March 2016 - 6

IN FIRST SEAT
American Contract Bridge League

Try something new

Last fall, I traveled to the Piedmont area of Italy
for a long-planned vacation. The trip had a gastronomic theme. My mission was to sample the
region's famed white truffles in season.
The scenery, food and wine were spectacular,
and it was an experience I will savor for the rest of my life, but I learned
something during my visit: Two weeks of eating mainly from trufflebased menus is a bit too much, and by the end of the trip, I was completely truffled out. Eating excessive amounts of even one's favorite dish can
get old quickly if there's not sufficient variation.
In bridge, everyone has bidding and carding methods that they like
best, but there are many players who will go their entire bridge career
without ever trying anything different. Although there are certainly
advantages to sticking to one approach forever, I want to make the case
for having some fun by exploring the vast territory of Systems Unfamiliar
to You. Nothing too extreme, mind you, but perhaps a short excursion to
neighboring systemic countries is worth considering.
If you've always played standard carding, give upside-down carding a
whirl. You might like using low cards to signal encouragement instead of
wasting intermediates to do the same job.
Standard American/Goren fan? You should at least try 2/1 for a few
months. Not having to jump to show strong hands may appeal to you.
How about weak 1NT openings? You can get all those flat 12- to
14-point hands off your chest in one bid. Worried about penalty doubles?
It's a lot rarer than you think, and besides, transfers and other runout
systems offer lots of protection.
How about big club/Precision systems? They're not as strange as they
sound. It's still a five-card major system that uses many 2/1 ideas. You
can even play it with a strong-ish 1NT if you like. Instead of using 2♣
openings for strong hands, you use 1♣ instead.
Will you have accidents when learning new systems? Of course. That's
part of the fun. Minus 1400 won't seem fun at the time, but you'll laugh
about it later. Tragedy plus time equals comedy (or so I've heard). But
something important may occur as well. You might find a system you
like better than your current one. Or you might steal an idea from one
approach and transplant it to another one. Or you may simply gain a
broader insight into the game that makes you a stronger, more experienced player.
New players should stick to the basics for awhile. You have to walk
before you can run. But for those with a few years' experience under their
belts, take a chance, have some fun and explore.
Paul Linxwiler, Editor

6 Bridge Bulletin March 2016

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Bulletin
BRIDGE

Editor: Paul Linxwiler
Managing Editor: Sue Munday
Associate Editor: Chip Dombrowski
Graphic Design /Layout: Cindy Hill
THE BRIDGE BULLETIN (ISSN 1089-6376) is published
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Inc., 6575 Windchase Blvd., Horn Lake MS 38637-1523,
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2016