Aces on Bridge — Daily Columns

The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, 1 May, 2024


4 Comments

bobbywolffMay 1st, 2024 at 1:31 pm

Hi Everyone,

This hand is an excellent example for an advanced bridge teacher to test out his student.
Nothing too advanced, but one which tends to show the melody of our great game, without
expecting too much in the way of difficult innovation in the planning.

Of course, when dealing with newbies, the difficulty will be magnified to them, so, again,
it will allow the instructor a solid base to whom he will be asking attention to what he discusses. IOW, a barometer to both parties of the abject reasoning oft times necessary
to establish exactly the right tempo to proceed forward.

Iain ClimieMay 1st, 2024 at 1:50 pm

HI Bobby,

That D holding today (along with Q9x opposite AJ10x) is frequently mishandled but often it makes no difference – the K is offside, East covers the Q from Kxxx or East has only 2 or 3 cards in the suit. Such combinations are the bridge players bread and butter, the equivalent of a concert pianist practising scales no matter how dull they may seem. Familiarity with the relevant combinations saves an awful lot of effort at the table – provided they get applied in the context of the whole hand of course. With AJ10x in dummy opposite 9xxxx then 2 finesses is the %age line but not if RHO has opened 1N!

Regards,

Iain

bobbywolffMay 1st, 2024 at 4:51 pm

Hi Iain,

Your comments remind me just how “with it” teaching bridge in schools has become, since both mathematical and practical logic becomes an effective way to teach both arithmetic
and all its surroundings.

Starting out with gimme putts and then continuing until the sky interrupts. While world wide it is sailing, with the USA not yet seeing fit to realize its superiority, if, for no other reason,
for our youngsters to liken learning it, to playing cards and establishing an ultra productive way to enable young minds to expand their capacity by learning a language they will likely be using every day, the rest of their lives.

Perhaps all of us, though deprived of enjoying the likely results, should feel good that bridge, with it’s well known numbers bent, may lead future generations of young ones, the ability
missing up to now, when necessary arithmetical truths were not given the credit it no doubt has forever observed, at least be a far greater factor than originally thought.

Iain ClimieMay 1st, 2024 at 5:28 pm

Hi Bobby,

I’m sure my numeracy was helped by my grandmother (who was a keen bridge player) teaching myself and my brothers to play “Card Dominoes” when we were young. Very simple game – you get dealt a number of cards, depending on number of players, then try to play a touching car to those shown, where the suits are just lined up. First card is the D7 (if held) then any other 7. Clockwise round the table and you have to pick up another card if you can’t go by playing an adjacent card to one on the table. So, if the first card is the C7, then the next player has to play C8, C6 or H7 or S7 if held – or pick up from the rest of the deck. First to play all their cards wins.

Simple but useful.

Regards,

Iain