March 2014 - 47
Newer Players
Upgrading Your Game
BY LYNN BERG
lberg@cfl.rr.com
Stop!
When is it OK to break tempo or
pause? There are times when you
should, times when you must and
times when you may.
It's always legal to pause during the
bidding or the play. For example, good
bridge players pause when the opening
lead has been made and the dummy
faced. We often hear that declarer
should make a plan, but the defense
should have a plan, too. What did you
learn from the opening lead? If an
honor has been led, you can often place
at least four of the top five cards in the
suit. Fourth-best lead? Use the Rule of
Eleven to locate cards and distribution
around the table.
Is the dummy what you expected
from the bidding? If not, you should
revise your assessment of the opposition's holdings, as well as refine your
idea of what partner might hold.
There are also occasions when a
pause is required during the bidding. If
the bidder to your right skips a level of
bidding - weak or strong - you should
pause (mentally, a slow count to 10 is
about right) while looking at your cards
as if interested in them. It matters not
whether the stop card is displayed or
for how long: You give unauthorized
information to your partner with an
unduly quick or slow action. The opponents are well within their rights to
get the director involved if you break
tempo and partner acts on the information imparted in that way.
Sometimes you really have a problem
in the bidding and you want to take
some time to figure out what to do.
That's 100% legal. You may take the
time you need. Once you have "broken
tempo," however, you may have limited
partner's options, because his knowledge of your difficulty has perhaps
given him information about your
hand. Your partner must be very careful to bid his hand as if there had been
no unusual pause.
If the opponents think your hesitation, rather than your bidding, has
influenced partner, they can call the diBridge is not poker.
Hesitating with a singleton
or pretending to have a play
problem when you don't isn't
just unethical, it's illegal.
rector to have the facts acknowledged.
After the board has been played, they
can call the director back to the table
if they think they've been damaged by
your partner's choices. They may ask
to have the outcome reviewed in light
of the hesitation.
If you would like to know more about
this topic, go to the ACBL website and
type "hesitation" in the search box.
You'll be led to the many cases of appeals at NABCs.
Outcomes after hesitations are often
sources of great controversy. If your
partner has had to stop and think,
avoid being unusually cautious or unusually daring. It's less likely to happen
in a club game, but don't be upset -
don't feel threatened or punished if the
director has been called when there is
a tempo break. There's nothing wrong
with taking time to make a difficult
decision.
Some hesitation situations come up
during the play of the hand. Especially
if you are on the dummy's left, try to
plan ahead how you will play after declarer leads. You should always strive
to play in tempo. Waiting to decide
until it's your turn tells the declarer
you have a problem - it can be a clear
giveaway of the location of a missing
honor.
Please remember that bridge is not
poker. Hesitating with a singleton or
pretending to have a play problem
when you don't isn't just unethical, it's
illegal.
Audrey Grant is famous for saying,
"A card should be played the same day
it's dealt." While it's true that on any
given play or bid you may take extra
time if you need it, remember that
generally, seven minutes are allocated
for each deal. You should keep in step
with the tempo of the game. If you are
slow, you create problems for the pair
following you, as they must try to make
up for your tardiness. We're all entitled
to play without rushing.
