Playing Bridge

Hiatus

2012-01-19T13:00:00.002-05:00

Yes, I am taking a break from the blog.

This semester I am teaching two new writing classes, so I am spending a lot of time doing other kinds of writing (models for my students) and a LOT of reading (student papers). I am also thinking of going in another direction with writing about bridge; more about that when things start to take shape.

I will still post sometimes, especially when Julie and I travel for tournaments. I anticipate having a lot to say about Philadelphia!

Thanks for reading about my bridge adventures.

Drury

2012-01-14T18:22:00.003-05:00

"We need to learn Drury," Julie said.

"I thought we decided to focus on play of the hand and defense, and to try to just remember the conventions we are already using," I replied.

"I know we said that, " Julie continued, "but people are saying we need to learn Drury. So I've asked a few of the A players, and they said we definitely should."

"Okay," I agreed. "Let's both read about it this afternoon, then talk about it before we play this evening."

Later that day I went online and read an article by one of the inventors of Drury while Julie read a different article. We then read each other's article as well and talked on the phone. We agreed that the basic premise seemed simple enough, and decided to play it that evening in its most simple form. The only question was which version of Drury to play; Julie volunteered to go early to the club and ask John.

That Friday evening Julie was already at the club when I arrived. We discussed what John had told Julie about Drury, and then I went to him with some follow-up questions. By the time play began we were ready.

At the first table I was alert for opportunities to bid Drury; none appeared. The same was true for the next few tables. We were following John and his partner around the room, and when we reached table 6 we saw that table 7 was a sit-out. John used this break to pull up a chair behind Julie and kibbitz. The first board was uneventful, but on the second board Julie opened 1 spade. I had 10 points and 2 little spades: "If I bid 1NT," I told myself, "Julie won't know I have 10 points. Maybe I better bid my nice 5 card club suit." I pulled out the 2 club card from the bidding box.

My LHO passed and Julie pondered her next bid. I looked at the table and suddenly realized that Julie had opened in 3rd seat. Oh no! I had missed the chance to bid Drury! I was crestfallen, but only for a moment because I suddenly realized that I had bid Drury. "Whew," I thought, relieved that I had accidently bid correctly. I decided that when it was all over I would pretend that I had known what I was doing. Unfortunately my relief did not last long, because as Julie continued to think I had another realization. I had indeed bid Drury, but I had bid it incorrectly. I only had 2 card support.

Julie bid 2 spades.

At this point I had no idea what to do. Julie had not alerted my bid, but had she just forgotten to alert or had she forgotten about Drury? Either was possible. And was I obligated to respond as if we were playing Drury, even though my bid -- at the time that I made it -- was natural? And what did her 2 spade bid mean, anyway?? I bid 3 spades and the result was disasterous.

When the hand was over, John spoke up. "I thought you were playing Drury," he said.

"We are." Julie looked at him, baffled. Now I knew; she had read my bid as natural.

"Well . . . "

We talked about what had happened and John gave me some good advice about bidding Drury with only 2 card support: "When your hand comes down, just say you thought you had three of them."

Apparently Drury is easier to read about than to implement.

Learning

2012-01-06T09:14:00.000-05:00

"Now that was a good hand," Dennis said as our opponents left the table.

I looked at him suspiciously. I had just made an egregious bidding error that had "0" written all over it. Was he being sarcastic, I wondered? No, he was smiling and actually looked kind of pleased. I must have looked puzzled, because he went on to explain.

"You learned something new, now you'll know what to do next time," he said.

Dennis had opened 2 clubs. I didn't even have a king in my hand so I bid 2 diamonds, showing a king or less. At this point Julie usually bids 2NT and we go from there; I know what to do after a rebid of 2NT. However, Dennis then bid 2 hearts. Of course I knew that meant he had at least 5 hearts, but that was my worst suit. Could I pass that bid, I pondered. (I hear all of my Flight A friends, B friends, and probably C friends shouting NO NO NO as they read this.) But my best suit was diamonds, which I would have had to bid at the 3 level, and I just wanted out of this. So I passed. Of course he made 6 hearts. I learned that when partner opens 2 clubs you have to bid within one level of game, because a two club opening is one trick short of game.

My best moment of the afternoon passed by unnoticed by anyone except me. I was the declarer and thought very carefully about my play against two top opponents. It went exactly as I had hoped, and I took it as a compliment that no one commented. I think they just expected me to play it correctly!

We ended up about average and placed; even though low on the list, it was in A.

In closing, I have to again say how much I appreciate A players taking the time to partner with me in an effort to teach me better bridge. You can all relax for awhile, though--my semester is starting up again so my bridge time will be limited. But maybe I'll ask someone again around spring break . . .

Top Ten List 2012

2012-01-01T17:25:00.000-05:00

Top Ten Bridge New Year’s Resolutions

(based on an unscientific poll)

10. Learning new conventions such as two over one and 1NTforcing

9. Start counting cards

8. Cutting back on making bidding mistakes that the bidderknows are bad immediately after making them

7. Following the Law of Total Tricks on every raise

6. Getting back to reading

5. Making correct leads, opening and during play

4. Learning all of the daytime players’ names

3. Doing well at tournaments

2. Partnering with various players on the days they do well

1. Staying positive and having fun

Doubles

2011-12-30T10:36:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I started an informal survey, asking "What is your New Year's resolution in terms of bridge?" I don't yet have enough responses for a full report, but one resolution caught my attention.

"I want to get clearer on doubles," Julie said. "Take-out doubles, redoubles, all that."

"Not just when to double," Dee clarified, "but also what to do when the opponents double."

Doubling may seem quite basic to more advanced readers of this blog, but Julie and I have recently noted that more experienced players double a lot. When bidding is below game level, how do you know if this is for take-out or penalty? When I've asked just this question of my Flight A friends, the inevitable response is something like "just watch the bidding, it will be obvious." Hmm. My brother recently asked me this question when we partnered for a game, and my more helpful response was "if I double below the game level, it's for take-out; at the game level, it's for penalty." He thanked me with a sigh of relief.

There is an even more basic issue in terms of doubles.

In my never ending quest to learn from experienced players, I had asked Sue for a game. We played yesterday, and while I generally stay calm, I was a bit nervous. Instead of just relaxing, I was trying very hard to do my best and not make stupid mistakes. This, of course, was a mistake in itself. About half way through the game, we sat down at a table and I picked up my cards. I had nothing. I passed, my LHO opened 1 club, Sue passed, my RHO bid 2 clubs, I passed again, LHO passed. I mentally checked out; I had nothing, my partner had nothing. Sue put down a card, my RHO threw down a pass card and started to gather up her bidding cards, signaling that she thought I was going to pass and the bidding was over. I threw down my pass card and heard a gasp from my partner. I looked up; Sue's bid had been a double. Oh boy.

The opponents played 2 clubs doubled, making 3. I was horrified, and it must have shown on my face because everyone tried to make me feel better. "Everyone in this room has done that at one time," "I've made worse mistakes," and "Don't worry about it, not a big deal" were some of comments made by my partner and the opponents. We ended up with a just below average board, so it could have been worse. (Of course it could have been a lot better, too.)

So while there are many facets to doubles, the most basic thing is to notice when your partner bids one.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T15:03:00.001-05:00

"Are you playing bridge Friday night?" Julie asked. Dee stood next to her, and I wondered at their interest in my plans.

"Yes, I'm playing with Walt," I replied.

"You'll be the only ones there, no one else we've talked to will be playing bridge," they laughed.

We weren't the only pair at the club last night, but many of the regulars were absent this day before Christmas Eve. There were only five and a half tables, so we did that movement where we end up playing almost everyone. It's kind of fun wandering the room and switching from north/south to east/west.

Several weeks ago I had asked Walt to play and he had kindly agreed. I'm not exactly nervous partnering with an A player, but not exactly relaxed either. My number one concern is to not look stupid; a close second is the desire to learn everything I can. My third goal--well, this actually supersedes everything--is to place somewhere near the top. All three were accomplished.

Not looking stupid: It helped that Walt ended up playing more than I did. That said, while my bidding and play weren't perfect, I did have some good moments. One hand in particular comes to mind, when I was declarer in a 3NT contract. When dummy came down I saw that I needed to focus on the clubs. I thought about and played that suit carefully, but in doing so neglected to unblock my spades. Sometimes it is difficult to think of everything at the same time. However, I made the contract and one of the opponents noted that I had done a good job with the clubs. Thank you, Dennis!

Learning: Walt took the time to explain about defensive signaling, which is huge. I also learned that doubling a 4 spade opening is for penalty (oops) and that the take-out bid is 4NT. I learned that when my partner opens to let him know that I have 10 points (not 6-9) even if I think it's a bad 10 points. I learned that bridge is a bidder's game. I've heard that before but now I'm beginning to understand what that means. It used to seem like A players stuck in bids willy-nilly, but last night I saw a method to that madness.

Placing near the top: We came in first in B and second in A. You know that I like to come in first (who doesn't), and I just wrote how important it is to me to place. However, my absolute number one priority in playing bridge is to have a good time. And I did.

2011-12-22T09:56:00.001-05:00

Last week I arrived at the bridge club sporting a new hair style. Of course Julie noticed immediately and complimented me. We briefly discussed the salon, how long the process took, the price, possible alternatives, and where a mutual friend goes to get her hair done. At that point it was time to start playing bridge, which we did. Later that afternoon we were at a table in the middle of the room when Mike walked by. He glanced over at me.

"I like your hair," he said.

"Thank you," I replied. I was pleased and more than a little surprised. "That was really nice," I said to the table. "It's unusual for a man to notice."

"Yes, but Mike would notice," one of the ladies said. Her partner nodded approvingly. Julie was uncharacteristically silent . . . until last night.

"I shouldn't tell you this," Julie began over a glass of wine. Although this opening may sound ominous, I have heard it before and so was not alarmed.

"Yes?" I asked, my curiousity piqued.

"You know when Mike said he liked your hair? I told him to say that."

"What! And we were so impressed with him," I laughed.

Now for a word about bridge. When I think about yesterday's game, what comes to mind is how many times I had to turn control over to Julie. I opened several times, either with a very good hand or with a very good preemptive hand. Sometimes I doubled because the opponents opened and I had a very strong hand. Often, though, Julie then responded with a different suit that I could support. I felt a twinge every time this happened, but bridge is all about teamwork so I went where we needed to go. While being the declarer is exciting, I think I like the bidding process--when I hold interesting cards--even better.

More on Slam Bidding

2011-12-15T08:59:00.002-05:00

Slam bidding continues to be interesting. Sometimes it goes smoothly, sometimes it goes awry, and sometimes -- like in yesterday's game -- we end up in the right place in spite of ourselves. Here's what happened. I had 23 high card points and opened 2 clubs. South passed and Julie responded 2 hearts.

"Alert," I said. We bid controls and so I started going through the possibilities: 2 diamonds means a king or less, 2 hearts . . .

"What does that mean?" North interrupted my thought process and I was stymied.

"I have to think for a minute," I said.

"That's okay, never mind." Both opponents seemed to understand my embarrassment in not knowing the answer and didn't want me to stress about it.

"I have to think anyway," I responded. Even if the opponents didn't care anymore, I still had to figure it out and bid properly. North reached for my convention card, which furthered my discomfort in not knowing. Then it came to me.

"It means that she has . . ." I started triumphantly. Both opponents interrupted and spoke over me.

"We don't want to know."

"But she was reaching for my card, so I was going to tell her."

"She can look at your card," South said. "But when we say never mind, you can't say anything."

I apologized, and that's when I realized that they were not being sympathetic about my memory lapse. They were hoping that I would come to the wrong conclusion and that Julie would be in the dark! Well, I came to the correct conclusion and realized that we had all of the aces. The next thing would be to figure out where to play. I bid 2NT and started mentally going through the possible Puppet Stayman bids and responses.

Julie bid 4NT.

Hmm, I thought. I don't think that's 1430 because wouldn't we do Gerber over 2NT? Plus, I already know we have all of the aces and we don't have a suit. But she bypassed 3NT so she must think slam is a possibility. What the heck.

I bid 6NT.

"What do you think her 4NT means?" South asked. I thought it interesting that he didn't ask what her bid meant, but rather what I thought it meant. I could see that he didn't have much confidence in our communication.

"I think it means she has a big hand," I replied. "She's thinking about slam."

"What did her 2 hearts bid mean?"

"That she has an ace."

South's expression showed his confusion in trying to reconcile a big hand with having an ace. When dummy came down, there was indeed only one control, the ace, but also other cards that fit nicely with my hand. We did make 6NT, which was a good board for us. Others in the room got there as well, but not everyone did, and most likely not by the same route.

Counting

2011-12-12T10:35:00.002-05:00

STaC week ended with yesterday afternoon's game; the results were light-years away from what happened last year. At the beginning of this week a year ago, Julie and I were enthusiastic, positive, and looking forward to winning some silver points. At the conclusion of that week we agreed that it was awful and hoped to never see it again. This year, though, we placed in every game that we played in together and got enough silver for our next ACBL level (although we still need points). Sometimes it is difficult to see progress, so this was an encouraging yardstick.

In yesterday's game I had the opportunity to work on my defensive skills. Here's an example: I was sitting South and defending against a 4 spades contract in the East. In the course of the play I had taken a trick and was looking at a board with 2 trumps and no clubs. I played a club; declarer played a low trump from dummy, Julie played a high trump and we won the trick. The opponents went down one, followed by a discussion of what happened.

"I should have played the king," declarer said.

"I don't think that would have helped," dummy replied.

"No," Julie added. "That would have just set up my jack."

"Maybe I should have..."

I listened for a minute as the three of them analyzed and conjectured before I finally chimed in. "You know," I said, "not everyone is going to lead a club."

"Oh!" They turned to me expectantly.

"I was keeping track."

"She's a counter," Julie said.

"You have to count," the opponents agreed.

That ended the discussion and it was time for the next round. I did not disabuse them of their assumption that I had counted the clubs. In fact, I had thought about the number of clubs in my hand and how the bidding had gone, and concluded that there was a good chance that Julie was out. Since she was behind dummy she would be able to ruff higher or maybe one of her trumps would set up. Not as impressive as actually counting, but at least I was thinking.

I am trying to count, though. I start out okay but quickly become distracted and forget to keep counting. I do better when I am the declarer, but even then I am not systematically keeping track of all of the suits. I am going to keep at it, though, since I believe it is key to improving my game.

Deja Vu

2011-12-06T14:18:00.001-05:00

Something happened at yesterday's game that strongly reminded me of a hand that I played over a year ago. Just like the hand back then, one of the opponents was the director and I was the declarer. We were in a game contract--5 diamonds this time instead of 3NT--but otherwise everything was the same. When dummy came down I made a plan; everything worked and I made 6. I was feeling good and looked over at my partner, Mimi, who gave me a happy smile. I was thinking about how we might have bid slam when the director turned to me just as she had over a year ago.

"You should have been in spades," she said.

Sigh. Of course she was right, both yesterday and a year ago. I don't remember what happened last time, but this time I was in love with my seven beautiful diamonds. I rebid them even though I had three of my partner's spades. I need to keep in mind what Jerry Helms said at the tournament in Louisville: It's not what you have and it's not what your partner has; it's what you both have together. Easier said than done sometimes, at least for me.

Boasting?

2011-11-30T18:53:00.001-05:00

I have to come back to the topic of slam bidding and indulge in a little self-congratulatory behavior. I realize that at first glance this may not appear proper, but let me explain. Not that long ago I was completely confused not only about how to get to slam, but especially about how to stop the train once it had left the station. If Julie or I was so bold as to initiate Gerber or Blackwood (now we use 1430), signing off was almost impossible. We inevitably stopped only when we reached 6 hearts or spades or NT, and probably would have gone on to bid grand slams except that was simply too scary. We often didn't understand what the other was bidding; who am I kidding, we didn't even understand our own bids. Afterwards, kind opponents would explain what we should have done and it always made sense . . . until the next time we had big hands. It was all very intimidating and I could feel my heart start to race if it even looked like we were heading in that direction.

On Monday evening we played a hand where I ended up bidding 4 clubs, Gerber, to see if slam was a possibility. I saw by Julie's response that it wasn't and I was able to make a bid that Julie actually passed. We were both quite pleased, especially since we made the contract (one trick less than slam).

This afternoon was even more exciting. Julie opened and I held 17 HCPs. After the bidding showed that we were missing one key card, I had to decide what to do. Julie's suit was diamonds, but I had only 2 little ones and otherwise a balanced hand. I bid 6 NT. My pulse was normal and I looked forward to trying to make this contract -- which I did. Not only that, we were the only ones in the game to bid and make slam on that board!

There seem to be so many opportunities to feel badly about how we bid and play. Someone else almost always gets to a better contract, makes one extra trick, or defends more successfully. At some point there is almost always a memory or counting slip, or simply a lapse of judgment. Add to that the occasional rude comment -- like the one I experienced a couple of weeks ago -- and it would be easy to be negative and discouraged. Boasting at the table is of course frowned upon, but I think it is important that you celebrate with your bridge partner when you two are the ones who reach the best contract, make that extra trick, and defend most successfully.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T10:33:00.001-05:00

The turkey is in the oven and all is under control, so I have a few minutes to give thanks for duplicate bridge. Following are my reflections, in no particular order of importance. (I have a few minutes, not all morning.)

I am thankful that we will soon be getting electronic scorers and automatic shufflers. I'll have to see if Julie will let me sit North sometimes so I can score; I like electronics.

Last week when I was in a slow line in Meijer, the man behind me said that he didn't mind waiting because he didn't have anything else to do anyway until the paper came at 4:00. He sounded lonely and bored as he continued to chat, and I was thankful that I will never be in that state of mind because I can always play bridge.

I am thankful that we have four games a week in Grand Rapids and games in nearby cities on the other days. There is always a game that fits my schedule.

Sometimes I am thankful when there are only 2 boards a round. This gives me less time with grumpy people as well as less time with players who tend to give us low boards. Usually these two groups don't overlap.

I am thankful for all of the interesting, intelligent, and friendly people I've met at the bridge club.

