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Meet
Twojacks
in
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Bridge
Plus Magazine
by
SHIREEN
MOHANDES
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RICHARD
SAMPSON, a London lad, married to Jackie, is regarded by many in
the rubber bridge world as one of the best card players in the
country. At the same time he is, by his own account, one of the
worst card holders in the world. After twenty years of rubber
bridge, he joined the tournament circuit in the '80's, winning
the Lederer, Crockfords and Spring Fours, and being runner up in
the Gold Cup. In 1988, to the surprise of most people who know
him, he retired from serious bridge and started teaching.
Q.
What made you take up rubber bridge?
A.
My parents who were fashion maufacturers, wanted me to be a
lawyer, so what choice did I have? I virtually left school and
became a bridge player. I was given the nickname
"TWO-JACKS", because that seemed to be my average
hand. It was no wonder that I had no time for tournament bridge,
as I was too busy trying to survive on such a paucity of honour
cards.
Q.
Who did you play with in tournaments?
A.
My main partner was the long suffering David Edwin, who was
known as Steady Eddie. I was known as Tricky Dicky. David was a
perfect foil for my frequent excursions into the unknown.
Q.
Do you have a nightmare hand?
A.
My worst result came playing in a high stake rubber bridge game
with Geoffrey Breskal. I picked up:
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I contented myself with an overcall of 1 
after the bidding had gone 1 
pass 1 
and was doubled. Thinking it was Christmas and how clever I was
to only bid 1 ,
I then heard my partner redouble for rescue. Having nowhere to
go, I left it in. My left hand opponent started with ace and
another
and ruffed the third round with his singleton .
Then he played a
and my RHO ruffed my Ace. When the dust settled, I was minus
1600. Geoffrey then admonished me saying that the redouble was
for take-out.I
protested that I had nowhere to go but he said that when 1
redoubled came back to me I should have called 2 ,
which was of course only minus 1100,silly me. How was I to know
how to handle a hand with two Aces? The air in St John's Wood
Bridge Club, not for the first time, was blue! I think this was
what persuaded me to give up playing and cast my pearls of
wisdom upon Belgravia.
Q.
Has the change of career had an effect on you as an individual?
A.
I have had to become more tolerant. I once watched one of my
students unblock his bare A
,
go to the dummy and play a trump. He was now no longer able to
get back to the dummy and make his K .
I asked him: Why didn't you cash the K
?,
to which he replied: Where did the Ace go? I told him that it
went on the last trick but one and he retorted: You can't expect
me to remember that long ago!
On
another occasion I asked one of my ladies why she hadn't
returned her partners suit and she said she was thinking about a
pair of shoes in Kensington High St! So after being an irascible
young man in my playing days I have become a very patient older
man in my twilight years.
Q.
Has
married life altered your outlook?
A. Five
years ago I married Jackie who was mainly responsible for the
new me. When she clipped my wings, I found I was no longer able
to fly so my feet remain firmly planted on the ground now.
Q.
Where do you play your bridge these days?
A.
On the internet on Okbridge, which is a marvelous medium for
teaching. You can record all the hands and correspond by e-mail
or telephone with your students. It has the added advantage that
you don't have to leave home and can play when and for as long
as you like. In conjunction with this I have started a question
and answer business where people e-mail their problem hands and
I comment on the bidding or play.
