Learning the Infinite Game
Story by Sinasi Gursel (BBO: sinasi) "One day, I read a book, and my whole world...
Story by Markham Ahn (BBO: Genghisx)
Many years ago, in a different life, I was a regular backgammon player at the Cavendish West. One day, there was no action, and the bridge game needed a fourth. The only thing I knew about bridge was that the people who played it were fanatics. I got drafted into the game at 10 cents a point. Compared to backgammon stakes, it seemed like cheap entertainment.
I had never played bridge before, but I was familiar with trick-taking card games. The rules were explained in five minutes, and then—play began.
It felt like playing with a new toy. I had a great time learning the game… not so sure about the other three players. I was an equal-opportunity random score generator and was quickly marked as their “third” opponent—whatever that meant!?
Only much later did I realize I was learning from some truly great players: Fred Hamilton, Larry Cohen, Barbara Hammond, and many others. Sometimes, Grant Baze, Harold Guiver, and others would ask me to fill a seat for a round or two before their regulars arrived, or to turn dummy cards while they took a quick break.
Larry and Danny Kleinman often gave me bidding and hand puzzles to track my "bridge development IQ."
As hopeless a player as I was, all of them were exceptionally kind—always encouraging, never frustrated. Truly class acts, and I’m forever grateful. My play did earn me two nicknames: “Genghis” for my aggressive style, and “EB” for being, as one partner put it, “erratically brilliant.”
But my favorite bridge memories from those days were partnering with the late Don Adams. Don and I were both completely hopeless, which led to some wild results and scores rarely seen in competitive play—depending on whether we were in sync or not. Eddie Kantar’s home game stories had nothing on us.
After one deal, where I compressed us by three or four tricks, Don left the table. When he came back, he was soaking wet, dripping water everywhere. I asked what happened. He said, “After that last hand, I needed to cool off—so I dunked my head in water.” Don had a terrific sense of humor. Great times!
We also had some wonderful conversations about life’s ups and downs. I was a huge Get Smart fan, but in all the years we knew each other, we never once talked about the show or acting.
Those were the days…
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Thanks for sharing this.
So great! Thanks for sharing!!
water is good but in this case maybe wine is better☺️
So funny glad was shared
I was scheduled to play a tournament team game and when I arrived my partner told me I was too late and they had found someone else. This despite the fact that I came from the farthest away and was still there at least 15 minutes before game time.
I was so frustrated that I was going to go back home. When I spoke to the tournament director, he told me to wait and he would find me a partner. The man he got to partner me had not only many more masterpoints than me but so many we had to play in A which was my first time doing so.
On one hand, the opponent opened 3C. I had an 8 card spade suit so doubled. My partner bid 4H and I bid 4S. They bid 5C and my partner passed so I did also. They went down 2 when we could make both 6H and 6S. My partner looked at me and said, "I'm sorry Eric I didn't realize you don't know what a forcing pass is." We came in 2nd but would have been 1st if we had played the hand even at the 5 level. It was a costly lesson to learn but learn it I did.
C'est une chance de découvrir "par hasard" le merveilleux jeu de bridge.
Quand on joue au bridge, il est difficile d'apprécier un autre jeu, quel qu'il soit !
Votre partenaire a ouvert de 1♠ et l'adversaire est intervenu par 2♠ Michael indiquant 5♥ et 5♣. Vous disposez de 2 cue-bid implicites :
-le plus économique (3♣ ) montre par convention le fit ♠ et une main forcing de manche
- le plus cher à 3♥ promet une longue dans la 4ème couleur les ♦
S O N E
1 Pique 2 Pique
3 Coeur
9 Pique8 Pique7 Coeur4 CoeurRoi TrefleDame Trefle9 TrefleAs CarreauRoi CarreauDame Carreau10 Carreau7 Carreau4 Carreau
Ce cue-bid implicite (et cher promet une couleur longue à ♦ dans une main forcing de manche
Avec une main moins forte, par exemple
4 Pique2 Pique9 Coeur7 Coeur4 CoeurValet Trefle2 TrefleAs CarreauRoi CarreauValet Carreau10 Carreau8 Carreau7 Carreau
vous auriez nommé 3♦'est unec
Dear Mark,
Players with less than expert knowledge can seldom tell the pigeons from the hawks.
Fred Hamilton is top-of-the-line, and even though his defense to opposing 1NT openings has been improved upon since, it marked a big step forward in the history of Notrump Defenses.
Barbara Hamman (not "Hammond") is a fine lady.
As for the other three you named, once they were playing in an 8-cent game two tables away from where I was playing in a 3-cent game. I was dummy when suddenly I heard Guiver call for me. He knew that I knew the rules, and he thought that he knew them too.
"Danny, what's the penalty for a second revoke in the same suit?"
I told him there was none.
"Good! Then I'm going to ruff again!"
I reminded him that the penalty for intentional violation of the rules to seek gain was OSTRACISM.
"I don't care if it's cheating, I don't want to go down an extra trick doubled vulnerable," said Guiver.
His opponents, the top expert Grant Baze and the druggie Larry Cohen (not the fine Larry Cohen who serves bridge as a teacher and writer) acquiesced. Though they never said why, you might guess why: Grant and Larry were hawks and they didn't want to lose Guiver as their pigeon.
I didn't bother to take note of the fourth in that game, who may have been away from the table and thus unable to say, e.g., "No clubs, partner?" to prevent Guiver's first revoke from becoming established.
Might that have been you, Mark?
And shame on club management for letting you play in a game with Grant and Larry for high stakes when one-, two- and three-cent games were available.
Best wishes,
Danny
Congratulations Genghisx!
Life is good when luck is with us.🍀🌻
hilarious
gerçekten çok güzel bir hikaye harika çok etkilendim
That is the coolest story ever!