September 9th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~ 6 Comments 
At most clubs, it is really difficult to get players to move up from the 0-99, 0-299, etc., games and try the open game. When they do, they are understandably very nervous, and this nervousness often leads to them forgetting conventions they have “learned”, or getting “lost” in unfamiliar auctions. One school of thought says that they should be barred from using any convention they can’t remember, but this might prove unworkable as their memory lapses caused by nervousness can’t be predicted or anticipated, and they are liable to forget anything, or everything, at any given time. Should they be barred from playing in open games until they pass some kind of competency test? If their “lapses” at the table are treated in a way that increases the embarrassment they already feel, it is a certainty that they will not return to the open game. What to do? Ideas, please!
August 29th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~ 27 Comments
Have been following the discussion on Zero Tolerance with great interest! There have been mentioned many instances of actual misbehaviour at clubs and tournaments, and some instances of possible abuse of ZT, as in the HBJ spectres of “power-crazed little hitters who display the worst kind of intolerance” and “I for one do not want to play bridge where ZT creates a climate of fear and unease,repressing any kind of playful banter , wit and justified criticism”. Well ….it’s reality check time….so let’s have some real instances of where ZT has run wild, where “innocent” players have actually been damaged by the allegedly “power-crazed” ZT zealots. No actual names needed (unless anyone wants to relate a personal experience), but please stick to the facts – where did it happen, what penalty was imposed, etc.
August 29th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~ 3 Comments
Just got back from a week at the races in Saratoga, NY – my 23rd. consecutive year celebrating Travers week there. There were 47,000+ people at the track on the Saturday, which is when the Travers Stakes is run. Whole families enjoying the day in the sun, bringing in their coolers of food and drink, BBQs, lawn chairs, chaise lounges, tents……little bands playing here and there….folks in fancy dress…..others in casual…..lots of ladies wearing elegant hats….new betting machines……so much that Canada could learn about how to successfully run a race track! And doing it without slot machines to boot! There’s a parallel to bridge here as well, as Canadian laws and hotel charges don’t allow us to offer at our tournaments the incredible hospitality found at so many American tournaments. All that being said, there is still…..no place….like home!
August 14th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~ 13 Comments
Of the 33 bloggers listed below, 10 have posted something this year. Of the others, 1 had its last post in 2009, 9 in 2010, 6 in 2011, 4 in 2012, and 3 in 2013.
Where (and why) have all the bloggers gone?
August 11th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~ 2 Comments
Getting harder and harder to fathom master point awards! The Friday afternoon game at the local club had 10 1/2 tables in a “web” movement, and paid 1.10 MPs for 1st. The Saturday evening game had 5 tables in a Howell movement, and paid 1.63 for 1st. The Sunday afternoon game was a Swiss with 3 teams, and paid 1.73 for 1st. Hmmmmm………
July 27th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~ 2 Comments
The teaching of bridge today is “one size fits all” – there are no geese and no ganders – just “here is what good bridge is about – learn it!”. But those new to the game bring to it different levels of ability, and different personality types. Emphasizing “count, count, count” to someone whose memory has perhaps lost a step or two, or urging an inherently timid person to be an aggressive bidder, is counterproductive and leads only to frustration. In a similar vein, no distinction is made between someone who intends to play with a regular partner and someone who’s going to play with a (large) number of different partners, and it should be, as the toolkit which should be provided to each is quite different. Imagine a sixty-five year old man with poor eyesight who wants to take up golf, and goes to a golf pro for lessons. Should the pro try to teach him to hit the ball “properly”, or should he try to teach him to hit the ball as best he can given his physical condition and hand-eye coordination? Tough (impossible?) though for a bridge teacher to individualize instruction when the class is large -is there another approach?
June 17th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~ 1 Comment
At a recent Regional the winners of a 15 table 299er pairs received 3.53 MPs, while the winners of an 21.5 table Stratified Pairs received 10.85 MPs. Why did the latter get proportionately so many more MPs? The 6.5 difference in the table count explains part of it, but why the rest? Some will argue that you should get more MPs when you beat better players – but is this really true? Do the winners of Stratified or A/X pairs typically beat their peers, or do they beat a field of lower level players who are forced to play against them by the masterpoint limits set by the tournament organizers? Suppose for instance that in an A/X game the MP limits are set at A = 2000+ and X = 0-1999, and that the eventual winners of the A flight have 8000 MPs each. In the course of the day’s play, how many other pairs do you think the winners played that also had 8000 MPs (or more) apiece. Maybe not as many as you would guess, as there are only 454 players in the entire ACBL having 8000 MPs or more. Of those 454, which is about 1/4 of 1% of the total membership, how many do you think would be at that one specific Regional? What probably happened is that they beat a field of players having significantly fewer MPs who were forced to play against them by the low 2000+ MP limit for the strat. While there is logic in giving more MPs to players who play against and beat their peers, what is the logic in giving a large number of MPs to players who have only defeated those with significantly fewer MPs? And since there is logic in giving more MPs to players who have truly bested their peers, why not base MP awards on simple table count? If the largest section table count on a given day is the 299er game, why not give them the largest MP award? What’s that I hear? The shrieks of those screaming that we can’t give big MP awards to “lesser” players because MPs are sacred and must be saved for those who really deserve them? Maybe as in the Gatlinburg KOs!
May 22nd, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~ 9 Comments
Is it a psych to open the following hand 2S, white vs. white, in first seat if convention card is marked 5-11 HCPs?
| ♠ J 10 7 5 2 |
| ♥ 5 |
| ♦ K 10 7 4 |
| ♣ 10 5 2 |
April 30th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~ 3 Comments
Many of the respondents to questions posed in various articles on the BridgeWinners website take the position that if there is no harm, then there is no foul. No matter what irregularities occur on a pair’s way to their final contract, no harm is perceived as long as they reach a reasonable result as justified by the cards they hold. But consider what happens in golf if a professional player wins a tournament by six strokes over his closest opponent, turns in a card for his final round of 65, and it is then discovered that he actually shot 63 in his final round. Is his margin of victory then increased to eight strokes? No, he is disqualified from the tournament for signing an incorrect score card. Did he harm anyone? Absolutely not! Is there a foul and a penalty? Absolutely! What is the harm done in a football game by an offside that is called immediately? None! But is there a foul and a penalty? Absolutely! There are similar cases in bridge. Suppose declarer is in 7NT, has taken nine tricks, and has four aces left in dummy. On his play of the first ace from dummy, he reneges in playing a card from his hand. Does this harm anyone? No, because he had thirteen tricks locked up. Is there a foul and a penalty? Absolutely! The basic reason for having penalties in the cases above is not to compensate for harm done, but rather to deter players from committing these fouls. Hopefully we can get past the fact that the golfer above should have checked his card more carefully before signing, the football player should work on his timing more so as not to go offside, and the bridge player should have claimed instead of playing out the last four cards. They are all just examples of how there doesn’t have to be harm done in order for a foul to be committed and a penalty assigned
April 23rd, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~ 8 Comments
Our local bridge unit, 166, held its Easter Regional April 15-20 in Toronto. Part of it was a little tournament for the kids who are learning to play bridge in various Toronto schools. Kudos to Flo Belford and all the volunteers who made this such a success! Take a look at the 440 kids in action at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6wPWDYMNqw
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