22 Mar

A very overdue update – but all is well.

Posted by Liza Baron in Bridge, Bridge classes, Cards, General wonderings. Tagged: , , .

Blimey, well, it turns out that good intentions don’t always lead to regular blogging. Who knew? Anyway, I thought I’d check in and post an update on how class is going and what sort of thing we’re covering. Next week I may be brave and go to the ‘Bridge Bug’ supervised play class…but maybe not.

Over the last few classes, we’ve covered strong openers; pre-emptive bids and defensive play. The latter is especially interesting, and we have had some good chances to actually sit and play games to put the theory in practice. It’s crazy how you can feel like you completely understand something during a Q and A from the teacher, but as soon as you have those thirteen cards in front of you…well, it’s a whole different thing.

Defender play is interesting, e.g playing the lowest of two adjacent cards to signal that you do not have the one below it. We’ve all struggled with the team-player aspect of Bridge – it’s so hard sometimes to think beyond your own hand and your own winners; and remembering to signal, count, deduce and recall what’s been played is incredibly difficult. But exciting. I generally arrive at class feeling tired – 7:45 on a Thursday night is hardly my most alert or motivated moment. But as soon as we’re into it I feel invigorated – weirdly, Bridge seems to awaken a completely different part of my tired brain.

Next week we’re going over discards and signalling. This is a class I am especially looking forward to as I’ve always wondered how you’re meant to know what to throw away. Being a beginner means you don’t always spot the potential winners/powerful cards in amongst your 9s and under – they all look somewhat disposable. So I’m very much looking forward to that.

22 Jan

Back To Class

Posted by Liza Baron in Bridge, Bridge classes. Tagged: , , , , .

I went back to Bridge class on Thursday and it was FANTASTIC! I did two terms in the 2010-2011 year, missed the third and am now repeating the second term after a not-so-brief hiatus.

First of all, my new classmates are brilliant. The class is bigger, which I thought would be a bad thing but it’s not. It was a really supportive atmostphere before class, with everyone sharing what they could and couldn’t remember from last term/year. People are already talking about banding together and giving the supervised play sessions a try in the near future, and this is something I am certainly only brave enough to do with the support of others in the same boat.

Second of all, a gentleman from my old class was there. I seem to remember that our learning was of equal pace and it was nice to see a familiar face (I was nervous).

Thirdly, the teacher is as fantastic as ever. Julian, you are a star.

Finally, I remembered more than I thought I would! Hurrah! Perhaps it takes a year for memories to consolidate(!), or perhaps my last minute panicked read through my coursenotes sunk in. The class has got as far as learning about the opening lead and responses; and touched a tiny bit on the issue of overcalls and the take-out double. We focused almost entirely on theory in the lesson, but apparently we get to put it into practice next week. I will try and remember some of the hands and report back on what happens…eek!

12 Jan

Bye bye Zia Mahmood

Posted by Liza Baron in General wonderings, Newspaper Bridge columns. Tagged: , , .

Just as I get to the point in my life where I understand more than 50% of Zia Mahmood’s weekly bridge column, the Guardian go and cut it. This is a massive shame for me and other readers to whom the well-placed and succinct article gave inspiration and motivation each week.

I wish I’d saved more of the columns, and have cut out the final one with its cute Bridge-geekery tests to challenge my teacher next week.

Bye bye Zia, your column will be missed!

29 Dec

Practicing Bridge

Posted by Liza Baron in Bridge, Bridge Baron app. Tagged: , .

I had great plans of getting a lot of practice in with my Bridge Baron app this Christmas. Two mammoth train journeys and lots of time off work should mean lots of time for getting one’s brain in gear for Bridge, right? Wrong. Turns out I spent all my time watching bad Christmas TV and reading a particularly more-ish book (When God Was A Rabbit – highly recommended).

The one thing I did that was really useful was to go over and over one particular deal on the app on my iPhone. I let the computer guide me through the bidding, using the ‘hint’ function), and then played the hand out over and over again to see how different strategies worked out. I was in a 5 spade contract and just could not make it! I tried everything I could think of, even using the information I’d seen of how the trumps fell east-west. In the end I gave up and let the computer try – and that failed as well! Turns out you can’t get around such an uneven distribution of the remaining trumps.

It was a really interesting learning experience, and just goes to show that there is some luck involved as well as skill. Being able to play the same hand again and again, leading different cards in order, is such a brilliant learning aid. I must get a few more sessions in before starting Bridge lessons again next week – eek! I am very nervous about rejoining classes, especially as it’s with a new group with lots of people in.

13 Dec

Bridge as a discipline

Posted by Liza Baron in General wonderings.

The reason I love learning Bridge is because it takes me completely out of my comfort zone. I pride myself as a bit of a whizz at cards and games, but frankly have never been tested like this before. I’m good at games where you need to make lots of small choices without the need to remember lots of theory, but shy away from games where lots of strategy and forward-planning is needed. Maybe my short-term memory isn’t great, or maybe I haven’t got the bit of the brain that can deal with planning in this way. I learned at quite a young age that games like chess are not for me; once I start planning my moves and anticipating responses, I’ve forgotton where I started. Bridge requires that bit of the brain to switch into focus, and that is why it’s a true discipline. It’s not easy. To play it properly, you first need to commit to learning not only the basics of bidding and play; but hundreds of conventions and ways of communication.

