Better Bridge in Barry County
By
Gerald Stein
Happy New Year to all Barry County Bridge players!
Have you set new resolutions for this coming year? Let me suggest five new
resolutions for you to consider. Make 2013 a better bridge-playing year for you
and your favorite partner.
Resolution Number One: Instead of diet and exercise
for your body alone, why not consider a new diet and exercise for your mind?
You can have the best of both worlds with a healthy body and a healthy mind.
Consider bridge as your new diet and exercise for your mind this year. Play
bridge often. Play bridge with friends and acquaintances. Play bridge in the
local Barry County bridge games, or travel to Grand Rapids, Richland, Battle
Creek, or Kalamazoo to play bridge there. You will improve your mind. You will
get out of the house. You will meet new friends. You will smile a lot more.
This one alone is a worthwhile and satisfactory resolution. Resolve to do this
one early in the year, and it will stick with you all year long.
Resolution Number Two: You have wanted to learn a
new convention for years. You know other good bridge players use the Stayman
Convention, but it is Greek to you. Take the time to learn a new convention
this year. Do you already know Stayman? And you use it frequently? What about
Take Out Doubles? Negative Doubles? Weak Two Bids? Jacoby Transfers? Blackwood
Convention? Gerber Convention? New Minor Forcing? Do any of these common bridge
conventions sound interesting or appealing to you? There is no need to learn
all of them in one year. Pick one or two, and make a concerted effort to learn
a new convention this year. Be sure to have a partner who is on board with you
and who will learn and practice the convention with you. Remember that there is
no way to use a convention effectively if your partner is not part of your
team. Make it a partnership agreement and practice your newly-chosen convention
together.
Resolution Number Three: Did you get a gift card to
Amazon.com for book purchases this year, or a money gift to do as you wished?
What a good way to learn about bridge. By
reading reviews and selecting some of the current books on bridge topics, you
will uncover such classics as Points
Schmoints or any other number of popular bridge texts. Do you want a huge
selection to choose from? Visit the book department at Baron Barclay, the
largest bridge supplier with all kinds of bridge books, bridge software, and
bridge supplies. You will have a fun time trying to find just the right book
for your reading pleasure. With a range from beginner to advanced players,
there will be something for everyone. One of the great advantages of ordering a
book or buying a book is the anticipation of getting a package in the mail.
When you have finished the book, why not consider donating it to your favorite
library for others to enjoy your thoughtfulness into the new year?
Resolution Number Four: Take a bridge class during
2013. You can combine a number of your resolutions into this one by taking a
bridge class through the Institute for Learning in Retirement programs through
Kellogg Community College, or the Life Long Learning programs through KCC as
well. Most classes are a short distance away in Battle Creek, and you will be
able to play bridge and make new friends (Resolution Number One); learn a new
convention or two (Resolution Number Two); or discover new bridge books or new
pieces of software for your computer or electronic devices (Resolution Number
Three). Sign up and play bridge.
Resolution Number Five: Make it a practice to play
out the hands that appear in newspapers like The Grand Rapids Press, The Battle Creek Inquirer, The Kalamazoo Gazette, or our own Barry
County The Hastings Banner. One of my
readers told me that he takes a deck of cards and plays out the hand of the day
on his kitchen table. He enjoys trying to figure out the play of the hand as
well as the bidding. What a great way to improve your bridge playing in 2013.
Five resolutions for 2013. Choose one or all and
your bridge-playing in Barry County will be fun, entertaining, and improving.
Do yourself a favor and provide for yourself a strict diet of bridge for 2013.
Your bridge health will improve with each play of the hand. Happy New Year,
Barry County Bridge players.
Gerald Stein
December 30, 2012
Number of words: 847
A bridge class called “Eight Conventions You Should
Know” will begin on the four Monday mornings in February 2013. Start your New
Year’s bridge resolutions today. Organized through the Institute for Learning
in Retirement program at the Kellogg Community College Battle Creek campus on
Hill Brady Road, this class will provide bridge playing time, bridge instructions,
a chance to make new friends, and a chance to improve your bridge game. Call
the KCC office for details.
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