March 2012 - 6

Viewpoint
By Brent Manley, editor@acbl.org

Some people talk in their sleep. Lecturers
talk while other people sleep.
- Albert Camus

Letters to
the Editor

Not cheap
I was surprised by the number of responses to my request for comments
about the letter from the reader who argues that discussion at the table should
not be discouraged.
I agree with those who wrote in to say it's not a good idea. Put yourself in the
place of the person getting the lecture. In the heat of the moment, with the next
round looming, will you fully absorb the "lesson"? Not likely.
In fact, you might spend the next round wondering whether the criticism -
and that's how it's going to sound no matter how diplomatically it's put to you
- was justified or even accurate.
Will you have another board with an error and "helpful" lecture because you
weren't paying full attention while you thought about the previous deal?
The time for review and discussion - lessons, even - is after the game, with
the hand records in front of you so that you can see and understand the point
being made - or argue that the play you made was reasonable but just didn't
work out. Any expert will tell you that the correct play does not always produce the best result.
It took me a long time to figure out that the more I kept my mouth shut - except to offer a compliment - the better my partners played.
Once that obvious principle sunk in, I found that I was enjoying the game a
lot more, in no small measure because my partners were having fun. Now if I
could only learn to quit mentally berating myself for my own bonehead plays.
Concentration is key. Easy to say, not too easy to do. At least the people I play
with most often have the same partnership style that I had to cultivate.
Less-experienced players can learn a lot from mentors, but not on the fly.
When you start in with a string of you-shouldas, the lesser player is going to
hear roughly every third word.
I have written about how the big-time players behave at the table. There are
exceptions, of course, but most maintain a stony silence no matter what happens. You might not realize it, but world champions make mistakes all the time.
Bidding misunderstandings are more common than you might imagine.
The big difference is that when something bad happens, the top players go on
to the next board without comment. I'll never play as well as Bob Hamman, but
I can emulate his stoic presence at the table. I can't consign boards to the past
as well as he does, but I can do as Bob does and keep my mouth shut. Try it.
You - and your partner - will like it.
r
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6 Bridge Bulletin March 2012

Still learning
To the Editor:
I agree with the comments made by
the writer who suggested it's okay to
discuss hands at the table (January,
page 8). As a "newer" bridge player of
eight or so years, I have learned not
only from my partner's constructive
comments, but also from the stronger
opponents' discussions.
There are, however, three cautions
from my perspective: (1) the North
player, if involved in the discussion,
must not delay in recording the score
and preparing the boards for the next
deal; (2) discussion must be done
briefly and in a quiet, positive manner;
and (3) all players should be ready to
play the next board.
DIANA BLACK
Newport Beach CA

One-way lessons
To the Editor:
Players who talk over hands at the
table create numerous problems.
Assuming it's a board just played,
they take away valuable time from
the next board and slow down the
game. Often they are still discussing a
deal when the opponents come to the
table, which may give the opponents
an advantage later if they haven't
already played the board. In my
experience, the "discussion" is most
often one player lecturing the other,
not a two-way exchange as the writer
would have us believe.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2012