October 2006 - 6

Viewpoint
By Brent Manley

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns
something he can learn in no other way.
- Mark Twain

Wisdom

Bridge has a few old sayings to help you with your matchpoints and IMPs.
Eight ever, nine never is supposed to aid your search for those missing queens.
Keep what you can see is often helpful in deciding what to discard.
The problem is, we don't have enough old saws to cater to all the situations.
Perhaps it's time to recruit a few from the non-bridge world. Here are some
possibilities, with their bridge interpretations.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Chest your cards, partner.
Asleep at the wheel. You ducked the setting trick - in a slam!?!
Forewarned is forearmed. How was I to know they would run to a maker
when I doubled with all those trump tricks?
Don't cry over spilled milk. Okay, you shouldn't have taken that finesse.
Now let's play this board.
Hindsight is 20-20. It's a pity you weren't playing it, partner. Trumps might
not have split 5-0 for you.
Red as a beet. It can be expensive to get frisky when you're vulnerable.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. It's tempting to go for that overtrick, but do I really want to try to explain to our teammates how I went down
in a cold one?
A little bird told me. You can learn a lot about how to play a contract by
listening to the bidding.
All's well that ends well. Yes, I know it was a grand slam that took two finesses and a couple of lucky splits, but it made, didn't it?
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Are you sure Byzantine Blackwood is going to
help our bidding?
An empty can makes the most noise. I have got to get a new partner.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Corollary to the previous entry.
Ask and you shall receive. I really like Roman Key Card Blackwood.
A poor excuse is better than none at all. See the entry that starts, "A bird in
the hand ..."
Act in haste, repent in leisure. Many contracts are lost at trick one.
Between a rock and a hard place. I knew I shouldn't have opened that dog.
Live and learn. Based on the previous entry, when's it going to start?
A place for everything and everything in its place. Kings, at least when you
play the contract, are supposed to be in front of the A-Q.
Finally, an adage we would all do well to follow.
It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. Winning is
great, but more important is being a good partner, a pleasant and ethical opponent and a student of our great game. All good things come to those who wait.
Summing up: A word to the wise is sufficient.
❒
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Letters to
the Editor
Stars are back
To the Editor:
May I ask one more time to have the
asterisk returned to the Life Masters
listed on the In Memoriam page? It is
not a negative reflection to those not
making Life Master. It is an honor that
must be earned (does every service
person get a Purple Heart?).
The competition at the bridge table
can be challenging, fun and expensive. Is it too much to ask for a tiny
asterisk of recognition that does not
cost the ACBL one cent? It's a nice
way to see that some of your friends
accomplished their Life Master goal
before they passed away.
SHIRLEY BROOKS
New Braunfels TX
Members have spoken. The asterisk
returns to the In Memoriam page
with this issue.

Déjà vu
To the Editor:
At my local bridge club, I was sitting North and this was my hand on
board 4 (deals were made by people):
9 5 6 A K Q J 9 K 6 5 3 2.
We played in 3 NT, making four.
I took my hand out of board 5 and
saw the following:
9 6 6 A K Q J 9 5 K 10 3 2.
At first I thought I had taken my
hand from board 4 again. I checked
the color of the cards. Everyone at
the table saw that something was
amiss and kept asking, "What's
wrong?" I attempted a poker face as
I calmly said, "Nothing."
Bridge Bulletin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2006