Paul,

I always enjoy your blogs as your obvious love and respect for our game comes through loud and clear .. an admired quality you share with my Bobby. Many commend your dedication .. but few are as effusive! Your passion for Zero Tolerance shared by Barbara Seagram are legendary and you are both such dedicated credits to the game.

Some of my most glorious longtime memories were kibitzing Norman and Edgar and the respect they exhibited not only for each other but for their peers as well. I believe that just as natural talent (Bobby calls it ‘numeracy’) is inbred (not learned) — so is the kind and respectful mannerisms directed at one’s deserving opponents.

I cannot recall any nasty recriminations (except in jest) as I watched thousands of hands starting in the sixties when Norman reunited with Edgar (a love affair beginning in the fifties .. with a brief break in time .. which lasted some forty- three years until Edgar’s death in 1997).

Bobby came upon ‘my bridge scene’ in 2003 but long before then, I remember the respect and admiration earned by the original Aces and what their reputation (and successes) added to the game.

However, so much has changed over the course of time, but no doubt the worst facet (which I truly feel will turn out to be the best incentive) is the recent cheating unmasking which most top players (and their serious followers like moi) have known about for decades). Hiding it under the mattress or treading lightly with kid gloves is hardly the solution .. or we would not be faced with the embarrassing recriminations which are front page headlines.

I am well aware that the seriousness of the above is not what you had in mind with reference to ZT in Denver, but it is certainly an appropriate reminder and a huge step in the right direction. We have reached a time in our once-wonderful game where we must all join hands and opt for a common goal: TO UPHOLD THE BEAUTY, ENJOYMENT AND HONOR OF THE GREATEST MIND GAME ON EARTH!

Thank you, Paul, for broaching the subject!

Hi Judy,

I really appreciate your kind words – and the time you took to write your insightful remarks!

My start in bridge came at a club in Toronto called Kate Buckman’s Bridge studio, which Kate started in 1959. It became the largest club in Canada, and the third largest in North America. Kate had about 300 tables a week, and introduced around 1000 newcomers to bridge each year. It was “de rigeur” for gentlemen to wear jackets and ties, and you could even have supper there if so desired. Everyone who was anyone was at Kates – Eric Murray, Sami Kehela…..and Kate made sure that everything was done in the nicest possible way. So I too have my memories of a time when bridge was……wonderful.

But these are now sad days for bridge …..dark clouds hanging over players who should be setting the example for others to follow. Motives for playing are now very different for many at the top, and the answer to many of the problems we currently see may be “Follow the money”.

HBJ : Just a query…… when a player feels he is the victim of some underhand shenanigans , or subtle provocation…..perhaps even cheating……you are advising him/her not to rant and rave at the table…..but to call the director over.
So will there be under this blanket policy of zero tolerance any action taken against such perpetrators. All too often this never happens when a deluge of denials and counter-claims come raining in.
The real sinners always manage to fly under the ZT radar !

Hi HBJ:

As long-time blogging buddies, we share the passion for doing what is best for bridge .. be it YOUR humorous jabs at the stupidity and ridiculous handling of outright poor ethics or blatant cheating … OR my undying pursuit of casual huddles, facial expressions or preordained, well developed and practiced signals. ANY WAY YOU PRESENT IT .. CHEATING IS CHEATING. I AM IN FAVOR OF IT’S EXTINCTION .. and we must do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal.

Bobby has been very vocal on the internet about the recent disgusting international incidents brought to light via cameras, monitors, card placement, et al. which is still being in the process of being analyzed and confirmed. You name it .. they had already thought of (and engaged in) it!! The publicity has brought shame and disgust to the game .. but worse yet .. to the hundreds upon hundreds of honorable first-class players who revere the game and would not stoop to the depths of others.

I speak not as an expert (HARDLY!!!) .. but an experienced kibitzer who has been privy to watching much of the hoopla that has finally made the front pages after five decades. And, I would like to add: THANK HEAVENS! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Yet, the ingenious concept of ZT and all its great intentions, has a mammoth flaw: The overseeing, detecting and ruling on issues (miniscule or far-reaching). And … FOLLOWING IN IT’S FOOTSTEPS .. EXACTLY WHO are the ‘experts’ appointed to ‘rule.’???? THAT IS THE REAL CONUNDRUM!!

More time should be spent (at home and abroad) educating these alleged ‘experts committees’ on the various issues to be considered. Approving the validity of cheating charges is just as important as the negating of the accusations. In the opinion of many, few are qualified to sit on the bench.

Food for thought!!!

HBJ : However bad cheating has pervaded the world of bridge……nothing compares with what has been going on in the world of athletics.
How many medal holders have taken drugs either knowingly or not. Often athletes are given supplement vitamin drinks unaware that they contain performance enhancing drugs.
Some sports can’t be made clean without some drastic and radical changes taking place at ALL LEVELS of the game.
Zero tolerance tends to focus on easy targets being those who get upset ( often as a result of falling victims to cheating ) , being unable to tackle the more insidious problem of subtle and clever cheating.
In my limited experience as a player hesitations and delays in bidding are the biggest problem areas, where cheating abounds. Here the solution should be all bids are made after a 10 second pause…..or better still …..immediately. This would also help to speed up the game. If players ( given the prevailing Principle of Preparedness ) don’t know what to bid , then many should give up the game. And as for asking TELLING questions…..well that’s another ball game altogether.
Anyway , I admire your crusade Judy on this seemingly insurmountable problem…..but I feel the cancer of cheating has got too deep and entrenched to be removed. Rules however do need to change to restrict or limit the opportunities for cheating to flourish.