I am thankful for the Flight A players who give me games, when I know they would rather play with partners at their own level. (Although I have to say that I am a fun partner.)

I am thankful for all of the snacks that people regularly bring to the games.

I am thankful for the people who read my blog and leave comments, both in writing and in person. I am also thankful for those who click on ads on this blog.

I am thankful for our well organized, fair directors who calm down disputes and put people in their places when necessary.

I am thankful for the benefactor who paid for everyone's game several weeks ago. (I hope s/he does it again.)

I am thankful that we often go out for drinks after bridge.

Even though I knew Julie before we started playing duplicate bridge, through bridge we have become extraordinary friends. I am thankful for that.

It is now time to once again baste the turkey, so I will end my list here. I invite you to comment on what you are thankful for, bridge-related or otherwise.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good Things

2011-11-19T08:30:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago on a Friday evening, Julie played bridge with another partner. A player from Kalamazoo, used to seeing the Julie-Margaret partnership, wondered what was going on.

"Where's Margaret tonight?" Beth asked.

"She's doing something with her boyfriend," Julie replied.

"Her boyfriend!" Beth was astonished. "I've never heard anything about a boyfriend. I've heard and read about her cat, but nothing about a boyfriend."

Apparently they then discussed that Randy should get at least a little print time, especially considering all of the Halloween pictures I posted of Amadeus. I'm not sure that this conclusion is valid, since he's been in the Grand Rapids Press a lot lately (he's a musician) AND he did not dress up for Halloween, but here you go. I bring this up now because yesterday evening I was again out with him instead of playing bridge.

However, I did play bridge on Wednesday afternoon. Julie and I had a good game, coming in first in C and first in B in our section (you know how much I like being first!). Some things come to mind about this game.

First, I thought that one of our top boards was the result of making an extra trick. I was the declarer on this particular hand and one of our opponents, a top player, made a mistake in defending and threw off the wrong card. How clever I am, I thought, in playing all of my trumps at the end rather than just giving up my loser. This way, my "loser" became a winner. While this was a good thing, when I checked the scores I discovered that this extra trick was not the deciding factor in giving us a top board. It turns out that we were just in a better contract than everybody else. Also a good thing.

Second, we learned another nuance of the never-ending rules of bridge. Julie was the declarer and was on the board; however, she pulled a card out of her hand. "You're on the board," I said, but I didn't say it quickly enough. Both of our opponents said, "I accept it." We didn't really want it accepted, since playing out of her hand cost us an extra trick, but we had no choice. It turns out that if the declarer has the card in the played position, meaning almost on the table (or on the table, of course), the opponents can accept it and it is then considered played. If the card is still sort of in front of the declarer, even if the opponents see the card it is not considered played. Good to know.

Finally, the idea of mental toughness continues to haunt me. I think that one of the reasons I played better on Wednesday is because I was often the declarer. My mind didn't have a chance to wander or get lazy because of this, so I stayed sharper. I have to learn to keep my focus even if I get bad cards. That would be really good.

Slam

2011-11-13T18:36:00.001-05:00

Julie and I played bridge last Friday, which can be a tough game. We did all right, though, coming in first in C. There was one snafu (well, one that I want to focus on) that comes to mind: we missed bidding a slam. Here's what happened.

I opened 1 spade, even though I only had 10 or 11 HCPs. My suit was solid and my hand met the "rule of 20" guideline. I don't remember the exact sequence of bidding anymore, but at one point very early on Julie bid 4N. Oh oh, I thought. She thinks I have more than I do. Nothing for it but to tell her that I had only one key card. She signed off in 5 spades but I made slam.

"Did you bid slam?" an A player asked us later.

"No," we replied.

"Why not? You were only missing one key card."

"I was chicken," Julie admitted. "We were on the right track, we just didn't get into the station."

This scenario stayed on Julie's mind and was almost the first thing she referred to when we met up earlier today for a Sunday afternoon of bridge.

"I'm bidding slam today!" She was determined to not let that bid get away from her again.

"If it's there or not!" I joked.

These turned out to be prophetic words. Julie bid and made 2 slams. I think before my next game I'm going to try that strategy and say something like, "I'm going to bid game if it's there, not bid it if it isn't (unless it would be a good sacrifice), and bid and make slam." The power of positive thinking.

It Worked!

2011-11-08T14:02:00.001-05:00

It worked this time! Once again I was in a bidding war with our opponents and they went to 5 hearts. My suit was spades and I knew I couldn't make 5, but we weren't vulnerable and I could count on a little something from my partner. On top of that, my hand would be worthless defensively. I put last week out of my mind and bid 5, opponents passed without doubling, and the play started. We went down 3 for minus 150. It looked like they could have made game, but I did not (mentally) celebrate. What if none of the other east-west pairs bid game? Then it would once again be a low board.

As you can tell from the title, this time my sacrifice was successful. We got a top board.

In case this entry sounds a little too self-congratulatory, don't worry, all of my bidding was not on target. I had learned how to bid this next type of hand during my first few weeks of learning to play bridge almost three years ago, but I still managed to mess up. My RHO opened a weak 3 hearts; I was holding a 5 card spade suit and 20 points. DOUBLE DOUBLE DOUBLE . . . but I didn't. Instead I bid 3 spades, everyone passed, and I made 6. I think it was the weak opening that threw me. As soon as I saw my cards I was formulating a plan, but that went out the window when my opponent bid. I have to learn to be more flexible.

First Wednesdays

2011-11-04T13:37:00.001-04:00

The first Wednesday of every month we play boards that have been made ahead of time, and then after the game we get hand records. Most people who refer to these, I suspect, use them to learn and improve their games. Sometimes I do that, too. Not this week.

When I've had a not-so-great game I like to focus on what I did right. Wednesday we scored in the low 40s; not all that long ago I would have considered that just fine, but no longer. So to help bolster my bridge ego, I checked on our top boards rather than the bottom ones. It was nice to note good defense on one board, getting to the right contract on another, making an extra trick on a third. I did need to take a detour from self-congratulation, though, to check on at least one low board.

Two days later I can still remember all of those red cards in my hand. I didn't have much more than opening, but I had seven really nice diamonds and at some point in the auction my partner showed me that she had support. So when our opponents went to 4 spades, I decided to bid 5 diamonds. If they go to 5 spades, I reasoned, maybe they'll go down. I thought that if I got the bid and they doubled me (vulnerable), it would still be okay. The opponents opted for the latter and even with those beautiful diamonds I went down for 500. When we looked at the cards, though, it seemed like it was going to be a good board for us because they clearly could have made 4 spades (also vulnerable).

In fact, the hand records showed that they could have made 5 spades. Apparently a good sacrifice isn't good if none of the opponents in the field bid game. Rats.

Slam

2011-11-01T13:49:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I played bridge with Lee. The last round was interesting because I opened with only 10 HCPs. I held five very nice spades along with five okay clubs, and using the Rule of 20 I took a breath and bid 1 spade. My LHO passed and I watched with increasing unease as Lee pondered what to do. She bid 2 hearts. Yikes! I should have known better than to open, I thought. Now what? I had to bid clubs which put us at the 3 level with my partner thinking I had more than I did. Lee responded with 3 diamonds. Well, at least my next move was clear. For better or worse--probably worse, I thought--I said "alert" and bid 3NT.

Imagine my astonishment when Lee next bid 6 spades. She will not be happy to see my measely 10 points, I thought. Then in a flash I realized that I would be playing the hand--yikes again!

My LHO led the ace of diamonds and dummy came down. Lee had nice spade support and 21 HCPs; slam was a cinch. While the auction may have been unorthodox, it got us where we needed to be. We came in first in C (yippee, first!) and I will again consider opening a two suited, 10 point hand.

On another note: I thought I was done with posting pictures of Amadeus, since Halloween is over and he is out of costumes. However, I had a special request from JP for just one more picture. Here you go, Jim!

Swiss Team Game #3

2011-10-29T10:19:00.001-04:00

One hand last night was particularly aggravating. Julie opened 1 diamond, and with our opponents passing I bid 2 spades (a strong jump shift). Julie then bid 3 clubs; I rebid my spades. Julie went to 3NT, and I bid 4 spades to end the auction.

This is where I have to pause and think about how much to tell you about my hand. If I report exactly what I was holding (which, by the way, I do remember), you will be amazed that I did not bid differently. I know this because as soon as dummy came down I wanted a do-over.

I think it's best to just say that I held a solid spade suit with lots of points. I figured that Julie probably didn't have any spades (she didn't), and since I didn't have another suit and didn't want to play in no trump, I didn't know what else to bid.

I made seven spades.

My only consolation is that our opponents at the other table, a B team, were also in 4 spades making seven. Their auction went differently but they had the same result. Whew.

And now for the last Halloween picture of the season. It's the same devil costume, but this time you can see the bow tie more clearly.

Swiss Team Game #2

2011-10-27T13:28:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Julie and I played another Swiss Team game. It no longer feels like a marathon, though, because unlike the 7 rounds we played in Grand Haven this was a regular afternoon with 4 rounds. I was curious about where the name for this team game came from, and apparently it is derived from a similar movement in chess which originated in Zurich. Interesting.

Anyway, we won two rounds and lost two, ending up a little below average. We did okay in 3 of the 4 rounds, one being simply horrible. However, I did enjoy the conversation at the start of that low-scoring round.

"So you're a B team, right?" My right hand opponent was North, and he was keeping score. He was asking this question because of the handicapping system our club was using for this team event. As a C team, his team would have to "give" us points.

"No, we're a C team." I was surprised by the question, since the answer seems obvious.

"You're C players?" I was gratified by the surprise in his voice. "Who are you playing with?" He looked around to see our team members. When he saw who they were, he again said that we must be a B team.

"I guess they must take the average of all of our points," I said. "Julie and I don't have that many. I'm sure we're listed as a C team."

Julie and I looked at each other and shrugged.

"We'll be B players one day," I continued. Everyone smiled and agreed.

"You're a B player now in your heart," my RHO said.

"Yes, I am," I agreed. "But I still want those [handicap] points!"

Tomorrow: Swiss Team Game #3

Amadeus as a little Halloween devil...

Skips and Bumps

2011-10-25T14:27:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a break fromthis week of Swiss team games (Sunday, Wednesday, Friday). I asked Beckyto play, and she was kind enough to give up Monday night at home with herhusband to come out to the club. Becky is an excellent player and Ilearned a lot from her. On one issue, though, she called the directorover to consult.

"Margaret wants toknow why there's a bump if there's already a skip," Becky said. Iknew there was going to be a skip, which was not a big deal because we weresitting north-south. Whatever east-west pair sat at our table was finewith me. However, someone had just come by and said we were being bumped for the next round. That I did not care for, since it meant we had to sit out.

"The skip happensevery time there's an even number of tables," the Director said. "Otherwise, people would play the same boards again. Right?" She looked at me expectantly, waiting to see if I understood.

"Oh, that's right. I get it,” I said. Really I didn't, but I had a feeling thatfurther explanation wouldn't help. "But then why is there abump?"

"The bump is becausewe have an extra pair."

That was easier tounderstand. The Director left, and Becky suggested that since we werebeing bumped, we kibitz at the next table. We pulled up a couple ofchairs; as I watched I also kept an eye on our table. I kept waiting tosee the "bumpers," but no one appeared. The east-west pair satalone at our table and chatted. After the first board was done, I spoketo Becky.

"Who is supposed tobump us? Because they still aren't there."

Everyone looked, and therewas some conjecture about what was going on. Finally we realized that the"bumpers" were at another table, and that the east-west pair waswaiting for us! After a few choice words, we quickly got back to ourtable and into action.

Shortly thereafter theDirector returned to further instruct me on skips and bumps.

"You have to waituntil you are told that you are being bumped before you move," she said.

"We were told!"Becky and I said in unison.

"Well, who toldyou?"

Obviously not the bumpers. Oh well. I learn something every time I play.

Back to Halloween pictures; this time Amadeus is masquerading as atiger.

The Swiss Team Marathon Begins...

2011-10-24T14:00:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was the beginning of three Swiss team events this week. Julie and I played in the Grand Haven tournament with Jeanne and Melissa; we placed and got some silver, and had a lot of fun. Playing there reminded me of our introduction to this team event.

Julie and I heard about Swiss teams the first year we started playing bridge. We didn't understand the concept but decided to give it a try. The problem was that we didn't have another pair to team with and were reluctant to ask anyone. We were so new to bridge and so unsure about Swiss teams, we figured no one would want to play with us. I know this sounds sad, but we didn't feel badly and it did not deter us. We talked to our Director and she arranged for us to team with a pair who was also new to duplicate bridge and Swiss teams.

We met our partners the day of the event and found out that they had even less experience than we did. One of them had never even played duplicate bridge, and neither had ever played Swiss teams. We needed help figuring out where to go, how to score, how to turn in the score...you name it, we didn't know what to do. The oddest thing, though, was that our teammates never really understood that we were a team. After each round we would get together to compare scores. They were either happy that they had beaten us or sad that our scores were better than theirs. We kept trying to tell them that we were in this together, but each time it seemed that we were making head-way we would have to move for the next round. They never did know why the four of us met after each round and they were never again seen at the club.

It's been a long road, but yesterday I finally understood the scoring. I had certainly learned to go through the correct motions before now, but this time I talked to someone and figured out the big picture. I learned that the goal was to stay above average, and we did. The average was 70 and our final score was 71.

On another note, Halloween is a week away. I've been shopping for Amadeus, and here you can see me helping him try on one his costumes. More pictures to come!

Kalamazoo

2011-10-15T09:39:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Julie and I drove to Kalamazoo to play in their Friday afternoon game. I have mixed feelings about the results--you guessed it, we were first in Flight C going into the last round but ended in second place. Just like in Lansing, we couldn't find a fit and so when we got the contract we usually went down. This time, though, I kept quiet about how we probably weren't doing as badly as it felt because I thought we really were doing that badly. Our 51% score was a nice surprise, and as an added bonus it was a special club game so we ended up with extra points.

Regular readers of this blog may recall how I dislike sitting with my back to the room. An incident that happened yesterday confirms that it is much better to be seated where you can see what's going on. We were in the middle of a round when I heard a player directly behind me coughing. Naturally I did not turn around and stare, since I would have had to shift my entire body; rather, I continued with the hand. Everyone else, though, looked over. There were gasps and exclamations, and then suddenly a woman ran past me. It turns out that she had choked on a pretzel and had successfully done the Heimlich Maneuver on herself!

"If that had been me," Julie said, "I would have died. I don't know how to do that."

"I would have saved you," I said. I tried to sound competent and reassuring, but my statement was an empty promise. I don't know how to do the Heimlich Maneuver either.

"I was going to get some pretzels," Julie went on, "but I changed my mind." She apparently did not have much confidence in me, and rightly so.

"I think that's a wise decision."

To get back to why it would have been better to be facing the other direction: there was some controversy over how the player in question saved herself. Some witnesses said she bent over the back of a chair, while others said that she folded her arms around herself and applied pressure that way. I could have resolved this question if only I had not been facing the wall.

Darn it!

2011-10-12T14:46:00.005-04:00

When I looked up the NLM scores online to see how everyone else did, imagine my dismay when I noticed that Julie and I had placed second, not first, in the evening game. There must have been scoring mistakes and subsequent adjustments, but no matter the reason I felt let down. Oddly enough, though, the new scores showed us getting more silver than previously. That was a comfort.

What can I say? My quest for placing first -- in any flight in any type of game -- continues.

NLM Tournament

2011-10-09T08:57:00.013-04:00

Yesterday morning Julie and I headed over to Lansing with Melissa and Jeanne to play in the Non-Life Masters Tournament. The car was filled with talk of many things, including bidding sequences that needed review. I spent some time on Puppet Stayman and Smolen, since our knowledge of these bids is more theoretical than experiential. It turns out we should have spent more time on basic no-trump openings, but that's Melissa's story so I won't relate it here.

We arrived at the site early so we could stop at Panera before play began. As we walked over to the Bridge Center with coffee cups in hand, I had a moment to talk privately to Julie.

"I'm tired of coming in second," I said. "I really want to come in first today."

"Okay," Julie replied. She is a very cooperative partner.

"I'm not complaining about second." I wanted to clarify my position. "It's just that it is time for us to come in first. It doesn't have to be first in A or B, first in C is fine, but I just want to be first."

Julie again agreed, and with that settled we entered the club and got ready for the first game. We sat north-south and as play proceeded we started feeling cautiously optimistic about how things were going. We were getting some good cards, which is fun, and were playing against friendly opponents, which of course is also fun. Part way through the game two men who looked vaguely familiar sat down at our table. I recognized their names when they introduced themselves.

"I remember you," I said. "You were at the NAP game a few weeks ago."

"Yes," one of the men replied. "I remember you, too." He turned to Julie. "You were wearing a really nice outfit."

Julie looked at me with a question in her eyes.

"The black biker jacket," I said. It's not really a biker jacket, but kind of looks like one the way it is styled with silver snaps. I remembered what Julie had on because I had joked that she looked ready to take someone out.

"Oh, thanks," Julie said. We continued to chat with these opponents, and we also played some cards.

We ended the game at almost 56% and came in second in Flight C. During the dinner break I again mentioned to Julie that while I was happy with our game, I really wanted to come in first. We recommitted ourselves to this goal and returned to the Bridge Center to try again.

Unlike the first game, the second game found me almost pointless. Hand after hand, board after board, I held very few honors. Julie did not fare much better, and when she did have enough points to bid I usually couldn't support her. On top of that, on the few occasions that we did get the bid, it did not go well. Julie started watching the clock.

"How many more rounds?" she asked. "This is terrible."

"I don't know, but it might not be as bad as you think."

"It is as bad, you'll see. From now on, if we place in the first game let's just go home. We never do well in both games in a tournament."

"Okay, but I still think it might not be that bad. It always feels like this if we have to play mostly defense." I looked down at the scores I had written on my card and saw the minus column filled up. There were just a few lonely numbers on the plus side.

Finally we started getting some cards and had a little rally. The last round came and it seemed to be going okay. Then came the last game of the last round. Julie opened 1 spade and my RHO overcalled 2 hearts. I had 10 points with 2 little spades but had hearts firmly stopped.

