Canadian Team Trials on BBO
After spending yesterday having a good time and contemplating the future I ended up filling in with Sylvia, for a missing pair in the IMP pairs event. It was fun but definitely not bridge as we know it. Various team mates talked about the world championships in 2010 which seem likely to be in Philadelphia (a prime choice for we east coasters). Sylvia and I also talked about playing in some events in ACBL Nationals which might be fun and seem a kind of reward for playing so well together this week. Ray and I can now make our plans for Brazil where I will try to provide some colour commentary with lots of blogs. We will also have a chance to go to Rio and other parts of Brazil just touring. So as Colin says it’s all good.
The Wolpert team (which is actually the Demme team, sorry Ina) couldn’t quite get the storybook finish they were looking for following just short of another comeback in the final. Good luck to the winning Nisbet team.
I talked to the Shoe (Michael Shoenborn) this morning who came in just for the Seniors. He is in the semifinals but talked about how hard it is to play when you don’t usually play and with a brand new partner at that. The Shoe has just started to play a it of 2/1 and having not discussed any methods with partner passed the first round its hard. I know this because when I first started to play 2/1 I had no idea what this auction meant and neither did the show. 1S-2D-3S … The Shoe didn’t have solid spades but he did have very good spades and a lot extra. How do you communicate that you have a lot extra in a 2/1 auction. It isn’t clear even after playing the system for a long time. The Shoe does have a way of working these things out though and at least there aren’t pages of system notes to memorize.
Roy Hughes who is playing in the CWTC final made an interestng comment. He thought that the best way to get the most competitive open team for Canada would be to have sponsors, ideally non playing ones, who would get good teams together and provide the funds for training and coaching. Even a sponsor who played (but not in the actual world championship) would help. Interesting, a suggestion that sponsor can make a real positive difference to teams.
I have seen some interesting hands this morning on BBO since it is actually more convenient to watch in my room than downstairs. I shall write up one of two later. The Open Event seems to be the young comers in L’Ecuyer versus the old foxes in Carruthers. It should be a good tight match and either winner will be a good team.
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Roy is right, but a coach is also needed. Read Bob Hamman and Bobby Wolff’s autobiographies and note how Ira Corn’s Aces improved once the Moose came aboard and instilled training discipline. If I had money to burn I would train not one but several teams of young 21-25 year olds to form the nucleus of bridge for the mid 2050’s (if we get that far without blowing ourselves up).
Hi Chris,
You are right on every count. Also, Roy Hughes is certainly on target about the need for bridge angels to appear on the scene to make sure our game, as we know it, is perpetuated.
To explain a little, when retired Colonel (SAC) Joe Musumeci (Moose), my previous partner (long ago) in a bridge club in San Antonio, Texas, came aboard the Aces, he replaced a bridge theorist who was ineffective in trying to teach his methods to a bunch of headstrong, talented bridge youths. The fact that Moose taught individual and team discipline instead and left the bridge theory to the three partnerships was a huge asset and I think probably the most important reason for the jelling of the team. If Sami Kehela would have accepted the Ace’s offer to move to Dallas in 1967 he would have some World Bridge Championships to his credit today, not to mention being able to speak Texan English instead of Colonial Canadian.
21-25 may be a little young to begin a rigorous bridge training program, but, since that age has not been tried yet, who am I to say it is. Both the Aces and CC Wei’s Precision teams were a tad older when they began and both projects worked.
As to your admonition about being here to tell about it in the mid 2050’s is a serious question, but in the meantime, it may be wise for us and especially our progeny to learn to speak the Chinese languarge and while we are at it, Chinese history.