April 16th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~
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What a pleasure to see the Sidney H. Lazard Jr. Sportsmanship Award for 2014 go to Bob Hamman! It’s not just that he is the all-time WBF leader in placing points, but rather that, as stated by Steve Weinstein, “He is the best that bridge has to offer. He wins and loses (bold italics mine) with dignity and finesse…. . Bob tends to his business at the table while being an ultra-model for good sportsmanship, goodwill and good behavior. He makes the game more pleasant and more fun”.
The members of the committee tasked with selecting a winner were Sidney Lazard Sr., Steve Weinstein, Steve Beatty and ……Zia Mahmood.
When getting the first of his three “Player Of The Year” awards in 1990, Bob noted that his calm demeanor at the table had a purpose in saying “I have learned that if your partner screws up or the opponents fix you, these things happen when you play bridge. Dwelling on them does no good whatsoever”.
What a fantastic model for our younger players, or our older ones just starting into bridge!
April 16th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~
8 Comments
When seasoned bridge players have so many different takes on Zia’s behaviour at the table, it must be even harder for those less experienced to know what to make of it. There is a danger then that the latter may conclude that berating one’s partner, even in jest, is the mark of a great player. And by modelling themselves on that, take us back to the “good old days” when being a great player meant displaying a great ego, with the expectation that a great ego must be allowed great latitude. Much better for the game in general to take to heart the advice given by the sportswriter Grantland Rice
“For when the great scorer comes to write against your name,
He marks not that you won or lost but how you played the game.”
There is a grandeur in bridge that very much reminds me of part of Henry Newbolt’s poem “Vitai Lampada”
“And it’s not for the sake of a ribboned coat,
Or the selfish hope of a season’s fame,
But his Captain’s hand on his shoulder smote
Play up! play up! and play the game!”
The last line says it all!
April 15th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~
7 Comments
The following auction took place in a game last night
There was quite a pause by North before bidding 4NT. Then, before bidding 5NT, North said “Partner, I really bug…ed this one up”. South took some time before bidding 6NT, and same went down one.
Because of North’s comment, I think South was considering passing. Fortunately he did not do so, and a sticky situation was avoided. But suppose he had passed, and West called you, the director, and explained what had taken place.
How would you handle the situation?
April 12th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~
7 Comments
Have spent a lot of time recently thinking about the following hand, where you are North declaring 7♥
The heart suit combination is not listed in “The Official Encyclopedia Of Bridge”, and my initial thought was that the best line of play would be to start the trump suit with the ♥ Q from dummy.
However, with assistance from the always helpful Bobby Wolff, and the Australian bridge expert (and professional mathematician) Peter Buchen, I have come to see that this is not so. The best % line of play is to finesse the J and then lay down the ace (unless East plays the 10) – 32.50%. Next best is to lead the Q intending to play the ace next – 31.25%. Least probable is lead the Q and finesse the 10 next time – 30.42%.
While the % differences are small, and the whole topic may be unimportant to many, what is very important to me is the willingness of top players like Bobby and Peter to take the time to explain things to me and help me to understand. We can surely list many things which make bridge the wonderful game it is, but the gracious attitudes shown by Bobby and Peter in so readily sharing their knowledge is at the top of my list!
April 1st, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~
4 Comments
On the layout above, the auction goes
Let’s start off here by assuming that all the bids are wrong i.e. they aren’t what you would bid. That will stop us from making comments on the bidding, and allow us to focus on the real issue. Which is – before passing for the second time, West puts a hand on the bidding box as if about to select a bid, but then withdraws his hand, ponders a tad, and passes. East now ignores what used to be the rule – “pre-empter never bids again unless forced” – and continues on to 5♠ . Imagine East’s delight when West’s magnificent dummy hits the table! – who would have guessed?
Now for my two questions:
(i) if you were sitting North, and had observed West “lending a hand”, would you call the director?
(ii) if you were the director called to the table, what adjustment, if any, would you make?
