Saturday 6 March 2010

REBECCA ROOD'S MAILBAG....................................
Dear Rebecca,
Why is that so many sour grape losers come up to me and say " we would have beaten you if my partner had not messed up on board X " . Don't they realize my partners may have messed up big time on boards A,B and C !
Yours looking for sympathy here, Dave
Dear Dave, I'm with you all the way on this one, because every time I come top ( as I usually do ) I also end up with disgruntled runners-up telling me the very same thing.
What these poor miserable sods have yet to grasp is that most pairs in the top 6 have encountered a few bad boards along the way. And it should be obvious to them that success ultimately depends on how good their scores are on all the other boards.
It is quite evident that these whinging pairs, who claim to have had just one lousy board, can not be taking many risks......settling for a load of field average plus all the time. Good players in my book are risk takers, always willing to concede a few bottoms knowing that several well-earned galactic tops will cancel them out twice over. The hallmark of great players is their ability to complement their genius and flair with an aggressive gambling instinct.
Too many players bemoan the fact they don't seem to have any luck, but none of them seem to realize that in the game of bridge you make your own luck, by taking calculated risks that could lead opponents astray or into troubled waters.
Yours of a like mind, Rebecca

No comments: