WHAT TYPE OF PERSON IS A TOURNAMENT PLAYER?............................(Article by Carp) Bridge clubs by and large are divided into four fraternities: tournament players, regular duplicate players, social and occasional players. It is a natural instinct for players of similar ability and aspirations to gravitate towards each other. In the case of tournament players it is an absolute necessity. So what characteristics do they possess? Their main goal in bridge is to obtain exclusive participation into the big national competition. Not surprising, this relatively small (predominantly male) elistist group of players display an intense enthusiasm and identification with high profile bridge, often developing a tendency to allow their involvement to take over their lives. Their fixation about results takes complete precedence over developing friendly interpersonal relationships. Social bridge to them is a complete no-no. They yearn to test their bridge skills to the fullest extent, and to see how far their mastery of the game is reflected in their promotions up the EBU rankings ladder. Greens and golds of course are their favourite colours. Their constant striving for perfection usually coincides with their relentless quest for glory and peer group recognition. All too often, tournament players bemoan the fact that there are too few skilled players within their clubs, often complaining and whinging on about social players' unethical play, too much talking, and lack of focussed attention on the game. As a consequence they tend to become irregular duplicate players, since club nights have to be sacrificed if big stage events are imminent on their bridge calendar. Bridge for these truly hard-core players is a serious business, and despite any bad results they may encounter their fierce determination to persevere at the game never waivers. No one can doubt their commitment to succeed. Free time way from the bridge table is spent privately reading bridge books and studying problem-hands. They love to talk bridge with their peers. They work hard to establish effective partnerships with those they trust the most to take their joint understanding onto even higher levels. Their attachment to the game is so strong that references to themselves like "bridge fanatics", "bridge nuts" and "bridge geeks" seem remarkably apt. Certainly, one characteristic that stands out is the strong esprit de corps which exists among them, as they derive immense pleasure from telling and listening to bridge-related stories. They often greet each other with the words " you hold....". Sadly however, some tournament players , by developing a superior knowledge of the laws and ethics of the game, are often seen yelling for the TD. The objective here is to obtain a ruling that ensures that transgressions by the opponents do not damage them in any way whatsoever. Every imp or matchpoint counts! They are driven to ensure that proper protocol and standards of play are never compromised. They are quick to criticise any TD who does not measure up in their eyes as being on top of his/her job. And it is because they set such demanding standards upon themselves and others, partnerships are rarely born out of friendship........just mutual respect. However, the fragile nature of this respect means it can be easily destroyed (and with it the partnership) when mistakes are deemed as "unforgiveable". Tournament players can on occasions be a fickle lot..........