I bid 2NT.

"Alert," Julie said.

Oh oh, I thought. What is she alerting? What does she think my bid means? I waited hopefully for the opponents to ask what her alert meant, but they did not give me a chance to express my ignorance. My LHO passed and Julie bid 3 diamonds.

Okay, I thought. She must think my bid was an unusual 2NT, saying that I have both minors. That's okay, I have 6 diamonds so we can play it there.

Still, something didn't feel right. I had a bad feeling that no matter what I did, it would be wrong. I passed.

Julie was stunned. It turns out that she thought I was bidding Jacoby 2NT, so she had bid her singleton diamond. She played the hand and made 3 diamonds but was not happy . . . until later, when we saw this gave us an above average board.

In fact, we were both happy later when we found out that we were first in Flight C! Hurray! Maybe we will continue to stay for both games after all.

Memory

2011-09-30T15:02:00.007-04:00

When I first started playing bridge and listened to other players talk about their hands after a game, I was amazed at their recall. They remembered not only their own cards, but knew what everyone else had held as well. On top of that, they discussed the opening lead and what would have happened if someone had done this instead of that.

Julie and I would look at each other in wonderment. I couldn't remember my own cards or bidding, much less what others at the table had held or did. Sometimes I couldn't even recall these things immediately after the hand had been played, while I was still sitting at the table.

"It'll come," we were told.

"When?" we wondered.

"It takes time."

Well, it appears that the time has come. This week I was amazed that Julie and I could reconstruct the bidding and then analyze what happened for almost every hand that we had played that afternoon. Granted, I couldn't tell you what cards everyone held or what the opening lead was for every hand, but it was still a break-through. Maybe motivation had something to do with it.

Julie and I were east-west and our friend Dee had sat in the same direction. This was especially interesting to us because her partner was a Flight A player and we were eager to compare our moves with his. We didn't end up with a very good game and hoped to discover where we had gone wrong. Following is what we learned about one hand.

Me: What did you do on board 1?

Dee: 4 hearts in the west, down 1. That was a good board for us.

Me: We were 2NT in the east, down 2. Bad for us.

Julie: That's the hand where I bid 1 heart.

Me: Right. I opened 1 diamond because I had 18 points but no suit.

Julie: I didn't really have enough points to bid, but I couldn't leave you in diamonds because I only had 2 of them. I had 6 hearts, though, so I bid a heart.

Me: I only had 2 hearts, so I jumped to 2NT to show my points.

Julie: And I left you there. Should I have just passed?

Me: I don't think playing it in 1 diamond would have been any better. Dee, how did you get to 4 hearts?

Dee: Well, Jim opened 1 diamond and then the opponents bid. I wanted to show him that I had hearts, so I bid 2 hearts and then he went to 4 hearts.

Me: He had 18 points, so even if it had been a 5-2 heart fit he would have been confident because you had bid at the 2 level.

Dee: Right. I should have bid 3 hearts to show I was weak.

Julie: If our opponents had bid, it would have turned out differently for us.

I'm not really sure what we learned about this bidding sequence, other than the whims of our opponents--to bid or not to bid--can really affect what happens. Not exactly big news. Still, it was fun to compare and analyze. It was especially good to be able to remember enough of what had happened to be able to compare and analyze.

A Conversation

2011-09-26T08:57:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Julie and I played in the NAP finals in Lansing. Following is an approximation of the conversation we had afterwards as we sipped on drinks in a sports bar in Grand Rapids.

Julie: It's odd how we played so much better in the afternoon but we got about the same score in the evening, when we made more mistakes.

Me: I think everyone is tired in the evening; we should always play in the evenings at tournaments. We just have to make sure that we're rested.

Julie: Agreed. We did get some gifts.

Me: What about that guy that threw his cards when I went to 3NT and made it?

Julie: What was up with that? Then he acted all friendly.

Me: He was strange. Okay, what should I write about in my blog about this experience?

Julie: What was the theme of the day? What stood out?

Me: I've been thinking about how much I enjoy the process of learning something new. Once I get to a certain point, when I've learned what I wanted to, I quit and go on to something else. It's the journey that most interests me.

Julie: That's very Aquarian. I'm the same way.

Me: But with bridge, I'll never get to that point where I've learned everything I need to know. This may be the activity that I never quit. Even though I want to get better scores and win, I am very aware that where we are right now is a good place to be. One of the A players said that playing at tournaments at the higher levels isn't fun because if you make a mistake, everyone is on it. People expect us to make mistakes.

Julie: But are we getting better?

Me: Yes.

Julie: But how can you tell? There's not a way to measure it. Are we like greyhounds, going in circles chasing a rabbit?

Me: I have a friend who adopted two greyhounds. They couldn't climb stairs and freaked out when they had to walk on different surfaces, like grass.

Julie: Those poor dogs are really abused.

Me: But we're not like greyhounds, we're making progress.

Julie: We would make more progress if we hired someone to teach us and play with us. But that wouldn't be as much fun.

Me: Exactly. That's what I was getting at earlier . . . we're both competitive, but the journey is enjoyable too. But maybe we should see if John and Joanne will play with us again on a Friday.

At about this point others joined us and the conversation turned to other things. Our tournament scores were in the mid-forties, nothing to get excited about but not embarrasing either. Since my time for bridge is limited these days, we're probably going to play in Kalamazoo on Saturday. Stay tuned!

Mistakes

2011-09-21T18:17:00.007-04:00

Julie and I continued our mini-trend with another good game today. We didn't get many good cards, though, and Julie was declarer only once. She should have played at least twice, but one time when she opened 2 clubs I accidently stole the bid and had to play it out of my weak hand. Rather than go on about that, though, I would rather describe a couple of other mistakes I made. Those were much more interesting -- mainly because they turned out much better for us.

Here's the first one: Julie opened 1 Club and I studied my hand. I had 12 or 13 HCPs but no suit, so I planned to bid 2NT. Before I could do so, however, my RHO overcalled 1 Heart. Now what? I didn't have a suit and I couldn't bid 2NT over interference because while I'm not sure what that would mean, I am sure it wouldn't mean that I had 12 points. I had hearts stopped with Kxx so I bid 1NT instead. As soon as I made the bid, I sent a mental message out to everyone at the table: bid again, bid again, bid again, somebody bid again. Please.

My LHO passed. My partner passed. My RHO paused . . . and bid 2 Hearts. I calmly bid 3NT, which was a big surprise for everyone, and they all passed. A heart was led and dummy came down. I was happy to see the diamonds, which would set up beautifully, but was concerned about the lack of good hearts. MY RHO ducked and I took the first trick with my king. I knew I couldn't afford to lose the lead, so I played with that in mind. And I never did lose the lead--I took all of the tricks.

I learned later that I should have cue bid the hearts.

The other interesting mistake I made was against a top pair in the club. As I waited for the bid to come around to me, I looked at my hand and thought "I have nothing to say." I had 6 sad points and had already mentally passed when I realized that I had to bid something. Julie had opened 1 Club and my RHO had passed. While I wanted to pass as well, I realized that with 6 points I had to say something. I bid 1NT and everyone passed.

I don't know if it was at the moment I bid 1NT or if it was when the last person had passed that I realized that I held 4 little hearts in my hand. Yikes! I hoped there wouldn't be any hearts in dummy, but of course there were. We should have been in hearts, and I knew that this fact would not escape anyone's notice. I did the best I could but went down 1 and got ready.

"Why didn't you bid hearts?" My RHO asked, perplexed.

"I don't want to talk about it," I replied. Of course I talked about it anyway, and everyone was very kind. They even figured out that I was better off in 1NT than in hearts, and indeed I was. We got an above average board.

It's a beautiful thing when a mistake works out for the best, but it's better yet when I learn something from it. Hopefully both will be in play on Sunday.

A Positive Attitude

2011-09-19T08:50:00.006-04:00

Since school started and I am back teaching at the community college, I have less time for bridge and less time for writing about bridge. I am still trying to figure out a way to get around this, but so far no luck. There has to be a way to make a living with bridge that does not involve being a Grand Master, because even with my positive attitude--and I am positive beyond what's reasonable--the way things are going, I will be at least 124 years old before that happens. (And I may need a few years beyond that.)

Anyway, I played yesterday afternoon with Julie and we had a good game. I made two unusual bids--one worked for us and one did not. First the one that worked: My RHO opened 2 clubs. I had less than 10 points but I did have 7 spades. Hmm . . . what the heck, I thought, even though nothing will come of it maybe I can mess up their bidding. So I bid 2 spades, making this the first time I overcalled a 2 club opening. (Again, my positive attitude shows--I had jack high.) My LHO doubled (stolen bid) and everyone passed. Everyone passed! I was not thrilled with this development but I was not horrified, either. At least I knew where all the points were, and since they were not with me and my partner this would most likely be a good sacrifice. I went down 300 and we got a top board.

Now for the bid that did NOT work: My RHO opened 1 NT. I had 16 HCP in my hand and was itching to bid. Unfortunately this is the one situation that falls by the wayside when you play DONT, which is what we play. I should have passed but I just couldn't do it. I took a breath and bid 2 NT.

"Alert," Julie promptly said. The opponents looked at her.

That's interesting, I thought. I wonder what she'll say; DONT doesn't cover this bid. She didn't have to say anything right then because no one asked. Everyone passed but then the opener came back to it.

"What does her 2NT bid mean?"

"We play DONT." Julie paused, and along with our opponents I waited to hear the explanation that would follow. "It means . . . well, it might mean . . . actually, I'm not sure what it means."

"Doesn't it mean she has both of the minors?" One of the opponents tried to be helpful.

"No, I don't think so." Good job, Julie, I mentally congratulated. Just then the director came by and saw what was going on.

"Yes, that means she has both of the minors," he said, agreeing with our opponents.

"No," Julie said, "It would only mean the minors if the opener had bid a major." That's right, I thought. Don't let them confuse you.

The discussion went on for another minute or so while I sat there quietly, looking down so as to not give anything away. Once play started everyone figured out that I had an opening no trump hand, and it did not go well for me. I went down and got a low--although not bottom--board. Next time I will just pass.

To return to the title of this entry and my positive attitude, next week Julie and I are playing in the NAP finals in Lansing. I cannot imagine why I think we might win, but maybe the stars will be aligned and our opponents will be tired/hungover and we won't make any mistakes. You never know.

Top Ten List

2011-09-07T17:58:00.004-04:00

This afternoon I played bridge with my brother. He just learned how to play this year, and since I started two years ago I'm the "senior" person in this partnership, even though he's older. Here are the top ten reasons that I play bridge with Ed:

10. He asks me.

9. He's good natured and easy-going.

8. People are tickled when they realize that we're brother and sister, playing as a team.

7. It reminds me of when I first started, and it gives me a boost to realize how much I've learned.

6. He doesn't tell me what I did wrong.

5. I don't have to be diplomatic when I tell him what he did wrong.

4. He says "you're right" when I comment on the bidding or play.

3. Intead of me asking a more experienced player to be my partner so I can learn from the experience, I get to be the "expert" for a change.

2. I can blame him if we get a bad board.

1. No matter how our game ends up, we're rated the #1 brother-sister bridge partnership in Michigan! (Okay, as far as we know, we're the ONLY brother-sister partnership in Michigan.)

Electronic Scorers

2011-09-03T10:15:00.005-04:00

A while ago Julianne (aka Julie) and I played bridge at another club, and upon returning to Grand Rapids we met her husband for dinner at Thousand Oaks Golf Club.

"It was a lot more expensive," I said. Phil, who had spent that afternoon playing golf, looked interested.

"Really? How much was it?"

"Five dollars!"

"You played all afternoon for five dollars?" He chuckled, probably thinking about the expense of playing golf. "What does it cost in Grand Rapids?"

"Three-fifty."

"You can't beat that," he said.

This conversation came to mind because our club has just raised the playing fee to $4.00. The extra fifty cents will go toward electronic scorers and a duplicating machine. I am really looking forward to those scorers, which should help keep my emotions stablized. Let me explain.

It seemed like Julianne and I were doing okay at yesterday's game. Not outstanding, but decent. Twice I was able to use a bidding strategy that Darryl had recommended a couple of weeks ago, and both times this put us in the right contract. Another time I ended up playing five diamonds, doubled, and I made it. We were using "travelers" to keep score, which meant that after each board we could see what others had done up to that point. All three of these boards were looking good. Some of the other hands were also good and some not so good, which confirmed our feeling that were were doing okay. For us, that meant a percentage somewhere in the mid-forties.

Imagine our dismay at the end of the evening when we were at 38%. Discouraged and baffled, we reluctantly agreed to go out with the group for drinks. As we all sat around the table at the restaurant, chatting and talking about the hands of the evening, I decided to bring up the jewel of my evening. Five diamonds, doubled, had to be a good board, I thought. If I hear what others did on that hand, maybe I'll feel better.

The print-out showed that we had minus 550 points instead of plus.

"Joanne!" Upon this horrifying discovery I immediately called the director, who was sitting at the other end of the table and into a different conversation. "There's been a mistake!"

"We can fix it. What's wrong?" Joanne spoke calmly, apparently in an attempt to soothe my panic. I explained what had happened. "I've already adjusted that. In fact, there were two mistakes. Your score went up."

Our percentage ended up in the mid-forties, which is okay for us on a Friday evening (those are tougher games). So I look forward to those electronic scorers, which should make things easier and keep my pulse stabilized by being more accurate.

Although, now that I think of it, the numbers do have to be put in manually so there's still the possibility of human error. Hmm . . .

The Dance

2011-08-27T09:42:00.002-04:00

I played bridge three times this week with three different partners. As I think about each individual game and the experience as a whole, it strikes me that playing bridge is similar in several ways to ballroom dancing.

First, the partnership: You have to be comfortable with your partner. No one dances their best when they are intimidated, nervous, anxious, or even feeling superior. You have to adjust and smooth over the edges so you fit together and have fun.

Next, the skill level: When I dance with an accomplished dancer, I can follow his moves pretty well. He may have to slow down a fast spin so I don't fall over and eliminate some tricky steps so I don't trip, but with the right hand pressure on my back and a few whispered directions, things go relatively smoothly. When I dance, or play bridge, with someone at my own skill level we can glide through the basic moves but are still trying out and working our way through the trickier ones. It doesn't go as smoothly.

Also, the learning curve: Adding new, fancy steps interupts the flow of the dance. The new moves can be difficult to incorporate, especially when new music is played. Computer dealt hands--even though they are supposedly random--can throw a monkey wrench into any routine.

Of course, the stumbles: Sometimes a misstep can be covered up and go unnoticed except by an expert; sometimes the results are disasterous. In either case, the solution is analysis and practice. Practice. Practice. Practice.

Finally, the music: Finding and feeling the rhythm is at the heart of dancing and, yes, of playing bridge. When the partnership is inside the music, feeling and responding to each other's moves, everything goes right. When the partnership struggles to find that beat, they are in trouble.

Not a perfect metaphor, but there you have it.

Kalamazoo Tournament: Saturday

2011-08-21T09:45:00.000-04:00

I had been looking forward to the two stratiflighted games on Saturday because I had the misconception that we would only be playing other pairs in our flight. It turns out that players with a bazillion points have their own game, but the rest of us play each other and results are stratified. With this on my mind, Julie and I greeted the pair who joined us at our table as we waited for the cards and the first round. After exchanging names and a few pleasantries, I got to the point.

"I didn't really understand what stratiflighted means," I said. South repeated what I had already discovered, and North stated that he had wanted to play in the A game but South had wanted to play in the B-C-D game.

"I just thought I would be more comfortable playing against others who are at my level, rather than against much better players. This will be less tense and more fun."

"How many points do you have?" I asked South. If they had seriously considered playing in the other game, I doubted that we were at their level.

"750."

"So you're a life master?" I continued.

"Yes." South nodded modestly and North naturally asked how many points we had.

"About 50 each," I replied.

"Fifteen hundred?" he asked.

"No, fifty," I repeated.

"Five hundred?" North had a puzzled look on his face.

"No, five-zero. Fifty." North looked at me for a moment then he turned and studied Julie.

"Your face looks much smarter than that," he told her. (Apparently my face doesn't.)

"My face may look smarter," Julie replied, "but my brain doesn't."

So that was the introduction to our first round in the first stratiflighted game. We continued to have a fun afternoon and an even more enjoyable evening. On the few occasions when people were irate with their partners, it became a joke and we all laughed. In terms of our bidding and play, we lost our focus in the afternoon but did much better in the evening. All in all, it was an excellent tournament.

Kalamazoo Tournament: Thursday

2011-08-20T08:45:00.001-04:00

Thursday went much better. Julie and I placed and received points; although not gold, we were satisfied. We're playing again today, Saturday, in the stratiflighted games. I am told that this is the place to be, since we'll be playing only against others in our division. We'll see.

When I think about Thursday, three things come to mind. The first is the need for mental toughness. When a top pair sat at our table, Julie and I were friendly but hyper-focused. We understood that there was little room for error and we actually ended up getting our best boards against this pair. When they left our table we collapsed and the following round was our worst. Just like in any competition, achieving and maintaining mental toughness is crucial.

The second insight is that appearances can be deceiving. Not a new insight, I know, but it was driven home by a wacky-looking man who seemed mentally out to lunch. "This will be an easy round" came to mind after just a few seconds at the table. Wrong. Very wrong. He may be a strange one but he can sure play bridge. I will never again underestimate someone based on the way they look and act.

Finally, I had an experience that has happened only once before. I had a moment of clarity when it seemed as though I completely understood everything that was happening at the table. I knew where the cards were, what my partner's signals meant (we were playing defense), what I had to do. All of the pieces came together in a coherent, slow-motion kind of way--the bidding, the lead, the count, everything. Do Flight A players experience this all the time? Because I liked it!

Sacked in Kalamazoo

2011-08-17T08:30:00.003-04:00

Kalamazoo tournaments are fun because they always have goodies for the participants. While my favorite, the mechanical pencil, was conspicuously absent, we did all receive tote bags with the legend "Sacked in Kalamazoo" emblazened on it. At the time we joked about the negative connotation, but unfortunately it turned out to be prophetic.

