round, scored 69.19% in Wednesday afternoon’s session and 55.41% in the evening set. Their carryover is more than two boards (38.26).
John Stamatov and Kevin Rosenberg are in second with a carryover of 30.96, while Ishmael Del’Monte and Finn Kolesnik are third with 27.71.
Thirty-six pairs will play in today’s two-session final.
Benoit–Haines set pace in Mini-Blues
Tim Benoit of Kansas City MO and Cheryl Haines of Princeville HI paired 63.23% and 52.15% games in the semifinal round of the Mini-Blue Ribbon Pairs to lead the field going into today’s final. Benoit and Haines have a carryover of 23.32 matchpoints (top = 13).
In second with a carryover of 21.91 are William Neumann of Columbia MD and Michael Schrage of Chestnut Hill MA.
Third place currently belongs to local players Neil Cohen and Eric Goff with 21.43.
Wednesday, Dec. 1
Soloway KO semis:
Lebowitz vs. Spector, Levine vs. Palma
Today’s semifinal matchups in the Soloway KO Teams feature a contest between squads captained by Laurence Lebowitz and Warren Spector, and another between those led by Mike Levine and Antonio Palma.
In the quarterfinal round, Lebowitz maintained a small lead throughout their match against Naren Gupta’s squad to advance 148–103.
Spector trailed their QF opponent, Linda Lewis’s team, at the half, but Spector pulled in to win 120–88.
Levine had a close first match in the first half against Phyllis Fireman and company, but controlled the fourth quarter to win easily, 131–72.
Palma had a huge first quarter against Tim Leslie’s team (winning it 66–5), and stayed ahead in the match to win 139–96.
Rombauts lead Blue Ribbon
Jerome Rombaut and Leo Rombaut, a French father-son duo, topped the opening round of the Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs. The Rombauts scored 55.74% in the first session and 64.22% in the second to lead the field. Their carryover for the semifinal round is 524.45 matchpoints.
In second with a carryover of 518.69 is Corey Krantz and Bruce Lang of Florida, while Chris Willenken and Jan Jansma of New York City are third with 514.80
Local pair sets pace in Mini-Blues
Jerry Barrett and Wiley McMinn of Austin TX posted the best result in the qualifying round of the Mini-Blue Ribbon Pairs. Barrett and McMinn will enjoy a carryover of 280.23.
In second with 277.35 are Leonardo Fruscolini of Brooklyn NY and John Stimmel of Miami Beach FL.
Third place currently belongs to Gary Anziani and Bill McCarty of San Antonio TX with 264.28.
Rimstedt, Edmonds lead Women’s Pairs
Sandra Rimstedt and Jodi Edmonds of New York got off to a scorching start in the Whitehead Women’s Pairs to lead the field by a board after Tuesday’s qualifying sessions. They scored 60.14% in the first session and 60.79% in the second to earn a carryover on 44.30 on a 13 top.
Sheila Gabay and Linda Robinson of Massachusetts qualified second with 31.40 in carryover. In third are Kate Hill and Sara Rothmuller of California.
Twenty-eight pairs qualified out of a field of 48.
Tuesday, Nov. 30
Soloway R16 action: Beatings and close calls
The quarterfinal round of the Soloway KO Teams begins today, but yesterday’s round of 16 saw five close matches and three lopsided ones.
Linda Lewis and company got off to a 46–0 start against Hemant Lall’s team, but the Lall squad did not give up. They chipped away at Lewis’s lead, turning the final quarter into a nail-biter. In the end, Lewis hung on to win by a single IMP, 112–111.
Phyllis Fireman’s team faced Jacob Morgan’s squad in yesterday’s play. Morgan enjoyed a small lead in the first half, but Fireman grabbed the lead in the third quarter. Fireman maintained control to win the contest narrowly, 95–88. Similarly, Warren Spector’s squad trailed their opponents, Radu Nistor’s four-bagger, by a tiny amount in the first half, but Spector moved in front for the second half to win 99–88.
Naren Gupta and Andrew Rosenthal were almost tied at the half, but Gupta pulled away in the last half to win 159–132.
By contrast, Nick Nickell’s squad was treated to a pounding by Mike Levine’s team. Levine won 134–50 in three quarters of play.
Antonio Palma and friends had no trouble with Hansa Narasimhan’s roster, winning 157–58.
Despite a close first quarter, Laurence Lebovitz’s team pulled far ahead of Paul Street’s squad to advance 187–110.
