49 48 An Early By Eric Kokish started to play seriously in 1967, of the available time, and when we at the Summer North American started the second hand there were only I Cham-pionships in Montreal, a couple of minutes left to play. my home town. I had less than 100 Lesson These were the cards: master points so I could not play in the Life Master Pairs, the Spingold, or the ♠ QJ1098 Master Mixed Teams. However, my ♥ AK3 very good friend George Mittelman and ♦ 4 I made good results in the secondary ♣ AKQ10 in events, one day scoring over 70% in ♠ 5 ♠ A742 two separate one-session side games. ♥10864 ♥Q Okay, so it wasn’t the big time, but we ♦ J6 ♦ K1098732 were only 20 years old and very eager, ♣986542 ♣J and I still remember running to the major events to kibitz the great players of the ♠ K63 Humility day, hoping some of their wisdom would ♥ J9752 touch us. Although I confess that today ♦ AQ5 I don’t run quite as much, my interest ♣ 73 in seeking the truth about the game still keeps me coming back for more. West North East South Four years later, most of my friends and Silver Kokish I believed we had become very good 3♦ Pass players and we had all had some success Pass Dbl Pass 3NT at the national and North American level. Pass Pass At the 1971 Can-Am Regional, I was 4♠ 5♦ playing with my great and good friend Pass 5♥ Pass 5NT Joey Silver, who had started to help Pass 6♣ Pass 6♠ me a couple of years earlier, to play set Pass 6NT Pass Pass matches for real money(!!) against his Pass unsuspecting rubber bridge friends. The Can-Am was our most important We bid quickly but with notable efficiency local tournament and as there were to 6NT, a particularly promising contract at far fewer events at each tournament in Matchpoints and one that seems destined those days, winning one of them was to succeed when we look at all the cards. still a special achievement. Joey and However, in my haste to catch up I took I were playing in the Open Pairs and the lead of the ♦J with the queen and doing quite well at the table but less well played on spades without cashing either a away from it, because we were following high club or a high heart in dummy, either a slow pair and never seemed to have of which would have produced a positive more than ten minutes per round to play result. two deals. (Let us not mention the absence of a plan As luck would have it, on one of these to counter the possibility of being tucked “short” rounds the first hand took most in dummy on the third or fourth round of 49 48 spades). East took the third spade and Perhaps trying to justify my club play to an high moments more than makes up for the played a second diamond, which I won extent only a masochist could appreciate, I inevitable disappointments. with the ace, discarding dummy’s ♥3, decided to play East for a second club and staking the fate of the deal on the club so discarded the ♥A from dummy. suit. As East was marked with 11 cards East’s delight in showing me the queen of in spades and diamonds, West was an hearts came as no surprise. enormous favourite to hold the ♣J, so And so it came to pass that the young Eric 1978 I stifled a giggle at my carelessness and and (I confess) somewhat arrogant Eric confidently led a club to the ten and jack, Kokish, aspiring to be one of Canada’s at which point I could not prevent myself greatest players, finished minus 600 in from laughing rather more loudly. a slam that was cold . umm . without East thought it was pretty funny too and a finesse . demonstrated his joy at being given an It occurred to me that I might have a future in unexpected entry by loudly thumbing each the game when I was able to report the deal of his five remaining high diamonds onto to the Daily Bulletin (perhaps only moments the table as the Director hovered over us. ahead of the thundering hordes, it’s true) with As you may already have foreseen, my a smile on my face, despite the gaping wound Eric Kokish went on to become one of greatest moment in bridge was not yet in my heart. the best bridge players in the world, complete. As East led his last diamond, We did not win the 1971 Can-Am Open Pairs. winning many international events we were down to a three-card ending: Although I can’t confirm with confidence and leading Canada to a close second place in the 1995 Bermuda Bowl in ♠ Q that this incident convinced me