Goodbye Gatlinburg

Yesterday we said goodbye to this view from our balcony. We left behind some friends who would be playing in the all day Swiss and joined some on the road. It had been fun, but it was time to go home.

The trip back seemed to go faster than the trip there. We called Dixie, Sharron, and Tom and found out they were ahead of us; John and Herm had also gotten an earlier start (or they were speeding). I learned that John and Herm are farm boys and not only know the difference between hay and straw but also know a lot (too much?) about the growing cycles of crops. If only they also knew about nutritional meals - cheese nips, cheese curls, m&m's, and spicy chicken wings do not make for a healthy breakfast.

Even the drive through Indiana went faster. Lee and I were so caught up in our conversation that we forgot to keep an eye on the gas gauge.

"How are we doing on gas?" I finally asked as we drove down 28th Street.

Lee looked up, startled. "I forgot all about that!" she exclaimed. She checked the gauge. "We're below empty and the light is on!"

Fortunately we made it to the station on the corner and tragedy was averted. We both arrived home safe and sound.

The End

Knockouts

For our next KO we partnered with Gary and Herm.  Thankfully they did not get on the trolley and were waiting for us when we arrived at the venue. Our first session went smoothly, and we joined up with another winning team from Grand Rapids for dinner.

I suggested we go to Calhoun's for pork chops because Julie loves them so much and I  wouldn't hear the end of it if I  didn't give them a try. The group was agreeable, my chop was delicious and we got a surprise dessert from an anonymous benefactor. All was right with the world.

Our second session started out roughly. To make a long story short, we were 21 points behind going into the second half.  Discouraged but giving it our best shot, the following happened at our partners' table.  (In case you are wondering how I know all of these upcoming details, Gary told the story approximately 5 times.)

Gary was the dealer and passed. His left hand opponent passed, and Herm, sitting in third seat, squeezed out every point he could find in his cards and bid 1 spade. Fourth seat overcalled 2 diamonds. Gary then reevaluated his hand. He was looking at 4 spades to the jack, 6 hearts to the queen-ten, 3 diamonds to the queen, and a void in clubs. In other words, he had a total of 4 high card points. Gary reports that the void was critical to what happened next.

Gary bid 2 hearts. His left hand opponent then bid 3 clubs. ("Are we sure this is how it happened?" Herm asks. Gary ignores him and continues the story.) Herm wisely passed and Gary astutely bid 4 spades. Gary watched as all of the color drained from Herm's face. Gary reports that Herm looked extremely distraught; Herm declares that this is an understatement and that he had to fight the urge to kick Gary under the table.

Herm played the hand brilliantly and made the contract, turning the tide of that session. We won and went to the Shamrock to celebrate with drinks, dancing, and karaoke. Several other GR folks joined us, but I  am proud to report that we were the only team with all members present!!

Bridge

Distributional hands continue to haunt me. We almost won a knockout round, but didn't because I  misjudged one of these hands from hell. Lee kindly keeps telling me we also would have won if she had done something different on another hand, but I  don't even remember that one anymore. I think she's just  (futilely) trying to stop me from obsessing about this.

Picking up a hand with 6-5 distribution and 2 singletons should be a great thing, right? I can still see it; it was loaded with enough points to give hope, but with enough holes in those points to cruelly dash that hope on the rocks. I went down doubled for a bizillion points, and I  wasn't even vulnerable.

So I  ask you, how can I  know if distribution is good enough to make game? My partner had reluctantly supported me (after originally passing and then going back to my first suit when I  offered up my second suit for her consideration). And my opponents kept taunting me by bidding my singletons' suits. How was I to know that I  should have passed?

It didn't help that the opponents' hands were also distributional.

But really,  help me out here-how much value should I  assign to extreme distribution?

Congratulations!

We have a new Life Master! Congratulations, Karen Cornelius! 

The Party

Last night after the evening session, Tom and his condo-mates hosted a pizza and beer party. Lee and I  were the first to arrive (surprise surprise) and Sharron warmly welcomed us.  While we waited for Tom to arrive with the pizza, Dixie came back from bridge and guests started to filter in.  But where were Julie, Dee, Barb, and Cristi? They were staying in the same condo and said they would be there. Also MIA were Gary and Herm. Where were they?

