V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, The game of bridge is for gentlemen; a term which includes gentle women. It sure is a game with civility , camaraderie, niceties and curtsies. But is there room for violence? It is perfectly lawful to murder a hand (deal), but not your partner or an opponent, unfortunately😢 You […]
Violence in Bridge Read More »
V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, You need to have faith, both in religion and bridge. After all, we have all agreed that the game is like religion. Notwithstanding the system, gadgets and partnership understanding, you need to have confidence. Any hesitation while bidding or playing can be a tell-tale giveaway. The moment you hesitate,
Pause? Or Hesitation? Read More »
Today’s hand is from an IMP match where declarer executed a fabulous squeeze of a rare variety, in a part-score deal. Enjoy the play Contract: 2NT by south. West leads the H2. Plan the play. Analysis: There are seven tricks on top and the eighth can come from the spade suit.
Fascinating Finish Read More »
V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, Prima facie, there is nothing in common between Politics and Bridge per se. But take another look For example, you have the vocabulary, maybe. There exist “Major(ity)”, ” Minor(ity)”, Splits, percentage plays, cashing of tricks or votes, deceptive moves and leads, transfer of “Suit” cases et al. Unity in
V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, Recently, I came to know that it was Mahatma Gandhi who said ‘Bridge is a religion’. The full quote is :Â “Bridge is like a religion. You should strive to do your best with the cards Karma gave you”. How true! Comparing the game to religion, any religion for that
The Religion that is Bridge Read More »
V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, Of late some familiar names are either missing or getting divorced or deserting their hither-to alma mater teams to find new pastures. We have witnessed this phenomenon in the top rungs of Indian bridge where at least three of the top teams have literally been recast. I wonder, is
Ring out the old, Ring in the new Read More »
A bit late to reflect on the event given that another fairly major event has commenced today, but nevertheless, here are a few thoughts. Ab Initio, that the Nationals were extremely well organized goes without saying. To conduct an event over two venues so distant from each other required organization of phenomenal proportions and the
Mavericks Summer Nationals – Reflections Read More »
V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, As there is no end to learning, any subject including Bridge, one continues to learn. There are many known teachers in the community. You have Narayan Iyer and Sunil Varghese in Chennai, Ravi Raman and Arvind Vaidya in Maharashtra, Manoj and Girish in Bangalore, Parimal Vahalia in Ahmedabad and
In our fervent and vigorous preparation preceding the Youth World Championships, my partner Darwin and I were practicing on a bidding table around eleven thirty pm Mumbai time. It was lonely, repetitive work, and both of us were exhausted and ready to call it a day. Suddenly, the familiar ping of BBO chat jolted me
Convincing and Complete Read More »
Bridge has been enjoyed by people around the world for years. It is a card game that transcends social barriers, captivating the young and old, the rich and poor alike. Despite its long history and widespread popularity, bridge has not been fully solved. Even with the aid of computers and sophisticated AI programs, robots new
