Susanna Gross

Bridge | 4 April 2020

issue 04 April 2020

I’m finding it harder than I thought to concentrate while playing bridge online. And not just because my two children are constantly at home. No, my worst distraction turns out to be… myself.

Until now, I’ve never fully appreciated the importance of sitting patiently while you’re dummy. Often, I’ve found myself wishing it wasn’t considered rude to read a magazine or stretch your legs when a hand is taking ages. During my first ever online game last week — a Young Chelsea duplicate with Peter Taylor — I took full advantage of my invisibility. Whenever I was dummy, I would reply to an email, or fetch a snack; at one point, I even started mucking out the guinea pig cage. Yet each time I returned to my screen, my shift of focus led to careless mistakes. So from now on I’m staying put!

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