Sunday, July 17
Berkowitz – Becker lead von Zedtwitz LM Pairs
There are three Berkowitzs in the finals of the von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs, but it’s the patriarch of the family, David Berkowitz, who is leading the event after four sessions with partner Michael Becker, both of Boca Raton FL. Their carryover is 53.78, based on 32 tables. The pair had a strong third session, scoring 63.82%, and wound up leading the pack with a combined score of 2646.02, 8.68 matchpoints ahead of Cecilia Rimstedt and Kevin Dwyer from Jacksonville FL, who have a carryover of 52.36. In third place are Alexander Wernle and Jovanka Smederevac both of Vienna Austria.
Leaders in the Bruce 0–6000 LM Pairs
Nick Straguzzi of Mullica Hill NJ and Randy Okubo of Saint Paul MN qualified in 24th place for today’s semifinal sessions but posted two solid scores – 60.53% and 57.02% – to lead the field in the Bruce 0–6000 Life Master Pairs. They will have a carryover of 12.70 (9 top) for tomorrow’s final sessions. In second place are Stuart Goodgold of San Jose CA and David Libchaber of New York NY with a carryover of 9.30. Larry Rosen of Albany NY and Steven Shaye of Slingerlands are in third.
NY pair leads Young 0–2500 Pairs
Fourteen pairs qualified for today’s final sessions in the Young 0–2500 Pairs. Charles Bilich of Hewlett NY and Michael Krevor of Port Washington NY were consistently above average after a lukewarm first qualifying session. They will have a carryover more than a board – 8.09 on a 6 top.
In second place are Keith Hafen of Gainesville VA and Dawn Lee of Los Angeles CA with a carryover of 5.29. William Hohauser of Port Washington NY and Carl Hess of New York NY are in third.
Bay Area pair top 0–10K Pairs
A little more than half the field – 52 pairs – qualified for tomorrow’s two-session final in the NABC 0–10,000 Pairs. Anant Rathi of Oakland CA and Andrew Gumperz of Berkeley CA scored 57.76% and 65.45% to top the field with a carryover of about three boards (25 top). Eric Sieg of Issaquah WA and Gregory Herman of Seattle WA posted a monster 70.97% second session to propel them from nowhere on the leaderboard to second place with a carryover of 61.77. In third are James Scott of Wellington FL and Harry Apfel of New York NY.
GNT finals today
The Grand National Teams are down to the finals. In the Championship Flight, the District 9 (Florida) team captained by Jack Weingold will face the D7 (Southeast U.S.) team led by B. Wayne Stuart.
In Flight A, D16 (Texas) led by Pawel Hanus will face D6 (DC, Virginia and Maryland) captained by Weizhong Bao.
Flight B matches D22 (Southern California) led by Lei Tsui versus D12 (Michigan and parts of Indiana and Ohio) led by Yanping Zhang.
In Flight C, the D7 (Southeast U.S.) team captained by Xiaoyuan Niu will face La Verne Swiggum’s squad from D13 (Wisconsin and Chicago).
In Saturday’s semifinals, Weingold handily defeated npc Schwartz (D25) 178–95. Stuart knocked out Kolesnik (D23) 113–75 after taking a 65-IMP lead in the third quarter.
In Flight A, Hanus prevailed 167–106 over Jargowsky (D9); Bao took the day’s closest match with a 134–113 win over Franck (D5).
In Flight B, Tsui won 175–141 over Bingham (D6), while Zhang finished off D25’s Morgenstern in three quarters, 129–49.
In Flight C, Swiggum defeated Liskov(D25) 132–93. Niu’s match was low scoring and short, ending 79–55, as Shoop (D8) withdrew despite being down only 24.
Saturday, July 16
Nowak – Narkiewicz lead LM Pairs
Scoring 65.53% and 64.94% in the first two qualifying sessions of the von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs, Kamil Nowak of Kielce Poland and Grzegorz Narkiewicz of Chapel Hill NC will have a carryover of 755.34 (based on 65 tables) going into tomorrow’s semifinal sessions.
Nabil Edgtton of Sydney Australia and Michael Whibley of Auckland New Zealand scored 56.90% in the first session and 65.74% in the second session. They have a carryover of 721.12.
Owen Lien of Oak Park MI and Bo Han Zhu of Etobicoke ON are in third place with a carryover of 712.46, just a smidge above fourth-place contestants Joel Wooldridge and Kent Mignocchi, both of New York, with 712.30.
The three-day event saw 266 pairs enter, 130 qualified for the next stage.
Florida duo top Bruce LM Pairs
Steven Wallis of Tampa FL and Theri Andino of Niceville FL scored a consistent 60.85% and 59.75% in the first two qualifying sessions of the Bruce 0–6000 Life Master Pairs. They will start tomorrow’s semifinal sessions with a small carryover. Robert Buchanan and Becky Ridge, both of Holladay UT, also hovered around the 60% mark and are in second place. Steven Lockwood of Palm Beach Gardens FL and William Palmer of Brooklyn NY followed an average first session with a 63.45% second session, good for a section top and propelling them into third place.
Seventy-four pairs entered the three-day event which is limited to Life Masters with less than 6000 masterpoints. Forty pairs qualified for Saturday’s semifinal sessions.
Pennsylvanians lead Young
James Gump of Pittsburgh PA and David Collura of Elizabeth PA lead the Young 0–2500 Pairs after Friday’s qualifying sessions. Gump and Collura scored 54.49% and 67.76% to lead by three-fifths of a board.
In second are Lilly Justman of Austin TX and Kristen Onsgard of Dallas TX, narrowly ahead of William Hohauer of Port Washington NY and Carl Hess of New York NY. Justman and Onsgard led the first session with 67.05%.
From a field of 62 pairs, 28 pairs qualified for today’s semifinal round.
GNT semifinals set
Today’s semifinal matches in the Championship Flight of the Grand National Teams will feature the Los Angeles area’s D23 team captained by Finn Kolesnik facing the D7 (Southeast U.S.) squad led by B. Wayne Stuart III. In the other bracket, the home team, New England’s D25, named in honor of team member Linda Robinson’s late husband Eric Schwartz, will face off against Florida’s D9, captained by Jack Weingold.
In Flight A, Ronald Franck’s team (D5; western Pennsylvania, northeast Ohio and parts of New York and West Virginia) faces Weizhong Bao and company from neighboring D6 (DC, Virginia and Maryland), and District 16 (Texas) captained by Peter Jargowsky will battle Pawel Hanus’ team from D9 (Florida).
In Flight B, the D12 (Michigan and parts of Indiana and Ohio) team led by Xingyu Zhang will face Dan Morgernstern’s D25 (New England) team; D6 (DC, Virginia and Maryland) captained by Rick Bingham will meet the D22 (Southern California) squad led by Lei Tsui.
In Flight C, Moses Liskov of D25 (New England) takes on D13’s La Verne Swiggum (Chicago and Wisconsin) while D7’s Xiaoyuan Niu (Southeast U.S.) faces D8’s Robert Shoop (downstate Illinois and eastern Missouri).