"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.
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