As Julie and I were planning for the tournament, several experienced players encouraged us to play in the side games. I asked so many questions about the different types of games, debating the advantages/disadvantages of each for weeks, that Julie completely withdrew from the decision-making process. "Whatever you want to do," she told me, "is fine with me." The side games it was.

Julie, Jeanne and Melissa picked me up bright and early at 7:30 a.m. Julie is not a morning person but she valiantly tried to keep up with the enthusiastic conversation about bidding conventions and, I admit it, some gossip as we made our way to the tournament. Once there, we discovered that the non-life masters game was merged with the side game--all of my research was for nothing. We settled in to play.

The morning for all four of us was not great and the afternoon even less so. However, this did not dampen our spirits and the conversation on the ride home was even livelier than on the way to the tournament (probably because Julie had been drinking coffee all day and was thoroughly awake). We agreed that our opponents "were not better players, they just played better" and that we would play better on Thursday.

Can you guess who said what on the drive back to Grand Rapids?

"I think I over-analyzed."

"The bathroom facilities were wonderful!"

"My neck is strained."

"Who wants to stop for happy hour?"

What I Learned Yesterday

2011-08-11T10:50:00.002-04:00

Every time that I play bridge I like to focus on what I learned during that session. Sometimes what I learn is that I have a lot to learn, but still, that's something. Yesterday I again had the opportunity to play with Darryl: I experienced new bids, eliminated an old one, and got to ask lots of questions.

The last time I played with Darryl he said that if I didn't know what a bid of his meant I should just bid something so he wouldn't be stuck there. That has become our mantra when I play with Julie, and it is a very useful strategy indeed. Anyway, yesterday Darryl opened a minor and the opponent bid a heart. I only had about 6 points but I did have a 4 card spade suit, so I bid a negative double. Darryl bid 3 hearts! The only thing I knew for sure was that I had to bid again--not only did I not know what this bid meant, I also saw that it was a cue bid and so couldn't really mean hearts. I thought perhaps Darryl wanted to put the play in my hand, although why he would want to do that was beyond me. I did have some diamonds, but after much deliberation (were you getting nervous, Darryl?) I bid 3 spades. Darryl went to 4 spades and I was the declarer.

As most of you probably know, and which I learned when dummy came down, Darryl's bid meant that he had game forcing points and wanted to know if I had a heart stopper so we could play it in no trump. He was denying 4 spades. But it all turned out okay; I made the contract.

If you are wondering which bid I eliminated after yesterday's game, it is the quantitative raise of 4 no trump in response to an opening 1 no trump bid. It was very exciting (for me, at any rate) when Darryl opened 1 no trump and I held 18 high card points. Wow! I didn't have a four card (or 5 card) major, so I jumped to 4 no trump. Darryl bid 6 no trump and made 7. I had thought about taking it to 7 but couldn't do it, not knowing if we had all of the aces. Afterwards I found out that players who bid 4 clubs to find out about aces did make it to 7 no trump. I talked about it with Darryl and next time I will ask about aces.

In about an hour I will be back at the club with Julie as my partner. I don't know if I'll have time to write about the results (I'm heading out of town for a long weekend at the Greektown Casino), but wish us luck :)

Enlightenment

2011-08-05T09:50:00.002-04:00

It was 45 minutes before game time as I walked through the underground hallway labyrinth that leads to the bridge club. I had my lunch in a plastic baggie and my scores from yesterday's game in my purse. As I approached the room I encountered Jim.

"What are you doing here so early?" he asked.

"I'm here for enlightenment." And indeed I was, since every Thursday Jim teaches a bridge lesson before the start of the game. I had not attended previous sessions because of lack of time, but it had finally worked out that I could be there. Today he would be going over the pre-dealt hands that we had played the day before, and I was ready.

Since I was early even for the lesson, there were only a couple of other people at the table when I sat down. I took out my lunch before I cut through the chit-chat and asked Jim about board #19. We had gotten a low score on this one and my partner had taken the blame, but I knew I had also gone astray and wanted to find out what I should have done differently. The lively discussion that followed revealed what others had done and why, and, with Jim's help, I did learn what I should have bid when my partner jump-shifted into diamonds.

More people joined our group and were confused when they found out we were discussing board #19. "Am I that late?" and "How did you get that far already?" were murmured comments that floated across the tables. Jim wrapped up the discussion and clarified what we were doing.

"Margaret was early and asked about #19. If you're here early, we talk about whatever you want. Now let's look at board #1."

I liked that and made a mental note to come early when I could, then turned my attention back to the lesson. On some hands Jim focused on the bidding and on others the play, but either way he encouraged discussion and led us along the right path. Overall the lesson was interesting and enlightening.

I've written before about the importance of Flight A players sharing their expertise with others, and this is worth highlighting again. Thanks to Jim and thanks to all others who take the time to mentor us.

Yet another difference...

2011-08-03T17:15:00.001-04:00

Today I discovered yet another difference between Flight A and Flight C players. A few entries back I wrote about how two days in a row A players tried to take advantage of my inexperience playing duplicate bridge. A players thought this referred to outright cheating while C players thought that it referred to less sinister (but still undesirable) trickery.

Many years ago there was a scandal that involved cheating. I don't know the details other than it was really bad...people were doing things like holding cards with their fingers in a position that showed, for example, how many hearts they held. Flight A players who lived through that were understandably concerned that cheating had once again reared its ugly head.

On the other hand, new players have not witnessed this type of cheating at the club. When they read my entry, they commiserated and shared stories of when, for example, they were playing defense and dummy told declarer what to play ("You didn't mean to ruff that, did you partner?" "No I didn't, play a diamond instead."). Our lack of experience can keep us from calling the director but not from complaining . . . and then finding out later that we were "cheated."

The first time the director was called to the table because of me I was mortified. My face turned red and I kept apologizing, saying that I hadn't misplayed on purpose. I wouldn't have dreamed of calling the director myself, even if I could have recognized an opponent's misstep! How things have changed. Today I jokingly told Joanne (who was playing, not directing) that I needed her advice on how to bid my very confusing hand. She offered to help, but since she was our opponent I thought better of it. I'm not scared of the director anymore (at least not most of the time).

So here's my question: Do you consider it "cheating" when an experienced player takes advantage of a beginner's lack of knowledge of the rules of duplicate bridge? Or do you think this is just part of the game?

Ha Ha!

2011-07-30T12:50:00.000-04:00

After a disasterous Wednesday, I had decent games on Thursday and Friday. At this stage in my bridge career that means our percentages were in the mid-forties and we placed (fifties are "excellent" and sixties are cause for major celebration). Anyway, Friday evening I was back with my regular partner, Julie, and we were sitting north-south.

After a few rounds, two Flight A players sat down at our table. On the first board, Julie was the declarer and we went down one. That would have been okay except that they had doubled us. On the second board East was the declarer in a 4 spades contract. I led a heart, won, and followed with another heart. A heart was played from dummy, Julie played the queen, and declarer followed suit. I then led a low heart, a heart followed from dummy, and of course Julie ruffed with a spade. East then played an even higher spade, accompanied with a dramatic "HA HA!"

"Ha Ha?" Julie and I echoed. We were taken aback by this uncharacteristic exclamation.

"You snapped that queen, telling your partner to play another heart, but I was out too!"

"I didn't snap," Julie said. "Ha ha?" I said. West was silent.

No cause for alarm, this is not another blog about rude players. We had been joking earlier and East was just having fun with us. He went on to make his contract and we started the third board. Now the bidding went like this: West opened a minor and Julie doubled. East bid 1 spade; I had nice clubs with 10 HCP and so bid 2 clubs. West bid 2 spades, Julie went to 3 clubs and all passed.

I ended up down one. Julie asked West if I could have made it and he said no.

"Could you have made 2 spades?"

"Yes." West looked grim.

"That means this is a top board." Julie and I looked at each other and turned to East.

"HA HA!" We said in unison. Everyone laughed.

The moral of today's story comes from Julie: What goes around comes around.

2011-07-29T11:45:00.000-04:00

When my nephew was little he liked to play board games, and one time we caught him cheating. When he thought no one was looking he kept moving his piece a few spaces forward on the board until he was finally in the lead. My mother called him on it, asking why he was doing that. "Because I want to win" was his logical reply. He didn't see a problem with it.

Apparently some people never outgrow this approach to games. I've read about it in letters to the editor in the Bridge Bulletin and heard about it from friends and now, two days in a row, I've experienced it myself. Do these people consider it part of the game to try and trick an inexperienced player? Do they think that if they don't get caught, it's okay? Do they get the same satisfaction for a win attained in this way?

When I hear about or experience these situations, it doesn't make me think less of the game or less of bridge players in general. It does, however, make me think forever differently about the people involved.

How much of this do you think is going on?

Vulnerability

2011-07-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was not a good day for bridge, at least not for me. North-south did not get many cards, and when we did get cards we were vulnerable and east-west was not. This consistently inspired our opponents to push the bidding until they got the contract (which they often made). At one point my partner said with relief, "The last round is coming up." I looked at the clock and saw that in fact we had at least another hour to play. We both felt as though we had been there for days.

The positive side of having a bridge day like this is that I usually learn something. It's not as much fun as bidding and making slam or getting good boards against A players, but it advances my game in a way that a good day does not. At least that's what I tell myself.

Yesterday I learned about sacrifices. I have thought about this a lot but have seldom (consciously) bid knowing that I probably wouldn't make my contract. Here's what happened: I held 8 nice diamonds, my partner kept passing and we were vulnerable. I figured that we would go down at least one and maybe two, but I continued to bid up to 5 diamonds. The opponents bid 5 hearts and I reluctantly passed. They made their contract but we got an above average board. It turns out that if they had doubled my 5 diamonds I was going to go down 2 for 500 points; instead, they made 450. I missed that bullet but learned in a concrete way how far to go when I am bidding aggressively.

The funny thing about bridge is that if things go well or not, I want to play again. I'll be back at the club in just a few hours.

Bridge and Blackjack

2011-07-21T12:10:00.000-04:00

I used to play a lot of blackjack. I went to Las Vegas, counted cards, paid close attention to the odds and won a fair amount of money. Now I play bridge, still counting cards but trying to win masterpoints instead of money. The "odds" are what brought these similarities to mind during yesterday's game.

I held six decent diamonds and had less than 10 HCP, not vulnerable. My RHO opened a spade. I looked at my hand and got a familiar feeling in my stomach. Even though it's been years since I've played serious blackjack, I recognized the tightening muscles and slight light-headedness. It was about the need to play the odds even though it was kind of scary.

When I played blackjack and had a significant bet on the table, sometimes the odds dictated that I split my cards or double down. This meant I could lose twice as much (yikes!) or win twice as much (hurray!). I knew that even though the odds said to increase my bet there was no guarantee that things would work out in my favor. I always put the extra chips on the table.

Back to those six diamonds . . . I took a breath and bid 3 diamonds. It seemed high for a weak hand but I thought it was the right thing to do. My LHO bid 3 spades and my partner extended my preempt to 4 diamonds. RHO bid 4 spades, all passed and they went down one, vulnerable. It had worked.

I know that some people do crazy and dangerous things for an adrenaline rush. Bridge and blackjack may not produce the same thrill as jumping off a platform with a bungee cord tied to your body, but it is good enough for me. More than good enough.

Mentoring

2011-07-18T15:30:00.000-04:00

Julie and I received a gift this past weekend from an A player: Bob invited us to hang out at his pool and play a little bridge. We are in the middle of a heat wave and the chance to swim in cool water was very appealing, but even more enticing was the possibility of being Bob's bridge partner. I immediately brought up the partnership issue with Julie (the thought that the fourth player, as yet unknown, might be Bob's partner was never a consideration).

"You know how much I want to play with Bob; this is my chance." I tried to strike a note between plaintive and reasonable.

"You can be his partner." Julie conceded immediately, probably because she didn't want to hear me whine. "But I wonder who the fourth will be?"

The fourth turned out to be our friend Lee, who had gone to the Frankfort tournament with us. After a quick dip, we all sat at a table by the pool and got started. Bob is a former teacher and his expertise in this area quickly became apparent as he walked us through some hands he had prepared. He continued asking questions to push our thinking as we played, explaining his reasoning about bidding and play. When he won the bid we switched seats so that I could practice. Once he even said "you played that like a pro," which was encouraging.

Not so encouraging was my defense. It takes all of my brain power to count cards (usually correctly but not always) and think about the play. With Bob's help I could reason through how many clubs the declarer had in her hand or where the king of hearts was, but on my own I would need an extra 5-10 minutes for every move. Plus Julie and I need to start giving count and suit preference--I feel proud of myself when I notice high-low or attitude signals, I don't know how long it will take for me to decipher more complicated messages. Still, it is good to start on that path.

I started this blog by saying that Bob had given us a gift. It truly is a gift when an advanced player takes the time to mentor beginners; no amount of studying and playing can substitute for personal insight and experience. So thanks to Bob and thanks to all A players who take the time to help beginners learn more about the game. After all, this is what will keep bridge alive.

25% to the GRBC

2011-07-15T12:10:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed the appearance of advertisements on this blog. Originally, against the advice of adsense (the company that provides the ads), I placed these solely in the sidebar. This way, I thought, they will be out of the way and I can earn a little revenue at the same time. This flawed reasoning may be indicative of why my bridge career is not proceeding at a faster pace; how can ads be effective if no one notices them?

I am attempting to make corrections in both of these arenas. In terms of bridge, I have returned to my books after a brief hiatus and am again immersed in studying the play of the hand (next book: defense). In terms of ads, I have added one at the end of the current entry.

I have also decided to give back 25% of the ad revenue to the Grand Rapids Bridge Club. Even though this won’t be a huge amount since this is not a big money-making venture, it will hopefully add up to something. Wouldn’t it be great to get those electronic scorers! Or to have our own building! Or to build a children’s wing in a hospital! (I like to dream big.)

So if you feel like it, click away. (Most of the ads do require a click in order to "count".) The ads are ever changing and you may even find something that interests you. In the meantime, it’s back to the books for me.

Irrational Exuberance

2011-07-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

Perhaps you've heard the term "irrational exuberance" which was coined by Alan Greenspan a few years back. I confess that the first time I encountered this phrase was last week when some of us went out after bridge. You can see where this is heading.

"Irrational exuberance" came to my brother's mind (what can I say) when he described his bidding of one particular hand. We were partners for the first time and my job was to coach him and to provide helpful tips (which is a story in itself). I opened, our opponents bid and Ed jumped in as well. I calculated how many points he had and continued the auction to win the bid. Imagine my surprise when dummy came down almost devoid of points. He had bid because he was irrationally exuberant about his many hearts. We were in spades.

I did the best I could but went down two for minus 100. I calmly told Ed that he shouldn't have bid, and he acknowledged this with a resigned sigh. Later when I checked the scores I noted that we had stolen the bid and had gotten a top board! Sometimes it pays to be overly enthusiastic.

Friday Night at the Bridge Club

2011-07-02T14:00:00.000-04:00

Two hands with voids = one excellent board and one horrible board. This prompts me to ask: When should I "bid my hand" and when should I "just go for it"? Oddly enough, although these sound like two very different bidding options, they are sometimes similar in practice and only become distinguishable after the dummy comes down. In rare cases the difference between sensible bidding and getting carried away doesn't become apparent until sometime during the play of the hand. One thing to remember when bidding these types of hands, however, is to take note of vulnerability (which, unfortunately, I did not).

I did receive some advice yesterday evening. I was declarer and just barely made my contract after what I considered some fancy playing on my part. I was rather proud of myself, and thinking back, perhaps this showed and prompted the advice. My opponent was an A player who until this point had never commented on my bidding or my play, or actually on anything.

"Why didn't you run the spades?" asked X.

"Is that what I should have done?"

"Of course," X said, and went on to explain what would have happened.

"Would I have made more?" I had every confidence in X's explanation, but I was so surprised by the attention that my mind went blank and I couldn't follow anything that was said. I just felt the need to say something and so asked the question.

"Yes, you would have made 5!"

"Really?" Again, my question did not indicate doubt, merely my inability to process anything.

"Well, maybe 4."

The print-outs at the end of the evening confirmed that X was correct. I hope that the next time someone unexpectedly becomes helpful I will be able to follow the conversation and learn something.

Lake Michigan Bridge Retreat

2011-07-01T18:00:00.000-04:00

This week I traded bridge at the club for bridge at a gorgeous cottage near Pentwater--thank you, Jeanne! We enjoyed the sun, the water, good company, and a little wine (okay, maybe more than a little) while playing and studying bridge. We discussed conventions, did "The Bidding Box" from the Bridge Bulletin, analyzed hands, and talked about our experiences at the club. This was the perfect combination of bridge and summertime! (PS: I can't stay away too long, I'll be back at the club tonight.)

Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story"

2011-06-25T13:00:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago Julie and I were playing against C players. I was (and still am) working on using bidding and playing clues to figure out the opponents' cards. I was declarer and my LHO led a small heart, so I figured my RHO for the Ace. I played accordingly and subsequently lost a trick because in fact LHO had underled her Ace.

The frustration I felt that evening was mirrored in the A player who asked my brother's partner about the meaning of his 2 of hearts discard (see "A Lesson for A Players"). It turns out that experienced players' first discard of a low card is discouraging while a high card is encouraging. Many C players play that the first discard--no matter high or low--is encouraging. The A player in question had been burned several times by assuming that a C player's first discard of a low card was discouraging when in fact the opposite was true. He was determined to not let that happen again!

Awhile ago I wrote about the differences between A players and C players. One way to think about this is in terms of language; it's as if one group speaks Spanish and the other French. Although two separate languages, there are enough similarities for mutual understanding if both sides make the effort. Not a perfect metaphor, but there you go.

A Lesson for A Players

2011-06-23T22:00:00.000-04:00

My brother was playing bridge with another C player, defending against A players in a 3NT contract. Ed didn't have much of anything in his hand, and at some point during the play he responded with a lowly 2 of hearts. I was playing on the other side of the room, so what follows is an approximation of what happened next.

LHO turned to Ed's partner. "What does his 2 of hearts mean?" he asked.

