Summer 2012 NABC Thread

[TimG]

So, Calcuttas have to be non-sanctioned games?

 

Yes, I believe that is the case.

 

As an aside: Calcuttas are likely illegal in many states.

[JLOGIC]

jesus worst tourney ever, gotta win the swiss

[Mbodell]

jesus worst tourney ever, gotta win the swiss

 

So, how about those early morning 10am starts?

 

I need to figure out when the registration desk is open so I can make sure I register as here and get the survey about the start times. This has actually been a very good nationals for me result wise, but I have a significant difference most days with much better play and results in the second session than the 7am PT session.

[JLOGIC]

So, how about those early morning 10am starts?

 

Heh. I'll just speak about my general experience. Usually in the big events, I play at like 3 (2nd/3rd/4th of spingold etc). In other events I ply at 1. On my new team, I play 1/3/4, which is the preference of both Joel and Johnny who are like me, and my partner who is used to that. Ok, whatever. But now with 10 AM start times, I start at 10 as opposed to 3, a 5 hour difference.

 

Now usually I go to sleep at maybe 4, so I figure with the 10 AM start time I'll go to bed at 11 or midnight. It's not that simple...some nights I attempted to sleep that early and flat out couldn't, so I went to the bar lol. My average sleep time is like 2, so 2 hours earlier than normal but I am losing 5 hours, so thats -3 hours.

 

On top of that, I realize my body just doesn't function as well in the morning, regardless of my sleep status. I don't know what it is, but I am definitely more alert/whatever at midnight than at 10 AM.

 

Maybe it's just about what I'm used to, but this tourney has been really tough, I'm getting less sleep and am less alert when I play. Of course that doesn't mean the start times are wrong/bad, other people might have the opposite feelings/experiences and it's not like they are trying to cater to me or should. It still has been hard for me. I am also not blaming my bad results on this, at the end of the day I'm a bridge pro and I have played many foreign tourneys with this schedule. I have played poorly and in worse luck than I have experienced recently (where I have definitely been lucky, you don't think of it that way but there is luck in bridge and I've clearly been running good and this tourney have run bad).

 

I have also had other things affect my sleep which is bad for me, mainly my girlfriend being here which added stress/distraction and also I just sleep worse when I'm not alone. As I get older (lol) I realize quality sleep is just really important for me. Again, not blaming her or anything, it's awesome having her here, it's just something new that I have to learn to get used to/optimize.

 

Lastly, to be really honest, Bob and I have been pretty poor on slams. Maybe this is a function of a new partnership, but it hurts the team a lot when we have a ton of slam hands and do poorly on them. I feel like our game/partscore bidding and our cardplay has been good, but the slams have not. I guess this is growing pains with a new partnership.

 

It is disappointing to do so poorly, especially given that I've been running good and have had good results in recent times. It has been humbling, and makes me realize I still have a long way to go. Maybe I have been overconfident (though I honestly don't think this was this). But, all you can do is move forward, remain confident in yourself but also hungry/motivated, so that's what I'll do. Hopefully we can win this swiss. I love the pressure and expectations and people rooting for me, but it sucks when you don't perform. So it goes I guess.

 

/Signed, the guy who lost in the R16 of the GNT (surviving 1 day), not qualifying for D3 of the LM pairs (estimating the chances of that to be about 5-10 %), the R64 of the spingold (losing our first non bye day), 7th in the mixed BAM with the best teammates ever, and hopefully the winner of the swiss!

 

What a great game, what a humbling game, when it's good it's great, and when it's not, it, well...it sucks. But no excuses, gotta play better and consistently if you expect to have great results all the time. I will get there, because I'm willing to work and learn and admit my flaws. But I still have to get there.

[JLOGIC]

Also, I hope I did not imply that we lost in the spingold due to bad luck. We had some unlucky hands, but also some lucky hands. We were outplayed, those guys can play and did, and also beat bocchi-madala in the next round.

[mike777]

Monaco put up an incredible 4th quarter versus 4 of the very best players in the world.

[MrAce]

Monaco put up an incredible 4th quarter versus 4 of the very best players in the world.

 

It was not just an incredible 4th set, they basically ran over Nickell like a train runs over a mini cooper. There was really nothing Meckwell can do at their table, Fantunes played very good, at the other table H&H dominated the table. Upsetting match for Nickell fans. Congrats to Monaco though they deserved to win it.

 

I agree with Justin that the field in USA nationals, which was already probably the strongest field in the world, has become tougher and tougher each year with all the european top players regularly playing it. I don't even see it as US Nationals anymore, it is like a worldchamp every 4 months.

[rduran1216]

that 1nT xX was a superb F*** up. They deserved to lose a hand where both guys can easily set, with good defense can collect 1000, instead go -760.

[GreenMan]

I was amused, after the commenters were shaking their heads that such a match could turn on a 1NTxx contract, that the total swing (~20 IMPs) still wouldn't have changed the outcome unless H&H fell apart, which is unlikely.

[aguahombre]

The 1NXX hand seems to have been more than 20 IMPs worth of swing (-17 versus plus 8?), and we really don't know the emotional toll on it. It certainly had an emotional effect on us kibs.

