Mentoring

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.