[mtvesuvius]

jdonn, on Jan 19 2009, 10:17 AM, said:

I would be willing to bet money that if a tournament was named after me I would win over half the events I enter. Guaranteed.

New proposed Event Name: The Josh Donn Spingold.

[ArtK78]

jdonn, on Jan 19 2009, 10:17 AM, said:

I would be willing to bet money that if a tournament was named after me I would win over half the events I enter. Guaranteed.

Get back to me when you are 96 (of course, I will be about 130 by then).

[Gerben42]

Quote

Within about three months I'd played three different no-trump ranges and three different meanings for a 2D opening, fours, fives and possibly transfers over a club as well!

This must be what my mom calls "hanging around the wrong kind of friends"...

[TimG]

jdonn, on Jan 19 2009, 10:17 AM, said:

I would be willing to bet money that if a tournament was named after me I would win over half the events I enter. Guaranteed.

If you'd show up, I'm sure I could convince the Maine unit to name a sectional after you, probably the one held in Brewer every October.

[andy_h]

5-6 years and loving it ^^

[JLOL]

mtvesuvius, on Jan 19 2009, 10:19 AM, said:

jdonn, on Jan 19 2009, 10:17 AM, said:

I would be willing to bet money that if a tournament was named after me I would win over half the events I enter. Guaranteed.

New proposed Event Name: The Josh Donn Spingold.

This is more commonly known as the mini spingold

[mtvesuvius]

JLOL, on Jan 19 2009, 11:07 PM, said:

mtvesuvius, on Jan 19 2009, 10:19 AM, said:

jdonn, on Jan 19 2009, 10:17 AM, said:

I would be willing to bet money that if a tournament was named after me I would win over half the events I enter. Guaranteed.

New proposed Event Name: The Josh Donn Spingold.

This is more commonly known as the mini spingold

LOL

[olegru]

First tournament I played more than 20 years ago, having no slightest idea about the bridge game at all. I believe this story is funny enough to share it here.

I went to Moscow chess club to play chess, and got shocked to see some people there were going to play cards. This time cards were not formally prohibited in Russia anymore, but cards in the temple of chess! I was staying in astonishment when very intelligent looking women asked if I know how to play bridge. I replied not. She asked if I can play preference (preference is a very popular in former Soviet Union card game, for some extends similar to bridge, but it is game for individuals, not pairs.) I replied that I am good in it. She literally forced me to the table. As it happened she and her partner were late for game and director let them play only if they can fill out the table – find another pair to play. They convinced to play one experienced player who came to club to socialize and then she caught me. My partner had about 5 minutes to teach me rules of bridge and the bidding system. We played some simplified precision with no NT opening for me.
Could you believe we won the tournament!
My partner was extremely good and we were extraordinary lucky. I still remember couple of boards.
Once I interfered 1 diamond with almost no points and no diamonds. I did not realize that bid 1 diamond is negative (0-6 points any distribution) only if partner opened 1 clubs, not opponent. Poor opponents missed their contract.
In other board I doubled opponents in slam. I simply did not believe that 12 tricks of 13 is something realistic. Poor declarer expected me to have some reasons for double and found the way to get down in ice cold slam.
Another board I corrected 3NT bid by my partner to 4 diamonds, because I thought play in level 4 gives us more points than on level 3. Partner blasted to 6 diamonds and won it because of friendly lead and lucky distribution.
Unfortunately, I don’t know who my first partner was. I played my second tournament only in 3 years after the first and by that time I forgot name of that guy. Recalling how did he look I would not be very surprised if it was Andrew Gromov, but I have never asked him

[helene_t]

wow this story is really cool, Oleg! I suggest Uday puts a link to it in the section of the web client that has examples of interesting forum posts.

[oldman5757]

Neat question. I learned the game at summer camp in summer of 65, and began playing seriously in college that fall. In the old days you got paper slips for master points, and I know my wife threw out an entire box of them during one move! Oh, well. Someone mentioned Dave Treadwell, who is now 96 and still playing. He kicked my butt many times when I lived in that area!

My big bridge problem has been living mostly in rural areas (though there were exceptions) where it was just too far to go to play, so I've had long gaps where I haven't played at all. Playing more now.

I am just not very comfortable with online bridge. It doesn't seem quite real to me, even though I know it is, and my computer skills aren't as good as I'd like them to be. Trying to do better, tho.

[mtvesuvius]

Cool story, Oleg! Ask Gromov sometime .

[G_R__E_G]

Cool topic Jilly.

I learned some stuff from a book but only played on a computer game about 20 years ago. I started playing online a little bit about 8 years ago (first rubber bridge on Pogo until I got introduced to BBO). My job at the time involved being on the road away from home so the thought of playing at a club just didn't make sense to me. Eventually when my position changed and I was home at night I called our local duplicate club and got matched up with a partner. That was 4 1/2 years ago. I'm now a certified director, the club manager, the club's webmaster and I just need a few more gold points to get my LM (I don't get to many tournaments). This game doesn't grow on you at all, does it?

[jillybean]

Nice post, congratulations! Tell me, how can your card fee's be so low? $3 - I pay $8 to play here.

[G_R__E_G]

We're in a small town and have very reasonable rent for our location. That together with the facts that we're a not-for-profit club and many of our members volunteer to help in many ways, has allowed us to keep our card fees that low. Our annual membership is only $10 as well which is much cheaper than I've seen elsewhere.

[skjaeran]

I started filling in at home at 8 or 9 (35-36 years ago). I've been playing in clubs since I was 12 and tournaments a year after that.

[keylime]

I started bridge in earnest in 2002, to retrain my mind how to think logically as a result of my accident a few years prior.

[sireenb]

Twenty one years for me. After four lessons I was the only one in the class who turned up to the fifth lesson so my teacher took me to the local tournament to play instead. I have been hooked ever since!

[vuroth]

Wow, Oleg - that was a fantastic story!

I started filling in when my parents would play my godparents at 6 or 7 years old. The younger kids would be in bed, and I would watch. Sometimes, they would let me defend a hand - generally when the younger kids were up to no good.

I taught some friends to play in high school, and for a while we played every day at lunch. Some of them, I still play with on a weekly basis, though we live thousands of miles apart now.

I didn't play at all in university, which I regret to this day.

I didn't start on duplicate until my late 20s. After a while, I got up to about once a week, but then we had another baby, and so did my partner, so the bridge just...stopped.

I started playing online about 18 months ago, and have been back at the club 3 or 4 times in the last 3 monhts

...and I have so far to go.

V