[bestguru]

I'm right there with helene_t. Better bidding just gets me to those good contracts that I'm not good enough to make. My first intentional squeeze was much more rewarding than anytime that I succesfully used a gadget. I think my turning point was a series of 3-2 or worse trump fits with pickup partners. I went from aggravated to laughing it off to truly laughing and gearing down for the challenge. Maybe I'm demented, but that was some of the most fun I've ever had at the table.

[inquiry]

I will let you know if I ever master it....

[pclayton]

I think I mastered it after about a month playing. Since then, I've tried to get better.

[DelfinoD]

I mostly enjoy learning my first strong pass system

[Al_U_Card]

The one thing I never expect nor hope to master is the one thing that keeps me playing.....that little pulse of exhilaration as you open (see) your cards at the start of a deal.

I don't want to be "under control" at all times, I like to win but I prefer to enjoy and I need to be able to communicate and share the joy and pleasure that I feel each and every outing.

When I see the "crazies" abusing their pards or lamenting their fates, I only hope that they are getting what they need because I know what they are missing.

[Free]

I enjoyed learning MOSCITO the most. However, tonight I made my first suicide squeeze, which was quite enjoyable as well

[ArcLight]

I've read almost 90 books on Bridge (I have a long commute).
On the one hand I find it frustrating that I can read on a subject, then as the months go by it slips away. But probably each book does make a little dent subconciously. I'm concentrating on declarer play. From that solid base I can expand to defensive play. I try not to spend too much time with lots of conventions.

I LOVED doing all the Mike Lawrence software.
But his 2/1 and Conventions were a lot of work, requiring me to take lots of notes.

I really do enjoy reading and studying Bridge.

I think by far the hardest part is being able to track the cards.suits/hcp and build up a picture of the unsceen hands. Thats whats needed to become a good player.

[dogsbreath]

hi ..
two items come to mind ...

1: from Mollo (from the Menagerie series) .. 'it's a very poor declarer who lets the opponents find the perfect defence'

2: from an old friend who played at International level dor many years...
'always ask yourself ... what would a GOOD player do? '


..if y mastered these you are a formidable player

Rgds Dog

[pclayton]

I'm at the stage of the game where I'm starting to make a lot of 2nd degree assumptions and inferences based on what declarer / defender / partner DIDN'T do. The other nite I was playing with Matt against Josh in a low level NT contract. Josh was counted out to hold the AK D with Txxxx in dummy (with entries) but chose to play a suit off the KQ instead. I deduced the AK was doubleton which it was.

To me, seeing the hands like this add a real dimension to the game. Its more rewarding than playing out a hand when the count is known even if it involves an esoteric manoever.

I wasn't able to function at this level a few years ago. And it amazes me how so many 'experts' aren't in tune to these clues and rely on just linear data at the table.

[mike777]

I repeat myself but....
Counting and visualize. Not to smother, squeeze or endplay as Mikeh and many others suggest but just count/visualize at a basic novice level.

Lawrence is onto the motherlode subject, he just needs to find a way to teach us so it sticks . JLaLL suggests a method of 10,000 hands.

Whether playing a few hands with Ben, Han, Matt, Phil, Jimmy, Wayne or others I see this blowing more easy winnable imps than anything else combined by me.

In a tight well played winning team match tonight, 11-8 I think, I blew around 4-12 imps due to my lack/poor counting/visualize. Yes other mistakes were made, but these are ones we int players need to make and win.

[inquiry]

Free, on Sep 26 2005, 07:49 PM, said:

However, tonight I made my first suicide squeeze, which was quite enjoyable as well

You enjoy squeezing your partner to give declarer an extra trick?

[Free]

inquiry, on Sep 27 2005, 05:16 AM, said:

Free, on Sep 26 2005, 07:49 PM, said:

However, tonight I made my first suicide squeeze, which was quite enjoyable as well 

You enjoy squeezing your partner to give declarer an extra trick?

Lol no, I got an extra trick because opponents squeezed eachother

[Fluffy]

Chamaco, on Sep 26 2005, 08:07 AM, said:

So, still now, the part I like of bridge are the parts that involve partnership: so everything that involves agreements between partners (bidding and defense).
the more agreements we have, the better.

You forgot the finer signals

[Rain]

I didn't realise how fun this game is until I read the menagerie, and then the Kings books. Everyone should write like them, and then we'll have no lack of people clamouring to be in on the best game in town!

[SoTired]

What do I enjoy most about mastering bridge? When nubile, young females seek out my advice

[jillybean]

Suicide squeeze, trump, criss cross squeeze, partial elimination, throw in, hyperdouble-crisscross and a backward-stepping stone-miracle squeeze

I've no idea what it is called but I'm hooked.

[pigpenz]

SoTired, on Sep 27 2005, 01:07 PM, said:

What do I enjoy most about mastering bridge? When nubile, young females seek out my advice

wait till the real old wrinkly ones seek you out like they seek justin out

[cherdano]

Thanks all for pointing out so politely that my question was badly phrased

As for my own answer:
One thing I know I enjoyed very much is when I learned to reevaluate my hands on the bidding. (I still remember the first time my partner and me bid a cold 20 hcp major suit game without any extreme distribution, just based on a double fit and fitting values.) I wondered whether anyone else would bring that up, but maybe it is just much more long ago for you guys than for me

Han wrote:

Quote

The ultimate joy comes from confident partnership communication. Being complete sure that partner will interpret your bids and plays the way you intend to is the best that bridge has to offer.

I think what gives me even more thrill is a successful partnership effort in defense.

[han]

Arend, notice "bids and plays" in the sentence you quoted. A play that partner interprets correctly is obviously a defensive play.


Let me add a joke:

Bidding games with good fitting hands and 20 HCP's indeed happened eons ago for me. These days I'm more interested in staying out of 20-point games with badly fitting hands.

Sadly enough, the second part isn't really a joke.

[pigpenz]

you probably realize that you are mastering bridge when yourealize that there are no right or wrong answers

You probably realize that you are getting there when you realize that no matter how hard you try you will never know it all.