After awhile there was a knock on the door and Cristi came in. After greeting her, I asked where everyone else was.

"We didn't know the condo number, and no one was answering their phones." Cristi eyed me accusingly.

"Oops.  It's  still turned off from the tournament. Hey, how did you find us?"

"I was really hungry and knew you all (pronounced yawl) were on the second floor, so I came down the stairs and started looking in windows.  I caught a glimpse of someone I thought was Tom so I  knocked."

Soon Julie, Dee, and Barb also came down, but where were Gary and Herm?  Tom put an empty pizza box outside the door to help them locate us, or perhaps to lure them in.

Then all of a sudden, in a flash of commotion, there they were looking disheveled and distraught. "Where have you been?" we cried.   "We were lost on the trolley!" they moaned.  As they explained what happened, it began to sound like that Twilight Zone episode where a couple of people get on a train to escape a creepy town but the train just keeps going in circles.  Weird.

Day 1

First the good news: I had a wonderful dinner at the Cherokee Grill with 9 Grand Rapids Bridge players. And there are lots more of them here in Tennessee...is anyone playing at home? Anyway, several of us drank bubbly (me included) and we all ate tasty food. Now Lee and I are resting in our room before the evening session because we are both sick.

Let me repeat that: We are both sick. Lee is taking medication for a horrendous sinus infection and I am suffering with the cold and cough from hell. This is important to keep in mind as you read about our poor performance to date.

Sigh.

It started out to be a promising day.  We left early to look for teammates and were happy to run into two GR players who were also looking for teammates. We joined forces and discovered we'd be playing in a round robin.  I think that's supposed to be a good thing because you have a better chance of making it through. We got knocked out. Don't ask who our teammates were; they begged me to leave their names out of this.

Then Lee and I decided to play in the afternoon gold rush pairs. I'm going to skip over that part of the day and go right to Lee's part of a phone conversation with her daughter Audra that I (accidentally) overheard.

Audra: murmurmurmurmurmur

Lee: Well not good, but that's because we're sick.

Audra: murmurmurmurmur

Lee: We planned this a long time ago, we weren't going to cancel.

Audra: murmurmurmur

Lee, indignantly: What do you mean, I'm too old to be doing stuff like this?

At this point it appeared that Audra wisely shifted the conversation to her budding interest in yoga.

But all is not lost, dear readers,  for within the hour we will be at it once again, playing in the gold rush evening session. Even if we don't do well (although I think we will), we will be looking forward to the pizza party at the condo across the street.

I don't think we're going to make it to the bridge session tomorrow morning.

Arrival

After a harrowing 12 hour drive up and down mountains in the rain and sleet, chased by bears and police cars with sirens blazing, we finally arrived at our destination...the Travelodge Inn in Gatlinburg.

If only our trip had been so exciting. It took 11 hours (10 of which seemed to be in Indiana), and there were mountains and a little rain, but thankfully we did not get stopped for speeding (although lots of others did). We did see a cute bear cub statue drinking from a ceramic water fountain in the lobby of the Inn. And we learned about the difference between hay and straw.

Currently we are preparing for tomorrow's tournament by laying in bed and drinking - wine for me, whiskey for Lee.  In the morning we will be risking it all at the partnership desk, looking for a pair for knockouts. I anticipate an interesting story.

Gatlinburg: Year II

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..." I am echoing Peter, Paul and Mary this morning as I prepare for my second trip to the Gatlinburg tournament. My bags are indeed packed, but instead of getting ready for the long drive I feel the need to chronicle this event. And to drink coffee.

Amadeus is watching me suspiciously (he has noticed the suitcase in the living room), while Athena appears oblivious. My helpful neighbor will be coming over daily to feed  and water them, and to keep them company. She says they appear for their treat and then they ignore her.

Several people from the Grand Rapids club are already at the tournament, presumably gearing up for the first game. Julie and I were texting for a while during her groups' drive (they were approaching Cincinnati at the time). When I reported that I had just killed an ugly spider, she told me to find something to do. I haven't heard from her since.

