Did Julius Caesar play bridge?
In Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”, Act 2, Scene 2, Caesar says
“Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once”.
Makes me wonder if Julius (or William, for that matter) was a bridge player, and why there are so many “cowards” at the bridge table.
When I hear people talking about hands, the remarks I hear most always start out with “I was afraid that………..”. Afraid – why? Afraid – of what?
Someone gets dealt a 7-6 hand, plays it in two hearts making six, and says “But I only had ten points, and I was afraid that…….”. Why isn’t the glass always half-full for bridge players? One of my opponents last week opened 2C, got a 2H (negative) response from partner, and passed. Partner made five. When the gods give you a 2C opener, why are you pessimistic? What kind of a hand do you need to be optimistic? What is it about bridge that induces so much fear in people? A couple of blogs back I asked what you would bid with J54 — 73 AQJ109764 after partner opens 2D Flannery. I put the question in a poll on “BridgeWinners”, and over 70% of the respondents chose 3C. This hand, with 8 HCP, has seven guaranteed winners in clubs, and quite possibly eight. How many times will partner open when you have seven sure tricks in your hand? What do you have to hold to be optimistic? Why are we not thinking of playing 7C here? Or, regretfully, only 6C? Are you afraid that most of partner’s points will be in hearts? Are you afraid that you will lose two spades? Are you afraid that the opponents have two cashing diamonds off the top? Why are you afraid?
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HBJ : Reckless and fearless players will bid on regardless….. and take their chances that partner’s points are where they are needed. Good players will envisage big things with big hands, but they need information first ( but not by consuming too much bidding space with jump response bids ).
Bridge is about combining common sense with intuition, flair, judgement and bravery ( faint heart and all that…).
Not surprisingly, I believe in the old adage : fools rush in where angels fear to tread. It’s too easy to be wise AFTER the event. Wisdom requires an element of caution….even fear. It’s a survival instinct. But in the competitive bridge arenas, I am afraid because I strive to be wise.
As we’ve all heard before — if you are afraid, stay home.
By the way, Paul, you never clarified whether 3C was forcing in the above referenced hand. I assume not.
Hi Judy,
Probably most (non-expert) partnerships have never discussed what 3C means in this auction, but I think most of the people who responded to the poll on BridgeWinners felt that 3C was non-forcing.
I am glad you brought up the hand, Paul. It helped me straighten out my system with Bobby. The auction never arose until I saw it on your site.
He plays 3C NF and doesn’t do it with a hopeless hand — so it shows something. If partner bids 3N, which he might do with DK or DA and a club honor and partner rebids 4 clubs, it says “leave me alone.” No game interest.
If he jumps to 4C over 2D, he treats it as forcing and all ensuing calls by partner are cue bids in support of clubs.
If he had a bad hand with long, but not very attractive clubs (and held a doubleton heart), he would retreat to 2H, taking his preference.
I am sure all good partnerships have some type of understanding. This is just one way of handling it.
(Now all I have to do is remember it)!!!
Incidentally, I’ll tell you why people often say ” I was afraid to bid “…..IT IS BECAUSE THEY FEAR THEIR PARTNERS WILL SET UPON THEM IF THE BID IS WRONG.
So many players are nasty and unforgiving. The fear of upsetting them ( and the inevitable bollocking that follows) can be quite overwhelming.
As Professor Harold Hill said, “A coward dies 1000 deaths; a hero, only 500 or so.”
Steve:
Hope that “500” was non-vulnerable against a vulnerable game! (Shows you how a bridge player’s mind works).
I am surprised that so many of the answers to the question “Why are you afraid?” are so technical, when the question wasn’t “technical” at all. Players in the 0-50, 0-299, or whatever, are just plain terrified of playing “up”. A large number of those playing in the “open” games do so in fear rather than exhilaration. Bridge is a mental game, and no one enjoys being measured and found wanting.
Hi Paul,
Bridge aside, what Shakespeare continued with after his “Cowards die……” what, at least to me, so much more meaningful for the average person to grasp was “It seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come”.
Who can possibly question that man’s off-the- charts understanding of life and its sophisticated overtones?