February 2008 - 8

Letters to the Editor

to see that in the world of fiercely
competitive tournament bridge, a
spirit of cooperation still exists.
LEW CRIPPEN
DICK and NORINNE NELSON
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico

Eye of the beholder
To the Editor:
Eli Duttman made some valid
points concerning "trashy hands"
(November, page 8), but I'm a club
player who prefers to bid when possible. I believe it's my responsibility
to inform my partner that I have 13
points no matter how pretty they may
or may not be.
What my partner does with the
information is his decision. My take
on modern duplicate bridge at the
club level is that the best strategy is
to bid first and bid often and don't be
concerned about going down because
excellent defense is rare.
One of my former partners, Eddie
Michael, loved to play 3NT. In one
memorable session, we played 26
boards, most in notrump, never made
one contract and came in first. We
repeated the method of operation and
enjoyed an interesting bridge partnership until Eddie left to play in bridge
heaven.
DAVID STEEVES
Charlottetown PE

New yardstick?
To the Editor:
Traditionally, career achievements
are measured in terms of total number of masterpoints. In the scientific
community, measurement of career
impact involves the number of citations that publications have received,
and a new method of evaluation has
arisen known as the "h number."
Applied to bridge, an h number
of 50 would imply that a player has
won 50 or more masterpoints on 50
occasions. The method is designed
to emphasize players' major achievements over their minor ones. The
world's greatest physical scientists
have h numbers of around 100. My
guess is that the world's greatest
bridge players have h numbers that
are somewhat lower. An h number of
8

50 would show a Hall of Fame player.
To put this in perspective, a new
Life Master might have an h number
of about 6. I have 2000 masterpoints
and an h number of 12.
MALCOLM COLLINS
Dundas ON

A mentor
To the Editor:
I was very saddened to hear of
the passing of Paul Soloway (January, page 14). When I first moved
to Southern California some 40
years ago as a young kid fresh out
of college, Paul saw some potential
in me as a bridge player. He took
me under his wing, taught me his
system, played with me, and set me
up with games with some of the elite
in Southern California bridge at that
time (Richard and Rhoda Walsh, John
Swanson and Gerry Hallee).
Without Paul's assistance, I might
never have developed as a player.
Paul was one of the finest bridge
players in the world, but he also set
an extremely high ethical standard.
JON WITTES
Palm Desert CA

True competitor
To the Editor:
I first met Paul Soloway many
years ago when we were both avid
bowlers. His unusual style belied his
substantial ability.
He was given the nickname
"Pigeon Paul," for the same reason
that a tall person is sometimes called
"Shorty." Paul liked to win and rarely
left any money on the table. Later,
this competitiveness served him well
as a great bridge champion. He will
be missed.
HARRIS J. LEVEY
Venice CA

Daydreams
To the Editor:
Paul Soloway was a class act from
top to bottom, and although I played
against him more times than I care to
remember, what I will cherish most is
the memory of the only time I played
with him - at a regional in Long

Beach a few years ago.
The week was dragging on, and
during one particular match it seemed
like every time I looked up, Paul's
eyes were closed, and I wasn't about
to say anything. So a number of
times I discreetly dropped my bidding box on the floor, or a book fell
from my lap or my chair creaked.
Paul's eyes opened every time, and
in an instant a card came from his
hand. And, as one would expect, it
was always the right card.
Later on, I related this story to his
"other" partner, Bob Hamman, and
Bob immediately responded, "We
always say that Paul has dream continuity."
GLENN EISENSTEIN
New York NY

Inch by inch
To the Editor:
I enjoyed reading the September
Viewpoint column and the reflections
on the "old days" of bridge. I am Life
Master No. 15,576.
What a thrill it was to earn my gold
card. It took years of winning and
getting .71 masterpoints if you were
in a big game. We looked forward to
tournaments, packed our best clothes
and acted like ladies and gentlemen.
None of us ever came home with 60
masterpoints from knockouts.
JANIS BERENSON
New Orleans LA

Diamonds are forever
To the Editor:
When was the last time you had
this bidding sequence? With both
sides vulnerable, my partner opened
a weak 2, my right-hand opponent
bid 4 (majors), I bid 5 (let them
choose at the five level), LHO bid
6 (telling partner to pick a majorsuit slam) and my partner chimed
in with 7. RHO doubled, and the
opponents collected 1400 for beating
7 five tricks.
There was a slam in either major,
but it wasn't bid at any other table,
so we got a zero. Needless to say, our
kibitzers were highly amused.
PATRICIA STOCH
Duluth MN
Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2008