This year I'm partnering with Lee. We don't have a team for knockouts, but hopefully something will come together. Our plans for the drive include chit chat, bridge talk, audio books, and music. I'm thinking there will also be snacks involved. Oh, and did you know that AAA still does trip tiks?? Yes, we will be navigating the old fashioned way, using paper maps!

Enough procrastinating, Lee will be here soon so I need to get ready. Next time you hear from me I'll be in Tennessee!!

Day 6: Random Observations

After a young man had caddied for the first time, he told his parents that he had never before seen so many weird people in one place at the same time.

Some people don’t play in the side games because they don’t think they get their money’s worth when only 24 boards are in play.

A director was called because the opponent had opened 1 NT with a small singleton.  When the director arrived, the opener protested that it was no big deal, she did it all the time.  “Is it on your convention card?  Do you alert it?” The director’s questions were met with silence.

There are a lot of places in Gatlinburg where you can sample different flavors of moonshine (corn liquor) for free.  There are also a lot of places that sell strange purses.  Make what you will of these (unrelated?) facts.

As the week progressed, the general mood of the tournament seemed to change from relaxed and happy to include some elements of tense and crabby.  For example, some people thought they weren’t getting their money’s worth because they didn’t declare very often.  But you will be relieved to know that everyone I saw from Michigan remained cheerful and were having fun, especially members of my team.

I kept running into players who said, “We just met some other people from Grand Rapids.  They were the nicest couple!”   “Was it the Burpees?” I learned to ask.  Because it always was. 

People from Long Island were amazed at the $5 cost of playing bridge at the Grand Rapids club.  They pay $20 at their club, although they were quick to point out that this includes a catered lunch.  They considered the $11 tournament entry fees a bargain.

Every time we played, we got some sort of little prize:  a chocolate bear on a stick, candy fruit, a USB light (most people didn’t know what this was, but Kathy got very excited and tried to steal mine), gourmet chocolates, and dollar coupons for the food stand (we mostly used these for coffee).  I heard that the budget was $11 a table for these favors, and there were hundreds of tables.  We also got flashlights when we registered and free play coupons when we won the knockout.  A man from Louisville reminded me that at the Nationals there we got Magic 8 Balls that displayed bids.  “How embarrassing,” he said.  “I guess someone must have thought it was a good idea.”

Most interesting of all, I saw a mama bear and her cub.  No, not at the tournament—although that would have been quite exciting.  It was in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Day 5: Friday

I smiled as I saw Doug’s jaw drop.  He sat across the table from me and looked at my bid of 6 spades, shaking his head.  I heard his thoughts as clearly as if he had said them aloud:  “What the heck???”  See, Doug had opened 2 spades, debating if he should even bid that given how weak he was.  I had responded 2 NT, asking for a feature.  He had rebid his spades, saying, in effect, “I don’t have anything, partner.”  That’s when I went to slam.

What Doug didn’t know, but found out when I laid down dummy, was that I had 28 high card points.  28 points that included the king and queen of spades.  I have never had a hand like that—how could I NOT go to slam? 

At the other table (remember, we were playing in knockouts), North did not open 2 spades.  They got to the 6 spades another way, and of course it made.  So that board was a wash.

Just a few minutes later my right hand opponent opened 3 diamonds (weak).  I had another monster hand, “only” 19 points this time but with a 6 card heart suit and a singleton ace of diamonds.  I doubled and planned to rebid my hearts.  Doug would know I had a big hand and if at all possible, he would put me in game and maybe slam.

At this point Doug’s pen exploded.  Parts went flying everywhere and had to be retrieved.  There was a brief discussion of “cheap pens” and the banks that handed them out.  North in particular was sympathetic; it seems the same has happened to him.  Three of us turned our attention back to the table while Doug tried to put his pen back together.  Focus, Doug, I silently urged while South passed.  At least look up!  To my surprise and relief, he looked over the bidding and jumped to 4 hearts.  As North thought about his next bid, Doug turned back to his pen.  Put that thing down!  I silently commanded.  North passed and I bid 4 NT, asking for key cards.  Doug’s head whipped around—I had finally gotten his attention. He put the pen down and rebid 5 diamonds, saying he had 0 key cards.

