There is a saying in Bridge for those who partner with their actual partner:

“Say goodnight before you sit down to play”, or words to that effect.

Shouldn't it say, "Fantastic, nice, friendly, attractive, polite, never make mistakes bridge partner"?

1. Both have ignorance at their core, driving the fuel of the fire. It is that sense of ‘How could they drive like that? It is beyond comprehension that someone could be so stupid, daft etc.’ All of a sudden, behind the wheel, people apparently become ‘f**!… c**^~*… b*{*>* sssst!!’.

Similarly, in Bridge, it is ‘How could they not return my suit, under-lead the King, bid on when it is such folly!’ etc etc. Thankfully in Bridge, unlike behind the wheel, there is an absence of mindful aggression so often brought about by those ‘who are desperately trying to get somewhere in a hurry’.

I remember playing on two occasions where I learnt a valuable lesson. On the first occasion I was chastised for not leading the suit my partner bid (but unbeknownst to him, I was void in his suit!). On the other occasion I made a “terrible lead” – but on analysis afterward, it transpired there was no better lead. The lesson I learnt was this: “When partner does something unexpectedly silly, hold back and ask yourself, why?” There is often valuable information to be had from their behaviour. Another way of putting it is, “Assume there is logic behind the numpty in front of you”. This is all very well coming from me… one of my favourite sayings is, “Never underestimate incompetence”. But the purpose of the mantra, for me, is to lower my blood pressure and calm my mood anyway.

2. There is one form social interaction I find a bit irritating and that is when there is a behavioural norm that one is expected to uphold ‘because everyone does it… therefore you should too’. The tiny rebel that sits on my left shoulder tends to holler in my ear, calling out to me to do the opposite. If you haven’t already guessed, I am talking about the “Thank you partner” thing. Alternatively, for those of you who play on BridgeBase Online it is “typ”.

When my wife makes me a cup of tea, of course I am ‘thankful’. Do I keep on having to verbalise it every time it happens. Of course, I’d definitely say “thank you darling” if it is blackberry tea… “Yuuuuckk!!” Having said as much, being friendly and appreciative will definitely help your partner focus on playing significantly better.

3. When you want to question what your partner did, don’t phrase it like an accusation. Don’t phrase it as a negative, “Why didn’t you… What did you do that for…” etc. Instead, always seek to phrase your words as if on a quest for information. A quest to enlighten ‘your ignorance’: “Did you do that because… Would it have been better do you think, to have… What alternatives did you have to bidding…” etc

4. Tip 4, “Keep zip”. Personally, I think that if you are picking up the next deal, discussion for the previous deal is over, period. You need to flush out your mind, forget what happened, what error ‘partner made’ or how you let down parter etc – after all nobody messes up on purpose! Keep those lips sealed with a, “Let’s talk about it later”, or “never mind… let’s focus on the next hand”.

5. The biggest tip of them all:
Nobody likes to chat to someone that stares blankly into the distance, am I right? If someone is talking to you, do you turn your back and walk away? No you don’t:

OK; so bridge is a game of communication and interaction – Pay attention to every card partner plays! They will LOVE you for it. And besides, there’s information in them there cards partner plays. Watch, watch, watch those cards go down. That sounds like a hit from the 90s – If not it should have been.

Do you know who this famous individual is?