Thursday, March 25, 2010

Images from the table


Ralph Katz (above) has 20 NABC titles. It's no surprise then, that when the Nickell team was looking for a replacement for Dick Freeman, they turned to Ralph. He's not only a great player, he is usually calm at the table and seems to bring out the best in his partner.

Last fall, he became a world champion -- the team he was on (Nickell) won the Bermuda Bowl in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (He had two second-places finish and a third-place finish before then as well as many other high placings.)

Katz comes from a bridge-playing family. His wife, Martha Benson Katz won the World Youth Team Championship in 1991. Their son Sam is also an up-and-coming player. Ralph lives in Burr Ridge IL, near Chicago.


Nikolay Demirev (above) of Arlington Heights IL (also near Chicago) has five NABC wins. A great player is often one who can win with many different players. Nik's five wins are with four different partners. He is a part-time blogger here.


Justin Lall of Dallas TX won the world Youth Team Championship in 2003 and 2006. In 2006, he won the Grand National Teams - Championship Flight. At just 22 years old, it's obvious to say his future is bright. Justin blogs here.

Images by MOJO and taken in Reno with my Canon 40D.

5 comments:

  1. Another interesting post filled with lots of interesting people.

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  2. Hey, Mojo! Sorry I haven't been around the blogs lately. Will try to catch up soon. Congrats on the 5th place finish in the poker tournament! Very nice. Always enjoy your recaps. :)

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  3. The top image made me wonder if there's something as a bridge face, you know, like there's a poker face?

    /j.

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  4. @Jacob: thanks

    @jusdealem: Missed you, but understand. Glad your new business seems to be going well!

    @joxum: When I clicked to enlarge the top image, I was surprised to see he had his eyes shut as if deep in thought.

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  5. Actually, it looks like they are both sleeping!

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