March 2024 - 8

IN Box
barked, " Lose twenty-four! " Teammates,
to their eternal credit, had no
visible or audible reaction. Needless to
say, we were blitzed in the match and,
fittingly, failed to make the KO round.
There was little to say to partners who
despaired not bidding their cold grand
slam. My reminder that doing so would
have only saved a single IMP was little
solace.
When I went to congratulate Eric
and Jeff on their victory, I felt compelled
to ask them if they had ever
won 24 IMPs on a board before. Jeff
said it was a first for them. Since that
day, I have firmly believed that my
team holds a somewhat dubious place
in their partnership history. I have
played for over 60 years (Swiss teams
was not an event when I began). That
board was the only 24-IMP exchange
of which I have ever heard.
JOHN ASHTON
Portland OR
Well done, Mitch
In the January issue, many wonderful
things were reported about
Mitch Dunitz, the ACBL Volunteer of
the Year.
I have never met him in any context
except as opponents at the bridge
table. There, too, he is outstanding. In
our several encounters, he has been
unfailingly gracious and pleasant.
Too many players of his caliber
treat Flight B players like furniture;
he never has. We are always pleased
to see him at our table.
Congratulations, Mitch!
KAREN RISE
Leavenworth WA
Take it easy
Regarding the January editorial,
I echo Frank Stewart's cautionary
note about overly encouraging the
inexperienced player to adopt today's
8 | Bridge Bulletin | March 2024
aggressive bidding tendencies. Unlike
the expert, the newer player won't
be as able to extricate himself when
the auction takes a dangerous turn.
Unlike the expert, he won't be able
to save a trick or two when forced to
play an overboard contract. Unlike
the expert, he is much more likely to
be doubled when in deep waters.
Build a sound foundation, then let
the developing player find the style
that suits him best.
AUGIE BOEHM
Darien CT
Bridge and acting
As a theater person most of my life,
I was intrigued by Matt Granovetter's
article in the January issue, " Method
Bridge. "
I took acting workshops and performed
in community productions in
both Baltimore MD and Phoenix AZ.
My coaches emphasized, in chronological
order: creative drama; Stanislavski's
System (general excellent
technique); Strasberg's Method Acting
(another good technique). I have
a correction to Granovetter's excellent
article. Konstantin Stanislavski
developed the Stanislavski System.
His book, " An Actor Prepares, " is
based on his system. Lee Strasberg
developed " Method Acting, " which
he based on and adapted from the
Stanislavski System.
Both use emotional recall and
sense memory, but Strasberg applied
these in a different way than Stanislavski
intended. Years later, some
" Method " actors denounced " Method
Acting, " including Marlon Brando.
As a duplicate bridge player for
most of my adult life, I see how Granovetter's
application of Stanislavski's
and Strasberg's techniques can
improve one's bridge game. I applaud
Matt for this creative and effective
application of acting to bridge! Because
I am experienced in both acting
and bridge, I plan to apply " Method
Bridge, " to improve my game. I look
forward to reading his book. (I am not
a reader, but this is a book I will read!)
PATRICIA GOULD PARKER
Phoenix AZ
Go for it
As a regular reader of Bridge
Bulletin, I'm surprised at the lack of
comments regarding the up-to-date,
board-by-board scoring in the BBO 18board
tournaments that I play in. I'm
a very competitive player and appreciate
knowing where I `rank` during the
game. Many times, I have come into
the last round hovering around 50%,
where I have risked a top-or-bottom
bid or play. Either I make it - I'm " in
the money " - or I fail and I'm out of it.
This is in sharp contrast to when I
played at my local club. The score was
posted on the wall with one round to
go, but we were not allowed to look
at it. We were told if we were losing,
we may " try something crazy " in the
last round to improve our score. Huh?
Isn't this how all sports are played? If
you are trailing by a goal in a hockey
game with a minute to go, you pull the
goalie. If you are trailing by a touchdown
in football with a minute to go,
you throw the " Hail Mary " pass, etc.
Should bridge be any different?
Perhaps making our game of bridge
a bit more daring and exciting could
be a key to its survival?
MARIO ROVINELLI
Sudbury ON
Letters to the editor are welcome
by regular mail and email. Brevity is
considered a virtue, as is subject matter
with relevance to a majority of ACBL
members. Unsigned letters are not
considered for publication, so please
include your name and hometown.
Letters may be edited. All letters will
receive a response. Send emails to
editor@acbl.org.
March 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2024
