GLIK Day 4: SUCCESS!!!

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

1. We learned that when your partner opens 1 club, 50% of the time they have five of them.
2. 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.
3. We learned a lot about balancing from Audrey Grant.
4. We learned several strategies of play from Jerry Helms.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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

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

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

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

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

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!!