Bridge Thoughts - A Humble Beginning

 

A Humble Beginning

Yan Shen Drabek

On October 7, 2014, I played my very first game at the Northampton Bridge Club. (click here to see how you did during that time if you were playing back then)

I remember feeling nervous as I walked into the large room in Hadley, surrounded by many serious faces. There were 12 tables at play on that day, and we played 36 boards! Allison and I finished with a score of 43.52%. New players today may not fully comprehend what it was like to play 36 boards - with 7 minutes per board, that is more than 4 hours of continued grueling frustration (or elated triumph, to the furtunate few)!

My second game at the club took place on October 14, and it was a Swiss Team game. Allison and I were teamed up with Mike and Fran Becker. I earned my very first master point from the club at this game—only 0.09 MPs, but it was a milestone!

For a long while, Allison Ryan who dragged me into this game, was my only partner and I would fill in for her when she needed a partner.

Then winter arrived, Allison traveled to warmer places. Paul Bacon, one of my early teachers, suggested that I play with Steve Peck. Steve graciously accepted, and became the first person, other than Allison, to partner with me, the newbie. I am forever grateful for his courage and support! During the winter, I had the opportunity to play with a few others, the new experiences opened my eyes. One of these early partnerships has persisted to this day! You guessed it: Barry LaFlam! We were connected in Paul Bacon's class and have been playing together ever since.

Bridge is a journey—a journey to discover yourself, to find friendship, and to test your logical thinking, endurance, trust, and forgiveness.