[akwoo]

I just could not focus in the club teams game I played today. Made a completely dumb nullo play at trick 11 on one hand (when I should've had count of the hand but had lost it). Lost track of the spots so I didn't know whether partner's lead at trick 3 was high or low (I knew it was suit preference for what to return after I ruffed.) Failed to win a trick when declarer unexpectedly did not ruff in dummy. A few more things of this sort.

I just felt generally tired. I tried to regain focus a few times but just couldn't concentrate and keep track of spots and signals or count out hands.

I resigned myself to playing on autopilot - it's certainly better than a beginner's autopilot but I haven't played nearly as many boards in my life as most players at my ability level, so the gap is bigger than for the usual player. I was fine in bidding since that doesn't require remembering things from a few seconds ago.

Any tips for what to do when you can't focus? And any tips on not letting playing badly become a bad habit?

[mike777]

Right now, today and tomorrow I am rereading Kantar's book on counting (March 2024).

At the table I just step away and wash my face.

Definitely an important topic...FOCUS


Count the hand with the known long suit!
That hand is easier to count.

Good luck, best wishes

[mikeh]

Fatigue is the most common factor, at least for me. Occasionally, playing a club game, I get bored. But fatigue is the tough one.

I’ve said it before…eat fruit during the game. A crisp apple is refreshing in and of itself and it restores blood sugar in a gentler way than an ‘energy drink’…the one time I tried a Red Bull, partway into a 800 km drive by myself, I hated the way it made me feel so I don’t recommend that approach. The splashing cold water helped a little bit the only time I tried it…during the finals of the CNTC in 1998 I must have splashed my face four times in the last set…we played 4 handed all week, including back to back to back 64 board KO matches.

If you find yourself losing focus and/or playing badly when not fatigued…try simply not playing for a while. How long is up to you. I basically quit twice, both times for several years and my current main partner quit for about 10 years. Both of us played a very few sessions each year, with friends, but nothing serious. I kept reading throughout, so I didn’t need to catch up when I came back

But I think even a month off could help.

[shyams]

This is a common issue for a player like me. From experience, some of the things that I tried and that worked occasionally.

1. At the end of the board where I made a silly play due to poor focus, I spend a few seconds and think of a calming thing (e.g. a peaceful song, a pleasant memory). My goal is to hope it wipes out the "bug" that caused my poor focus.

2. If 1. does not work, I grab myself a Coke or Pepsi (given that I don't regularly consume cola drinks). The sudden kick from the drink will hopefully serve as a wake-up.

3. Worst case, (when neither 1. nor 2. work), I decide to play on autopilot for a few boards --- allowing the semi-conscious mind to kick into overdrive and take over some of the simpler functions that the buggy conscious mind is failing to deliver.

Not saying these work all the time, but I have noticed that they do help a bit.

There is one final (kamikaze) technique --- make risky doubles of opponents final contracts or declare in a risky level contract. Your "fear of failing" might kick in and compel you to refocus to the fullest extent. I wouldn't try this except in extreme situations; when it fails, partner might also lose focus and the partnership could be much worse off.

[TMorris]

I am finding this more and more often in the last year. Sometimes I feel too warm so it might be mild dehydration and a glass of water to cool me down helps. Sometimes, with one of my partner's who is very slow for no reason, it is just boredom. I try reading whilst dummy (playing online) but it doesn't seem to help much.

[pescetom]

I too find that fatigue is the biggest issue. Still working on acquiring more stamina, but also on mitigation as I have limited opportunities to play (rather than direct) long encounters.

I am a bit surprised that focus/tiredness is mentioned as an issue in itself without some underlying problem being identified. I'm a great fan of addressing the root cause rather than symptoms: so as mikeh says cure nutrition and any underlying pathology if it's a question of blood sugar levels, work on the partnership if you had a row, wonder if you had a drink too many, etc.

[Huibertus]

Feeling tired I've had the worst results at times.

But ALSO, I've had the best results ever at times, it seems to enable getting into the zone more easily, sadly still not always...

[pescetom]

 Huibertus, on 2025-October-26, 13:23, said:

Feeling tired I've had the worst results at times.

But ALSO, I've had the best results ever at times, it seems to enable getting into the zone more easily, sadly still not always...

"Feeling tired", "not feeling the usual stress", "relaxing too much after <your favourite remedy>", can all really mean you are really just getting into the zone, IMO, especially if you tend to push things too hard on yourself or the partnership.

[AL78]

I had this all the time, brain fog when defending, making the wrong decision from two plausible lines of play or just dumb things like not taking a trick because I assumed declarer had ruffed or played high when they hadn't. To be honest I have never found a solution other than treating the frequent sub 50% club sessions as an endurance/resilience trial (which I inevitably fail), so I have now stopped playing club bridge and surprisingly am not really missing it.

[mycroft]

You know, sometimes bridge is just "a distraction from the world". Especially your regular partnership, regular night club game. And that's okay.

When I was in my "Issues" phase, apart from the main reason to play twice a week

Spoiler

which is not relevant to this discussion and I'm not going to elaborate on

the fact that it was 3.5-4.5 hours (depending on pre- and post-game barhopping) that focusing on the cards meant that the world couldn't intrude into my mind. It was a safe space. And if my focus wasn't perfect because the onslaught that impinged the rest of the week kept trying to intrude, oh well. Club game, partner makes mistakes too, and the goal of the night wasn't solely to WIN against 8 tables of club players.

And I can see, in some people, in November 2025, the body and brain going "oh good, a distraction from the world". And again, that's okay. Sure, look at ways to overcome it, especially for games that actually mean something; as you say, don't let it get to be a habit; but sometimes your highest priority *needs to be* something other than the percentage at the end of the night, and if that's the case, it's important to notice and accept that, too.

[pescetom]

mycroft, on 2025-October-27, 09:23, said:

And I can see, in some people, in November 2025, the body and brain going "oh good, a distraction from the world". And again, that's okay. Sure, look at ways to overcome it, especially for games that actually mean something; as you say, don't let it get to be a habit; but sometimes your highest priority *needs to be* something other than the percentage at the end of the night, and if that's the case, it's important to notice and accept that, too.

There is also (for the best) the stress of winning and (for the rest) the stress of doing your best.
Only a few monsters can successfully get away with continually demanding of themselves that they win or do their best.
Normal humans (even "ordinary" champions) need to let off steam every now and then, either by gratefully accepting defeat or by playing with another objective.
The latter is yet another reason I am happy to mentor beginners, then I can relax and focus on an interesting objective that does not stress me.
In sports where I was more competitive, I had no shame in treating some races as mere training or even deliberately losing that day.