not to take myself so seriously, it certainly Bejing. He is one of the most respected ♥ A contributed mightily. Years later, my analysts and theoreticians of the game ♦ - Australian mate Bobby Richman pointed and has built a great reputation as a A ♣ out that “we’re all little error machines” coach: amongst others he has trained ♠ - ♠ 7 with an unlimited capacity to make them, in the past the Israeli, the Dutch and ♥10 ♥Q batteries not included. Appreciating that the Indonesian national teams and has ♦ - ♦ 2 makes it so much easier to deal with our been coaching for quite a few years the ♣92 ♣- inadequacies. world-beating Nickell team (Hamman- ♠ - Soloway, Meckstroth-Rodwell and I still look forward to the next major Nickell-Freeman). J9 ♥ tournament because there’s sure to be We are delighted that he accepted ♦ - something new and interesting that I to collaborate with us and that he has ♣ 7 haven’t experienced before – places to expressed his availability to answer I knew that East held another spade, but go, people to see – something special questions from readers through his was his remaining card a heart or a club? worth keeping. Knowing that there will be e-mail: [email protected] 45 44 By Eric Kokish In this column Canada‛s was Roy Hughes, South Irving Litvack, could establish the ♦6 (leading the ten peripathetic Bridge ambassador both terrific players who have remained to smother the seven) and reverted to joins us for a monthly visit, sharing largely unsung on the international scene diamonds, declarer covering the seven. his insights and Bridge experiences through no fault of their own. Declarer ruffed and led a trump to the and offering solutions to vexing North-South vulnerable; East deals jack, and soon lost a trump to West for problems. He will also answer one down. questions by our readers. ♠ K972 ♥ AJ72 The bottom line is that Bridge has been Moments later, South was kicking himself. Q1065 very good to me. The game has given ♦ “I should have made it. Instead of playing me the chance to meet some wonderful ♣ 10 a trump to the jack, say that I play ♣K and people, to visit exotic, intriguing countries, ♠ AJ864 ♠ Q103 another high club. West discards a spade, to acquire some important vocabulary but I ruff my winner in dummy, play ♠K, ♥ K96 ♥ 10 (how to order lunch) in many different spade ruff, East following. By now I know languages, and to try my hand at virtually ♦ 973 ♦ KJ42 that West has five spades, two clubs, and every aspect of this fascinating pastime. ♣ A3 ♣ 86542 (apparently) three diamonds, which leaves him with three trumps. I intend to play him Bridge has provided me with frequent ♠ 5 opportunities to show grace in defeat for the ♥K in any case, but now I can see while tantalizing me with the dream of ♥ Q8543 that the best play is to lead the queen displaying grace in victory at the highest ♦ A8 from my hand, winning against singleton levels. It has taught me that there is ♣ KQJ97 nine or ten in East. If West covers, I win, always something to learn and that behind ruff myself in with a spade, and finesse every ugly moment there lies something West North East South against the other `minor’ trump honour.” of great beauty. Hughes Litvack Perhaps spotting the easy-to-overlook I have been addicted to the game Pass 1♥ winning line so soon after missing it should since my early teens: it has often been 1♠ 2♠* Dbl 4♥ earn a consolation prize. In practice, frustrating, sometimes amusing, always Pass Pass Pass however, it only manages to deflect the full of surprises and perhaps it’s that *= raise to at least 3♥ player’s focus in a non-productive way: uncertainty about what lies ahead that when the cards are put back in the box, keeps me coming back for more. Opening Lead: ♦3 the deal is history. This column is dedicated to those of you who share at least a part of this love With 4♠ doubled likely to cost 500 points If there is something of special value to affair. Your secret is safe with me. I will and little chance to jockey North/South to be happy to answer your questions on be learned from this deal, let me suggest the five-level, it will be much better bridge in bridge and the most interesting ones to you that it is not the fancy handling of the long run to defend 4♥ with the East/West will be published here in your bridge the trump suit that would have enabled cards.