February 2023 - 17

G
rossack, of course, had some
first-rate help in his achievement,
as he played (almost)
exclusively in NABC contests with
Hall of Famer Michael Rosenberg.
In team events, the duo played on the
squad captained by Laurence (Larry)
Lebowitz. Captain Lebowitz played
with Zach's brother and fellow Grand
LM, Adam Grossack. International
superstars Agustin Madala and Dennis
Bilde completed the lineup.
" We had a fantastic run last year, "
said Grossack of his team's wins in
the Roth Open Swiss Teams and the
Jacoby Open Swiss Teams.
" Larry is very enjoyable to be
around, and a great captain. And
Adam did a terrific job of assembling
our squad. Without them and the
other members of the team, I would
have had no chance to win this title.
When you get to play with talent like
that, it really helps. "
Grossack applauded teammates
Madala and Bilde for their skill.
" At the Summer NABC in Providence,
we dropped into the Roth
Swiss after being eliminated from
the Spingold. We had zero carryover,
but Agustin and Dennis were amazing.
In the last four matches of the
final, they were so good that they
could have won with two chairs! "
But Grossack's highest praise came
for partner Rosenberg, with whom
he won the prestigious,
six-session Kay Platinum
Pairs at the Spring
NABC in Reno.
" Michael was my
first serious coach for
Junior bridge when I
was a teenager. I learned
a lot about how to think
about the game from
him. Because of that,
we have similar notions
about what to do at
the table, and it works
well. There are still
differences, of course.
I bid slightly more than he does; I'm
aggressive. But we both understand
how the other thinks. At this stage of
our partnership, we're more focused
on how to get the best game out of
each other. This part can be challenging
for Michael especially, as I'm not
the easiest person to handle at the
table. " Grossack provided two examples
from the Reno NABC.
" In the Platinum Pairs, I became
uncharacteristically nervous in the
final. We had a big lead going into the
last session, but Eric Greco and Jeff
Meckstroth were in second. Anything
could happen. I was trying to stay
focused and not get too excited. Michael's
table presence was helping me
stay level. We played steady and won.
" But a few days later, we lost our
Top-tier partnership: Michael Rosenberg and
Zach Grossack
quarterfinal match in the Vanderbilt
KO on the next-to-last board when I
went down in a simple 3NT. I took an
inferior but not unreasonable line,
and it didn't work. Michael handled it
well, and he had my back, explaining
what happened to our teammates. I
was upset, however, so in the meantime,
I fled to a corner in the casino to
get a drink. "
Grossack is candid about his
sometimes-difficult table demeanor,
especially on the occasions when
he played with his brother, Adam.
Although Adam and Zach have won
five NABC titles together as partners
or teammates, Zach confessed to a
sometimes confrontational relationship
with his older sibling at the table.
Zach said that some of the behavior
could be attributed to typical brotherly

Successful squad: Dennis Bilde, Agustin Madala, Zach Grossack, team captain Laurence Lebowitz, Michael Rosenberg and
Adam Grossack
February 2023 | Bridge Bulletin |
17

February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2023