Bridge | 09 January 2020

The new year is a daunting prospect in terms of the sheer amount of bridge taking place. Rather like buses, all the England trials seem to be coming at once: the European open, women’s and mixed, the Lady Milne, the various Olympiad trials… my head’s swimming just thinking about it. Unlike most of the hardcore players I know, I’m only entering three, but each with a different partner. The endless discussions needed to agree on system and style are rather like starting a new relationship every time. How much easier it would be to have just one partner, or indeed to play rubber bridge where almost no conventions are allowed.

I shouldn’t moan, as systemic agreements are vital. But watching the European open trials online last weekend, I was reminded that, in the end, it’s judgment that really counts, far more than conventions. Whether to bid, whether to sacrifice, whether to double — those are the decisive things.