◾
March 2014 Bridge Bulletin
47
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2014
Viewpoint - Brent Manley
Letters to the editor
From the CEO - by Robert Hartman
Dallas hosts the Spring NABC
Compton wins Top 500 title
Jay Baum named 2014 Honorary Member
U.S. Junior players train for world-level play
Wrap-up coverage from the Fall NABC (part 2)
Club News
Karl Denker named Goodwill Member of the Year
The Bidding Box
It's Your Call
Mike's Bridge Lesson - Not clueless - by Mike Lawrence
Bridge Player's Survival Kit - Underleading aces - by Leslie Shafer
Ask Jerry - by Jerry Helms
Upgrading Your Game - Stop! - by Lynn Berg
Newcomer Help Desk - by Brent Manley
Play & Learn - Partscore fights - by Pat Harrington
Challenge of the Month
Out of Hand
Ruling the Game - by Mike Flader
Chalk Talk - by Eddie Kantar
East hands for the January Bidding Box
Misplay These Hands with Me - by Mark Horton
The Real Deal - by Larry Cohen
Boehm on Bridge - Recurring headaches (part 2) - by August Boehm
Better Bridge with Bergen - Slam bidding in review (part 6) - by Marty Bergen
My Bridge and Yours - by Frank Stewart
Bidding Matters -12 habits - by Karen Walker
Test Your Play
Mike's Advice - by Mike Lawrence
Solutions to Test Your Play
Youth Protection policy
Top 2013 It's Your Call online participants
Obituary - James (Jim) Hanley (1936-2014)
Bridge with the Abbot - by David Bird
West hands for the January Bidding Box
Dear Billy - by Billy Miller
George's World - by George Jacobs
New Life Masters
Life Master Milestones
In Memoriam
Board Minutes from Phoenix
Obituary - Carol Schoenhals (1945-2013)
Tournament Directory
Big Games
March 2014 - 1
March 2014 - 2
March 2014 - 3
March 2014 - 4
March 2014 - 5
March 2014 - Viewpoint - Brent Manley
March 2014 - Letters to the editor
March 2014 - 8
March 2014 - From the CEO - by Robert Hartman
March 2014 - Dallas hosts the Spring NABC
March 2014 - 11
March 2014 - Compton wins Top 500 title
March 2014 - 13
March 2014 - 14
March 2014 - 15
March 2014 - 16
March 2014 - 17
March 2014 - Jay Baum named 2014 Honorary Member
March 2014 - 19
March 2014 - U.S. Junior players train for world-level play
March 2014 - 21
March 2014 - 22
March 2014 - 23
March 2014 - 24
March 2014 - 25
March 2014 - 26
March 2014 - 27
March 2014 - Wrap-up coverage from the Fall NABC (part 2)
March 2014 - 29
March 2014 - 30
March 2014 - 31
March 2014 - 32
March 2014 - 33
March 2014 - Club News
March 2014 - 35
March 2014 - Karl Denker named Goodwill Member of the Year
March 2014 - The Bidding Box
March 2014 - 38
March 2014 - 39
March 2014 - It's Your Call
March 2014 - 41
March 2014 - 42
March 2014 - 43
March 2014 - Mike's Bridge Lesson - Not clueless - by Mike Lawrence
March 2014 - Bridge Player's Survival Kit - Underleading aces - by Leslie Shafer
March 2014 - Ask Jerry - by Jerry Helms
March 2014 - Upgrading Your Game - Stop! - by Lynn Berg
March 2014 - Newcomer Help Desk - by Brent Manley
March 2014 - Play & Learn - Partscore fights - by Pat Harrington
March 2014 - Out of Hand
March 2014 - Ruling the Game - by Mike Flader
March 2014 - Chalk Talk - by Eddie Kantar
March 2014 - Misplay These Hands with Me - by Mark Horton
March 2014 - The Real Deal - by Larry Cohen
March 2014 - Boehm on Bridge - Recurring headaches (part 2) - by August Boehm
March 2014 - Better Bridge with Bergen - Slam bidding in review (part 6) - by Marty Bergen
March 2014 - My Bridge and Yours - by Frank Stewart
March 2014 - Bidding Matters -12 habits - by Karen Walker
March 2014 - Test Your Play
March 2014 - Mike's Advice - by Mike Lawrence
March 2014 - Solutions to Test Your Play
March 2014 - Top 2013 It's Your Call online participants
March 2014 - Obituary - James (Jim) Hanley (1936-2014)
March 2014 - Bridge with the Abbot - by David Bird
March 2014 - Dear Billy - by Billy Miller
March 2014 - George's World - by George Jacobs
March 2014 - New Life Masters
March 2014 - Life Master Milestones
March 2014 - 69
March 2014 - In Memoriam
March 2014 - Obituary - Carol Schoenhals (1945-2013)
March 2014 - Tournament Directory
March 2014 - 73
March 2014 - 74
March 2014 - 75
March 2014 - Big Games
March 2014 - 77
March 2014 - 78
March 2014 - 79
March 2014 - 80
March 2014 - 81
March 2014 - 82
March 2014 - 83
March 2014 - 84
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