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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-10-23 13:48, S2000magician wrote: I'm sure it will be anti-climactic after reading all of my posts! I know, I know, I should include a hand or two. When are we going to play?
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
"Netherlands has been extremely impressive throughout this event, and having the home field can't hurt. "
Curious--how does home court advantage theoretically help in a game like bridge?
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-10-23 14:37, LobowolfXXX wrote: I'm hoping to play in the Charlotte Regional this week, maybe Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I'm in Toronto on Wednesday, and I fly home Friday; I'll be home all the following week. Let's plan something that week, shall we? |
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-10-23 14:38, landmark wrote: It doesn't help at the table, but this event is being played over two weeks. I'm not sure WHERE in the Netherlands the team members live, but I was thinking of things like being around family and friends, the possibility of staying at home rather than a hotel, etc.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-10-23 14:43, S2000magician wrote: Sounds good!
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
The quarterfinals have concluded, and all went as expected (#5 seed USA1 was favored over #4 Israel), but not without a big scare. Not for USA2, but for...ITALY!
Trailing at the half, China had a HUGE third set, outscoring the Italians 67-18 to take a 12-IMP lead 2/3 of the way through. Italy came back and hung on to win, 205-178.3, but USA2 has to be encouraged at Italy's apparent vulnerability, seeing how much trouble they had with the #7 seed. Sweden took the 4th set against USA2, 31-25, to close within 12 IMPS 2/3 of the way through, but USA2 poured it on in the 5th segment, 46-18, and won by a final score of 213-171.3 Netherlands had the biggest halftime lead in all four matches. They took their foot off the gas a bit in the second half, but still won easily, 233-142 USA1 hammered Israel over the 4th and 5th sets, and Israel withdrew before the 6th set, trailing 221-98. Very impressive win for USA1; they were the only quarterfinalist not to lose a single segment of their match. Because the tournament rules prohibit an all-USA final, USA1 and USA2 will play in the semifinals, starting tomorrow morning, while Netherlands takes on Italy. I'm going to go on record...I think Netherlands upsets Italy in the semis. I predict a Netherlands-USA2 final.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-10-24 14:11, LobowolfXXX wrote: I hope not; I'd love to have a(nother) USA - Italy final. |
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Ray Tupper. Special user NG16. 749 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-10-24 14:11, LobowolfXXX wrote: Is that true,or is it a way to ensure at least one USA team will be in the final? Ray.
What do we want?
A cure for tourettes! When do we want it? C*nt! |
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Ray Tupper. Special user NG16. 749 Posts |
Scrap that question,I looked up the answer.
I was just wondering if sponsors and money talked as loudly in the lesser known international events as the more recognised ones. Ray.
What do we want?
A cure for tourettes! When do we want it? C*nt! |
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critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts |
Okay, I'm still trying to follow this thread. So these guys compete to see who can build a bridge the fastest from the Netherlands to Bermuda without losing their shorts to the Triangle?
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-10-25 11:03, Ray Tupper. wrote: It's actually a way to ensure that at least one non-USA team will be in the final.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
Is it a USA-only rule, or is it a "no two teams from the same country" rule?
But now that it's up, what's the procedure for qualification for the Bermuda Bowl? How did the USA get to be the only country with two teams? John
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Good Q re: qualifying...