I went to 6 hearts anyway.  Doug looked at me nervously; the opponents looked bemused but not unhappy.  All of that changed a minute later when I laid out dummy.  “I don’t know why I asked about key cards,” I said, “since I have them all.”

6 hearts was made at both tables, but we were the only ones who bid it.  Unfortunately, we lost the round anyway.  We came in tied for 3^rd/4^th and got about 6 gold points.

PS:  Doug threw away the pen.

Thursday: A Note From Kathy

This is my first regional and I am thoroughly enjoying it.  Sue put this this whole thing together because she knew both Margaret and I needed lots of Gold.  She did a great job of organizing our team.

I started this tournament with 1.08 Gold and 391.25 total points.  I never thought I would get enough gold for my life master in my very first regional tournament.  Here are my totals so far:

·        Monday/Tuesday KO (knockout), took first place 15.31 Gold  (total 16.39)

·        Tuesday/Wednesday morning compact KO, Sue and I played with Karen and Don from the Kalamazoo club.  We placed third with an additional 4.35 Gold (total 20.74)

·        Wednesday Gold Rush, Margaret and I received .54 red but gold

·        Thursday/Friday KO (Margaret, Doug, Sue, Kathy) we won the afternoon and evening sessions so we are guaranteed at least 6.91 for 3rd or 4^th place (1^st will received 17.28).  Margaret will let you know on Friday where we placed.

That means I have a guaranteed 27.65 GOLD

You would think I would be breaking out the champagne as we did on Tuesday when Margaret received her life master.   Unfortunately we are having to make do with Captain Morgan Spiced Rum because I still need  1.85 Silver. I have to wait until the Grand Rapids Sectional to try to get those silver points.  I will be accepting all gifts.

Day 3: Wednesday

I hate distributional hands.  Yesterday evening I had three of those nasty things in one session.

#1:  I had 5 hearts and 5 spades with 14 high card points.  Not bad, I thought.  I opened a spade, my partner supported me.  The opponents interfered; should I rebid 3 or 4?  I was feeling frisky so went to 4.  Please understand that I know I shouldn’t base a bid on whether I “feel” like it, but I have a hard time evaluating hands like these.  How much are they worth?  More than point count, certainly.  Well, I was down 2 for a bad board.

#2:  Just a couple of boards later I looked at my hand and saw 5 hearts and 6 diamonds with 12 high card points.  Oh no, I thought.  Not again.  This time it was even more distributional but with fewer points.  I sighed to myself and dutifully opened a heart.  My partner said 1 NT, I rebid 2 diamonds and she said 3 diamonds.  Not again, I said to myself (again) and I passed.  I made 5, but at least this time it was an average board.

#3:  Then came the most horrible hand of the series.  I had 6 hearts headed by the king/queen and 4 clubs (ace/jack) with 16 points.  I know you are thinking that you would love to have this hand, but remember, it all depends on what everyone else is holding.  And what they were holding and bidding was not good for me.  The opponent in front of me opened a heart. What??? I passed.  His partner said 1 spade, pass, pass, back to me.  I couldn’t let them play it in 1 spade, my hand would have been worthless.  My only other possible bid was 2 clubs so I boldly made it.  I went down 3 for a bottom board.  Here’s the kicker…when I checked the hand record, my opponent had opened 1 heart with 4 hearts and 7 points.

We ended the game at 55% and won .54 red.

How do you think Team Minder did this evening?

Day 2: Tuesday

We are now in the finals! If we win this evening, I will have enough gold to be a life master!  But I am getting ahead of myself; first, this morning.

Doug and I played in a compact knock-out (meaning it’s shorter than a regular knock-out) with Cristi and Barb.  We won the first round, but alas, our opponents proved to be too much for us and we were knocked out during the second round.  Kathy and Susan are winning in their compact knock-out, which continues tomorrow morning.  Don’t tell anyone, but I’m kind of glad I get to relax tomorrow morning (but I still wish we had won).

