[Hanoi5]

Learning bridge is harder everyday. There are more conventions to learn and the bidding turns more intricate (?). When I learned to play I just read a beginner's book (from the 60's) book, found a bunch of interested people and then we played a lot until I went to my country's bridge federation and learnt the 'new stuff'. I used to study by reading and re-reading notes (from classes, of course) and also by writing bids and its meanings systematically. I read books, I played a lot and I had a few meaningful discussions with my partner(s). How do you study? I've heard people saying when tehy take a bridge book they usually read it with a deck of cards, so that they can hold the hands in the book (or magazine). Some people prepare lots of hands with a couple of themes (Bergen, splinter, etc) and then bid and see how they fare. What's your preferred method?

Now, previous to a BIG tournament what do you do? If you have been in an official team for your country, what training have you received? What about at the site, what do you do previous a match?

[kfay]

I like to play with my partner a bit.

Then leading up I read (and bring with me) random pages from:

Killing Defense
More Killing Defense
Logical Bridge Play
Bridge Squeezes Complete
Adventures in Cardplay

Partnership's system notes

I find that playing a lot of bridge is bad. Then I can't focus.

[Apollo81]

I've seen the biggest positive effects on my results as a result of:

1. Getting a good night's sleep before the day I have to play.
2. Failing (1), getting plenty of caffeine that day before and during play.



Other than that, and similar things (like getting the right amount of food, etc) I don't think there's any magic bridge pill you can take the day or week before an important event to improve your results. Getting better is a slow process.

[TimG]

I don't think cramming helps. It might work in the case of a few conventions or treatments, but much better is to get regular practice using the system you will be playing so that you are comfortable with it and don't have to expend excess mental energy trying to remember specific sequences -- the more it is second nature, the better.

People who know how much I weigh may laugh, but I find it useful to get into a routine at the tournament that includes daily exercise. Skipping meals, eating meals at irregular times, alcohol, changed sleeping patterns, etc. are all things that can cause you to be at less than your best.

[wclass___]

kfay, on Jun 26 2009, 01:42 PM, said:

I find that playing a lot of bridge is bad. Then I can't focus.

+1
Quality is much more important. Play as good as possible and analyse hands with your partner afterwards. Also those where you simply got lucky.

[ArtK78]

In the beginning, I sat down with three friends from high school (we were all about 16) and one of them suggested "Let's play bridge!" Other than the one making the suggestion, the rest of us knew virtually nothing, so he gave us the rudiments (and rediments may be an overbid).

After that session, which lasted about an hour, I went home, found my parent's copy of a basic Goren text, and read it cover to cover. This made me the local expert.

This led inevitably into my introduction to duplicate at a local club which was held at the TD's home a couple of blocks from my home. The TD and his wife took an interest in the newcomers, and suggested that we join the ACBL and also suggested some basic bridge literature. I read Watson's Play of the Hand from cover to cover. Now I was REALLY an expert. I could pull trump, sort of count a hand, and even perform an end play from time to time.

Shortly thereafter, a friend (who was not in the initial group of 4) who was also at the same learning stage found the new Precision book by C.C. Wei. We devoured that also. Having a well defined system actually led to getting some good results at the local club.

Eventually, with the help of Clyde Love's book on Squeeze Play, I learned how to deliberately pull off a squeeze and other exotic plays.

All of this happened 36 years ago. I find that I hardly ever read any real bridge texts anymore. Reading The Bridge World and these Fora is all that I have time for.

My preparation for a big tournament now consists of making hotel reservations and travel arrangements. My days of studying the game deeply are in the past.

[mikeh]

When I played more seriously than I do now, including a couple of years playing for Canada, I prepared by (1) studying system notes...in those days, I played a complex relay method, and we didn't play very much, so I needed to really focus on remembering the methods, and (2) reading a couple of Kelsey's Match Play books (I forget the names, but The Needle Match was, I think, one of the titles) and (3) Love's book on squeeze play, to focus my mind on visualizing end positions.

During the event, no alcohol other than a beer at the end of the day, no meat between sessions, fruit available during the game (Alan Graves taught me that one, to keep sugar levels relatively level), lots of water during the game.

[CSGibson]

If I don't think I'm playing sharply, I'll go through some bridgemaster deals the week before, and read some books that emphasize counting, like Kelsey's defense books, or Mike Lawrence's book on how to read your opponents cards. That usually sharpens me up a bit.

[gnasher]

I:
- Reread the system notes. Losing IMPs through not knowing your methods is just silly.
- Generate a few hundred pairs of hands and write down what I think the auctions should be. If possible, I get my partner to do the same, and then compare the results.
- Read a Kelsey book.
- Get some exercise.
- Sleep.

[Codo]

If I want to improve:

Normal weeks:
Play some hands with your partner and understand what happened.
Finetune the system if necessary.
Play bridgemaster deals.
Read books about plays.

In front of a tourney:
Enough sleep. No drugs. Reread the script.