Fleisher Team to Represent the U. S. in Next Bermuda Bowl
The Team of Marty Fleisher, Mike Kamil, Chip Martel, Lew Stansby, Bobby Levin and Steve Weinstein won the U. S. Team Trials in Chicago in an exciting two day final match of 120 boards beating the Diamond Team (John Diamond, Brian Platnick, Brad Moss, Fred Gitelman, Eric Greco and Geoff Hampson). It was an electrifying match with tons of potentially huge swing boards, especially as they approached the finish line.
After watching BBO for the last few days, one thing is for sure. Bridge has changed dramatically in the last couple decades. Roth-Stone would shudder to see some of the opening bids — anything with a smattering of eleven or twelve flat points that walks or talks. It is definitely a bidder’s game – and quite a revolutionary theory for someone such as myself who was a former Kaplan Sheinwold disciple. It was a well fought contest – and anything but boring. An unusual phenomena prevailed. It would have been a popular victory regardless of which team emerged the winners as all six partnerships are well-respected with high ethical values and any country would be proud to be represented by whomever came out ahead.
Subscribe to our feed
Bridge-related
Hi all,
Roth-Stone is alive and kicking, just it sounds like a pasta dish: Fantoni-Nunes.
Thanks,
Dan
Hi Dan:
As far as Roth-Stone, you are half right. Alvin Roth died a few years ago at the age of 93, I believe. Stoney, an old close friend of both Bobby’s and mine is stlll alive — but not kicking quite as hard at 91. We visit him at least once a month as he lives here in Vegas and I’m happy to report — though he has slowed down, he certainly still has all of his marbles.
I believe Dan was saying that the Roth-Stone _system_ is alive and kicking as Fantoni-Nunes — sound opening bids.
Hi Eugene:
Yes, I did misunderstand Dan’s words. Thanks for clarifying.
However, I have been around a long, long time and played against a myriad of bridge players over the years and I can honestly say (as much as I love Stoney), I don’t know one player today whose convention card is captioned “Roth-Stone” (at least here in the States). For twenty years (until her death in 1996), I played with a sensational “natural” player by the name of Barbara Brier, a close friend of Stoney, who lived and died by the system (and as a result I was usually very rigid about not violating the RS style — but one time I fell from grace).
In fact, I remember the incident vividly. Playing with Barbara, I stepped out of line and opened a, shall we say, light shaped opening bid (as I was a dyed in the wool KS player and couldn’t resist). The opponents reached a game and my partner, Barbara Brier, doubled. The results: making — with an overtrick, to boot!
Barbara was fuming. After the game, she shoved my hand in Edgar’s face, asking quite defiantly, “Would you open THIS hand?” Edgar looked at her quizically, thought a moment and then replied with a smile, “Well, I certainly wouldn’t open the hand 2C!” She walked away talking to herself.
However, I have become more and more aware of the advantages of jumping in and out of the auction as soon as possible. They say it is a bidder’s game and I believe it is the style of successful modern bridge. I stared in disbelief at plenty of those sub-minimum openings on BBO recently which caused the opponents to veer off course. As they say .. “You pays your money and takes your chances!”