It’s been a beautiful week on Cape Cod. I admit I haven’t done as much bridge as I should have. It’s just too nice by the pool!
I’ve been swimming laps every day, which is something I’ve never really done before. I usually get my exercise walking, but I often struggle with the heat in the summer. I’m not a great swimmer, but it has been fairly enjoyable and is definitely good exercise. I’m going to check out the pool at the Marriott in Philadelphia and hopefully I can make it a habit to swim every day while I’m there. Maybe that will have some positive effects on my bridge.
I’m the celebrity challenge today on IntoBridge if anyone wants to see if they can best me. I didn’t do great on these 5 boards, so you probably can!
I’m taking the train to Philadelphia this morning—the ABTA conference starts today. I’m giving a talk on overcalls tomorrow, and then I’m on the pro panel at the final banquet. I’ve got Thursday off, and then the tournament starts on Friday; Greg and I are playing in the Life Master Pairs and then the Spingold.
Thursday night we’ll be going to the Hall of Fame ceremony, where my good friend and mentor Steve Weinstein is being inducted. I forgot to bring a suit, so I had to borrow one from my brother-in-law.
I’m giving a lecture at the NABC on Saturday, July 26, at 9:15am. The topic is Being a Good Partner. Something we can all work on!! If you’re in Philly, I hope you’ll stop by and say hello.
I’m changing some other things up this time at the Nationals. I’m a bit of a foodie, and I always do a lot of research and make reservations at great restaurants for me, Greg, and some of our friends. It’s usually mostly fine dining and upscale restaurants—we really like tasting menus!
But this tournament, we’re going to keep the focus on bridge. No fancy meals unless we get knocked out and don’t have a big event to play in the next day. Greg and I are also making it a priority to go over all the hands from the day after the second session—something that has been suggested by several of the guests on my podcast, most notably Larry Cohen. So we don’t want to rush off to a dinner reservation—we’re going to take our time and do the post-mortem review we need, and then find somewhere to eat. Bridge is the priority, not food.
It’s a big change. NABCs are not just about bridge—they’re an opportunity to see friends and explore a city, which for me means trying great restaurants. But the focus this year is on bridge, so I’m going to see if cutting all of that stuff out makes a difference.
The plan is no alcohol or marijuana the entire tournament. We do have a reservation at a nice steak house on the final night. I’m sure we’ll enjoy a nice bottle of wine!
Greg and I are getting in as much practice as we can before the NABC. We played a few times this week, and we’ve been working on Cuebids. I’ve started reviewing the notes — I’ll do a lot of that on the train today.
A key area I’m working on is focus and concentration—digging in on every hand. I have a tendency to get lazy, especially when I play online. I tried a new exercise this week to counter this: I played a robot tournament on BBO, but just played one hand at a time. I’d open BBO on my phone or computer, load up the tournament, and just play one deal. With the goal of really giving it my all—counting everything and being fully engaged.
On so many hands it’s just not necessary to know what’s going on in every suit, but I’m making myself do it anyway to create the habit. The goal is to be able to call out the unseen hands before the end of the deal. Sometimes that meant playing the hand badly in order to get a better count. I’m not concerned with the results in the tournaments, just about the process.
Now I’m upping it to two deals at a time. Next week it’ll be three. Slowly but surely. I think it’s a helpful exercise.
I’ve been re-reading Marshall Miles’s Inferences at Bridge. He really had a fascinating way of thinking about the game. I’m enjoying it and hope it serves me well in Philly.
This week’s podcast is with my fellow Bridge Bulletin columnist Augie Boehm. Augie is also a concert pianist, and I am fascinated by the overlap between music and bridge.
I encourage you to share your progress in the comments. We’re all in this together!!
Have a great week.
I feel motivated to concentrate more at the bridge table. Thanks for the incentive