A Game Bridges Generations

In a few weeks the Grand Hyatt in San Diego will host the bridge nationals. This is the biggest event in bridge, and is held once a year. Lucky us, we can go to the nationals this year without incurring big travel expenses. As an avid bridge player I have been looking forward to this event for months, and it's finally here.

What's so great about bridge? Many who don't know the game may say it's just another card game. To quote Warren Buffet, who loves the game and plays regularly "making inferences and working well with a partner-are invaluable in broader life. I really do recommend it to people. " He once famously said that if he were playing bridge a naked woman could walk by and he wouldn't notice. Mr. Buffett will be at the nationals, as will Bill Gates, another lover of the game. Bridge has deception, it's got analysis, and you can play with your opponent's head a little bit. Many doctors recommend bridge to seniors to help keep their memory sharp. Remembering every card in every suit is no easy task. Some of the best players I know are well into their 80's.

Bridge developed out of the game of Whist, and by the 1920's was gaining in popularity. Lou Hoover loved the game, as did Samuel Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer. It continued to gain in popularity into the 1960's, before being edged aside by TV and other distractions, but never again would it reach that fever pitch.

Enter the internet and online bridge. Bill Gates is part owner of Bridge Base Online, my choice for online bridge, and 100,000 others sign on to this site every day. It's a chance to play bridge, be social, and if you want, watch some of the great players. The site is FREE, and what could be better in this down economy? The game is definitely graying, as the average age of membership in the ACBL (bridge league) is now 69. However, things are changing, in fact many schools are now offering bridge as an activity. A nine year old just became the youngest life master ever. I'm still working on becoming one.

I'll be at the nationals at the end of the month, with the hope of becoming a life master myself. I also hope to get a chance to see some of the great players, and maybe even get a chance to play with Warren Buffett or Bill Gates. They'll both be there playing, and what a thrill it would be to play against one of them. The great thing about bridge is that every hand is different and there is always something new to learn. It's kind of like life. Ups and downs, highs and lows, but always, always interesting.