When I started playing tournament bridge, I became a big fan of Eddie Kantar and Billy Eisenberg. Kantar was a popular Bulletin columnist, and both had big personalities and a flair for creative bidding. They were on their way to becoming one of the best pairs in the world, winning several national championships and two Bermuda Bowls.
One source of my admiration was a report of a deal where the pair had a long auction that was heading toward a major-suit slam. Kantar, who held a diamond suit headed by AKQ, thought he could count 13 tricks if partner had the jack, so he manufactured a high-level bid that he hoped would ask for that filler.
Eisenberg analyzed all the clues and read the subtle message perfectly. Holding the singleton ♦J, he accepted the grand-slam try and they ended in 7NT, which scored higher and was safer than the major-suit contract.
I marveled at their ingenuity and thoughtful interpretation of each other’s reasoning. Kantar and Eisenberg were a regular partnership with sophisticated agreements, but a jack-asking bid surely wasn’t in their system notes. They figured this out at the table by analyzing the auction, visualizing partner’s hand and trusting each other.
What impressed me most, though, was the effort itself. As a beginner, I would have been thrilled to get to any grand slam, and it never would have occurred to me to look for something better. This was a glimpse into the workings of experts’ minds and the energy, focus and imagination required to compete at the highest levels.
Accurate bidding to the optimal contract requires more than just great bidding skills or a superior system. Mental energy is an important factor. Kantar and Eisenberg’s grand-slam auction was long and complex, and this was the finals of a major championship, where even seasoned experts can begin feeling fatigued.
A few years later, I got to play against Kantar and Eisenberg separately, and they lived up to their reputation. In a Swiss team, Eisenberg made a bold bid that pushed me into a higher partscore where he had a trump stack. We rated to be an easy win for his team of experts, but he didn’t treat us or this hand lightly. He put a great deal of thought into each trick, and although I thought my line of play gave me a good chance to make, he out-maneuvered me and won 5 IMPs.
Kantar was my opponent in the first round of the evening session of a national board-a-match team event. He had been trapped in an elevator and arrived very late, breathless and apologetic. His apparent stress did not affect his play. On the first deal, he quickly declared 2NT and made an overtrick. On the second, he made 7NT by executing an entry squeeze. We lost both boards and finished on time.
The best players have not just a wealth of bridge skills, but a determination to get the most out of every deal, no matter what the conditions or who their opponents are. That requires a level of concentration that’s not easy to achieve. It involves patience, stamina, control of emotions and a number of other intangibles that affect your decision-making processes.
In future issues, we’ll look at some of the mental factors that contribute to
your ability to concentrate and make good bidding decisions.
© 2016 Karen Walker