[hanp]

The pairs are up: http://www.cavendishinvitational.com/index...id=18&Itemid=41

What's your top 5?

[Mbodell]

Based on no real insight (in cavendish pair order, not necessarily in my order):

4. Bjorn Fallenius & Peter Fredin
22. Helgemo & Helness
27. Fred Gitelman & Brad Moss
35. Peter Bertheau & Fredrik Nystrom
45. Bobby Levin & Steve Weinstein

[se12sam]

My choice of five pairs:

#30. Hampson & Rodwell
#3. Curtis Cheek & Joe Grue
#22. Helgemo & Helness
#26. John Diamond & Eric Greco
#16. Roy Welland & Chris Willenken

[mtvesuvius]

Here's my top 5:

Lev - Pszczola
Greco - Diamond
Cohler - Seamon
Grue - Cheek
Hampson - Rodwell

[glen]

Using the recent past winners approach:

Geoff Hampson - Eric Rodwell (08)
Steve Weinstein - Bobby Levin (07)
Ton Bakkeren - Huub Bertens (06)
Sam Lev - Jacek Pszczola (04)
Fred Gitelman - Brad Moss (03)

(Note that Andrea Buratti - Massimo Lanzarotti were 05)

[inquiry]

Picking a top five out of that list of excellent players is hard. I think we have no 50-1 shots like "Mine that Bird", everyone in this field has a shot.

It is hard not to put Rodwell in the top five, especially playing with a great player like Hampson, but this pair will be handicapped by the rules of the bidding system that can be used, so I am leaving them out. Likewise, there are a number of very good young players in the event who have a real chance to win if a few things go their way. At the top of that list is Curtis Cheek and Joe Grue, but closely followed by Bathurst and Lall. Speaking of Lall's there is a second one in the event playing with a really really good partner, (Bob Hamman and Hermant Lall) that probably should be near the top of everyone's list. Then there is a remarkably strong pair, but like hampson and Rodwell, I think they will be limited by system restrictions.

Thus picking just five is difficult, here are my choices in no particular order.

• Fred Gitelman & Brad Moss == how can I not pick this pair? Added to everything else, they are past winners and their bidding system seems to fit the condition of contest perfectly
  
• Bobby Levin & Steven Weinstein == if this pair is not on your list, you have not been paying attention
  
• Gier Helgemo & Tor Helness == again natural bidding system will help with the CC here, and they are among the best of the best.
  
• Zhong Fu % Jie Zhao == although a chinese pair, they play an agreesive but natural 2/1 GF system that fits well with the CC. They also have a very impressive record in such pair events. They will be allowed to play the multi
  2D which is part of their system, which also changes their 2H and 2S opening bid and affects some of their balanced strong hands (they include a strong balanced hand in their 2D opening)
  
• Sam Lev - Jacek Pszczola == Like Levin and Weinstein, another pair that excels in this format under the existing CC.

[hanp]

Here's mine:

1. Helgemo - Helness.

2. Levin - Weinstein.

3. Hampson - Rodwell.

4. Bathurst - Lall.

5. Fallenius - Fredin.

If I give my reasons then that would certainly influence the auction so I won't.

I wanted to include Lev - Pepsi too so I should have made it top 6. Good luck to Fred and Justin!

[h2osmom]

Levin/Weinstein, Lall/Bathhurst, Demeriv/L'Ecuyer and I can't go any further than 3, sorry! I don't know nearly enough.

[jdonn]

I am going to pick the 3 pairs in last place as Demirev-L'Ecuyer, Feldman-Zagorin, and Bathurst-Lall, because those are the three that have my past partners on them which means they are mentally unstable. (Past partner = Bathurst, not Lall!)

Just kidding!

[crazy4hoop]

Ok, here goes:
1. Levin/Weinstein
2. Helgemo/Helness
3. Hampson/Rodwell
4. Johnson/Meckstroth
5. Gitelman/Moss

Gamblers, be sure to fade me!

[gwnn]

22. Helgemo-Helness
27. Gitelman-Moss
38. Bathurst-J Lall
1. Lev-Pszczola
41. Brogeland-Svendsen

[karlson]

1. Hampson-Rodwell
2. Diamond-Greco
3. Lev-Pepsi
4. Lall-Bathhurst
5. Cheek-Grue

[Gerben42]

Smirnov - Piekarek: They have been on a good run recently, they won a similar tourney in Moscow.

Helgemo - Helness: Do I need to comment this?

Hampson - Rodwell: Is that allowed, such a strong pairing?

Woolsey - Stewart: Extremely experienced

Duboin - Ferraro: Wherever Italians go, they usually win *g

I still wish our forum regulars best of luck, though

[glen]

inquiry, on May 3 2009, 11:14 AM, said:

Picking a top five out of that list of excellent players is hard. I think we have no 50-1 shots like "Mine that Bird", everyone in this field has a shot ...

Following the "Mine that Bird" (the top two-year-old in Canada in 2008) approach, the pair needs some Canuck bloodlines:

Fred Gitelman & Brad Moss
Nikolay Demirev & Nicolas L’Ecuyer
Hampson & Rodwell
Billy Cohen & Ron Smith

[bb79]

I wonder why none of top italian pairs attend this event (except duboin&ferraro)
my top5
-weinstein&levin
-helness&helgemo
-rodwell&hampson
-bakkeren&bertens
-diamond&greco

[JLOL]

Thx to those who picked me, all I'll say is I have never felt more motivated and hungry for a tournament than I do right now, so hopefully I won't disappoint. Oh, and Kev is the nuts

[MarkDean]

JLOL, on May 3 2009, 02:28 PM, said:

Thx to those who picked me, all I'll say is I have never felt more motivated and hungry for a tournament than I do right now, so hopefully I won't disappoint. Oh, and Kev is the nuts

Good luck, hope you finish the tournament a richer man.

[mtvesuvius]

JLOL, on May 3 2009, 05:28 PM, said:

Thx to those who picked me, all I'll say is I have never felt more motivated and hungry for a tournament than I do right now, so hopefully I won't disappoint. Oh, and Kev is the nuts

Go get yourself a second star!

Oh, and get yourself $50000 also

[davidStern]

Interestingly nobody has included Brogeland/Svendsen. Brogeland is World and European Champion and rates very highly in my world rankings and Svendsen played exceptionally well in Yeh Cup and other recent tourneys.

My top 10 in order are as follows:

45. Bobby Levin & Steve Weinstein
22. Helgemo & Helness
41. Boye Brogeland & Odin Svendsen
30. Hampson & Rodwell
37. Georgio DuBoin & Guido Ferraro
02. Ton Bakkeren & Huub Bertens
27. Fred Gitelman & Brad Moss
01. Sam Lev & Jacek Pszczola
04. Bjorn Fallenius & Peter Fredin

I have in fact rated the whole field to a 100% market and will see how close I am.

Regards from Las Vegas - David

[gwnn]

I am officially a nobody