Bridge players always think — although experts think more than others. Today’s deal requires careful thought. South is in three no-trump. West leads his fourth-highest heart. What should South do after winning with his jack?
In the “Get Smart” television show, the agents from Control usually battled against the bad guys from Kaos. To be successful, bridge players must know how to control the trump suit; otherwise, the play might become chaotic.
Tryon Edwards, a 19th-century theologian, said, “The secret of a good memory is attention, and attention to a subject depends upon our interest in it. We rarely forget that which has made a deep impression on our minds.” That is so often true. However, bridge fascinates many people who do not have a good memory for what has happened at the table. They also do not remember when to break the “golden rules” of the game. Which dictum should West break on this deal?
Robert Bresson, a French film director, said, “Cinema, radio, television, magazines are a school of inattention: People look without seeing, listen without hearing.”
Colin Hay, a Scottish-born musician who came to prominence as lead vocalist of the Australian band Men at Work, said, “I don’t walk off and come back for encores. I figure I can add four weeks to my life that way.” In a bridge column, though, encores can help to reinforce the point being made by the writer.
