Bridge Road Warriors: Cambridge, Maryland

19:45 17 November 2013 by GS Jade Barrett, USA CSBNews correspondent

 

«I’m easy. Put me in an interesting location with good people and I am there» – Jane Curtin.

Superbly operated by Chef Jordan Lloyd, the restaurant is on the main floor of a beautiful Bed and Breakfast located in a 1790’s Georgian brick home.

 Jordan Lloyd is a true Old World Chef, despite his 34 years. The driving force behind the Maryland Peninsula’s Farm to Market movement, he proudly proclaims that «what you are eating tonight was either in the ground or in the sea this morning». It is a sentiment and commitment that I heartily appreciate. I firmly believe that Chef Jordan is well on his way to stardom.

The nature of American Dining has shifted quietly, but dramatically over the last twenty years or so, away from the industrial era of mass production of many food stuffs in large chain restaurants of varied quality to the more locale specific specialized eatery. Over the last four years I have had the great pleasure of meeting a few of the great chefs of North America, Pierre Koffel of the Deep Cove Chalet, Saanich, British Columbia, Canada; Thierry Blouet of Cafe des Artiste in Puerto Vallarta, MX ; X; Curtis Lincoln of the Willow Creek Restaurant, Evergreen, Colorado; Tom Douglas of the Douglas family of restaurants, Seattle, Washington; Marc Jones of Monterey Bay Area, California; and now Jordan Lloyd of Easton, Maryland. They are all amazing, both as tremendously talented artists in the kitchen and as stewards of the world around them. Through their choices to use local, buy local, and promote local product from the farms and fisheries around them, they bring the best of each of their respective communities to the table.

On and off for fifteen years or so, I would listen to the radio as I drove from tournament to tournament, and on Sundays I would listen to America’s Dining and Travel Guide with Pierre Wolfe. I instantly recognized his distinct accent and laugh.

 

00:23 17 November 2013 by GS Jade Barrett, USA CSBNews correspondent

 

«Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends» – William Shakespeare

 

 One night each tournament the Great American Bridge Tour has team dinner, where we share a great time, great food and a few bottles of excellent wine. No bridge theory or hands are discussed, but tales of the history of the game abound. We speak of friends from the past, silly things that have happened, the forty-five years of living and working in the bridge community.

 This week’s team is comprised of four players (Jim Looby, Karen Lee Barrett, Bruce Reeve, and myself) who all started playing in 1968; Bjorgvin Mar Kristinsson began his career in 1984, while Anne Dawson is a babe in the woods, with her bridge birth in 2003. We toast those friends who cannot join us, as well as raise a glass for those who have gone on to their reward.

 

The life of the bridge professional in the USA is different from those in other parts of the world, we spend hundreds of days each year living in hotels in thirty or more cities spread out over thousands of miles. Each locale has its own unique flavor, its own cuisine and character. The Bridge is different, too. What is standard practice on the East Coast is not the same in the West. Despite the best efforts of the ACBL to define «Standard American», there truly is no such beast – and we are probably so much the better for it. Pythagoras stated that «without contradiction, there is no progression» and I am certain that is as true in our era as it was in his. Each colloquial dialect has added to the overall understanding of the game and has kept it a living, breathing entity. Just when we think we understand it, we realize that there is so much more.

 

So we celebrate this ever changing environment, rejoicing in the challenge of a game that is nearly impossible to truly master, for to do so would be impossible. Playing  perfectly just cannot be accomplished by mere mortals.

 

 And despite the knowledge of that fact, we are not prevented from making the effort.

 «Doing something you enjoy at times of your own choosing and making a living from it: now tell me, is that work?» – Tom Hodgkinson 

With a special sadness I report on the failing health of a good friend of bridge and my family, Mike Cappelletti. Inventor of the famous NoTrump convention of the same name and one of the great poker authors of the world, he has spent a great many years as a fierce competitor. A great player, Mike spent many hours with cigar and drink in hand discussing theory with my group of friends in the early years of my bridge career. I attribute a fair amount of my understanding regarding the art of bluffing as it pertains to bridge to these sessions, lessons that have served me well for decades. A marvelous conversationalist, his ability to speak on a vast number of subjects always guarantees a fun debate; I miss his presence at the table and hope for his return.

 I have had the benefit of playing with many of the early greats of the game, especially Charlie Coon and Dave Treadwell. Their different styles exposed me to both the technical and the psychological aspects of the game, Charlie when playing with me had a relaxed bidding style unrestricted by the artificial limitations of high card values while focusing on the general nature of the hand; David is responsible for the little discipline I do have, reminding me that no matter how good my hand is, Aces still beat Kings.

 

There have been many others that have contributed to my growth as a player, essentially forty-five thousand or so past and current tournament athletes, for everyone who has sat with or against me have had an impact on my game – just some more than others. I owe all of them a debt of gratitude.

 

    Still in all, I wish all of them were here to play against again – I desire another chance to exact some measure of redemption for those fifty thousand or so losses I have suffered at their hands.