Ed's partner was a bit confused by this question but did her best to answer. "It means he doesn't have many hearts left," she responded.

"But what is he signaling?"

Ed's partner shrugged. "That his lowest heart is a 2."

LHO persisted in his questioning. "But what does that mean?"

Ed's partner, having run out of answers, gave a resigned sigh. "It doesn't mean anything."

LHO was aghast. "You mean he plays cards at random??"

At this point in the conversation my brother could no longer keep silent. "Yes, I do play cards at random."

RHO was stunned by this revelation. "Why haven't you learned signaling?"

"There's so much, I guess it's just been on the back burner."

"Well, move it to the front burner!"

This was all just too much for Ed, who found the discussion so humorous that he had to excuse himself from the table in order to regain his composure.

The moral of the story is: A players shouldn't assume that every move a C player makes has meaning, because a lot of times it doesn't.

Learning from mistakes?

2011-06-19T20:11:00.000-04:00

As I write this, I am waiting for 9 women to descend on my home. I have spent the day cleaning and preparing food; now I am relaxing for a few minutes while Amadeus (my cat) keeps watch out the front window. He knows something is up, since he has not witnessed such frenzied activity for awhile. Soon we will eat and drink and play cards . . . pinochle! There will be a few bridge players in the group, including my partner Julie and our friend Melissa, but there will be no bridge talk. Several of the pinochleheads get rather irate at bridge references, probably because they feel left out. A notable exception is Valeria, whom I suspect you will see one day at the bridge table.

In any case, as I reflect on Friday's game, a familiar question arises. How can you start fresh with each hand while still learning from the previous one? For example, after a bad board my partner and I tell each other to "shake it off" and "a new board is next" and "forget about it, start over." But if there have been a few hands where we didn't bid game but made it, it is really hard to not bid game in the following boards (and fall short). If there are a couple of times that we make slams that we didn't bid, it is really tempting to take a risk later in the game if it looks possible (although it usually isn't). And after all, we want to learn from our mistakes, don't we? Unfortunately, this type of "learning" usually doesn't work out too well.

Maybe this quick fix mentality comes from not having enough time during the game for a real analysis of what happened. I don't know, what do you think?

Sutton's Bay

2011-06-13T20:01:00.000-04:00

We were sitting east-west at Sutton's Bay NLM tournament and I opened a diamond. My LHO overcalled a heart and I waited to see what Julie would do. She reached confidently for the bidding box . . . and then paused. I watched with interest as her hand hovered momentarily in mid-air: Would she bid a spade, and if she did, would it mean that she had five of them or that she had once again reverted to the old ingrained system that meant she could have four? If she bid a spade, and if she only had four, it didn't really matter in terms of my next bid. In this situation I always responded as if she had five, in the hopes that one day the result would be so disastrous that she would never again forget about negative doubles. It would be better, though, if that day arrived when we were not at a tournament.

Julie's hand was once again in motion and slowly moved to the back of the box. Here we go, I thought, and just then her hand made a quick dip forward and she flipped the double card onto the table. She had a little grin on her face and I quickly looked away before we both burst into laughter.

I don't remember what happened next and I don't know or if that was a good board for us or not. It doesn't really matter.

Without a Partner

2011-06-09T08:09:00.001-04:00

It was with trepidation that I set off for the bridge club yesterday. My regular partner plays with someone else on Wednesdays and so I was on my own. [Side note: Julie objects to the term "regular" partner because it sounds too pedestrian, although she admits it is better than "normal." Oddly enough, she objects even more strongly to "irregular" and "abnormal."] I didn't know who the standby was, but even if I did it wouldn't have made much difference; partnerless players get paired up with each other before the standby is called into action. I didn't arrange for a partner ahead of time and so I didn't know what--or whom--to expect.

My concern about a potential partner had little to do with skill level. Rather, I was uneasy about playing with someone who would berate me for my mistakes or be so intense that I would become nervous. There was also the possibility that someone would simply irritate me. While 99% of the players at our club would do none of these things, you never can tell what might happen.

Julie sympathized and helpfully suggested that when I arrived at the club I should first stand back and get the lay of the land. I tried this tactic but I couldn't even spot the sign-in table, much less identify the standby or other players in search of partners. I finally had to ask where to sign in (the director was not at the usual spot), and when I approached the table I was immediately paired up with Sharron.

What great luck! Sharron had told me in the past that she has mastered the art of having fun at playing bridge, no matter if she has a good game or not. I knew that she would not be upset at my mistakes, nor would she be stressed and irritating. We did in fact have a fun, relaxed game--and as a bonus, we ended up with a good score and got masterpoints.

There were many interesting hands for east-west, both in terms of bidding and playing, but it is not something complex that stood out for me. Rather, it was when we played defense against a pair of A players in a 3NT contract. I was on lead with not much in my hand other than the ace of hearts and several little hearts. I was sorely tempted to do something with this suit: Should I play my ace, because I'll never get into my hand again? Should I lead a small heart to set up the suit, because I did have a lot of them? I considered my opponents and knew they would make mincemeat out of me with either of those leads. I led a spade. They made their contract but told me that my lead was a good one and that we would get a good board, which we did, because I didn't help them set up anything.

I learn a lot when A players point out my mistakes, but it is also incredibly helpful when they acknowledge something I've done right. Since our opponents made their contract, I wouldn't have known I'd made the right lead unless someone with a better understanding of the game had explained it to me. I have several great teachers at the club!

"A Good Partnership is Everything"

2011-06-01T19:42:00.000-04:00

Julie and I learned a lot playing bridge in today's afternoon game. In fact, we were learning so much that we figured we weren't doing all that well. After hands were bid and played, we could see (or it was pointed out to us) what we should have bid, what a killer lead would have been, how a card could have been finessed--well, you get the picture.

During an east-west bump we stood off to the side to go over some plays and new ideas. For example, Walt had suggested this: When a 1 NT opener has the minimum (that was me), and the responder bids 2 clubs (Julie), when there's an intervening bid (Walt) the opener should pass. Then the responder doubles to allow the opener to bid her suit. That way the responder knows it's a minimum no trump hand and you don't end up too high (which we did). As we were standing around, Walt wandered over and joined our discussion.

"You two must be doing well today," he opined. I made a neutral sound and tried not to look too surprised. If only that were true, I thought. We chatted a bit and few minutes later our play resumed.

At the end of the afternoon we were pleased to see that we had reached the magic 50% mark and gotten some points. I thought back to that earlier conversation and found Walt.

"When we talked earlier, why did you think we were doing well?" I asked. "Because actually, we did do all right."

"I can see how you and Julie have been developing your partnership," Walt replied. "Many of the others who played against us today are better players than you, but they weren't playing with regular partners. A good partnership is everything."

I have a lot to learn about bridge, but I do know that good partnerships--long standing ones and new ones--are everything in terms of enjoyment and motivation to improve. And it does help your game when you play the same convention card!

Memorial Weekend

2011-05-28T23:04:00.001-04:00

As I sit in Julie’s kitchen on this Memorial Weekend Saturday, sipping bubbly and listening to music, I ask her, “What stood out to you yesterday at bridge?”

“John and Joanne were particularly nice,” she mused.

“Yes, but what about bridge?” I persisted.

“There weren’t many C players,” she noted.

“But what’s something interesting that happened?” I continued to ask.

“Well, I think that one hand really can make six because you made it. A lot of people didn’t make six, but if they played it like you did they would have made it.”

This brings up a point that I have been wanting to make, which is that I do believe my play is improving. My Wednesday partner made encouraging remarks to this effect, and an opponent earlier in the week said that he couldn’t believe I had made a particular contract. So that is good news.

Along with the play, Julie and I are improving our bidding. We added support doubles to our arsenal and were able to use this bid for the first time last night. Julie opened a minor, her LHO passed, I bid a heart, and fourth seat bid a spade. Julie doubled. For just a moment I was perplexed. I thought, she’s telling me that she has the unbid suits…the only unbid suit is clubs…why would she double to tell me that?? AHA! I confidently said “alert” and rebid my hearts, since I had 5 of them. We were able to get to the right contract and make it. Next: reverses!

As we continue to sip our bubbly, Julie turns to a topic that is weighing heavily on her mind. Julie writes…

In addition to all the bridge talk we have been having, Margaret has been able to confirm that singlehood is really, really a pleasant place to reside. Phil and I have been discussing who put my clothes in the dryer when I specifically told said husband, as I left for bridge, not to do anything with said clothes that were in the washing machine. Since Phil said he didn’t do it, I told Phil we’re going to have get ADT because obviously the house is being broken into. I know this blog is about bridge, but I am thinking there are some couples out there who can relate to the additional stories about wedded bliss. I could go on, but I won’t. I will leave the additional story—about sending a husband to the store for a very specific item—for another time.

Top 10 List

2011-05-27T08:49:00.001-04:00

I wonder...

#10: What did I used to do with all of the time that I now spend playing bridge?

#9: Why do I bid distributional hands fabulously one day and haphazardly a week later?

#8: When there’s a skip, why do I always end up bypassing C players and never A players?

#7: When my game is going relatively well (49%), why are my last round opponents A players who show no mercy?

#6: What are the odds that every time my partner opens a weak two bid, I’m either void in her suit or have one card?

#5: How many times in one game can I make slams that I didn’t bid, and not make slams that I did bid?

#4: How is it possible that in any given game, most of the best players are my opponents and, at the same time, most of the best players are sitting the same direction as me?

#3: When will there be another tournament in Hawaii?

#2: Do A players no longer pepper me with advice because I am bidding and playing better, or because they have given up on me?

#1: Why do people remark in person on my blog but hesitate to leave written comments?

The Kalamazoo Tournament

2011-05-21T11:02:00.000-04:00

After the first game, Dee and I approached the tournament director to see where we stood with one round to go. The printer wasn't working, but he had his computer up and didn't seem too busy at the moment. We told him our pair number and he scrolled down the screen. After squinting at the numbers he turned to us with pity in his eyes. "There is no way you're going to win," he announced with a sad shake of his head. Ever hopeful, I asked what our percentage was and he told us.

"24 percent!" I repeated, aghast and in awe at the same time.

"No, 44 percent!" Dee and the director shouted in unison.

"Well, that's not so bad," I commented to Dee. It certainly wasn't, compared to a full 20 percentage points less. "I guess it is to an A player," she replied.

I find this difference in perspective between A players and C players very interesting. Earlier that day, before play had started, I was joking with our club director about my plan for the tournament. "If there's game, bid it and make it; if there's not game, don't bid it. Likewise with slam."

Joanne added, "And if you bid game but it's not there . . ." She paused while I considered this likely possibility. ". . . make it anyway!"

I kept this directive in mind when the play started, and I am happy to report that I successfully heeded it. My bidding got us into a contract that, once dummy came down, I saw there was no way of making. The beautiful ace and king of hearts might as well have been in Alaska, since I was void of hearts and there were no other entries. I also had worthless clubs in my hand and on the board. Play started and I was doing the best I could when my LHO took a trick and was on lead. He played a heart! I was able to cash in my ace and king, and made the contract. He had never played his ace of clubs.

So even though I need gifts to be able to follow the advice of A players, maybe that still means I'm on the right road.

Bridge Beginnings

2011-05-18T17:44:00.001-04:00

Today my bridge partner was my teacher, the man who introduced me to bridge almost 2 1/2 years ago. I remember signing up for the six week beginner course, thinking that was an excessive amount of time to learn a card game. Oh well, I thought, this way I'll learn all of the nuances and really know how to play. It didn't take long for me to realize that this was going to be a whole lot more complex than I had imagined. At the end of the six weeks I signed up for the intermediate course, and when that class ended I signed on to play duplicate at the Grand Rapids Bridge Club in the newly formed Newcomers section.

After I had played in the Newcomers group for awhile, my teacher invited me to play with him on what some of us called "the dark side," the other area of the room where the "real" players were. (Some of us still call it that.) I remember my nervousness and fervent hope that we wouldn't end up on the bottom. It turned out to be a special day for points; we placed and I even earned some red! Since then I have found that "the dark side" has a lot of light and that being on the bottom sometimes isn't so bad (although I would still rather not be there).

How did you first come to duplicate bridge and the GRBC? Here's your chance to share your story! Please leave a comment, we need some new voices here!

The Most Difficult Part of Bridge

2011-05-17T09:58:00.001-04:00

Bridge is a complex undertaking; I hesitate to call it a "game" since it is so much more than that. The many fascinating challenges are outlined and analyzed in a myriad of books and articles that cover topics such as bidding systems, defensive strategies, the play of the hand, opening leads, and so much more. However, I have yet to read anything about the aspect of bridge that I have found to be the most demanding, which I encountered--not for the first time--last night.

I played yesterday with a new partner, since Julie has an out-of-town guest who would not appreciate her being gone for the bulk of the evening. We sat north-south, with me in the south, which in and of itself was fine. However, our table was placed so that my view consisted mostly of the wall. Since I didn't have the luxury of leaving the table to move to the next one, this meant that I didn't see anyone until they sat at our table and that they didn't see me. In fact, my own brother didn't know I was in the room until the game was almost over! Someone less social than myself may not mind this, but I like to see what's going on. I like to feel part of things, to make eye contact with people, to notice who might strangle their partner.

But this was not the main problem. The main problem was that in addition to the seating, I did not get any good cards. I had 2, 5, maybe 9 high card points in most of the hands that I held. With nothing to look at, either in the room or in my hand, I found it very hard to concentrate. The lack of stimulation lulled me into a semi-comatose state. I bid my hands, but couldn't think about stealing bids or taking sacrifices. I thought briefly about what cards my opponents might hold, but then an unbidden "what difference does it make, I don't have anything to defend with anyway" would enter my mind. The same with counting cards--I just couldn't make the effort.

I would much rather struggle to bid slam and then struggle to make it, even if I did it incorrectly and got a bottom board. Failing that, I would much rather move around the room and get energy from the group, even if I wasn't holding cards with a lot of points.

There are a lot of books that can teach me about bridge, and even a few books that can help with attitude. Until I reach the level of an A player friend who revels in playing defense no matter what cards he holds, I would benefit from a book on how to deal with the combination of both of these things.

More about Frankfort

2011-05-08T08:53:00.000-04:00

If you read the previous blog by my partner, teammates and friends, you will know that we had a great time at the Frankfort tournament and stayed up very late Friday night. Julie and I shared a room and spent most of that night talking and laughing; periodically she would count the possible number of hours that were left for sleep and say "this is not going to be good." I brushed aside her calculations and misgivings with the remark that "if **** can do it, we can do it." Of course this referred to someone who had an excellent game on Friday after a previously rough day (Cinco de Mayo).

In fact my predication turned out to be accurate. We won 4 of the 7 Swiss Team rounds, placing second in C and winning almost 2 silver points. We started out losing by only 13 points to the A team that ended up in first place, followed by 3 wins. That put us in 3rd place overall going into the lunch break. Unfortunately it also meant that our next opponents were very good players and we lost the next two rounds. However, we rallied and told each other to win the last round, which we did.

What did I learn this weekend? Well, one thing that made the play interesting was what seemed to be an inordinate number of distributional hands. This provided me with the opportunity to practice thinking about winners and losers rather than merely counting points. It got to the point where I was actually looking forward to these strangely lopsided hands rather than dreading them. Not only was I able to enter the bidding in a way that ended up well for us, my bidding often created a tension in my partner that was only relieved after we won the hand. Now that is fun!

The Frankfort Tournament: Guest Writers

2011-05-06T23:33:00.000-04:00

Julie says:
First of all, Margaret is making all of us write something on "HER" blog before we can go to bed tonight. I'm going to depart from the theme of bridge bidding/playing to address a topic that a group of women driving 2 1/2 hours to the Frankfort bridge tournament usually likes to trot out and try to solve. HUSBANDS. How do you get them to change? After lots of thoughtful sniping, Margaret (the single one) gives us the answer to the eternal question: "you can't change someone else, you can only change yourself." Thanks, Margaret, if only we had known this some 26, 28, 38, and 44 years ago. You've got to love those single girls who have the tolerance and patience for changing self.

Melissa and Jeanne say:
"I really thought I had it all nailed down" Jeanne lamented, as we missed our exit, somehow - even though we had map quested it and had a GPS system. Why did we miss our exit? Well, all of our bridge friends will understand that we were in a deep discussion on a variety of bidding systems we were considering and completely missed our exit. When we finally arrived in Frankfort, a team who felt sorry for us; because we had to work all week, because we had gotten lost and probably because they knew they would be beating us in the tournament ...... gave us the wonderful bottle of wine they won in the first round. As I sit here, being chained to the computer (yes, Margaret has used extreme pressure)..... I think perhaps, drinking the wine - it hasn't been that bad of a night after all.

Lea says:
I have to say how wonderful this game of bridge is. Not only do we get to use these aging brain cells to learn new things, but we get to meet such fun and interesting people. It is great to laugh and get to know these women. I am honored to be included in this group; Margaret, Dee, Julie, Melissa & Jeanne. (They made me name them.)

Dee says:
I would agree that bridge is the best! It may be a humbling game, but it keeps the mind active and friendships expanding. It's 1:22 A. M. and everyone here, at my daughter's house in Beulah, is still rehashing the day's tournament bridge hands, laughing and enjoying our time together!

Education

2011-05-05T08:56:00.000-04:00

I played with a new partner yesterday--well, he was kind of new. We had played bridge together once before, and many years ago we used to hang out with the same group of people and play volleyball. Darryl's suggestions the first time we played were the reason that Julie and I now play DONT, bid controls in response to a 2 club opening, and changed some of our No Trump responses. I was looking forward to playing and learning more.

It started out a little rough. I sat down at the table eager to show Darryl that I could play. Don't be a wimp, I told myself. Be aggressive! Take the bid! Go to game! Don't let the opponents push you around! You can guess the result. Darryl softly said "you didn't really have another bid" and I settled down.

That afternoon I learned some things about play and bidding. The most important lesson, though, came from watching an A player's approach to the game. I know enough about bridge now to be able to think about moves that previously seemed almost magical. Questions like "Where did that bid come?" and "Why isn't he getting trump off the table?" have changed to questions like "What did the opponents' bids tell him that I missed?" and "How did he know where the king was?" What Darryl and other good players do--take in and use all of the information that is revealed during bidding and the opening lead--is my goal. Of course I also need to work on counting cards, bidding, opening leads, defense, offense...

