January 2012 - 8

Letters to the Editor

was interesting. Thanks.
It is the kind of information that I
could look up but it would be timeconsuming (where would I start?) and
would I get what I wanted (details of
the algorithm). So I would probably
not do it on my own.
I suspect that many will not be interested in this detail, but I hope they
will pass it by without being offended.
As a general observation in the U.S.
media, so much is dumbed down
that we don't get details like this, and
many people appreciate these details.
I receive literature about other hobbies, e.g. amateur radio and square
dancing. The Bridge Bulletin is my favorite publication among these, even
including the IEEE Spectrum, Physics
Today, American Scientist and Smithsonian.
FREDERICK ERIKSEN
Murray NE

Talk it over
To the Editor:
More often than once in a while you
publish letters that (usually tacitly but
unambiguously) condemn immediate
real bridge discussions (as opposed
to perfunctory, polite praises) at the
bridge table.
I disagree.
Discussions of hands are very
important for improving the bridge
skills, particularly for the partnership. Not everyone has a good enough
memory to remember all details of
a given hand, so discussing it right
after the play (provided that it does
not compromise the time limit for
the round) is often the most effective
option.
I don't see anything wrong with
such discussions, as well as with critical remarks on partner's decisions (as
long as they are not intimidating or
derogatory), and as long as partner is
open to critical comments.
You cannot have a successful partnership, at least at a competitive level,
without open and critical discussions.
I don't have such problems with my
partners. In many cases, it cannot be
8 Bridge Bulletin January 2012

done effectively after the game.
WITOLD PALOSZ
Cockeysville MD
Comments, readers?

Goodbye, Daisy
To the Editor:
Readers may remember my piece
on page 24 in the May 2011 issue
about my good friend, "Miss Daisy" -
Lois Violin of Palm Desert CA.
I'm sorry to report that Lois, widow
of Roxy Violin, left us Oct. 16 for the
Bridge Club Where Finesses Never
Lose, and where she will rejoin the
most wonderful partner of her life.
Her passing has left a hole in the
hearts of the multitude of bridge players and friends who have known her.
Her final triumph at the table was
in a rubber bridge setting, where
she was my left-hand opponent. As
a passed hand, she decided to step
into a "live" auction at the three level,
which my partner and I were only too
happy to double and defend.
A "Katie Thorpe" dummy appeared,
not only with three-card trump support, but also with a side singleton.
During the play, Miss Daisy found that
her five-card suit was apparently one
of only four cards, a not infrequent
occurrence in her senior bridge years.
Undeterred she soldiered on.
This was a good thing for two
reasons: One, her "four-card suit" was
actually only three cards and, two,
neither my partner nor I chose to lead
trumps, thinking she had started with
five.
Holding four trumps, my partner
decided to play a forcing game, and
holding three of them myself, I was
happy to oblige. Miss Daisy scored all
six of her trumps separately (!) and,
amid gales of laughter, her partner entered a huge plus score on their side
of the ledger.
I shall sorely miss Lois when I
return this winter to the California
desert. I will miss her joie de vivre
at the club games, and her infectious
laugh during the evenings of dinner
and rubber bridge with friends at her

home.
Miss Daisy did, however, leave
behind something wonderful, and that
is that every thought of her will bring
warm fuzzies to my mind.
MIKE DORN WISS
Palm Desert CA

Name game
To the Editor:
In the November issue (page 45), I
enjoyed the trivia quiz about proper
names on the convention card (Blackwood, Stayman, etc.).
Apart from that staple of club and
tournament play, there are many proper names with bridge connotations.
One that comes to mind immediately
is Donald Trump. With the help of
whitepages.com, I have come up with
28 more:
Amy Names
Morris General
Aaron Game
Anne Suit
Goleck Puppet
Denny Transfer
Crystal Major
Ann Minor
Alex Double
Paolo Raise
Ali Partner
Alyssa Weak
Peter Strong
Austin Force
T. Forcing
Angelo Natural
Andre Special
Brian Jump
Howard Shift
Andrew Sound
Angela Depo
Ben Ropi
Arnold Please
Allen Standard
Maude Defense
Anna Signal
Joshua Count
Alex Echo
I guess I have too much time on my
hands. I'll have to spend more time on
BBO.
HARVEY E. COHEN
Winter Haven FL
r
http://www.whitepages.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2012
