y66 Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 fyi http://thegargoylechronicles.blogspot.com/ I have always enjoyed writing about bridge and have, from time to time, considered starting a blog. The fact that I don’t play in tournaments any more makes that problematic, since I no longer have an endless supply of source material. But I decided to make a go at it anyway. I think there is a void in the bridge literature that I can make some attempt to fill. Bob Hamman has stated that most people play bridge by asking themselves what they should do. Instead, they should be asking themselves what is going on. Once you figure that out, what to do will often suggest itself. I think he is right about that, and I think bridge literature is partly responsible. Bridge books and articles focus on the unusual and the spectacular. They can get you in the habit of looking for opportunities to shine, which isn’t what you should be thinking about. The late John Lowenthal, my partner for years, was perhaps the king of doing the unusual, especially on defense. But he always found these plays by being alert to what was going on, not by simply looking for opportunities to do something unexpected. If declarer spurned a finesse John expected him to take or failed to attack a suit that John expected him to attack, John would ask himself why. Frequently, the answer to this question would reveal the entire deal. Then John could be creative and think about finding some way to deflect declarer from the winning line. And, often, he succeeded. What I am going to attempt to do in this blog is to show by example how one should think about the game. The focus will be on process, not on results. How do you figure out what is going on? How do you try to conceal what’s going on to the opponents? How do you try to clarify the position to partner? These are the skills that separate the expert from the intermediate player more than the ability to execute a backwash squeeze. And, for this purpose, almost any deal can provide material for discussion. What I propose to do is to play a series of deals against Jack and report on each one in detail, focusing on the questions I ask myself and how I reach each decision. This blog will probably not be of much help to a beginner, but I think it will be instructive for an intermediate player. And my expert friends will finally see what is going on inside my head when I’m in one of my interminable huddles. I am going to make a commitment to be scrupulously honest in this report. There will be no rearranging the cards to make the deal more interesting (although I may discuss how the play might have gone on a different layout). And there will certainly be no Mulligans. If I make a mistake, I'll report it and try to figure out why I made it. Since there is no time pressure, I hope I won't make too many mistakes. Of course, I may make some that I don't even notice. I will count on you to point them out. I have Jack set to play Bridge World Standard 2001 for both North-South and East-West. After I play each deal, I will have Jack replay it against itself, giving me a result to compare against. I will be South, but, following convention, I will always make South declarer in the diagrams. Thus my reported compass direction may change from deal to deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlall Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 Good idea for a blog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dicklont Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 I like reading it. Thx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanoi5 Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 I thought programs like Jack would make plays like the one in: http://thegargoylechronicles.blogspot.com/...0/board-30.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick_s Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Thanks for the link. This is awesome stuff. I'd happily pay money for bridge writing this good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olliebol Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Me too wish there were books (apart from adventures in card play) that handled the writing with this depth. I would happy pay for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Me too wish there were books (apart from adventures in card play) that handled the writing with this depth. I would happy pay for it. Try any of the Terrence Reese 'over the shoulder' books. Julian Pottage also writes in this style occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olliebol Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Tx got all the reese books will check out mr pottage. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y66 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Of possible interest to fellow bridge news retards (ahem): I see that Phillip Martin finished his opera and started blogging again. Actually, he's been back at it since last spring. I also noticed today that Kit Woolsey is posting stuff here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Gargoyle is part of my Sunday routine. I look at it when I get bored with the crossword. BBF, Bridgewinners and Gargoyle are about the only online sources I read anymore. especially since I got tired of waiting for Goldsmith to post on his. If anyone else knows of some others that are quality, post them on here please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgr Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Gargoyle is part of my Sunday routine. I look at it when I get bored with the crossword. BBF, Bridgewinners and Gargoyle are about the only online sources I read anymore. especially since I got tired of waiting for Goldsmith to post on his. If anyone else knows of some others that are quality, post them on here please.bridgeclues (for intermediates) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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