Aces on Bridge — Daily Columns

The Aces on Bridge: Friday, January 7th, 2022


9 Comments

jim2January 21st, 2022 at 11:55 am

If I bid that way, East would win the opening lead with the KC and shift to a diamond.

After all, East knows NS are in a 4-3 fit, South’s diamonds cannot be solid, and is staring at the QS.

bobbywolffJanuary 21st, 2022 at 3:25 pm

Hi Jim2,

Yes and no doubt you would fear East had a singleton diamond and be more than just worried about finessing instead of rising and playing for trumps to break 3-3 as well as spades to behave.

However to counter that, you also would realize that as your bridge fate is also always the worst imaginable, especially with the TOCM (theory of card migration for new readers) feature alive and not so well (for you) that
whatever line you would choose will never work.

However and perhaps you have been destined to be especially a great analyst (maybe the best ever) so do not take your playing bridge destiny seriously. In your case you represent what is most honorable in bridge, the ability to know what is the better percentage line of play, although the cards will never allow you success at the table.

Perhaps some fine day there will be developed, especially for you, a bridge game where bidding is done, but no play ever, only an analysis of what should be done.

If so, no one will ever question again who will be the best EVER!.

Keep on trucking! All bridge sites desperately need you, especially ours.

jim2January 21st, 2022 at 5:10 pm

TOCM ™ goes back to before 2011, IIRC.

Here is one older mention:

https://aces.bridgeblogging.com/2011/07/18/the-aces-on-bridge-monday-july-4th-2011/

BTW, Michael Beyrouti, one of Our Host’s esteemed contributors, has mentioned it elsewhere:

https://bridgewinners.com/article/view/card-combination-question/

(third comment from bottom)

jim2January 21st, 2022 at 6:13 pm

TOCM ™ goes back to before 2011, IIRC. Here is one older mention:

https://aces.bridgeblogging.com/2011/07/18/the-aces-on-bridge-monday-july-4th-2011/

BTW, Michael Beyrouti, one of Our Host’s esteemed contributors, has mentioned it elsewhere:

https://bridgewinners.com/article/view/card-combination-question/

(third comment from bottom)

jim2January 21st, 2022 at 6:15 pm

TOCM ™ goes back to 2011 or earlier, IIRC.

BTW, Michael Beyrouti, one of Our Host’s esteemed contributors, has mentioned it elsewhere:

bridgewinners.com/article/view/card-combination-question/

(fourth comment from bottom)

bobbywolffJanuary 22nd, 2022 at 3:37 pm

Hi Jim2,

Yes Michael Beyrouti is very much with it, but I couldn’t find his comment on TOCM TM via Bridgewinners, as it becomes tricky (“fourth comment from botton”), when explaining location, likely, due to the constant influx.

Perhaps it would be easier, as modest as you are, to quote what he offered.

jim2January 22nd, 2022 at 3:42 pm

One way to see his post is to copy

bridgewinners.com/article/view/card-combination-question/

Right click in your browser heading, and select “go to bridgewinners.com/article/view/card-combination-question/”

The 4th comment from bottom is:

This a known as TOCM: the theory of card migration. The term was coined many years ago by a nuclear engineer (think Schroedinger’s cat in quantum physics) who goes by the handle of jim2 on Bobby Wolff’s website The Aces On Bridge. No matter what you do or how you do it, the crucial card will migrate from one defender’s hand to the other. It’s a real malady that afflicts millions of bridge players.
May 4, 2018
Michael Beyrouti edited this comment May 4, 2018

bobbywolffJanuary 22nd, 2022 at 5:17 pm

Hi Jim2,

You’ve got them believing–maybe more than millions, THANK YOU! Perhaps you were that nuclear engineer or at least his disciple.

Perhaps soon the telephone callers from Medicare will soon be calling the bridge players afflicted with TOCM TM.

jim2January 22nd, 2022 at 8:28 pm

I am that nuclear engineer — that’s my day job.