Hello HBJ,

I have to take issue with your statement that ZT “tends to focus on easy targets”, as ZT was never set up to focus on anything other than rude behavior at the table. ZT has nothing to do with cheating, player hesitations, delays in bidding, asking telling questions, etc. The latter are certainly serious problems, and you can do your part in helping to get rid of them by calling the director when they occur and asking for protection on the auction. If it then turns out that you think you have been damaged, call the director back, explain the damage, and ask for redress. Suggesting that players who don’t know what to bid should “give up the game” is not helpful. Try to see that those you meet at the table, while technically your opponents, are not your enemies, but rather your friends and part of your bridge “family”. Some may be there simply because they don’t want to be at home alone, and a kind word and helping hand will go a long way towards making them feel wanted and welcome. It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness, and we continue to hope that ZT will bring some much needed light to those areas it was intended to illuminate.

HBJ : How amazing that ZT focuses on rude behaviour which in my mind is less of a crime than the totally unacceptable behaviour of cheating, and perhaps even slow play ( which is in effect cheating others of time they should be entitled to for bidding and playing the cards ).
I had a good teacher who first rule was ” don’t make a bid unless you have a sensible rebid available “. His second rule was ” be prepared for any partner’s responses and/or possible interference bids with a range of available rebid options “.
I’ve come across players who after years of experience still go into the tank as the auction progresses as though some unique and unfathomable problem had suddenly arisen !
Playing super slow is akin to treating other players at the table with total disregard and contempt. Unless they are complete beginners or novices I find it very hard to be helpful and accommodating. So yes……. should I call the director for such blatant time infringements ?
If bridge at tournament level is to be considered a competitive sport , then there is no room for sentiment to be shown to opponents who themselves show none to you.
The game requires mental stamina, mental agility and mental toughness. Bridge arenas are in essence battlefields where strict laws of ” engagement ” should apply , but not to the extent that everyone wears padded clothing and kid gloves.
As one judge said of life ” when you walk down a busy street you must anticipate and accept a little bit of pushing and jostling “. The same philosophical approach should apply to the intense, claustrophobic bridge arenas.
You and I may see the same evils , but are priorities are very different indeed.

Mr. Bigot-Johnson: Of course cheating is more of a crime than rude behavior, and your earlier comment showed that you believe that cheating other than the obvious forms is insidious. But to say that slow play (unless it’s deliberate) is more serious than rudeness shows that you either don’t understand the rationale behind ZT or you consider the bridge table a “battlefield,” which it should not be either at the Club level or at the top echelons

HBJ : Tx Paul for your comments. But I would like to quote a line from Ira Corn’s introduction ( in his book Play Bridge With The the famous Aces ) :
” Is bridge , in fact , a sport ? Yes , it is a sport SO BRUTAL and as tough as professional football when it is played on the highest level. ” Every aspect of the game is grueling…..the game is designed to be both mentally and physically demanding. So in such circumstances the pressure to employ a few psychological weapons such as ” deliberate or unnecessary slow play ” does rank above the odd verbal spat as unacceptable behaviour.
I agree there are moments in the auction and play of the cards when time is needed to make a crucial decision , but slow players have a habit of taking unnecessary time over every bid and card they play , even when there are no problems to speak of.
Moreover , slow players strangle the game to such an extent that it becomes tedious and painful experience for all those at the table. Give me a player who makes on the odd rude remark any day…..so long as it contains a touch of humour and honesty.

Replying to the above banter, allow me to state in no uncertain terms .. there is BRIDGE and there is bridge .. and each one serves its rightful purpose!!

The great majority of the contestants indulge in the latter form of less pressurized competition. We have often heard the rhetorical question, “What’s the average current age of an ACBL member?” The most frequent humorous retort (sad — but close to true) .. is ‘DEAD.” Here on this side of the Atlantic, bridge is a wondrous source of entertainment and a salvation for the aging set. Nationals, Regionals and Sectionals (and quite a few Club duplicates) are for the serious players who are willing to stand up to their peers. It is up to you to name your own poison and play where you are most comfortable and where it is less strain on your heart.

Neighborhood Duplicates are affordable, convenient and exceedingly available .. as are friendly competitions at so many homes, condos, apartment houses, country clubs, retirement abodes and senior facilities. Many cater to those with canes, walkers, wheel chairs and other slowing down physical handicaps. Few other forms of entertainment can be classified in the same manner and be as available, popular and well attended.

Other than in major timed events or serious National or International Competition are the rules adhered to so stringently. However, there are always those unknowing dumb-dumbs (who routinely play the card nearest their thumb) who are forever breathing down the necks of the directors to impose slow play penalties and get on to the next round .. at any cost.

I certainly am 1,000,000% in favor of good manners and ZT .. but, hey, there are always extenuating circumstances that come into play as you grow older. Your minds, memories and bodies gradually slow down .. and if you are an obsessed, anal clock watcher .. take a moment and give some thought to just how many daily medications permeate the bodies of us older folks for whatever ails us! So .. take it easy on your ‘aged’ opponents (or partners) or sooner or later the game we once knew and loved will come to a screeching halt .. and then where will YOU be spending your idle time.

Bridge is an incomparable Godsend. Don’t you be the one responsible for forcing it out of existence.

Just had my first input from someone who is at the NABC in Denver, and the report is that they have heard no ZT announcements to date.

Hi Paul:

Not sure how to interpret that! Timidity or godlike surroundings? Hope it is the latter.

ANOTHER POSSIBILITY? Maybe the mike is broke? Seriously, your comment offers a ray of optimism .. though inconceivable in five days with thousands of opportunities. Nobody can convince me there were no grievances aired .. though perhaps not pursued. People are human .. although some have expressed doubts about bridge players.