 

However, I believe the whole problem was whether Weinstein was privy to the same information dummy had during the auction. He can see five diamonds in dummy. If Weinstein (North) could assume that East would have run to 2♦ unless East knew West only had 2 of them, then the rest would have been easy.

 

Weinstein would have then cashed the Diamond Ace as well, setting up Levin's Queen or Jack (whichever it must be) at trick 3 before continuing with the second spade.

 

Levin had a less obvious solution: to lead the diamond Queen at trick 5 or six when he realizes he will be squeezing partner.

[barmar]

My team didn't fare well in the Roth Swiss final (4 wins, 72 VPs out of 160), but we got a 20 IMP swing against a good team. Both tables were in 7♥, with the same low trump lead at both tables. My partner made it (versus Colchamiro-Ornstein), but Glubok went down 2 vul. The leader at his table made a remark comparing his lead to the one from the last board of the GNT, not realizing that declarer was on the team that lost due to that board. It sent Brian into a fit of laughter, he lost concentration, and also couldn't believe that the lead was from 4 small, so he misplayed it.

 

This same guy once told Audrey Grant that she should write a bridge book. So later in the Swiss, after he finished a round against Jerry Helms, we were surprised that he didn't tell him that he was good enough to write a bridge column. :)

[sathyab]

The 1NXX hand seems to have been more than 20 IMPs worth of swing (-17 versus plus 8?), and we really don't know the emotional toll on it. It certainly had an emotional effect on us kibs.

 

However, I believe the whole problem was whether Weinstein was privy to the same information dummy had during the auction. He can see five diamonds in dummy. If Weinstein (North) could assume that East would have run to 2♦ unless East knew West only had 2 of them, then the rest would have been easy.

 

Weinstein would have then cashed the Diamond Ace as well, setting up Levin's Queen or Jack (whichever it must be) at trick 3 before continuing with the second spade.

 

Levin had a less obvious solution: to lead the diamond Queen at trick 5 or six when he realizes he will be squeezing partner.

 

Are the play records for the 4th quarter available somewhere ? I was watching at the other table on an iPad, so it was kind of hard to look at results from the other table and by the time match finished the movies disappeared quickly.

 

Thanks,

 

Sathya

[jallerton]

Try this website for vugraph archives.

[VMars]

My team didn't fare well in the Roth Swiss final (4 wins, 72 VPs out of 160), but we got a 20 IMP swing against a good team. Both tables were in 7♥, with the same low trump lead at both tables. My partner made it (versus Colchamiro-Ornstein), but Glubok went down 2 vul. The leader at his table made a remark comparing his lead to the one from the last board of the GNT, not realizing that declarer was on the team that lost due to that board. It sent Brian into a fit of laughter, he lost concentration, and also couldn't believe that the lead was from 4 small, so he misplayed it.

 

This same guy once told Audrey Grant that she should write a bridge book. So later in the Swiss, after he finished a round against Jerry Helms, we were surprised that he didn't tell him that he was good enough to write a bridge column. :)

 

Hilarious.

[bd71]

Try this website for vugraph archives.

 

Is there a known way to fix the mismatch of commentary to boards being shown in the Vugraph archives? Commentary I am reading while ostabsibly at the Helgemo-Helness table in set 1 of the finals is talking about Jenny Wolpert.

[GreenMan]

Is there a known way to fix the mismatch of commentary to boards being shown in the Vugraph archives? Commentary I am reading while ostabsibly at the Helgemo-Helness table in set 1 of the finals is talking about Jenny Wolpert.

 

I'm seeing a combination of commentary on the current action and commentary on boards from a completely different set, referring to Multon and Zimmerman as if they were at the table when in fact they sat out that set.

[aguahombre]

As the two above have stated (restated), yep. That is what happens. I wonder if we all get the same unrelated chat when bringing up a particular hand, or whether it is just a random bug.

[nigel_k]

As the two above have stated (restated), yep. That is what happens. I wonder if we all get the same unrelated chat when bringing up a particular hand, or whether it is just a random bug.

I think the content of the saved files is just wrong sometimes, so would be the same for everybody. It is not just commentary - there can also be a mismatch between the hand (including bidding and play) and the final contract and result.

 

Fred said a while ago that they are aware of the problem, but it is difficult to fix and not a high priority. I don't really understand how it can be that difficult to fix, but Fred should know I guess.

 

It is worse for those of us in a different time zone.

[jallerton]

Is there a known way to fix the mismatch of commentary to boards being shown in the Vugraph archives? Commentary I am reading while ostabsibly at the Helgemo-Helness table in set 1 of the finals is talking about Jenny Wolpert.

 

I'm seeing a combination of commentary on the current action and commentary on boards from a completely different set, referring to Multon and Zimmerman as if they were at the table when in fact they sat out that set.

 

In my experience:

 

• the bidding and play records in the vugraph archives are correct (or at least in accordance with what was recorded by the vugraph operator at the time).
  
• the commentary record in the open room relates to the correct table (sometimes the first few comments relate to the previous hand, but this is normal for the live commentary too);
  
• the commentary record in the closed room contains comments from various random sets combined.
  

 

In set 1, Helmego/Helness were in the closed room.