March 24th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~
13 Comments
After your RHO passes, you open 1NT (15-17), your LHO bids 2♥ , and this is alerted by RHO. When asked for an explanation, RHO replies “DONT -spades and hearts”. The opponents eventually end up in 3♥ , and you defend by leading hearts every time you get in so as to prevent LHO from ruffing his losing spades (your spade holding is KQJx). This defense proves costly, as LHO does not have ♥ s and ♠ s, but only ♥ s. When the defensive debacle is over, your LHO says to his partner “I didn’t think we played DONT when you are a passed hand”. Now the question is – if your LHO actually believes that he and his partner do not play DONT in this situation, is he obligated to say so before the play of the hand starts, and explain that misinformation has been given? If not obligated, would it be courteous for him to do so? Looking at the opponents’ convention cards will do no good here, as there would be no indication there as to whether DONT was still on when partner is a passed hand.
March 1st, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~
8 Comments
Lots of good comments on the great new Zero Tolerance signs the ACBL is using regarding behaviour that interferes with people’s enjoyment of the game. Let’s hope everyone will help out and follow through now by calling the director whenever necessary.
When the signs were first put into use at the Phoenix NABC, someone went around and defaced them by adding an “ly” at the end of the slogan “Play nice”. Someone, I suppose, who wanted to flaunt their knowledge of grammar – not entirely unlike flaunting one’s bridge prowess at the table.
And someone who also has never heard of “phrasal verbs”, the usage of which is now very common in modern English. Would anyone say of a hockey player that “He plays dirtily” ? Phrasal verbs are often used as well to complete a thought beginning with “Be……” as in “Be nice to your mother-in-law when she’s visiting”. Hopefully the one who ruined the signs in Phoenix would not say “Be nicely”. So when it says “Play nice” on the signs, it means “Be nice while you’re playing”. And so, to the misguided grammarpolice-person who defaced the signs, be nice as well when you’re anywhere in the playing area -try to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
January 19th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~
1 Comment
Just back from five (non-bridge) days in Las Vegas. Some things haven’t changed – very tight slots (bad) and lower limit Pai Gow games (good). But some things have changed, and perhaps those changes are exaggerated for me because I haven’t been there for a while. The old-fashioned, and very good, low-price buffet on the strip has disappeared – the supper buffet at Caesar’s is now $43. And a breakfast buffet where I stayed was $12 for a very short table with scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon, and a bit of fruit – coffee $2 extra. Maybe I was spoiled by that wonderful chef at the Maxim of old who stood there making omelets while ankle-deep in “spill-over”. Yeah, yeah – I know the casino at Maxim closed in 1999, and the hotel in 2001, but still – memories, of a golden time……Things seemed a bit more like the old days when I went downtown – Binion’s, the Golden Nugget….and food prices a little more reasonable. Brought back some great memories of my first trip to Lost Wages in 1960 where it seemed to take forever to drive from downtown to what was then the “strip” way out in the desert. Things always seem rosier through the eyes of youth, but I was very much impressed this time with the efficiency of the operation and the great guest service where I stayed on the strip. Anyway, all you bridge players who will be there this coming week for the Regional at Bally’s please let us know about any “finds” you make – good food, good shows, etc. And maybe some Vegas veterans could chip in with the location of any ” hidden gems” they know of – maybe something off the strip or away from downtown?
January 4th, 2014 ~ paul cronin ~
9 Comments
The auction proceeds
Before passing West’s 5♣ call, North makes a BIT. Does North’s BIT place any restriction on what South may now bid?
December 6th, 2013 ~ paul cronin ~
9 Comments
Thursday night’s “special” game at the local club had 2 1/2 tables – and paid 2.17 master-points for coming first. Sometimes I forget how important it is to safeguard the sanctity of “master?-points”, but then something like this comes along to help me remember. By way of comparison, I played in a 12 table open game at a different club on Wednesday evening, came first overall, and got 1.2 master-points. Anybody remember when the master-point rewards were like .06 or .28 ? Progress is indeed something (else) !
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