Shourie–Jolley lead 10K IMP Pairs
Rajath Shourie of Pacific Palisades CA and Eli Jolley of Evanston IL lead the qualifying pack after yesterday opening round on the NABC 0–10,000 IMP Pairs. Shourie and Jolley have a carryover of 24.30 IMPs in today’s two-session final.
In second with a carryover of 21.82 IMPs are Mexico’s Gonzalo Herrera and Cecil Crowson, Jr.
Third place is occupied by Philip Kuhn and Jennifer Kuhn of San Mateo CA with 16.09
Monday, Nov. 29
Reversals of fortune in Soloway KO
The round of 32 in the Soloway KO Teams was marked by notable come-from-behind wins in the last quarter of several matches.
Paul Street and company were down 30 IMPs after three quarters of play to Alex Kolesnik’s squad, but Street rallied in the last set to win the match by a single IMP.
Likewise, Hemant Lall’s squad trailed Gary Donner’s team by 15 IMPs, but Lall surged in the last quarter to win by 34.
Phyllis Fireman was behind by 19 IMPs to Peter Bertheau’s squad after three sets, but Fireman emerged the winner by 6 IMPs by winning the last quarter.
Linda Lewis, down 13 IMPs to Bart Bramley as the fourth quarter began, won the last set and the match by the final score of 118–103.
Dunitz leads BAM
The team captained by Mitch Dunitz is narrowly leading the Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams after the first two qualifying sessions. Dunitz is partnering Iftikhar Baqai with teammates Mark Itabashi and Ross Grabel. They have a 4.2 carryover.
In second place is Edward Nagy, George Jacobs, Gene Simpson and Craig Gardner with a carryover of 3.92.
The Compton, Gu and Verbeek teams are tied for third with a carryover of 3.64.
Twenty-eight teams qualified for today’s final.
Zilic–Peters are Super Senior Leaders
Texans John Zilic and Thomas Peters lead the qualifiers in the Super Senior Pairs – limited to players 75 and older – after Sunday’s qualifying round. Zilic and Peters averaged 63.09% in the first and second qualifying sessions.
In second with an average of 60.19% are Patricia Dovell of Gainesville FL and Markland Jones of Phoenix AZ.
In third with 58.82% are Richard Logan of Diamondhead MS and Chuck Pitard of Mandeville LA.
Sunday, Nov. 28
Soloway KO phase begins
Following the Swiss qualifying rounds on Friday and Saturday, the field in the Soloway Knockout Teams has been been reduced to 32 squads, setting the stage for the head-to-head knockout phase beginning today.
The teams in the KO phase were seeded using a combination of their order of finish in the round-robin together with an initial value based on the playing record of the individual team members.
The top seed belongs to the squad captained by Andrew Rosenthal who is playing with teammates Jan Jansma, Chris Willenken, Aaron Silverstein, Boye Brogeland and Christian Bakke.
The No. 2 seed is Jacob Morgan, Venkatrao Koneru, Mike Passell, Marc Jacobus, James Krekorian and Drew Casen.
Seed No. 3 is Leslie Amoils, Tom Hanlon, Thomas Bessis, Cedric Lorenzini, Ishmael Del’Monte and Finn Kolesnik.
Saturday, Nov. 27
Itabashi, Grabel lead LM Pairs
In today’s qualifying round in the Nail Life Master Pairs, Mark Itabashi of Murrieta CA and Ross Grabel of Palm Desert CA scored 61.66% and 63.98% in the afternoon and evening sessions respectively to lead the event.
In second are Larry Sealy of Owens Cross Roads AL and Wafik Abdou of Bakersfield CA who posted a strong 65.84% in the first qualifying session and 58.05% in the second.
Atlanta-area players Olin Hubert and Kevin Collins are currently sitting third.
Of the 130 pairs who entered the contest, 64 advanced to today’s two-session final.
Hollman leads Soloway quals
The squad captained by Robert Hollman leads the field in the Soloway Knockout Teams after Friday’s opening Swiss team qualifier. Hollman and company scored 113.59 victory points, setting the pace in the contest for today’s conclusion of the Swiss qualifying set.
In second with 107.52 VPs is Warren Spector’s team, while third place is occupied by Andrew Rosenthal’s squad at 98.40 Vps.
Forty-two teams entered the event, and the top 32 at the end of today’s session will advance to the knockout phase which begins tomorrow.