GR Sectional Day 3, Swiss Team Marathon

2011-05-01T08:22:00.000-04:00

I am exhausted! After playing bridge 8 hours a day for the past 3 days, plus dreaming about bridge at night, I feel like a zombie. I am taking the next few days off before playing later this week at the club and then going with a group to Frankfort to play in the tournament there. What a game!

Swiss Teams were a lot of fun. After 4 rounds Julie and I were both feeling good, alert and peppy. Then we ate lunch, and sometime during round 5 we both started fading. The same thing happened after lunch the previous day. I read something in the Bridge Bulletin about a top player who does not allow his partners to eat; he says that you play better hungry. I think there may be some truth to that, although I doubt that I will ever personally test that theory.

Even though we ate lunch and got tired, Julie and I came through for our teammates. We won 4 rounds, tied 1, and lost 2 for a total of 70 points and some silver. It was a good day.

GR Sectional Day 2, Sessions 1 & 2

2011-04-30T08:06:00.000-04:00

On the second day of the tournament Julie and I played in both NLM sessions. That's 8 hours of bridge (with a short break for pizza). Although it was a bit tiring, the day included everything that I love about bridge.

Starting something new: Julie and I incorporated a new "rule" into our play. We had read in the Bridge Bulletin that "there is no 2NT". I had no idea what that meant until I opened, Julie bid something, I bid 1NT, Julie said 2NT, and we went down. That's when we recalled the article and said "no more 2NT". I think that I played more 1NT contracts on Day 2 than I have played in total in all previous games. And guess what...they were top boards! The problem with this new strategy is that in our regular club game the A players won't let us get away with a 1NT contract. Oh well, at least it will work against some of our opponents.

Meeting new people: We met a really nice pair in the first session. We talked, we laughed, we complimented each other, we felt all warm and fuzzy. I smiled as they approached our table during the second session, thinking this would be a pleasant round. Well, one of the pair kind of lied about her hand, they got into a bad contract and went down horribly. Her partner said something about her point count and I made the mistake of chiming in; after all, we were all buddies, right? Wrong. She snapped at me in a tone I can only describe as vicious! I guess no one likes to lose.

Spending time with friends: At the end of the day, two of the nicest people at our club had an open house with a Chinese buffet, strawberry shortcake, and good fellowship. We ate, drank, talked and laughed. I learned various interesting tidbits about people. In fact, some were so "interesting" that I was specifically asked not to repeat them in writing! But here's something that I can mention: I learned that there are actually people who do NOT want to become life masters just so that they qualify to play in games with less competition. They do things like letting their ACBL membership lapse and avoiding play where they might win gold. It reminds me of when my nephew was younger and into video games. He kept playing the games at the lowest levels even though he had totally mastered these. When I asked him why he didn't play at a higher level, he said it was because he wanted to win. I understand that kind of thinking in children but not adults.

Today I am looking forward to a marathon Swiss Teams event. The good news and the bad news is that we will probably play against some of our club's A players. I kind of miss them but odds are they'll beat us.

GR Sectional Day 1, Session 2

2011-04-29T09:17:00.000-04:00

I don't have much time this morning before I have to leave for the bridge club, so I will get right to the point--on the plus side, we won three of the four Swiss Team rounds. On the negative side, our afternoon score dropped dramatically after the last round.

As I think about the upcoming day, it occurs to me that there is a lot of fun to be had playing bridge. I love to start new things--when you first learn something new every step is a victory and every successful application is cause for celebration. I love to meet new people, even strange ones--human nature is endlessly fascinating. I love to spend time with friends--there is always something to talk about and to laugh about. All of these are found in duplicate bridge, with the added bonus of competition and cards.

So even though New Year's Day was months ago, here is my Bridge Resolution: To constantly learn new conventions/plays/leads; to seek out and get to know new bridge people; to focus on friendship and not just winning.

GR Sectional Day 1, Session 1

2011-04-28T17:54:00.000-04:00

We had a full house this afternoon for the opening game of the Grand Rapids Sectional. The usual local players were there, plus many out-of-towners--including someone who had been a director at the Nationals in Louisville! That was a surprise, and got me thinking about a second career. If I became a tournament director, would I get to travel for free and get paid to boot? Hmm...

Julie and I decided to play in the NLM game, which of course makes sense since we are not life masters. Our game had its ups and downs, and the early returns had us at 52% and 2nd in C. We can live with that (if it held -- I'll see shortly). The hands were computer dealt and embodied the usual distributional nightmares. I still struggle to see beyond point count so that was good practice for me. Additional good practice is counting cards--I find that even if I lose count, this keeps me alert and hyper-focused.

I also need more practice bidding slam. This afternoon it was like Goldilocks and the Three Bears: First we bid slam but didn't make it (too hard), then we didn't bid it but made six (too soft), and finally we bid slam and made it (just right).

Now I am off to an evening game of Swiss Teams...

WE almost BEAT A TOP TEAM!

2011-04-22T13:49:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, not long ago I wrote an editorial devoted to the horribleness of gloating, and yet here I have a title that appears to be doing just that. However, it's not really gloating when you didn't actually win. Here's what happened at the Swiss Teams game this week.

Julie and I teamed with a pair who were new to us; we knew them, but had not previously played with them. We started out together with a positive attitude and little pep talk before we separated and played our first round of 7 boards. At one point I had a hand with 20 HCP and 2 doubletons. I had recently learned that it's okay to open 2NT (or even 1NT) with 2 doubletons. I had never actually done that, and I did have a nice 5 card club suit that I could bid. However, I thought it was important for my partner to know right at the start that I had a big hand. I opened 2NT, Julie bid 3NT, and we made it (vulnerable). This turned out to be a crucial hand in our winning the round, since our opposition didn't open 2NT and so never made it to 3NT.

We won the next round as well, which inspired a lot of knuckle bumping and grins.

Our third round saw all of the points in the north-south hands. Since Julie and I were sitting east-west, all we could do was defend. It was a bit disheartening to see the scores accumulate in the negative column; we could only hope that our teammates' scores were all in the plus column. Not only was this the case, we came out a bit ahead and won the round. Julie and I complimented our teammates' play and they complimented our defense. What a happy group we were!

Then came the fourth round. Since we had won the first three, we knew we would be playing against a top team. We told each other to just "play your game" and that it had alread been a good afternoon, no matter what happened next. Those A players can be very tricky--they interfere with your bidding, they take sacrifices, they double when you try to take a sacrifice, they use confusing conventions, and most of all they play the hand extremely well. By the time it was over, we had lost by only 4 points. Since this A team's previous wins that afternoon were in the double digits, we considered this a kind of victory and congratulated ourselves.

So even though the title of this blog may sound like gloating, remember, we didn't actually win that round. Also, we still need some bridge-ego boosting after STaC week as we head into the GR sectional tournament next week.

Redemption

2011-04-19T08:55:00.000-04:00

Julie and I emerged from the bowels of STaC week with a good game on Monday night. We needed this boost--while our love for bridge had remained stable during the past horrendous week, the positive view that we were learning from our mistakes had taken a hit. It was good to redeem ourselves with one of our best games to date.

I hesitate to confess this, but I only played one hand. Hmm, I wonder if that had something to do with our good score? On the plus side, the hand I did play was a top board. I opened 4 diamonds, vulnerable with 6 points and 9 diamonds. (6 points was probably the average number of points I had all night; many times it was less.) Everyone passed, I played the hand and went down one. I knew that I could have opened 5 diamonds, but I had confidence that if my partner had any help at all that she would take us there. Turned out to be a good decision.

Overall our bidding was more aggressive. I responded with few points (given my hands, a necessary move if I wanted to participate at all). For example, my partner opened 1 club. I had maybe 2 points in my hand and only 1 club; fearful of stranding my partner in a club contract with possibly 4 trump, I bid my best suit. Partner responded in another suit, I passed, and she went down but we got a good board. I can remember when I would have passed that opening club, thinking that I didn't have enough points to bid. Another time, I doubled a suit contract with few points but 5 of the opponents' trump. They went down and we got a good board.

Surveying our Monday night opponents, it was apparent that there were fewer A players in the field than were visible during STaC week. Also, the hands were not computer generated (although there exists some controversy if those hands are totally random or designed to be devilish). Still, it was good to feel like we were back in the game--just in time for Swiss Teams on Thursday and the GR Sectional next week!

Silver Linings

2011-04-09T08:35:00.000-04:00

My brother didn't play on Thursday, so that evening he went online to check the afternoon scores. He then sent a text asking if our score was a typo. Alas, it was not. What went wrong, he asked. Everything. Did you know that you were not doing well? It was hard to miss.

On the plus side:

At some point in the afternoon Julie said, "Let's just have fun." So we did.
We had a top board on an afternoon when there were just a handful of those in the entire room.
Our bidding was on target. (It was our judgement that was off.)
I was able to practice counting cards (all four suits).
Someone tried to pull one over on us but now we know enough to not let them. (Some players do try to take advantage.)
When we went out afterwards for a much needed glass of wine, we talked about things other than bridge (e.g., Where's Bob?).
We decided to jump back in and play the next evening, Friday.
Julie had the sense to back out of playing Friday when she woke up not feeling well. ("I wanted to play, but then I thought, how will we redeem ourselves if I'm sick and not playing well?")
We still love the game!

Gloating

2011-03-26T09:12:00.000-04:00

Gloating at the bridge table is strictly verboten. It is considered rude and gauche--a horrendous act punishable by frowns and reprimands. Of course those frowning and reprimanding are often the ones doing the most gloating. One time after my partner and I had left one table and were approaching the next, I quietly commented "Good job on that last board." The opponent sitting North--whom we hadn't even played against yet--looked at me sternly and admonished, "No gloating." Two boards later I was able to echo his comment when he grinned at his partner and went into great detail about his brilliant play against us.

That said, I do believe there is a place and time for gloating. The place, of course, is away from the bridge table and at an entirely different location (such as a bar). The time is when a C player with less than 50 masterpoints gets a top board against an A player with thousands of masterpoints. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it is a beautiful thing (for the C players, of course).

Just the other day a relatively new player called me on the phone to gloat. She described the cards, the bidding, and the play of a particular board against two of the club's top players. She related the expressions of these opponents as they struggled to make a contract they shouldn't have been in and the cross words between them when they went down. "Of course I had to keep a straight face," she said, "But I had to tell someone what happened!" An interesting side note here is that C players--at least the C players I know, including myself--have a difficult time remembering hands unless they have been successfully played against A players.

I confess that after a game I check to see how we did against the A players. When we get a top board, or even an above average board, I point this out to my partner with a smile. First, this encouraging score might indicate that our bridge careers are on the right track. Second, it shows that even really good players sometimes make mistakes.

A Highly Unusual 2NT

2011-03-19T09:12:00.000-04:00

Our first game back from the Nationals did not showcase the experience and knowledge we gained on that trip. Here's an example of what happened this week on Thursday afternoon.

My RHO opened 1H. With a balanced hand and 20 high card points, I had been ready to open 2NT. Now what? Well, why not overcall 2NT, I thought. That will tell my partner exactly what I have. So I did. My LHO passed, my partner responded 3 clubs and RHO passed. Hmm, I thought. My clubs are pretty good; maybe I should go for it. Then a buzzer went off in my brain--she's not bidding clubs, that's Stayman! Whew, missed that bullet, I thought, and bid 3 diamonds to show that I did not have a 4 card major. Everyone passed, including my partner.

What?!?

"What does her 2NT bid mean?" one of the opponents asked my partner before the play began.

"It means she has both of the minors" Julie confidently replied. She told me later that she was quite proud of herself for remembering this bid, since we've talked about it a lot but had never actually used it. However, she did wonder why I bid diamonds over her clubs, since she clearly told me that her clubs were better.

"Oh yes, the unusual 2NT. That's a very useful bid," the opponent commented.

I kept a straight face while I looked at the two little diamonds in my hand and an even straighter face when dummy came down with its pitiful diamonds. You can figure out the rest of the story for yourself.

The good news is that we did much better the next day, when I actually did put into practice some of the things I learned last week.

Got Lucky in Kentucky: Back Home

2011-03-14T19:24:00.000-04:00

Looking back at our first national tournament...

The Drive was not bad at all; in fact, time flew by. Julie and I talked the entire way there and back, developing (temporary) sore throats. It would have taken us about 6 hours each way if we hadn't stopped for James Dean and food. Upon arrival we self-parked the car in the hotel parking ramp, which was reasonably priced, and each wrote down 2B so we would be able to find the car again. Upon departure, we confidently took the parking garage elevator down to Level II and stepped out only to find that the entire floor was flooded and empty of cars! "They couldn't have moved my car," Julie mused, "They don't have the key." After a short discussion, we returned to the elevator and this time noted a level that was labeled "hotel parking." This was Level I, and we found the car patiently waiting for us in section 2B.

The People were a mixed bag of interesting, fun conversationalists and weirdos. Most were there with friends from their local bridge clubs, and we were sad that our bridge club buddies wouldn't be arriving until after we were gone. At the same time, I was surprised at the number of people who came alone and found partners at the partnership desk. The directors were incredibly effecient and patient. Our favorite quote comes from a woman who quickly became our favorite tournament director. We were playing in the 49ers group, and most of the players did not seem to know how to put together the computer dealt hands. In contrast, our table had completed the task in record time. The director passed by our table and said, "You girls are fast; at least that's what it says in the men's bathroom."

The City has the Ohio River flowing through it, which was flooding and expected to crest the weekend we were there. The hotel was located by the river, but we could only go a short way along the scenic river walk before the encroaching water stopped us. We did walk around the area and found a charming local cafe where we had lunch. We passed by the Louisville Slugger factory and outlet store, the science museum, the Muhammed Ali Center, and a very cool chandelier hanging from a streetlight. However, the most interesting sights appeared later that evening outside the conference center next to our hotel. I can't even describe some of the outfits worn by the girls on way their to the Lady Ga Ga concert!

The Lectures, as I noted in earlier blog entries, were incredibly interesting and helpful. For example, Jerry Helms inspired us to jump to game bids and to subsequently quote to each other "the one who knows, goes." At the talk by Audrey Grant, we were also introduced to her husband, international player Dave Lindop, who worked the technology for her but also shared his insights. Later that evening, as we were searching for an evening reception, I suddenly heard Julie call out "Hey Dave!" You guessed it, she had spotted Dave Lindop across the hall. "Where's the party?" she asked, and then went on to mention we had met him at his wife's lecture. He smiled and graciously directed us, adding that there was live music and pizza.

Of course Playing Bridge was the focus of the conference. We played bridge 7 hours a day for three days, plus attended lectures and talked talked talked about it. It was great!

GLIK Day 4: SUCCESS!!!

2011-03-13T01:27:00.000-05:00

Yes, we have finally placed. Julie agreed to give the 299ers group a try, since the 49ers were giving me a headache. It was like coming home. People were able to make the computer generated hands, were quieter, played at a normal pace, and did things like support their partner's spade opening with 3 card trump support and points.

Here's one hand that we bid and played. Julie opened one diamond; I had 18 high card points and 6 spades, so I bid 2 spades, indicating my points with a jump shift. Julie replied with 3 clubs. Now I had a dilemma: how could I show her my 6 spades while also forcing her to continue bidding? I abandoned the 6 spades notion and decided to force the slam issue with 4 NT. We play 1430, and because this does not come up very often it usually entails a lot of thinking. I watched while Julie frowned and pondered her next bid. The tension built while we all waited. Suddenly Julie slapped down the 6 spades card and said, "I decided to just go for it." Later she confessed, "I knew we were going to slam, but I couldn't remember what to bid so I just hoped spades was the right place to be." It turned out she had 2 spades and I made 7.

Later in the evening we decided to go to the 25th floor to the Rivue Restaurant for drinks. We couldn't remember which tower it was in, so we checked a map that was posted on the wall. I noted that it was in the Rivue Tower; Julie noted that the fact we couldn't make that logical connection was an indication of why we are not A players. Sigh.

GLIK Day 4: Things We've Learned

2011-03-12T14:17:00.000-05:00

We learned that when your partner opens 1 club, 50% of the time they have five of them.
We learned that if the opponents have a 2 level fit in a minor, we probably also have a fit and should bid to find out where.
We learned a lot about balancing from Audrey Grant.
We learned several strategies of play from Jerry Helms.
We learned that you don't have to have perfect shape to make a take-out double, that it's okay to have 3 of a major when you double the other major.
We learned that a lot of bridge players with less than 50 points act as though they are playing party bridge; they are very loud.
We learned that a lot of strange people play bridge--on second thought, we already knew that.

It is now time for our first game of the day; stay tuned for results and comments!

GLIK Day 3: The Busiest Day

2011-03-11T22:23:00.000-05:00

Day Three in Kentucky was the busiest to date. It found us playing bridge, going to lectures, drinking with hotel staff, spilling hot coffee, watching fish, schmoozing directors, chatting with the local meteorologist, meeting international bridge experts, and more. First, and most importantly, our game is steadily improving. This morning our score was in the 40s and our afternoon game was just over 50%. Although we didn't place, as you can see in the picture we have plenty of trophies.

The day was too eventful to report in full, but it is always interesting to think about using new bids. Recently Julie has convinced me to add Jacoby 3 NT to our repertoire. Our Director told her about this bid: It means that the responder has opening count and 3 card trump support for the opener. Julie convincingly explained the benefits of this bid, and I agreed to start using it. This afternoon I had the chance. Julie opened 1 spade; I had 3 spades and 14 points, so I bid 3 NT. Julie considered the bid for just a moment before she passed, as did our opponents. I watched her face as I waited for the realization of what she had done hit her--it was something to behold. As she casually put her bidding cards back in the box, she suddenly froze. Her eyes widened and she slowly turned her head to look at me. A questioning look was quickly followed by realization, shock, and resignation. I just sat there silently and waited for the dummy to come down. I ended up making 5 NT and got a top board.