The afternoon went better.  We played against the nicest, funniest people.  It also helped that I got a lot of good cards, and for the first time this tournament I was often the declarer.  As any of my regular partners can tell you, I am better at playing the hand than at defense.  Here’s an example of how the bidding went for one hand, and how it would have been different in a pairs game.

I opened 2 clubs and waited for my partner to bid 2 diamonds (waiting).  What should my rebid be?  I was loathe to bid 2 NT since I had a singleton spade; it would have to be clubs.  I had 5 really nice ones.  To my surprise, Doug bid 2 spades.  I knew this meant he had a spade suit and enough points to think about slam.  Obviously we couldn’t play it in spades, so we were probably headed for no trump.  I decided to show him my clubs, and then imagined his response and my rebid.  I ran several scenarios through my head, but he came up with a bid I hadn’t planned for:  6 clubs.  I passed, played the hand and easily made 7. 

At our partners’ table, the opponents were in a risky 6 NT contract, which they made only because 3 necessary finesses worked.  So yes, their score was higher than ours and they got 2 whole imps, hardly worth the possibility of going down.  Later Doug said that in a pairs game he would have gone slower and explored for no trump, but not in a team game.  The best contract is the safest contract.

I’m learning a lot about team game strategies and am very appreciative of my smart, experienced team members.

Day 1: Monday

Unknocked!  We are still in the first knock-out, which means that even though we aren’t done yet, for sure we won 6 gold.  Progress in my quest for Life Master!

Now that you know the most important thing about Monday, let me give you my impressions of Gatlinburg and the tournament.  Even though I’ve heard a lot about how commercial and touristy this city is, and it is, I like it.  But then, I also like the Vegas strip and New Orlean’s Bourbon Street. Lots of people everywhere, but not so many that you can’t negotiate sidewalks.  Doug even found a free parking space not far from the Convention Center (but then, I hear he is a master of that).  There’s good food—we ate at Bubba Gump’s, where I saw Jerry’s license plate on the wall.  Most importantly, people are friendly.

In fact, that is a big difference I see between this regional and national tournaments.  At nationals, people seem more rushed and tense.  Here, there is a calmer and friendlier atmosphere.  Lots of people, but no pushing or yelling (not to imply that that behavior permeates nationals, but it does happen).  Also, Susan suggested that people are more relaxed because so many of them play team games, where they are with a group of friends.  Which brings me to the actual game.

I partnered with Doug; Kathy and Susan were at the other table.  Here’s what happened with one hand.  I had really nice cards—18 HCP with 5 spades.  I opened 1 spade, with all of the possible rebids going through my mind.  I was ready—or so I thought.  Doug responded 3NT.  Hmm, I thought, looks like slam to me but let’s double check.  I did not rush to rebid—oh no.  Are we playing some kind of weird thing where this would be weak?  Nooo.  Are we playing Jacoby 3NT?  Even though I like this convention, few of the people I play with do, so no again.  Okay, he must have opening, but I needed to check for the 2 missing aces.  I bid Gerber, my partner responded 4 spades.  I thought it through twice just to be sure, since I don’t bid Gerber very often.  Yes, I had located the 2 missing aces.  Nothing else to think about (or so I thought) and I bid 6 NT.  Doug played it for down 1.  Apparently we DO play Jacoby 3NT, and he had tried to correct to spades after the Gerber bid.  Our opponents at the other table were in 6 spades, making.  Oh well.  We made up for it by getting to 2 games that they did not.  As Susan said, “It doesn’t matter.  We won the round.”

As I write this on Tuesday morning, we are preparing to leave for my first compact knock-out.  This time, Doug and I will be teaming with Cristi and Barb (their team, with Julie and Dee, also won yesterday) while Susan and Kathy will be with Don and Karen from Kalamazoo. This will be followed by afternoon and (hopefully) evening sessions.  I usually just play 2 sessions a day, but I’ve already gotten sucked in to the whole Gatlinburg experience.

Hello Again, Dear Readers!

What momentous occasion has brought me back to you, you ask?  After all of this time, what has inspired me to write again?  It must be something big, you muse.  Hmm, bridge in mid April…newly retired with free time in the spring for the first time since she was 5 years old…can it be…is it possible...she must be in…GATLINBURG!

