Originally published in the May 2020 ACBL Bridge Bulletin
Ask successful players for ideas on how to improve your game and you’re likely to hear the same advice: Play against better competition.
Increasing the degree of difficulty is a good way to advance in any endeavor. The opportunities are especially plentiful at bridge, where you don’t need special qualifications to play in most events. All you have to do is buy an entry, play your game and decide that at least for today, learning is more important than winning.
If you’ve been hesitant to "play up", here are some reasons to try it and tips for making the most of the experience.
What to expect
Misconceptions abound regarding what you’ll encounter in open and expert fields. You may be surprised to find that your opponents are not sharks who bid like madmen and resent having to play against less experienced pairs. In general, the higher the level of the event, the more ethical and sportsmanlike your opponents will be. The vast majority welcome and encourage advancing players and will be generous in sharing their knowledge if you ask.
If you happen to meet someone who seems unfriendly, it isn’t personal. Some players are so immersed in thought that they just forget to be sociable. It's likely you've dealt with similarly quirky personalities in lower events.
The bridge itself is the same game you’ve always played. Your opponents’ bidding may be a bit more aggressive than you see in lower flights. It will also be more reliable, which offers a better test of your bidding judgment and results in fewer “fixes".
Choosing an event
Start by moving up just one level. Play in one flight higher in your district Grand National Teams or North American Pairs. If you’ve been playing in novice or 299er sections, try your club’s open games, a sectional open pairs or a Gold Rush 0-750 event at a regional tournament. For Gold Rush players, the next steps are open and Flight A events at regionals and nationals.
More experienced players will find challenges in NABC championships at national tournaments. Regional KO teams are good options, too, if you request entry into a higher bracket. Directors will allow this as long as the bracket is unfilled (fewer than 16 teams) and it won’t push another team into a lower bracket.
To increase the likelihood that you’ll play better opponents all day, enter a pair game instead of an open Swiss teams. If you lose a few matches in a Swiss, you won’t be matched against the top teams. A bracketed Swiss, though, is a good choice if the top bracket is open.
Playing up doesn’t have to be a permanent commitment. You can do it occasionally and still go back to your “old” events to boost your confidence and see how much you've improved.
Your partner
If your partner is more experienced, make it clear that your goal is to learn and test yourself, not just win masterpoints. A partner who masterminds the bidding and hogs the declarer play is stealing your learning opportunities.
A mentor or professional partner can help you improve individual skills, but you may find it more valuable to enter with your regular partner. Learning together is the best way to work on partnership bidding and defense. You'll probably be more relaxed, too, because your expectations will be lower.
Be sure your partner is up for the challenge. If you have to go beyond mild arm-twisting to talk him into it, the game won’t be fun for either of you.
At the game
Show confidence. Act like you belong, because you do. Don’t let your posture, body language or conversation suggest that you’re nervous or inexperienced.
Your bidding system: You don’t need expert methods to play in an expert event. Keep it simple and play your current card, without adding new agreements. More important is to avoid misunderstandings that will be sure zeros and teach you nothing. Any bad boards should come from being outplayed, not from forgetting conventions.
Their system: Pay attention to your opponents’ bidding styles and methods. You may discover new ways to solve common problems and new agreements that would be good additions to your system.
During the auction, don’t ask about their alerts unless you need the information to choose your calls. Instead, wait until the bidding is over and just say, “Please explain your auction.” This helps you avoid showing interest in a specific bid. It will also give you a more complete picture of all the meanings, including “expert standard” agreements and inferences.
Remind yourself that your opponents are not perfect. They will make mistakes and get minus scores. Just because they bid a contract doesn’t mean they’re going to make it, so don’t be bullied into competing higher than you think is wise.
Don’t shoot for tops. This is not a good strategy for learning nor a satisfying way to play. Psychological studies show that the pain of losing is twice as powerful as the pleasure of gaining. That means you’ll need two tops to compensate for the feelings of defeat and embarrassment that come with every silly zero.
Adapt to the “claiming atmosphere”. Experts claim more often than beginners. They expect you to claim when you have the rest of the tricks or any other simple end position.
Be aware that if an opposing declarer believes the outcome is obvious, he may make a conditional claim (“Taking the club finesse”) or just show his hand and say nothing. Technically, he should state a full line of play, but this practice is widely accepted, so don’t quibble if his intent is clear. If you don’t understand, ask for an explanation. If declarer didn’t mention an outstanding trump or you believe it’s a faulty claim, say nothing and call the director.
Relax and enjoy the game. Don’t discuss the hands or try to fix your system during the session. Focus on one board at a time and when that board is over, resist the natural tendency to think about what you could have done better. If there’s a lesson in the deal, you’ll find it later.
When there’s time at the end of a round, though, consider starting a conversation with your opponents. Most are happy to answer questions and will be flattered if you ask their advice.
After the game
Technology has made it easier than ever to learn from your results. It starts right after the session, when you should try to make time to discuss the hands with your partner.
Later, study the online results and, for pair games, analyze what happened at other tables. Pay little attention to your overall score. Look at individual boards and try to determine why other pairs had better or worse results than yours.
If you find deals where you took fewer tricks than most of the field, the replay feature in ACBL Live can help you figure out why. For tournament pair events, click “Summary” and scroll down to “Board results”. The “Play” box next to each of your results will open a double-dummy player where you can practice declaring and defending the hand as many times as you like.
Write down what you learned. Then make a list of what you want to learn -- questions for partner or a mentor, skills to work on, new bidding ideas to consider.
Finally, don’t forget to spend some time reviewing your good boards, too. No matter what your total score, you probably had some triumphs. Next time, there will be more.
-- Mike Lawrence, bridge author & world champion
Copyright © 2020 Karen Walker