[Lobowolf]

The related thread got me wondering. Let me preface by saying that I'm in favor of a team selection process. Having said that, though, the comments about team chemistry and so forth has me curious. I'd like to get some sort of consensus about who the 3 best pairs in the country are, then see how many here would actually take the position a team consisting of 6 other people would be a better team. So...to start the show...who ARE the 3 best pairs in the country (at IMP scoring), anyway?

[jdonn]

jdonn/jlall
han/cherdano
653321/anyone

[Phil]

jdonn, on Oct 7 2009, 01:42 PM, said:

jdonn/jlall
han/cherdano
653321/anyone

No you just got a wire on Cherdano's picks. In the wrong order I might add.

[uday]

What do you mean by "best pair?"

Pair with highest IMP expectation per board vs club players?
Pair with highest IMP expectation per board vs other US experts?
Pair with highest IMP expectation per board vs Italy?

Pair with highest IMP expectation per dollar?

Pair most likely to win the world championship playing with weak teammates?
Pair most likely to win the world championship playing with strong teammates?

Pair with most volatility?
Pair with least volatility?

Pair with largest fan base?

U

[quiddity]

Pair with the most posts on BBO forums.

[Lobowolf]

uday, on Oct 7 2009, 01:57 PM, said:

What do you mean by "best pair?"

Pair with highest IMP expectation per board vs club players?
Pair with highest IMP expectation per board vs other US experts?
Pair with highest IMP expectation per board vs Italy?

Pair with highest IMP expectation per dollar?

Pair most likely to win the world championship playing with weak teammates?
Pair most likely to win the world championship playing with strong teammates?

Pair with most volatility?
Pair with least volatility?

Pair with largest fan base?

U

Pairs most likely to win a pairs qualification event for a team selection.

[matmat]

jdonn, on Oct 7 2009, 01:42 PM, said:

jdonn/jlall
han/cherdano
653321/anyone

han is no longer in the country?

[hrothgar]

Lobowolf, on Oct 7 2009, 09:31 PM, said:

The related thread got me wondering.  Let me preface by saying that I'm in favor of a team selection process.  Having said that, though, the comments about team chemistry and so forth has me curious.  I'd like to get some sort of consensus about who the 3 best pairs in the country are, then see how many here would actually take the position a team consisting of 6 other people would be a better team.  So...to start the show...who ARE the 3 best pairs in the country (at IMP scoring), anyway?

Interesting question...

Here's my vote:

Meckstroth - Rodwell
Levin - Weinstein
Hamman - Zia

[awm]

It can be hard to tell because a lot of the top players are mostly playing in team events and often with the same set of teammates. Here's a list of US players who have made the top four in the "big three" US team events since 2005 (Spingold, Vanderbilt, Reisinger); they are not in any particular order but people with multiple finishes have numbers by their names.

Russ Ekeblad 5
Ron Rubin 3
Matt Granovetter
Rose Meltzer 4
Kyle Larsen 4
Alan Sontag 4
David Berkowitz 4
Larry Cohen 4
Carolyn Lynch
Mike Passell 2
John Diamond 2
Brian Platnick 2
Fred Gitelman 4
Brad Moss 4
Geoff Hampson 4
Eric Greco 4
Roy Welland 5
Bjorn Fallenius 2
Brian Glubok 2
Steve Garner 2
Howard Weinstein 2
Billy Cohen 4
Ron Smith 4
James Cayne 7
Mike Seamon 7
Roger Bates 3
Nick Nickell 7
Bob Hamman 7
Hemant Lall 2
Jeff Meckstroth 7
Eric Rodwell 7
Paul Soloway 4
Christal Henner-Welland 2
Chris Willenken
Hailong Ao
Jiang Gu
David Chechelashvili
Jian-Jian Wang
Richard Freeman 6
George Jacobs 4
Ralph Katz 4
Zia Mahmood 5
Michael Rosenberg 4
Debbie Rosenberg
Steve Weinstein 3
Robert Levin 3
Robert Hollman 2
Curtis Cheek 3
Joe Grue 3
Bruce Ferguson 2
Tom Carmichael
Michael White
Joel Wooldridge
Dan Gerstman
John Hurd
John Onstott 2
Jim Robison 2
Drew Casen 2
Jim Krekorian 2
Peter Weichsel 2
Jim Mahaffey
Lou Ann O'Rourke
Marc Jacobus
Fred Chang
Chip Martel 4
Lew Stansby 4
Rita Shugart
Richard Schwartz 2
Mike Becker 4
Chris Compton
Samuel Cohen
Peter Schneider
Grant Baze
Eddie Wold
Billy Eisenberg
Richard Coren
Michael Moss
Aubrey Strul 2
Jacek Pszczola
Gary Cohler

Looking at this list, the most successful partnerships over the past five years, counting only those where both players are Americans and both living, would appear to be:

Meckstroth-Rodwell
Cayne-Seamon
Hamman-Mahmood
Mahmood-M. Rosenberg
Greco-Hampson
Gitelman-B. Moss
Smith-B. Cohen
Martel-Stansby
Berkowitz-L. Cohen
Larson-Sontag
Jacobs-Katz
Ekeblad-Rubin
Fallenius-Welland
Levin-S. Weinstein
Cheek-Grue

Nick Nickell has a great record too, and Nickell-Freeman would be high on the list except for Freeman passing away recently. Of course, there is some bias here because of the "teams" nature of competition. In particular I'd say that Cayne-Seamon and Jacobs-Katz are suspect because they play on so many teams with top international players like the Italians, and it's a well-known sponsor situation. Throwing out those two pairings, the rest of this list is probably representative of top American pairs (obviously one can argue for a number of other pairs as well, so it's not clear-cut that no one else belongs). In fact we have often sent teams consisting of two pairs from this list plus a third "sponsor pair." Replacing the sponsor pair with another of these top pairs would probably get us to the "best team" or near enough so.

[jdonn]

My serious vote

Meckstroth/Rodwell
Levin/Weinstein
Hamman/Zia

my next pairs would be
Fred/Brad
Greco/Hampson
Grue/Cheek but it's hard for me to rate them due to the high variance

I'm not nearly as "in the know" on these things as I used to be. Also apologies to Smith/Cohen, Garner/Weinstein, and Katz who I think is the best (at least American) pro at playing with clients but doesn't seem to really have a steady long term pro partnership.

[Rain]

Fantasy baseball just ended. Someone create fantasy Bridge for 2010?

[Phil]

jdonn, on Oct 7 2009, 05:04 PM, said:

My serious vote

Meckstroth/Rodwell
Levin/Weinstein
Hamman/Zia

my next pairs would be
Fred/Brad
Greco/Hampson
Grue/Cheek but it's hard for me to rate them due to the high variance

I'm not nearly as "in the know" on these things as I used to be. Also apologies to Smith/Cohen, Garner/Weinstein, and Katz who I think is the best (at least American) pro at playing with clients but doesn't seem to really have a steady long term pro partnership.

I wouldn't put H and Z in there, but there's a 4 way tie for #3 IMO.

[PeterGill]

My guess:

Meckstroth - Rodwell
Levin - Weinstein

3rd either
Gitelman - Moss or
Martel - Stansby or
Cohen (retired) - Berkowitz