Minnesotans have attended and prospered at ACBL National tournaments for years. At our most recent Nationals in San Francisco, Rose Meltzer hosted a most special event: "Breakfast with the Stars."
Meltzer, a member of the National hosting district, is quite an expert in her own right. The first woman to win a major international title in open competition, Rose's star has burned brightly in the toughest competition imaginable. As her fierce abilities are combined with graciousness, Rose judged to invite people to a lovely breakfast buffet with bridge stars. Over quiche, fresh fruit and muffins, bridge players were able to chat with our country's top competitors.
Questions of all sorts were posed. "What are your favorite conventions?" "How does system matter?" "How did you learn to play bridge?" "What are the best ways to improve your bridge game?"
Enjoy these shots of stars like Jill Levin, Chip Martel, Mike Passell, Dave Berkowitz, Sabine Zenkel and others who shared their secrets and stories at this fine event.
I had the pleasure of sitting with Kerri Sanborn and Alan Sontag. In particular, you might be interested in one of Sontag's tips for improving your game.
Alan was asked for tips on how to improve one's game. He gave a few of the standard recommendations, along with "get rid of bad conventions - like inverted minors" (aaack; that's one of my favorites!). But a particularly revealing bit of advice was this: "Have empathy for your partner."
How many times have we scowled or reprimanded partner on a hand - only to realize that the fault, dear Brutus, perhaps rested within ourself? How often have we been irritated that partner didn't go right - when in retrospect, we realize that we, too, would have made the same play?
Alan rightly appreciates that respecting and caring for your partner will improve your game!
Your resume may not be littered with national and international titles if you adopt this gem. Nevertheless, your results should be superior with implementation of this tip than they would be without it.
Here are more stars who generously shared insights at the breakfast.
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