REBECCA ROOD'S MAILBAG...........................................

• Dear Rebecca, My regular partner is very prone to going into prolonged trances before making any bids and opening leads. It is during one of these trances that I found the time to write this letter. Is there anything I can do or say that might "gee him up a bit" to the welcome relief of all? Yours struggling to cope................Rufus Tyler.
• Dear Rufus, I too have had a gutful of grief from these snails and procrastinators of the bridge world. Personally, I would bite the bullet and terminate the partnership. But if you lack the courage to save your sanity in this bold and abrupt way, might I suggest the following 5 pronged strategy:
• (1) Try to make your frustrations known by placing on the table a giant sized egg-timer..... only to be activated when it is his turn to bid or play.
• (2) Then you must be seen to enter details ( from your stop-watch calculations ) of his start and finish times on his personalised time-sheet.
• (3) Also make sure to carry on your person a whistle, bell or megaphone, so that a "time-up" announcement will not go unnoticed.
• (4) And please remember to bring with you several copies of a carefully worded letter of apology to give out to opponents, after each and every incident.
• (5) Finally, call over the TD whenever possible to give adjusted scores in favour of the opposition, on those boards where you feel they were left with insufficient time to bid and play their cards.
• I can assure you that sticking to this strategy will do the trick.....so to speak. Partner will get the message.......and from my experience it will be you who gets the boot........ Yours undisputedly Rood