A discipline is defined by the need to follow a particular code of contact, or order (thanks, Wikipedia. Bridge most definitely is a discipline for the reasons above – you have to follow conduct, plays, conventions and etiquette or you’ll quickly find yourself without a partner or opponents. In my mind, a discipline in the modern sense means something that requires learning and dedication to detail to succeed.

I.e. something that is not easy.

People who play Bridge without discipline frustrate me. You have to think about what your opponents have and might have, and what your partner is trying to say with their cards. The habit of going for the cheap tricks first is a quick way to tell which people are really putting their all into the hand and which are just thinking one trick at a time. Playing for yourself with little thought for your partner and/or the good of the team is a similar give away. You can’t pull all these strands together with just a few classes and a beginner’s guide. Bridge takes time to learn, effort to practice, and dedication to be worthy. I didn’t expect this before I started to learn, and I need to remind myself every day – especially in the long week between classes.

7 Dec

Reviewed – Begin Bridge by G.C.H. Fox

Posted by Liza Baron in Bridge books. Tagged: , , .

When I started learning Bridge, various proud and keen family members started throwing related books at me. From basic principles to complex niche plays, I’ve got a stash. And, of course, I haven’t read any. This week, though, I had to work my way through Begin Bridge (G.C.H. Fox) as I realised it belongs to my Dad’s best friend and I should probably send it back.

First published in 1996, I found this book useful because it was for beginners but not too slow-paced – and it didn’t try to hard to be ‘cool’ or ‘hip’ for the youngsters. The quizzes at the end of each chapter were actually really good learning aids – it’s really easy to read theory books and assume it’s all sunk in, but not to easy to recall the text in a practical setting. The quizzes were a good bridge (sorry) between the two – a baby step from theory towards practice.

All in all, I am sad to be sending the book back. I could do with the help with the intense practicing I intend to do on Bridge Baron (iPhone app, see previous post) between now and when I resume lessons in January.

1 Dec

Zia Mahmood’s Bridge column in the Guardian

Posted by Liza Baron in Bridge, Newspaper Bridge columns. Tagged: , , , .

During the time I was taking lessons, I used to go straight to the weekly Bridge column in Thursday’s G2. Zia Mahmood‘s reporting and analysis of big Bridge games is written concisely (about a fifth of a page a week devoted to Bridge is actually quite generous from a national paper) and clearly. Not knowing all the conventions and terminology was only a little bit of a hindrance – frankly, it was a confidence boost just to be able to keep up.

Recently, I’ve been skipping over the column. A lapse in classes (not my fault) and a lapse in practice (totally my fault) means I’ve gone back to the bare bones of understanding of the great game. Today’s reporting of the Lederer Memorial Trophy tested my understanding of doubling; but rather than giving up and heading straight for the crossword, I dug out my old lesson notes and books for a bit of a revision session. Thanks, Zia.

29 Nov

The Avenue Bridge Club, Hove

Posted by Liza Baron in Bridge, Bridge classes, Cards. Tagged: , , .

I am very lucky because my local Bridge club is just a few streets away – the Avenue Bridge Club in Hove.

The Avenue Bridge Club hosts numerous sessions in rubber and duplicate Bridge, great-value lessons for all levels of learning, Bridge Bug (supervised play with help and guidance), and more. Established in 1951, the club is run by Julian and Sarah who are renowned for their friendliness and supportiveness. They offer help with finding Bridge partners, and are especially keen for younger people to learn the game.

During my six months of weekly lessons with the beginners group, I felt that Julian taught us at a very good pace, starting with a ‘Mini-Bridge’ version of the game which was then built on bit by bit until we were playing the real thing. When we didn’t quite understand, or if one (or some, or all!) of us were struggling to remember everything, he’d be happy to go back to basic principles. Although I am nervous about resuming classes in the New Year, I am confident that I will have the support I need to get back in to it – and perhaps will soon have enough confidence to go along to Bridge Bug.

28 Nov

The Bridge Baron iPhone App – reviewed

Posted by Liza Baron in Bridge, Bridge Baron app, Cards, iPhone app review. Tagged: , .

By a weird coindcidence, by far the Bridge iPhone/iPad App I’ve found so far is called BridgeBaron. It’s not cheap, but it’s got everything the Bridge Baron CD-based computer game had, and more. You can set it to ACOL or whatever you play, and choose from number of difficulty levels. Bridge Baron has given me the opportunity I needed to practise my skills between classes -  very important when the rest of the group had knowledgable loved ones to practise with and be coached by. None of my friends play Bridge, neither does my boyfriend, and a few attempts at teaching people have failed as I am still too early in the learning process to give any effective lessons.

The only downside? Not being able to switch off the ‘hint’ function – I am not great at self-control or patience in learning a new discipline, and I often find the button impossible to resist.

Photo of Bridge Baron app table

Photo of Bridge Baron app table

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