I tell this story because I think it is indicative of what is happening to us at this tournament. Our opponents in the 49er games are making a lot of missteps that often pan out for them. I really think that we might do better in a bigger game, so we are going to try that tomorrow.

In closing, here's a video of our very cool hotel bar.

GLIK Day 2 continued

2011-03-10T23:20:00.000-05:00

I am relieved to report that our evening game was much improved over our afternoon game. However, we did not win the coveted plexiglass trophy or get our picture taken with aforementioned trophy. I told Julie that I will no longer be putting our pictures up on this blog until that occurs. Julie suggested that we casually stroll behind the winners as the flash bulb goes off; she says that people will think that "sometimes they stack winners and just because we're not in the front row doesn't mean we didn't win." So look carefully at the photos in the next Bridge Bulletin.

Following are some Louisville comments:

"She does not respect the game. Because she is loud."

"Regular girls dance on those poles."

"Your director came to Kalamazoo and got stuck in a snowstorm."

"Do you get flooding in Michigan?"

"This isn't a really funny crowd."

That's it for now, time to finish the wine and go to bed so we can get up early to hear Jerry Helms speak. We hope he'll be worth the loss of sleep, since really we should be conserving our energy for THE GAME.

GLIK Day 2: Julie's Perspective

2011-03-10T18:28:00.000-05:00

Well we just finished the first session at Nationals. . .Based on our performance, we are considering a change of strategies. First, no more reading our press clippings (between sessions); second, putting aside the advice of our fellows/gals in GR; third, fighting to get into the 0 to 5 master point group. Yowser, we got totally smoked in Round 1.

So we did what any well-adjusted, middle + aged duo would do. We went out for Mexican food, loading up on carbs, and then we each bought our own special bottle of wine at CVS and planned our post-Session 2 party.

Backing up for a moment, we went out for breakfast at Einstein's Bagel eatery. I don't get it, but another stop and another TV station blaring out the 700 Club, Pat Robertson and Co. We aren't in Kansas any more, Toto. Keeping opinions to ourselves. That is pretty easy for me, but Margaret is struggling a bit as you might expect for those of you who know us both.

Get Lucky in Kentucky, Day 1: The Journey Continues

2011-03-09T22:05:00.001-05:00

On the recommendation of a friend, we interrupted our otherwise uneventful drive to Kentucky with a stop in Fairmount. Did you know that this small town is home to not only the James Dean Museum, but also Snoopy? We did not. Here you see a picture of Julie on the front porch of the museum--she's the one on the right.

Before we arrived at the museum, we stopped for lunch at The Outpost. It was immediately clear that we were in "God's Country," not only because the sign above the door told us so, but also because the TV in the corner was tuned to Pat Robertson. We quietly enjoyed the home cooked food. It was really very good.

After lunch, we found our way to the James Dean Museum. Julie, one step ahead of me, opened the door in great anticipation. She took a half step in, quickly turned, looked at me in horror and shouted "OH *#%@&" as she slammed the door shut. I imagined we had walked into some kind of unspeakable activity; I couldn't wait to see what it was. Alas, it was merely an excitable puppy that had charged the door. How was this overgrown doberman to know that Julie was terrified of dogs? The owners quickly took control and the remainder of our museum visit proceeded uneventfully. We skipped the trip to the gravesite, however, since we were anxious to get back on the road.

We are now safely in Louisville, in a wonderful hotel with good restaurants, bars that have live birds and fish, rooms with views of the river and the city below, and . . . tomorrow. . . BRIDGE!

Get Lucky in Kentucky, Day 1: The Journey Begins

2011-03-09T09:22:00.000-05:00

My bags are packed, my bridge notes are in my purse, and Amadeus has food, water, a clean litter box, and directions for his babysitter. Julie will be here in a few minutes and our drive to Louisville for our first major tournament, the Spring NABC, will begin!

We have, of course, thoroughly discussed the schedule and consulted with more experienced tournament goers. While we lust after gold, a more immediate issue is our need to amass points. Therefore, instead of playing in open games where we could get gold but have little to no chance of placing, we will be playing in non-life master games where we have a (good?) chance of doing well but the awards are not gold.

So I have decided to wear gold instead--I have gold rings on my fingers, gold hoops in my ears, a gold band around my wrist, and a gold chain with gold trinkets hanging from my neck.

Julie is here...stayed tuned for an entry later today detailing our adventures on the road!

A side note to my non-bridge playing readers: Unfortunately, gold refers to the kind of points players receive, not to the precious metal. If the opposite were true, we would be playing in the open regardless of our chances!!

St. Joe's Sectional

2010-11-07T08:32:00.001-05:00

If our performance on Saturday is any indication, it will be awhile until our picture appears in the Bridge Bulletin as the triumphant winners of some big tournament. So here we are instead, one of the first arrivals at St. Joe's, happily unaware of what was to come.

Perhaps it was Karma, since I got off on the wrong foot with the tournament director. I repeatedly resisted her efforts to direct us to the Newcomer Orientation, even though she said "everyone" would benefit from it (then why isn't she there, Julie whispered). Then I poured coffee for myself before it was ready, resulting in the placement of a paper cup over the spout in an effort to prevent me from getting any more. (It was so strong I didn't need more anyway.)

Perhaps it was because we played in the 0-99 group. We thought we had our best chance there, which seemed to be the case when our opponent asked her husband what it meant when he opened 1 club (before play started). He explained, and then she asked about opening with 2 of something. He explained that as well, and then she said never mind, she wasn't going to remember anyway. Well, she may not know much about bidding, but she was able to get to her contract and she sure could play the hand. We were happy to leave that table.

Perhaps it was because we waffled about playing a 1NT response to a major opening as forcing. We decided not to, then Julie bid 2NT in response to my 1 heart. I alerted Jacoby 2NT and properly bid my single club. Julie then bid 3NT and I passed. She did not have heart support, or in fact any good suit, but she had points and didn't know what else to bid. So then we decided to play 1NT as forcing. The situation arose again: I opened a major, Julie bid 1NT and this time I bid 2NT, fearful that if I bid one of my 3 card suits Julie would pass (she later confirmed that this was true). If I had passed Julie's 1NT response we would have made the contract; instead, we went down one. We've decided to play it as non-forcing.

There are other possibilities that I could analyze, but I will refrain from doing so. We had fun on the drive there and back, we had a good lunch at Panera, we got to play lots of bridge, and next time we'll do better.

Family Bridge

2010-10-31T08:55:00.001-04:00

Amadeus wants to join in the bridge fun . . . he may not be ready for duplicate, but a different family member will soon be joining the Newcomer group. I have convinced my brother that duplicate is the game for him, much better than chess or poker. So Ed started studying and playing online, and today he is coming over to play some hands with me and two friends. I don't know how long it will take him to get up to speed, but once he does, he'll be a good player. I just hope it takes awhile for him to catch up to me!

Kalamazoo

2010-10-23T09:11:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Julie and I drove to Kalamazoo to play in their afternoon NLM game. It's a good thing we started out early, because even though I had gotten directions from their website we had a heck of a time finding the club. First we missed the street and had to back track; then we went down the street but it was a dead end, so we went down the street the other way and that was a dead end as well. Then Julie remembered the way to where we played in the tournament, so we went there, but that wasn't the bridge club. Finally we went back to the dead end street and drove around the back of some buildings. Success! We found the club. (Later that day, Julie's husband asked why we hadn't taken along one of Julie's two GPS systems. No comment.)

We were warmly greeted and welcomed. Our presence was announced to the group, and we smiled and waved. They had started using electronic scoring devices just the day before; I like technology and thought this was very cool. However, as we started to play, we could immediately see how we did compared to others who had played the same boards. We were not doing well. Everyone else had either made an extra trick, or gone down by one less, or were in a better contract, etc. Julie and I were baffled.

"We played well yesterday and we never do well two days in a row," I commented between rounds. This was true.

"These players are bidding really aggressively," Julie opined. "I would never have gone to game with the 7 points I had in my hand."

"I agree they're aggressive bidders, but they're too aggressive. It's working for them this time, but it can't work all the time."

We continued to play, a bit discouraged and not really seeing what we were doing wrong. For example, one time I opened a weak 2 diamonds and Julie bid 2NT, asking for a feature in another suit. My RHO bid 3 hearts, I passed (since the only good cards I had were diamonds), and my LHO went to 3NT. Unknown to the rest of us, Julie had diamond support and was going to bid again. At the 3NT bid, though, she decided to pass. We ran the diamonds and set them. Although I don't remember what North reported the others as doing on this board, I'm sure it was something much better than what we did.

At the end of the afternoon, I reluctantly went up to the wall where the director had posted the next-to-the-last round results. I had to look twice, report the results to Julie, and then go back to make sure I had seen correctly. We had a 62% game and were first in A, B, and C--our best score to date! The last round was uneventful and the score held.

As for the game where we set our opponents' 3NT contract--that ended up being an excellent board for us. I think that although we didn't have a lot of top boards, we had consistently high boards. Either that, or people weren't used to the new electronic devices and were misreading them. (I do think that happened a couple of times.) In any case, we had an enjoyable afternoon playing bridge at a different club with very nice members.

2010-10-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

When I first started playing bridge, I was shocked by the occasional rude behavior that certain players exhibited toward their partners. There are just a few outstanding examples of this, although over time I have noticed subtler variations in the form of quieter put-downs and eye-rolling. Oddly enough, this doesn't bother me so much anymore, because, oddly enough, the same people continue to play with these critical partners. If they don't care, why should I?

What does bother me, though, is when partners excessively congratulate each other and boast about their excellent play. Sadly, when I reflected back on the last two days of playing bridge at the club, this is what popped into my mind. I didn't think about using 1430 for the first time. (My partner bid 4NT, I incorrectly bid 5 clubs when I should have bid 5 hearts, my partner thought "so what?" and went to slam, making it.) I didn't think about getting points (even a fraction of a gold). I didn't think about what I learned or the mistakes I made. No, I thought about how I had a bad feeling about bridge and then traced it back to boasting.

When players are rude to their partners, it affects the atmosphere at the table but does not reflect on me or my partner. When players boast, that too affects the atmosphere but it also reflects on my play. I don't like it.

Slam Bidding

2010-08-28T09:19:00.001-04:00

It has been awhile since I've written about bridge--not because my interest has waned, but because I've been busy with other things and also because nothing especially noteworthy was happening at the bridge table. I've been playing regularly and I think (hope) continuing to improve. There have been interesting hands, new conventions, odd conversations, tournaments, victories and defeats. Yet with all of that action, it took yesterday's Friday night game to bring me back to blog.

Here's what happened. Julie opened with a weak 2 spades bid. My RHO thought for a moment and bid 3 hearts. I had 5 spades, plus the ace of clubs (and about 9 points). WOW, I thought, we have 11 trumps! Plus a club trick! My only explanation for what happened next was that during the previous round I had made slam but we had only bid game. Yes, you guessed it, I bid 6 spades.

I have to commend Julie for keeping a straight face; it couldn't have been easy, since she had about 6 points in her hand. My LHO thought for a moment and bid 7 hearts. Everyone passed, and I led with my ace (I know, I should have doubled). They went down one, which was a top board for us. It turns out that we wouldn't even have made 4 spades, and that it always played their way.

When we told this story later, no one laughed or even commented. Apparently experienced players don't appreciate it when unorthodox (stupid) bidding by less experienced players pays off. Oh well. We will take whatever good boards we can get. That round helped us place 2nd in C, which on a Friday night is enough to make us smile.

Aggression

2010-07-24T11:09:00.000-04:00

"The most noticeable difference between the bidding of an expert pair and that of an average pair is the experts' ability in competitive situations. Experts are able to hop in and out of the auction on a high percentage of the hands and rarely get caught. Average players are much less aggressive in competitive situations and when they do butt in they frequently get punished." (Bid Better, Play Better: How to Think at the Bridge Table, Dorothy Hayden Truscott, 1998, p. 74.)

How true. And how frustrating it is when expert players steal our bid or push us to a level where we go down. And even worse, because the result is usually worse, when we try to do the same and it just doesn't work out. However, we are getting better at doubling when our bid is stolen and we are working on disrupting the opponents' bidding without getting "punished."

My hard-learned lesson this week was on the need to be more aggressive, whether there is competition or not. Twice on Thursday afternoon I had a ton of clubs. Instead of diddling around I should have just bid 5 clubs. Once I thought my bid was forcing and my partner thought it wasn't, and once I bid to show points and length instead of a different (forcing) suit. In both cases, my partner passed and we were in a partial contract. I think my hesitation comes from past games when bold bidding often led to disaster. But I've learned a lot in the past few months, and it is time to trust of my evaluation of the situation. So what if it doesn't always work out, it's just a game. Right?

Complex Bidding

2010-07-20T20:47:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Julie and I played in our fifth tournament. There were two sessions on Saturday--the first went okay but not great (meaning we didn't place) and, as has been the case four times previously, our play went downhill during the second session. Exhausted but undaunted, we returned the next day with our friends Melissa and Jeanne to play Swiss Teams.

We knew going into Swiss Teams that it would be a long day, but somehow we hadn't realized that we were going to be playing seven rounds of seven boards each. We started at 11:00 am and finished around 6:00 pm. That's a lot of cards!

The most entertaining play came towards the end. Our opponents were a young couple (young, of course, being a relative term). They were 0-5, having lost all of the rounds up to that point. Our team was 2-3, which all of a sudden didn't seem so bad. Once we started to play, it quickly became apparent that these two had quite a complicated bidding system.

I wish I could replicate the bidding here, but that is impossible; it was just too complex. I'm still struggling with trying to remember the differences in leads when playing suit vs no trump contracts, so the esoteric meanings that flew across the table were beyond me. However, I can still picture this lively and friendly pair as they slowly and intricately worked their way to a slam contract. It took quite a while, since every bid was alerted and I kept asking what each bid meant. I just couldn't resist. For example, one seemingly innocuous bid--was it 3 hearts?--meant that the bidder had a certain number of "points" in her hand. These points were assigned to aces and kings, so she had either one ace and three kings or two aces and no kings (or something like that). I was happy when they finally reached a 6 no trump contract, since I was on lead and was holding two aces. That took care of that.

At the end of the day we were 3-4, which didn't seem very good. But then I found out that we had gotten silver--the first for Melissa and Jeanne--so I guess we did okay after all.

Crystal Clear

2010-07-13T08:55:00.000-04:00

My bridge partner last evening is an A player with zillions of masterpoints (I have about 13). She is very friendly and kind, but for some reason I was a little bit on edge. Not nervous exactly, but more like I-really-don't-want-to-do-anything-stupid. I recognized only a couple of really awful goofs, which I guess isn't too bad, although I do realize that there were most likely more goofs that I didn't recognize. We were playing as A players and came in 4th with 55%.

A huge benefit of last night's play was that my errors were crystal clear. When I play with a less skilled partner, I am not always sure if my bidding was on target or if I could have made one more trick (or stopped our opponents from making one more trick). Yesterday I could see the answers to those questions (or get the answers from my partner).

My bidding is not perfect but is coming along and getting more precise all the time. My main problem is keeping my focus sharp throughout the entire match and giving my complete attention to what has been played. For example, I trumped my partner's good queen (one of my egregious errors). I have to whip my lazy brain into shape!

Tough Opponents

2010-07-02T08:10:00.000-04:00

To the extent that playing bridge can be boring, yesterday afternoon's game was just that. Julie and I played east-west, and we have never before had so few points. Out of 27 boards, we got the contract a total of 6 times (all partial games or going down). I was consistently looking at hands with an average of 2-6 points, which likely explains my rash bidding when we came up against a pair of our toughest opponents.

We traditionally get low boards against these A players, who are always on top with 60%+ games. They steal our bids and make slams while smiling and joking, and then graciously explain what we should have done differently. This day we again started out with few points, so they took the bid and made their 3NT contract (a very low board for us). Then I made a 1NT contract, which seemed bad at the time although it turned out to be an almost average board. Finally came the last board for this round and finally it seemed as though Julie and I had some points. We bid toward game in spades, but our opponents were also bidding and topped our bid of 4 spades with 5 diamonds. With unfavorable vulnerability and no way of making 5 spades (game was a stretch), I ignored the little voice in my head that kept repeating "pass" and out of frustration I boldly bid 5 spades. Everyone passed and play began. "I am tired of you two stealing our bids" and "It's only a game" were my defensive comments. Plus, I didn't have to play it--Julie did.

Well, we went down two vulnerable for -200 points and were instructed that a better bid would have been a double, since there was no way they could have made 5 diamonds. However, while I am sure this would have been a better bid (it never crossed my mind, although apparently Julie had considered it), it turned out to be a good board for us. Not a top one, but it was above average.

The moral of the story is that I need to develop a better sense of when to sacrifice, since I had no idea at the time that this score was a good one. I also need to think harder about doubling. At the end of this "boring" afternoon, we ranked first in C for the session and fourth overall. I guess it wasn't so tedious after all.

Visiting a New Club

2010-06-28T12:03:00.001-04:00

The players included a pair who bested us in the Kalamazoo tournament, a couple of familiar faces from GR, a few very focused and alert couples, and several people with vision problems and other impairments. Julie and I had just had wine with dinner, but neither the alcohol nor the physical infirmities of our elderly opponents softened our competitive edge.

Julie and I used our favorite tokens from the Kalamazoo tournament—automatic pencils decorated with a card motif and topped with clear plastic caps both for the lead and for the eraser. Unfortunately, Julie’s eraser cap kept popping off. The clear plastic was difficult to spot on the floor; coupled with the worry that someone would step on it and break it, this caused several episodes of mini-drama at our table (we were sitting north-south). “What are you looking for?” one grouchy old man asked. When I told him, proudly showing the cap still secure on my own pencil, he dismissively retorted that “you’re supposed to throw that away after you get the pencil—why would you need a cap on an eraser, it just gets in the way.” Hmm.

Julie and I felt pretty good about our play throughout the evening, although of course we had ideas about what we should have done differently. As we waited for the last round, we noted that the pair coming up were very slow players. In fact, we played three boards before they were done with their first one. As we waited and waited and waited, we agreed that we had to get the bid at all costs in order to move things along.