Yes, for the first time I am able to attend the Gatlinburg regional tournament.  We haven’t started playing yet, but the fun has already started.

No, I am not here with Julie and I didn’t even drive here with her.  But you will not be surprised to learn that we texted en route.  We shared our locations (the car I was in was 3 ½ hours ahead), what we were talking about (more on that later), and our plans upon arrival.  Wait, you say.  You are leaving out something important …whose car are you in?  With whom are you playing?

As you know, the Gatlinburg tournament is known for its team games.  I am pleased to announce that my team includes Doug and Susan Minder, and Kathy Woudstra.  With Doug driving and Susan navigating, we did not make one wrong turn!  I really enjoyed the drive—and since I am not a car person, this is really saying something. 

The 11 hour car talk ranged from a stinky favor Doug once did for his father-in-law to how to bid and play certain hands to the meaning of historical sites (is seems they have some kind of history).  We sang the Daniel Boone song, the tune being oddly reminiscent of The Beverly Hillbillies.  We researched the origin of common terms such as “going to hell in a handbasket” (related to beheadings during the French Revolution).  When the car finally grew quiet I texted Julie.  My group is fading, no one is talking, I told  her.  I’m asking questions, she replied, like, What was the worse job you ever had? “Okay,” I said to my group, “Let’s take turns asking questions.  I’ll start.  What was the worse job you ever had?”  That got us going again without any more lulls in the conversation.

Now it is Monday morning.  The Minders are off for a walk, Kathy is sleeping, and I am drinking coffee and looking forward to my first Gatlinburg knock-out!  Keep your fingers crossed and I’ll let you know how we do.

One More Difference

"I'll try not to aggravate you," I promised Dave.  He's an A player and this was our first time playing together.

"I don't get aggravated," he solemnly assured me.

"That's good," I replied.  We'll see, I thought. I can be pretty aggravating.

Thus started our partnership.  I proceeded to do some good things and some not so good things; Dave did some very good things.  One of the not so good things I did was defensive.  I was on lead and my partner had bid hearts.  I hadn't supported his bid since I only had 5 points, but I did have two hearts.  I led one.  Dummy came down and I calculated that declarer only had one heart, so when I got in again I led a different suit.

That may not sound particularly interesting to you, but I was a bit proud of myself.  It's not easy for me to keep the bidding in mind once play begins and to put that information together with the cards in play to figure out who has what.  In fact, I recalculated several times wondering if I should again lead a heart, but every way I looked at it the declarer had to be out.  I thought about leading a heart anyway to draw his trump, but in this case that didn't seem like an especially fruitful idea.  Even so, I had an uneasy feeling about the whole thing.

At the end of the hand I was relieved to see that declarer did, in fact, have no hearts left in his hand.  My partner was not as relieved.

"Do you still have hearts?" he asked me.

"Yes, one," I said and showed him.

"Why didn't you lead it?"

"Declarer was out, he would have ruffed," I said with confidence born of confirmation.

"You still should have led it."

"Even though declarer would have ruffed it?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yes.  Since you didn't support my hearts and didn't lead a heart a second time, I thought you were out and declarer had hearts.  I would have kept my clubs and thrown off the hearts if I had known declarer was out."

Wow, what a great lesson to learn.  It seemed obvious once Dave explained it, but I hadn't thought about it that way.  This was one more example of a difference between the thinking of an A player and a C player (but no longer this C player).

And as you would expect, Dave stayed calm and unaggravated throughout.

The Patient Died

Recently I was declarer in a particularly tricky contract.  I strategized, I finessed, I thought about where the king was (and was right), I counted cards, I set up a suit...I did it all.  At the end, I was down one.  I looked at what was left of the dummy and what the opponents held.

"Are those two spades good?" I asked my partner, horrified.

"Yes," Julie replied.

"I lost track," I apologized, hanging my head.

"But you played it brilliantly!" the opponent kindly said.

"How good could it be if I didn't make the contract?" I countered.

"Well, that happens.  But it was masterful the way you played it.  Really, it was perfect!"

I appreciated the comments, but it made me think of the old saying "The operation was a success but the patient died."  Later, Julie had a recommendation for me.

