Changing of the Guard...

[hrothgar]

There's been a lot of interesting analysis discussing how internet poker changed the real world game.

 

One of the major changes is that new players were able to advance their skill's much more quickly because they had the opportunity to play many 1,000's of hands online. Playing F2F, it would take many times as long to get the same experience.

 

I wonder whether we're seeing the same effects taking place in bridge...

 

It feels like there is a changing of the guard taking place, with a number of young players experiencing some dramatic successes.

[CSGibson]

I think there has been successful new blood for a while now. Hamman was successful 50 years ago at a relatively young age, and so were Meckstroth, Rodwell, and Levin. I think that if you look throughout bridge, the great players were great at a young age, and then sustained that excellence over the long haul. It maybe that there is more opportunity to play online, but I think people managed to play bridge obsessively offline for years also.

[GreenMan]

It maybe that there is more opportunity to play online, but I think people managed to play bridge obsessively offline for years also.

 

It seems as if more than half the player bios I've read include dropping out of college because they were missing too many classes playing bridge.

[aguahombre]

There is something the "new guard" for sure did not acquire from on-line play, and I believe it is their most notable trait.

 

The vast majority of these players have manners and are gentlemanly well beyond their years.

[Zelandakh]

I am not sure why this should be surprising agua. My experience is that junior bridge players have always been more polite than the older players.

[aguahombre]

You add "surprising" to my observation. My point was that on-line play is not responsible for this notable trait. Parental upbringing, mentoring of youths emerging at Bridge, and a different type of peer pressure from that to which most young people are subjected are having a positive affect on these players and on the game in general.

[awm]

It seems pretty typical for great bridge players to start having big successes in their late twenties and early thirties. For example, Bob Hamman was 25 when he qualified for his first Bermuda Bowl (and 32 when he won his first), and Benito Garozzo was 34 when he won his first Bermuda Bowl.

 

What may be more unusual is that we're seeing teams of four or six young players winning these events (rather than a mix of ages). I suspect that this has a bit to do with online bridge, a bit to do with the junior bridge program, and a bit to do with professionalism -- strong partnerships of young players are forming earlier (junior program), are able to continue practicing together even if life circumstances separate them geographically (online), and then are able to find opportunities to make money playing as a pair (professionalism).

[GreenMan]

What may be more unusual is that we're seeing teams of four or six young players winning these events (rather than a mix of ages). I suspect that this has a bit to do with online bridge, a bit to do with the junior bridge program, and a bit to do with professionalism -- strong partnerships of young players are forming earlier (junior program), are able to continue practicing together even if life circumstances separate them geographically (online), and then are able to find opportunities to make money playing as a pair (professionalism).

 

I suspect the second factor is the strongest. People can form and develop partnerships with whoever they like without geography in the way. IIRC Meckwell did most of their system development through the postal mail before Rodwell moved to Florida, and if their chemistry had been just a bit different they might not have bothered. That's much less of a hurdle nowadays.

 

As for junior development, a friend of mine is in the USBF mentoring program and absolutely gushes about it. Keep it up, folks! Good things happening there.

[jallerton]

It seems pretty typical for great bridge players to start having big successes in their late twenties and early thirties. For example, Bob Hamman was 25 when he qualified for his first Bermuda Bowl (and 32 when he won his first), and Benito Garozzo was 34 when he won his first Bermuda Bowl.

 

That may be because we think of great players as being those you have been at the top for decades. So it almost follows that the early successes must have occurred at a relatively young age.

[CSGibson]

That may be because we think of great players as being those you have been at the top for decades. So it almost follows that the early successes must have occurred at a relatively young age.

 

 

Maybe, but I think of Lall/Woolridge/Wolpert/Grue & more as great players with less of a track record, primarily it takes consistent greatness over a recent period. Success with different partners is also a plus.

[barmar]

I think players get noticed as "great" for different reasons, and at different times in their careers. When young players start appearing on the national and world stage, they're notable because they're doing so well at such a young age. At the moment, Lall/Grue/Wooldridge/Wolpert fall into this category.

 

Then they keep it up for a few decades, and they become notable because they're the players who have been winning consistently for years. These are your Meckwells, Zias, Fantunes, Hammans, Bocchis, etc. But a few decades ago, they were in the above category.

 

Are there many champion bridge players who didn't start having good results in major competitions until their 30's or 40's?

[CSGibson]

I think players get noticed as "great" for different reasons, and at different times in their careers. When young players start appearing on the national and world stage, they're notable because they're doing so well at such a young age. At the moment, Lall/Grue/Wooldridge/Wolpert fall into this category.

 

Then they keep it up for a few decades, and they become notable because they're the players who have been winning consistently for years. These are your Meckwells, Zias, Fantunes, Hammans, Bocchis, etc. But a few decades ago, they were in the above category.

 

Are there many champion bridge players who didn't start having good results in major competitions until their 30's or 40's?

 

 

After I'm through there will be :)

[PhilKing]

 

Are there many champion bridge players who didn't start having good results in major competitions until their 30's or 40's?

 

Many? No. Walter Avarelli won 12 world titles, the first when he was 44.