Totally Unauthorized

Back from dinner and playing again. We’re down 6 imps after the first session, but that’s something we are capable of overcoming, I hope. Eric Rodwell and client are in our section, and they were down 21.80 imps. Not so good.

Dinner was at some Italian place.

Speed blogging during the first break.

Five sections of the very top players in the platinum pairs will make it somewhat easier onthose of us in the IMP pairs, which is more like ten or twelve sections. Lots of faces from home in a tournament this close.

Four rounds down and Don and I are having a nice steady game. You need luck, too, and the opponents aren’t making many mistakes. Doug Handler and partner got to a silly partial, and Peggy Sutherlin missed an easy slam. It’s a start.

Back to the game.

I’ve always loved national bridge tournaments. Travelling to yet another city, checking into yet another hotel just to play big boy bridge for a week is as good as it gets.

I drove up to Reno Thursday night because rain and snow are predicted for Friday morning and I didn’t want to deal with chains and snow and delays.  The IMP pairs start at 1:00 pm; it would be a shame to get here late and ruin the event.

One of the things I like is the feeling of an extended family coming together.  Although it was midnight when I got here, just walking from the front desk through the casino to the elevators I saw people I know from all over the country, people who are here for the same reason I am.  It’s like a gathering of the clan, and it happens 3 times a year.  We all have houses, careers,  families and friends that tie us to some city, but come alive when we get together for an NABC.

I’ve got 3 national events planned for this week, and two days of regional events as well.  As much as I will enjoy playing, I expect to equally enjoy just being around all the people I know, talking bridge in the bar or the coffee shop or the president’s suite.

If I played golf, Tiger Woods would never stoop to talk to me. Here, I can walk right up to Zia or Hamman and shoot the breeze.  Bridge is the most democratic game there is.

Reno isn’t New York or Paris, but there are a couple of decent restaurants, my room is fantastic (and cheap) and there’s a week of great bridge in front of me.  What more can a boy ask for?

Learning is not always painless

Have you quit learning bridge?  Do you think you know as much as you need to?  Why?

I play a decent game, but the more I know the more I realize there is to learn.  So once a month or so Gail and I and a couple of friends take a professional lesson from Gene Simpson.

For 3 hours, we play the boards Gene brings, after each he tells us how we could have done it better.  There is no such thing as a hand with no lesson–every card has meaning, every auction has options, nuances and inferences.  Defense is the big weakness in my game, and Gene never lets me get away with sloppy thinking or careless carding.

Working with a pro is a way to improve our individual skill and our partnership agreements. Today we shared the lesson with BJ Ledgerwood and Terry Boyd, who are in a newer stage of partnership building than Gail and I.  It doesn’t much matter where you are starting from, at the end of a lesson you’ll be a better player than before.

Here are two big bidding notes from today:

1. When the opponents open the auction, then stop in 1NT, the player in 4th seat (that’s YOU) should be playing whatever system you ordinarily play over their 1NT opening.  It is important not to sell out cheaply, and using your tools gives you more ways to express your hand.
2. If you open 1 of a minor and partner responds 2NT, your re-bid of 3H or 3S shows a singleton or void. Partner can still bid 3NT with weakness covered, or retreat to a fit in a minor suit.

Expertise doesn’t come cheap, but going away to regionals and not winning isn’t cheap, either.  Splitting the cost 4 ways makes it reasonable.  We enjoy our sessions with Gene, and feel that we get more than our moneys worth every time.  The better we play, the more we enjoy the game.  That’s a win-win situation if ever I saw one.

Ally Whiteneck did a fantastic job putting this together

FOURTEEN tables of beginner/intermediate players showed up this morning for the mentoring session Ally Whiteneck has been so assiduously putting together.

At each table, a mentor sat as in the fifth chair, going over the bidding and play of the 20 pre-planned hands.  Grant Robinson wrote each of the hands up in a format that can later be posted on the web for review and study.

Seeing that many players thirsting to improve their game, and the unit providing that much help, was fantastic.  I know that many of the board members aided Ally in this effort.

The sessions will continue every other week.  All players are welcome to learn, more players are needed to mentor.  Call Ally or email her at acbl499mentor@gmail.com to volunteer.

Ally Whiteneck did a fantastic job putting this together