Preparing your mind

Here at the Reno NABC, most of the national championship events are pair games. No six-man teams, no time to rest, just a lot of thinking, hand after hand after hand, all day long. It's taxing. Some folks prepare to warm up by playing the morning session, or relax before game time by sleeping in. I've tried these methods, and they're acceptable, but I often feel fatigued by the second half of the day.

This tournament, I'm sleeping in a little each day and going to the gym before the afternoon session. Studies that I'm too lazy to google have shown conclusively that exercise improves brain function. It's no surprise to me that I run into many of the top bridge players here in the gym each morning. I feel like a good hard workout clears my mind and prepares me for the hard thinking I'll have to do for the rest of the day. It gives me the energy and stamina I need to stay sharp all day. And when I exercise before a game, I spend less time looking around the playing area and worrying that one day I'll start to look like the average bridge player...

Good luck to everyone competing here in Reno!

A New Bridge Tournament Resource

Most of you know that I blog for a living. I've been writing, among others, a travel blog called The Perpetual Tourist, for over two years now. I've just recently launched this blog on my very own website, Jianantonic.com. If you click over to that site, you'll notice a little link on the side that says "Bridge."

DoubleSqueeze.com will continue to feature interesting deals, play problems, analysis, and other commentary from the bridge table, but the Bridge page at Jianantonic will be a tournament resource. This is where I'll post information about tournament schedules, travel and lodging logistics, restaurant recommendations, and editorial comments. McKenzie and I travel to so many regionals and sectionals, as well as all the NABCs, that this page will soon cover most of the major tournaments in the ACBL.

My hope is that this website will become a valuable resource for players planning to attend a tournament for the first time, or who want to find an easier way to attend tournaments they've done before.

This page is still in its infancy, but I am constantly updating it, and soon it will include dozens of tournaments as well as a search feature to find information about particular tournaments. You can also comment on these pages to chime in with your own advice or ask questions about details I may have left out. Please check it out, tell your friends, and keep coming back. You can also follow me on Twitter -- @jianantonic.

Enjoy!