TGR’s rubber bridge club is a bit like the set of your favourite soap. You have the regulars, of varying abilities and temperaments. You have the stars. You have the guest appearances, characters who come and go and shake up the cocktail. And then you have the total strangers, who walk in from nowhere and
I’ve been in a bridge bubble in Wroclaw for the past two weeks, playing in the World Bridge Games. I competed in the Mixed Teams then the Mixed Pairs, playing against nations from across the world, each wearing their own distinctive shirts (Japan’s pink and blue gets my vote for the most stylish). I wish
The 15th World Bridge Games (formerly known as the Olympiad) began on 3 September in Wroclaw, and is providing more thrills than Captain Poldark’s ever-disappearing shirt, which I fear is in danger of being written out altogether. In the Open section, three groups of 17 teams played a full round robin within their group, the
There are three reasons why I never make ‘psychic’ bids. First, because I’m a wimp. Second, because I often play with partners who are better than me, and I feel it would be arrogant to manipulate the bidding. And third, because you really have to know what you’re doing with psychic bids — and I’m
By the time you read this, I will have (hopefully) played my first hand of bridge in five weeks. No bridge and very little BBO vugraph of interest — the withdrawal pangs were coming with painful regularity, so to take the edge off I turned to reading. Bridge Tips by World Masters, in which Terence
There’s been a fair amount of moaning about the English Bridge Union’s decision to move the week-long ‘Summer Meeting’ — one of the most popular events in the bridge calendar — from Brighton to Eastbourne. The decision was purely financial: Brighton is far more expensive. On the other hand, Brighton is a buzzy, vibrant town
Bridge players love going on about system. Some want every bid to have a conventional meaning and some want to play ‘naturally’. Personally I like a few conventions but not so many that judgement becomes redundant. Norway held its weeklong Bridge Festival in Fredrikstad this year which kicked off with Mixed Pairs. It was won
Here’s a bridge tip you won’t find in a book — one which the wonderful Gunnar Hallberg gave me. You’re declarer and a suit is led; dummy comes down with something like 8643, and it obviously doesn’t matter which card you play. Instead of routinely playing low, you should ask for a ridiculous, random card
Martin Hoffman is a hero. Now in his eighties, he can still analyse a hand faster than most people can sort their cards and he still plays at the speed of light. For many years he was considered the best Pairs player in the world, splitting his time between Florida and London where he played
The rise of Donald Trump in the US presidential race has had at least one very peculiar consequence: millions of American bridge players are suddenly bidding no-trump contracts with great gusto. A recent New Yorker cartoon encapsulated it perfectly, depicting four players at a table with the caption: ‘One no-trump. Oh, please, God, no Trump.’
Summer finally appeared like magic on Saturday, 16 July. Did I fire up the barbie? Did I relax with a Pimm’s soaking up a few rays? Did I go for a gentle walk? Did I heck. I went to play the London Congress Swiss Pairs tournament and found myself, along with 160 other whey-faced bridge
I’ve never had the courage to ‘psyche’ at the bridge table, but I grudgingly admire those who do. Sally Brock and I were well and truly kippered at the recent European women’s pairs championships when, neither side vulnerable, I opened 1♣ holding AK43, K986, J4, 854. Our innocent-looking young Dutch opponent found the gutsy overcall
The magnificent English Ladies have won another gold medal at the Europeans in Budapest. They have won medals in the past six Euro and world championships making them the most successful team we have ever had and one of the best of all time. They were lying third with one day to go. The team
Congratulations — yet again — to the England women’s bridge team, who last week won gold at the European championships in Budapest. They have now won medals at the last six World and European women’s teams events which, according to the English Bridge Union, might currently make them the most successful international team in British
The 53rd European Teams Championship started last week in Budapest, 37 countries competing in an 11-day complete round robin. The Open Teams kicked off the event slightly earlier than the Women’s and Senior’s, and England has excellent chances of medals in all three categories. The teams are competing for two different prizes: the first to
Just take the money! That’s the philosophy of many rubber bridge players when it comes to bidding — or rather not bidding — grand slams. Why risk going down in seven when a small slam will net you a large enough gain? I’m not of that school myself: so long as I trust my partner,
Many top-class bridge players enjoy flirting with poker, making it their bit on the side. I can certainly see the attraction. No partner shaking their head. No misunderstandings in the bidding. And no teammates rolling their eyes when you bring back a lousy result. We all know that bluffing is an essential part of poker
The Hubert Phillips Bowl is one of my favourite tournaments of the year: a friendly, knockout event with a rather quaint rule that all teams must include at least one woman. For some reason, this normally leads to teams of men plus exactly one woman — as though the woman represents a handicap. So, in
If you live in (or anywhere near) London, and you enjoy a good teams tournament, you could do no better than joining one of the excellent SuperLeague games at Young Chelsea or TGRs. There are two divisions in each, played on alternate weeks and two teams get promoted from Div 2 and two go down
Sometimes Janet teases me that this should be called the David Gold Column, as I mention his name so frequently. It’s true — David is a good friend as well as my bridge mentor, so he often points out interesting hands for me to write about. But it’s also true that over the past few