First, a report; then more about the qualifications/elibility. Two VERY exciting semifinal matches are at their halfway point. First, Italy leads the Netherlands by less than a single IMP, 79-78.33! Netherlands beat Italy in their head-to-head match in the qualifiers, so they started with a 2.3-IMP carryover. Italy 36 35 8: 79 Netherlands 43 21 12: 76 (+2.33)= 78.33 This one looks like it's going down to the wire. Generally, lower scores are indicative of high levels of play; that 12-8 third set is extremely low and very impressive in that regard. USA2 got themselves in a huge hole early, then dug their way out and put USA1 in a halftime hole. Each of their three pairs played twice today, but it was in the absence of their #2 pair, Joel Wooldridge-John Hurd, that USA2 got off to a slow start. USA2 also gets a 10-IMP carryover from the qualifying round. Speaking of defense, USA's allowing just 11 IMPs over two segments is rather brutal: USA1 50 7 4: 61 USA2 23 30 49: 102 (+10) = 112 Some of that is bad luck on USA1's part, but USA2 for the most part has been bidding extremely aggressively and playing extremely well to back it up. They're basically putting max pressure on, but seeming to back off at just the right times. They closed out the day (and what had been a close match) with a 49-0 run over the final 13 boards (hands; each set consists of 16 boards). USA1 gets a day to regroup and try to fight their way back into the match tomorrow, but if tomorrow starts with another set like Set 3, it might be effectively over. USA2 is just playing too consistently to give up a big lead. Now, about that qualifying. There are 8 "zones" which send teams in accordance with the size (number of active members) of their member bridge federations. Europe sends the most teams (6), and most other zones send 2-3. USA is part of the North American zone, which sends 3 teams; however, USA has by far the most members of any single country (I believe somewhere around 150,00; I think Netherlands is second with around 80,000). Per a compromise reached long ago with the World Bridge Federation, USA sends two teams to the qualifying stages (and is the only team to do so). The compromise is that USA is permitted (guaranteed, even) to get a second team, but on the other hand, if there were open zone-wide qualifiers, there's a very good chance that all 3 teams would be from the USA. So one team is reserved for Canada or Mexico, and two come from the USA. In the USA, various major tournaments give teams seeding points into what is commonly called the "Team Trials," to select the two teams that go on to the Bermuda Bowl. Other zones have their own qualification process, I believe generally with member countries sending representative teams to their zones' qualifier. For example, France probably has some qualifying event to decide which team gets to represent France, then Europe has a team tournament, and if the team from France finishes high enough, they get one of Europe's 6 slots. The rule about meeting in the semifinals is a "country" rule, not a "zone" rule, so it would only apply to the USA. For instance, if Canada had survived to the semifinals and one of the USA teams had not, Canada would not have to face the USA in the semis just because they're both from North America. The feedback that I've heard is that most players are satisfied with the current setup, including the forced semifinal meeting. It may in theory keep the two strongest teams from meeting in the final, but the benefit of making it an international final (it is, by design, an international tournament, after all) and the resulting heightened fan/media interest is generally considered to outweigh that consideration.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
Ah, thanks Lobo. It's rather like the situation in chess a few decades ago. Without qualification rules, the zonals would have been (nearly) all-Soviet affairs in most years.
John
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
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critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts |
I give up!
**** bridge!
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-10-25 13:34, LobowolfXXX wrote: I believe that "frenzy" is the word for which you were groping. |
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Gotta get some sleep, but USA1 has started the 4th set on a 30-5 tear that has just about cut the USA2 lead in half.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
It's official...USA2 vs. Netherlands in the final. Both semifinal matches were epic.
Trailing by 44 at the half, USA1 went on a huge tear where it seemed like they couldn't touch a wrong card. They won the 4th set 52-20 to close to 125-113, and they had all the momentum their way with 32 boards to go. Then USA2 just shut them down and hammered them in the 5th set, 63-13, to increase the lead to more than it had been before the day's play started. The final set was about even, and USA2 won 217-157. But looking at that score, one might think it was never in doubt...there were some very anxious moments during the 4th set for USA2 supporters. Italy-Netherlands was back and forth for more than 85% of the match. It was virtually tied at halftime; Italy won a wild 4th set, 45-43, and the Netherlands won the 5th, 35-29, to take a 157.33 - 154 lead going into the final set. Italy drew first blood in the final set, and held a 160-157.33 lead, then Netherlands started pouring it on. They went on a 42-5 tear over the course of 8 boards, including bidding and making two slams (one at each table) that their Italian counterparts missed, and effectively put the match away. Italy picked up 5 on the final board, but Netherlands still won by a fairly solid 199.33 - 170. Italy, the pre-event favorite, has to feel that this one really slipped through their fingers, as they held the lead after 85 boards of the 96-board match. USA2-Netherlands starts tomorrow morning, and it will be a 128-board final; 48 over each of the first two days, and 32 on the third day.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-10-26 14:13, LobowolfXXX wrote: Given the Italians' historic reputation for excellent slam bidding, that's an amazing statistic. |
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Chessmann Inner circle 4242 Posts |
USA wins!!!
My ex-cat was named "Muffin". "Vomit" would be a better name for her. AKA "The Evil Ball of Fur".
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