Remembering Paul Soloway

Few bridge players ever have come close to accomplishing the feats of Paul Soloway.  Without a doubt, Soloway will remain always one of the bridge greats.

To start out our new year, this week the format of John Koch's column alters a bit.  John shares the experiences of some Minnesotans as they take on the recently departed legend and other stars.

For those players who fear competing against others far more experienced than they, John's column should be a lesson.  Little is more exciting and rewarding than beating the "big guns" at the bridge table!

And - if anyone was a "big gun" - it was Paul Soloway.

John's story of David and Goliath is below.

Download PaulSolowayRemembered.doc

Addendum: (read after John's column)

Your Blog editor will never forget this hand!  Knowing that one of the toughest bridge players on the planet is holding your cards can be intimidating.  Still - what can one do but battle on?

After partner and I had shown two fits in the black suits, we rested in 6C.  Although my LHO, Brachman, was not an expert in the same league as his teammates, I knew that he would have led ace and another spade if he'd held AJxx.  So, when I played the suit, and RHO, Mike Passell, played the 9 spot, I knew I could rule out a singleton nine.

I had an inferential count on the hand, and it appeared that LHO had 3 spades and RHO 2.  Thus, when the honor in my hand lost to the ace, the odds were high that LHO had AJx and RHO 9x.  Passell was surely a fine enough player that he would falsecard by playing the "9" from 9 and another.

But - I had something going for me that Soloway did not:  women's intuition. 

When Passell played his 9, I felt some measure of anxiousness.  Somehow, it seemed that Passell played the 9 'cause he had to do it.

Thus, though I knew it against the odds, when I led toward dummy and Brachman played low, I went up with my honor.  Passell slammed the jack beneath it, and muttered "Someone who makes a play like that should give up the game"!  Passell knew that his team had just suffered a slam swing; Soloway would get the same inferences I had, and would never make that play.  (Passell did quickly thereafter apologize to me for his from-frustration comment.)

I've played on many good teams and have had lots of wins.  Nevertheless, few were as sweet as one like this where we beat a team of champions!

Comments

[Rebecca]

Hi Peg - can you please contact me via email or post your contact info to the blog? My email is onspock at hotmail dot com

Thanks