Sept. 13/99


 The 7th World Junior Team Championship was contested in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. August 9-18. The Italians (npc G Rinaldi, Bernardo Biondo-Riccardo Intonti, Mario d'Avossa-Andrea Mallardi, Stelio and Furio DiBello) defeated USAII (npc Bob Rosen, Eric Greco-Chris Willenken, Tom Carmichael-Joel Wooldridge, Chris Carmichael-Dave Wiegand) by 95 IMPS in the 96-board final (The DiBello brothers and Carmichael-Wiegand did not play enough to qualify for a medal). The winners, defying traditional junior lifestyle, spent their free time as guests on a patron's yacht.

 Canada2 (npc Eric Sutherland, Erin Andersen, Craig Barkhouse, Ian Boyd, Josh Heller, Colin Lee, Gavin Wolpert) finished 11th in the 16-team round robin, just ahead of Canada1 (npc's Jonathan Steinberg and Les Amoils, Darren Wolpert-Ben Zeidenberg, David Halasi-Mike Nadler, David Brower-David Grainger). Both teams were disappointed, Canada1 perhaps with more reason. Nadler won a silver medal in the Swiss Pairs with Norway's Oyvind Saur, losing on quotient to Norwegians Boye Brogeland-Chris Kristoffersen.

East-West vulnerable West deals

A K 10 6 Q 5 Q J 10 A 7 6 2

5 A K J 10 9 6 4 3 3 Q 5 3

Q 8 7 2 2 A 7 6 5 K J 10 8

J 9 4 3 8 7 K 9 8 4 2 9 4

West	North	East	South
IL	MN	AL	MK
4	Dbl	Pass	4
Pass	Pass	Dbl	End

Opening Lead: A

 In the playoff for third place Israel retained just 7 IMPs of a once-imposing lead over Denmark as the final deal flashed up on the Vugraph screen. West opened 4 in both rooms. The Israeli North, Eran Shaham, took a conservative position, passing with his defensive 16-count, and Denmark's Kasper Konow soon took eleven tricks; plus 650. The Danish North, Mikkel Nohr, doubled 4 for takeout. Mik Kristensen, South, removed to 4 and Asa Levinger, East, doubled for penalty. Inon Liran cashed ace-king of hearts, Levinger discarding the 6, a discouraging card in his methods. Liran duly switched to a club and the defensive diamond ruff disappeared. Down only 300 and 8 IMPs to the Danes, who won the bronze medal by a single IMP. A 500-point set would have saved the day for Israel.

 Agustin Madala of Argentina, just 13, was the youngest player (he started at 8). Wayne Cheo of Chinese Taipei was a few months too old, confirmed only halfway through the round robin. He was permitted to continue in order to maintain the integrity of the event, but when Chinese Taipei made the final four, the team was disqualified.