When the last pair finally sat at our table, Julie was the dealer and opened one diamond. My RHO bid. I looked at my hand – I had 16 high card points, stoppers in every suit, and my partner had opened. I did not have a four card major. I pondered my bid. I could go slowly and try to figure out if we belonged in slam. However, since we do not have much practice with slam bidding, that route was fraught with possible pitfalls. Also it was imperative to move the game along. I decided that missing a possible slam was worth the risk, so I bid 3 NT. It turned out to be a good bid; Julie had a minimum and we did not have slam.

At the end of the evening, both of our pencils had clear plastic eraser caps firmly in place, and we had a score of 58%. That placed us first overall in A, B, and C. We’ll be back.

Playing with The Director

2010-05-22T09:33:00.000-04:00

Our club director and her husband very kindly offered to be partners with me and Julie at a Friday night game. That happened last night; I played with The Director while Julie played with the director's husband.

Before the game, I went to the ACBL website and reviewed the meanings of the bids on the convention card--how embarrassing would that be, to answer "I don't know" if my new partner had a question about something on my card! I also went over my notes and played some hands on my computer software program. My main goal was to have my head in the game and not do anything too stupid. Did I succeed in this goal? I think so, but I'm not totally sure.

The evening started out quite well. At least I think it did, because my partner did not have much to say about my bidding or my play. I listened as she occasionally commented on our opponents' play, though, which was gratifying because I knew what she was talking about.

I was not surprised when this silence ended. My bidding and defensive play were okay and at times even good, but my play as declarer was often flawed. My partner pointed out the analysis I should have done as I planned the play of the hand. I am trying to get better at this, but it is really difficult to think about all of the elements involved and put them together in a way that works. I need to: Think. Think. Think. Practice. Practice. Practice.

I thought I would be anxious playing with The Director, but I was not. It helped that the cards were not too weird and so the bidding was relatively simple. Also, she made some nice comments about my play and her advice was always matter-of-fact, never critical. We ended up 2nd in A for the session, 1st in B.

A couple of people did compliment me on my calm demeanor. Maybe someday I will be such a good player that people will want to be my partner and be nervous about it at the same time!

Lansing NLM Tournament

2010-04-24T19:56:00.000-04:00

Julie and I drove to Lansing today with a couple of friends to play in the NLM tournament. We had our best game yet, placing first in north-south! It was a very nice afternoon, but most of the details escape me at the moment. One thing that I do remember is that the director called for a 5 minute "hospitality break" in the middle of the session. That gave people a chance to get up and stretch, get a snack, or catch up on their play if they were behind. I liked that; I wonder why we don't do that in GR?

We played mostly defense, which was in our favor because it turns out we are better at that than at offensive play. Also, even though we went over and over certain conventions and bids that we are trying to incorporate in our game, we did not get to use any of them. How can we improve if we have so little opportunity to make some types of bids?

GR Sectional Tournament

2010-04-18T09:03:00.000-04:00

Day 1, Friday afternoon: Picture members of an extended family gathering for a holiday celebration. Many haven't seen each other for awhile, so there are happy greetings and much laughter. The adults gather around the dining room table, talking over each other because there is so much to catch up on. Wouldn't it be nice, they think, for the children to sit together and get to know each other better. After all, they don't see each other very often and besides, there is no room for them at the big table. So card tables are set up in another part of the house, the kitchen or maybe the living room. And there the children sit, eyeing each other warily and feeling left out of the real action.

At our very first tournament ever, my partner and I sat with the other non-life master "children" at three card tables in the far corner of a very large room. On the other side were countless tables and many people mingling. Once in awhile one of the "adults" waved at us or came over to see things were going, but for the most part we were on our own. We did know one of the other pairs, so that was nice. And the new people we met were easy going and friendly. Most were from out of town, so they asked us to recommend a restaurant for dinner. I told everyone about One Trick Pony, since it is within walking distance of the tournament site and has good food.

The card play was uneventful; I actually missed the more aggressive action that I have become used to at the bridge club. No one stole our bid, and it was easy to take the bid away from others. As my partner said, we weren't fighting over one pork chop. At the end of the session, we ended up in third place. That was okay, but nothing to get excited about.

Day 1, Friday evening: This time we were assigned to play with the general population since there weren't enough people signed up for the non-life master section. Before we found our table, we chatted with some of our new friends. I asked the first couple where they had dinner, and they replied "Boston Market." Boston Market?? Then I had to ask another pair and they said "Brandywine." Hmm. Now I had to find someone who took my advice, and eventually I did. I was starting to wonder if anyone had listened to me!

My partner and I were very comfortable playing with the "grown-ups." We both felt it was more like playing at the bridge club, but friendlier. This was surprising since someone had told us that tournament goers were nit-picky, called the director a lot, and were not fun. In fact, we found the opposite to be true. I think that the out-of-towners looked at this event as a mini-vacation and were focused on enjoying themselves. It was interesting to meet new people, and especially nice to see familiar ones.

The bridge hands were computer generated, and someone told us that they were designed to make a point. I soon realized that these hands were separating the chaff from the wheat; for example, you had to really be on top of things to know you should be in game even though it didn't look like it, or that you were not going to make game even though you had more than enough points. My partner and I had our best session this evening--we came in second in Division C. Our first silver points--hurray!

Day 2, Saturday morning: Here's what happened when we played against the one pair who were not so nice. Almost as soon as we sat at their table "Fred" said something in a rude tone to his partner, and his bad attitude continued throughout the first board. During the second board he was the declarer (south) and my LHO (I was sitting east). As he drew trump he obviously miscounted, because he played the ace of clubs from dummy and I trumped it. OMG! He totally lost it. He barely managed to finish the board before he swept cards off the table in frustration and anger. As he bent to pick them up, Julie and I quietly got up and left. We didn't dare look at each other.

When we sat at the next table, we were congratulated for having survived the previous table. We found out that "Fred" is an excellent player who used to play in the GR bridge club but had been kicked out for bad behavior. What in the world is wrong with him? Does he have no self control at all, or does he just not care?

Day 2, afternoon: The results of our morning session were not good, but the afternoon was better. However, we did not come close to the Friday evening results. This coming week Julie and I are going to analyze the games and figure out what we need to do differently. We are both competitive and determined! Plus, we each have someone at the club whom we really want to beat. It is good to have a goal.

Roller Coaster

2010-04-02T08:34:00.001-04:00

Exuberance and depression; achievement and failure; cleverness and stupidity; progress and regression: so it went last week at the bridge club. After a successful Thursday afternoon and a humbling Friday evening, I told my partner I would no longer play on Fridays since the competition was too tough. I was almost too embarrassed to even play on Thursdays.

We did play the following Thursday, though, and did quite well. I decided to continue the roller coaster ride and will play again tonight, Friday. However, I am blogging today just in case there is another rapid drop and the ensuing headache interferes with my composition. Unlike most writers, I am much more prolific when things are going well. (You may have noticed my lack of an entry last week.)

So about yesterday's game: I used a new bid and was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. My partner opened 1 heart. I had 4 high card points, but 5 hearts with a singleton and doubleton. I bid 4 hearts, successfully shutting out the opponents--but not before they doubled for penalty. I nervously watched my partner play the hand, and even though we had a total of 17 HCP, it was starting to look like she would make it. I held my breath, but that didn't help--we went down one, vulnerable and doubled. Our opponents tried not to look smug, but I could see they were pleased. After they left the table, I apologized for my bid but my partner kept saying that she thought it was okay, that they must have had something they could have made. She was right--we got a top board on that one.

Years ago a friend tricked me into getting on a roller coaster at Disney by convincing me it was "tame" and I would enjoy it. It was horrible and I survived only by keeping my eyes tightly shut the entire time. I only hope that I will not be embarking on another ride tonight.

Two Break-Throughs

2010-03-21T09:39:00.000-04:00

Thursday afternoon my partner and I were defending against a 3NT contract. My partner led a low club; the jack and two small clubs were on the board. I ended up taking the trick with a 10, and I led another club back. This time the declarer took it with the jack, but when I regained the lead I played another club. My partner ended up winning several club tricks, and I had a suit to run as well. Our opponents went down 4 vulnerable, giving us a top board.

The break-through: For the first time, I was able to visualize my opponent's hand. When declarer ducked that first club, I knew what to do.

That same afternoon, playing against a different pair, my partner opened 1 heart. I had 18 points in my hand with 3 hearts (Qxx), 4 spades, 6 clubs, and a void in diamonds. I pondered what to do. I knew that 3H was not right, but that's what I ended up bidding because I knew my partner would not pass this (even though it is an invitational bid). My partner did bid 4H, but what now? I decided to show my very nice club suit, so I bid 5C. My partner thought this was Gerber, so she bid 5H to show she had 1 ace. I thought she was rebidding her heart suit, telling me that she had better than a minimum heart opening. I wasn't positive we had a slam but I didn't want to miss it if we did, so I bid 6H. We made 7 and got an excellent board.

The break-through: Obviously not the crazy bidding, we lucked out there but did discuss it later and thought about what we should have done. No, the break-through is related to memory. It is three days later and I still remember my hand and the bidding! Not that long ago I couldn't remember what I held 5 minutes after the hand was played.

Progress is a good thing.

Comments Overheard at the Bridge Club this Week

2010-03-12T10:14:00.000-05:00

"I need a beer if I'm going to eat those jalepenos."

"How many crocs do you own??"

"They're shouting at each other because neither one of them can hear."

"Mr. Dummy, lay down your cards."

"What is he doing over there playing with newcomers?"

"It wasn't me, it was C/Synthia."

"I don't care that you played out of turn, just please don't call the director."

"So you were the mystery woman in leather!"

"He kicked me under the table when I led an ace."

"I was wondering how far you would go."

And heard every week, at every game: "There sure are some strange hands today."

Monday Night

2010-03-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

My play was perfect. I had no doubts, no confusion, no missteps--I made my 3NT contract and the way I did it was a thing of beauty. I tried to keep a smile off my face, I tried to remain impassive and humble, but I could not resist a glance at my LHO, The Director. Expecting to see a look of approval, I was instead met with a wry half-smile and a sad little shake of the head. "What?" I asked, all semblance of modesty gone out the window. "I thought I played that well." "You did play that very well," came the reply. "It just would have played better in spades." Sigh.

In another part of the room, my friends Jean and Melissa were having problems of their own. Melissa looked at a hand full of clubs and few points, so she reached for the bidding box to play 3 clubs. As she continued to study her hand, she heard her LHO ask Jean what her bid meant. To her horror she heard her partner reply that it was a strong bid. Melissa looked down and saw that she had mistakenly pulled out the 2 clubs card. Jean, looking at 10+ points in her hand, happily bid towards slam while confusion reigned among their opponents, who had the remaining points in their hands. They went down six.

Bridge--always an adventure!

What I Learned This Week

2010-02-27T09:50:00.000-05:00

As I entered the bridge club on Thursday afternoon, I scanned the crowd for my partner. I couldn't spot Julie anywhere, but I knew she must be there because I was running a little late. I looked for her 90 year-old mother, whom I saw talking to someone wearing a baseball cap. I looked closer--yes, that was Julie wearing a bad-hair-day hat. It turns out she was still feeling under the weather from a bug she got last week, and wasn't up to dealing with the new perm that was hiding under her cap. Several people commented on her outfit (because of course she had on a matching jacket), even calling it "collegiate." Julie sure knows how to pull off a new look!

As we traveled around the room sitting east-west, Julie carried her triage bag along and periodically blew her nose, coughed, and took drugs (always wiping her hands with anti-bacterial tissues). Across the room I could hear Mike echoing her noises, although he was much less delicate and a lot louder. In fact, the room was full of the sounds of sneezes, coughs, and sniffling. I am hoping that since I haven't caught anything yet, I am safe. Knock on wood.

What I learned playing bridge on Thursday, perhaps better stated as "what I learned playing bridge on Thursday that I still remember on Saturday": Consider playing in No Trump even when you fit a fit in the majors. It's 10 extra points. I think about No Trump when we have a fit in the minors, but was taught that it's better to play in the majors if you can because it's easier to make the contract. Now I know that I need to consider my partner's bid and count tricks, and decide if it will work in No Trump to get those 10 extra points. At the end of the day, when I looked at the game results, I saw that 3 pairs got to No Trump on that board. We had an above average board. I think it is wonderful that our opponents are coaching us to be top players, not just good ones.

What I learned playing bridge on Friday: Julie and I have been working on playing defense, since that appeared to be a weak spot. Now it seems that we need to focus on playing offense, as well as to continue to fine tune our bidding.

How long does it take to get good at this game???

Rude Players

2010-02-20T08:54:00.000-05:00

I played bridge Wednesday and Thursday afternoons this week. It's hard to play on Wednesdays because I teach a 7:45 am class and a 5:45 pm class, so when I also play bridge I am exhausted by the end of the day (plus my paperwork doesn't get done). This Wednesday my class met at the library so I thought I could relax; this turned out to be true for the evening class, but the morning librarian didn't know much about using technology for database searches, so I ended up taking over.

Anyway, at the bridge club on Thursday my partner and I sat north-south. After a couple of rounds, a pair we like -- and not just because we usually do well playing against them -- sat down. They were visibly upset, especially the woman. I got the bid, LHO (the man) played a card, Julie laid down the dummy, and the woman started laying down her cards. What?!? She was so rattled by what had happened at the previous table that she had totally lost focus. She picked up her cards and commented on "that awful woman." Her partner (husband?) told her take a deep breath and we concurred that "she really is an awful woman." Julie assured her that she hadn't seen her cards, and in fact was a bit upset with herself because she should have looked. That brought a laugh and play proceeded.

Bad behavior at the tables is not tolerated by the tougher, more experienced players or by the director. (I have heard both put people in their places.) I suspect that the few people who are sometimes rude are fundamentally unhappy and find bridge to be one of their few sources of enjoyment. If true, you would think they would take care not to alienate people at the club.

Today is My Birthday

2010-02-12T16:47:00.000-05:00

The words "treat your partner like royalty, don't criticize and always praise..." greeted me as I entered the bridge club yesterday. The regular Thursday morning lesson was coming to a close with partnership advice. I found my partner across the room and repeated what I had just heard. She liked it!

Play went well for us. Even though we made a few mistakes, since this wasn't the Friday night crowd we placed 3rd in our division. That's good for beginners, which we still are because we've been playing for less than a year.

A few people have noticed and commented on the fact that I am not playing bridge tonight; instead, I am going out to celebrate my birthday. Apparently my obsession with bridge is not (yet) all consuming, as I am on my way out the door for dinner and dancing. Cheers!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2010-02-06T09:59:00.000-05:00

The Good: To get right to the point, on Thursday afternoon we had a 50.25% game and placed 2nd in C. At first Julie thought we weren't doing well because our opponents were winning game after game, but I noted that they were winning with too many overtricks. I thought that at least in some of the games this meant that they were in the wrong contracts; plus, we did have some good games. My goal for the afternoon, which I miraculously met, was to stop and think before I did anything. That helped a lot.

The Bad and the Ugly: I know this should be two separate paragraphs, but Friday night was too awful to dissect and write about twice. It is hard to compete against people who have more knowledge than I do of the cards in my partner's hand, and in some cases better knowledge of my own cards! Add to that a couple of horrendous mistakes, and the result is not pretty.

Even though Friday night play is incredibly humbling, I still have fun because I am playing bridge, the people are nice, and I laugh a lot when we go out afterwards. The thought occurs to me that those who are the most encouraging and kind to newcomers, and the most polite at the tables, are the best players . . . why do you think that is? (Note that this is an invitation to comment on this blog.)

Year Two

2010-01-30T14:28:00.000-05:00

I haven't written for awhile, but I have been busy playing bridge. A few things have happened since last summer . . . Julie and I have established a solid partnership. We learn from each other, don't get upset by each other's mistakes, and mostly we have fun. I am much more confident in my bidding and my play, and we sometimes join the Friday evening games (we were intimidated at first by the level of play, but now we don't care). We've had some good games where we actually got master points. Some things have remained the same . . . most of the people at the club are very nice and a lot of fun, but some are grumpy. There's so much to keep track of that I lose my train of thought sometimes and make mistakes that I shouldn't make because I know better. My bidding is still too conservative. And while we have some good games, we also still have some not-so-good games.

Last Thursday included a little bit of all of this. The play at our table was so crazy I didn't know what to think. Here's one thing that happened: During one game, I had five nice spades and was getting ready to bid them when my RHO bid spades. This was disappointing, but I bid something else instead and we got the contract. My LHO played, the board came down, and my RHO said, "Something is not right here." I thought she meant that our bidding was way off (which was possible, I guess), but then she said that she had some of the same cards in her hand that were in dummy! It turns out she had taken her cards from the other board. I was sure this had never happened before in the history of bridge, but when we called the director over she said that she's seen it all and seen this particular scenario more than once. Our opponent exchanged her cards and play continued, even though we were in the wrong contract and did not do well. Our opponents felt badly and tried to give us an extra trick but the director said "no."

And then we played with another pair and things were going smoothly when suddenly one of the opponents started to vigorously erase something on her card. She erased and erased, picking up her card and blowing on it, and erased some more. I watched Julie become increasing distracted and was not surprised when she suddenly blurted out, "What the hell are you doing??" Our opponent explained that she had written the wrong score down previously and was correcting it. I didn't say anything.

That gives you an idea about how our afternoon went, and we could only laugh. Playing bridge is never boring.

2009-08-26T20:29:00.000-04:00

We played bridge again, and every time we learn something new. We learn about how to play bridge, of course, but we also learn about the club. Today we waited patiently for the print-outs so we could compare our boards against the other east-west players. Just like last week, though, it seemed like everyone got their print-out except us! Well, another newbie saw us going through old papers and looking perplexed. She told us that we had to sign up for a print-out, otherwise we don't get one. Now we know.

My partner had two great ideas. First, we are going to stop saying that we are new players because people seem to be quite bossy telling us how we should be playing. Many times I am sure they are right, but sometimes I think not. Also, we are going to wait until the end of the boards at a particular table before we tell them our names. If we played particularly poorly, we will remain anonymous :)