Larry Cohen on Partners, Postmortems and Playing Nice

In the final episode of Should I Play or Should I Go?, Catherine talks with bridge legend, teacher and author Larry Cohen. Larry recalls almost giving up bridge at 14 after an upsetting experience at his second duplicate game, and explains why creating a welcoming environment has become such an important part of his approach to teaching and playing.

He offers practical advice on handling an overcritical partner, resisting the urge to believe every postmortem you hear, and remembering that the person telling you what you did wrong may not actually be right. He also explains why berating a partner is not only unpleasant, but likely to make them play worse.

And, as the series comes to a close, Catherine takes stock of what she has learned, reconsiders the comment that started all this, and asks what it means for the way she approaches bridge from here.

Plus, other bridge players share some memorable encounters of their own. Thanks to: Kitty Muntz, Geoff Sadler, Victoria, David Adler and Joan Dziekanski.

The Bridge Song at the end of the episode is by Ruvaan Malkani.

Here are a few resources on keeping bridge enjoyable for everyone:

World Bridge Federation: Laws of Duplicate Bridge

Larry Cohen: 21 Rules of Being a Good Partner

Karen Walker: Table Feel: A thoughtful look at the subtler side of behaviour at the bridge table.

BridgeBum: Bridge Table Manners & Etiquette

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