Sunday, June 24, 2007 8:06 PM

Hand Evaluation - System Maintenance

PITBULLS:

Complex machines need maintenance . Time erodes the machine & it tends to rust. Frequent oil changes & grease jobs are scheduled. An expert partnership usually has a complex bidding system. When finely tuned , it works like a powerful sports car. With lack of use though , it starts to break down. The pro’s can have complex understandings as they play so often their understandings come up quite often. Players who play infrequently have a problem. With my partners BJ & Tom , a partial solution is a long trip. We discuss understandings in detail & we can see the results of our efforts immediately when we play. Bidding misunderstandings become virtually non existent & if we are lucky enough to have hands that fit the system , we do well. A human memory needs repetition to be able to recall information efficiently.

As we have said many times, complex systems are not required for the club level , sectional or regional level. They probably are a disadvantage at that level. It is a contradiction though as how can we play a decent system at the CNTC , GNT , Calcutta or national level unless we play & learn the system at the lower levels ? One thing I do is send out reminder articles from time to time. The purpose of these articles is to remove rust & re-enforce what we are playing. The reassurance that partner is on the same wavelength is helpful . Feedback from these systemic articles re-enforce the system. These articles are repetitive & designed to maintain the system. We can not assume all the situations will crop up playing once a week. The odds are very much stacked against that.

Standard systems are in Bridge for a reason. They are for the masses so they are not very theoretically sound & usually have logical holes that you can drive a truck through. They do have the advantage that other people play the same thing. Repetition makes recall easier. A bad system learned well is better than a good system learned poorly. If a partnership are not willing to expend the effort to maintain a system , the system is virtually useless . You may as well resort to standard rubber Bridge.

Staying static in Bridge & not trying to improve your game is a symptom of rust also & is very discouraging to a partnership. Successful partnerships in our area have “worked” at the game. You do not need to work at the game , if your goal is play at the club level , sectional or regional level. You play Bridge for recreation & escape the pressure of your job or for any other reason other than wanting to be the best at your sport. You must be motivated to play serious Bridge at the top level. If not , your system & partnership will rust & fall apart. Frustration will set in when errors are repeated , doubt & a lack of trust will creep in. Trust , confidence , & all the partnership intangibles required to maintain a “well oiled” partnership will disappear. The partnership will crash & burn as they are an accident waiting to happen.

What is the answer ? A partnership must adjust their goals to the reality of the situation. Lack of effort speaks louder than words. Set you sights for local games , sectionals & regionals with a standard system. A system is not the be all & end all for a Bridge partnership. It pales in comparison to hand evaluation , judgment , competitiveness , declarer & defensive skills. Lack of effort to improve though & high level Bridge are incompatible. It is just a matter of priorities in your life. No pain no gain.