"If I'm not sure if something is good or not, and that's the only way to make the contract, I just play it," she suggested.

"That was the problem," I explained.  "I WAS sure that the spades were NOT good."

"Oh."  She laughed, I didn't.

Although this is not a perfect example of doing everything right and getting a bad board, since obviously I didn't do everything right, you get the picture.  Then there's the other side of the coin, when you do everything wrong and somehow it works.

I was recently in a 4 spade contract with a new partner.  When dummy came down I could see right away that it was going to be difficult.  I had a singleton ace of diamonds in my hand with several diamonds on the board but missing the king.  The opening lead took one entry out, leaving just the ace of trump as a way back to all of those beautiful diamonds.  Hmm, what to do?  I led the queen of diamonds towards my hand, my opponent covered with the king.  I played my ace and -- ta dah!--the diamonds were all set up.  I made the contract.

What's the problem, you ask?  Well, during a sit-out we watched John and Joanne bid and play the same board.  They reached the same contract after a wildly different bidding sequence, and made the contract without ever playing the diamonds. I commented on this, and Joanne had a little talk with me.

"Do you see why you should never cover the queen in this type of situation?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied.  (I would have said "yes" even if I had meant "no".)

"If your opponent had held up, you would not have made it."

"I can see that now."

I won't even go into how we stumbled into the right contract (mostly because I don't remember), but bridge is definitely a game where you can do everything right and get a bad board, and do a lot wrong and come out on top.  Sometimes.

Sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells"

Dashing through the snow
Remembering what I read
All that I don't know
Ringing through my head
Four dollars I will pay
To get beat up again
What fun it is to count and play
I have to say Amen!

Let's play bridge, let's play bridge,
Let's play every day.
Oh! What fun it is to go and even play far away.
Let's play bridge, let's play bridge,
Let's play every day.
Oh! What fun it is to go and even play far away.

Turkey Trot

Today was a good day--I partnered with an A player.  I like playing with A players for a number of reasons, and contrary to what you cynics may think, the main reason is not because I do better when I play with them (although I do like that).  No, it's because I get to see how A players think when they bid, play, and defend.  It's just amazing.  And although I'm getting better at figuring things out, it is still nice to know for sure if we are in the right contract (usually) or if I could have made an extra trick (no, I was doomed to go down one).  I also like the feeling of security--I know my partner will tell me exactly what's in his hand during the auction, just like I know he'll lead the exact card I need on defense.

Today was the Turkey Trot, when C players (like me) draw the name of an A player (in this case, Bruce).  So I was not alone in this type of mixed partnership.  In fact, it was interesting to look around the room and not see any regular partners playing together. I have to say, the atmosphere seemed more congenial and calm than usual.  Hmm, what was that about?  

Of course the main objective when playing with a better player is to learn from the experience.  Here's one of the things I learned today:  South opened a diamond; I overcalled a spade.  My partner bid 2 diamonds, telling me he had spade support and at least 10 points.  South bid 3 diamonds.  I figured that since my partner only knew my range of points (8-15), that I should let him know that I had opening count.  I bid 3 spades.  Mistake.  I didn't know it at the time, but by bidding when I didn't have to, I was telling him that I had a bigger hand than I did.  He went to game and I went down one. Unlike A players, C players don't always tell their partners exactly what's in their hands, although we try.

I think we'll be having another Turkey Trot kind of day, maybe a Bunny Hop (or Bunny Bop if your partner isn't cooperating).  But what about the A players, you may be wondering.  What do they get out of this? Even though I hesitate to speak for them, I will anyway. 

A players have the chance to give back to the game by mentoring a less experienced player.  I could go on about this, but there are other benefits as well.  For example, while we all enjoy competition, the pressure is off during this particular game.  After all, no one expects even the best players to get a 70% game with a C player, so they can relax and enjoy.  They get to "show off" their expertise without anyone arguing with them (A players sometimes argue among themselves).  And, best of all (I think) would be that when something goes wrong, as it usually does, it's most likely not their fault!

So A players, what do you think?  Did you enjoy the Turkey Trot?