Does anybody here play bridge?

[BaldFriede]

"Bridge? You mean that card game for old ladies?" some of you may ask. Yes, that's the feeling one gets when one sees bridge in a movie, yet bridge is much more than that. Tournament bridge actually is the only card game in which card luck plays norole at all.
"Now how is that possible?" you may ask "The cards wil, after all, be random, won't they"?
Indeed, the cards are randomly dealt, yet everybody plays the same deals.
"Ok, but at a table the cards the players hold are still different, and hence they will favor one pair or the other".
Ah, but here comes the little trick: It is the mode of the tournaments that does it. Basically there are two different knids of tournament modes:Pair torunaments and team tournaments. Let us start with the team tournaments; it is easier to explain there.
In team tournaments a team consists of two pairs, who play against another team. Let's call them team A and B.
Now pair 1 of team A will play several boards (a board is a single game of bridge; it is called that way because the cards are predealt and put into special boards, so the deal can easily be transported from table to table) against pai one of Team B. The second pairs also play against each other, but with cards reversed.so that in the whole all teams get the same cards. Now you only have to compare the results from the two tables, et voila!
With pair tournaments it is a bit different, but basically the same. Since it would usually take too long to have all pairs coupled against each other only a few rounds will be played with a certain number of boards each, then the pairs will get up, go to another table and face other opponents in the next round.
Now it is clear that the same method can not quite be applied, so for pair tournaments there are two ratinss; and each pair tournament has two winning pairs, onen for the N/S holdings and one for the E/W holdings. (the places the four players sit in are named after the points of the compass). Now all the pairs of hte N/S holdings will be compared agaisnt each other,and all the pairs ofthe E/W holdings too. They will all have held the same cards, and again card luck is completely out of the question.
If that sounds complicated to you: The game is a lot more complicated, as complicated as chess, and findeed many chess players also play bridge.

[Maria]

I've always wanted to play bridge, but there seems to be so many variations of it. Which one is a good one to try first? I do play chess and I enjoy it a lot.

[BaldFriede]

What is commonly known as bridge and is played in tournaments is contract bridge. Jean and I are quite good at it; good enough at least to be official commentators of Bridgebase Online, the best bridge site on the web, where many many world class players play and many many tournaments are being broadcast. It is these tournaments that we commentate (among others, of course, and sometimes a world class player wll be commentator too). Sometimes 5 or 6 torunaments are being broadcast at the same time, so lots of commentators are needed.

[mystmoon]

...i'll stick with whist

[Willem]

I used to play Bridge with my father, from my 17th up to my 26th just about (I moved then). We did well together - and quickly became an 'angst-gegner' to many pairs in the club. It's a great game, combining logic and a bit of maths with reading people and situations. There's a lot a persons body language can tell you in all phases of the game.

What I like about Bridge, compared to chess and checkers, is that it's fast-moving. In chess, one mistake far in the game often means it's over and done with. If you make a mistake in one hand of bridge, you can make up your losses by doing well on the next.

Most important is finding a partner that you get along with, with the same goals as you. There were some notorious people at the club, switching partners every other week. Or the opposite: married couples playing together, criticizing each others' every move.

[Daniel.Roscoe@gmail.com]

I have played whist and bridge - prefer whist. Mind you I was taught by my in-laws shortly before I married their daughter - My future father in law would jump for "2 hearts" to "4 no trump" just for the hell of it I think - never really did get the hang of it.

Have you ever heard of Tarabish - In canada it's played mostly in Cape Breton Island. My wife and I were introduced to it while staying at a B&B one summer. Sort of a cross between whist and bridge. You play with an abridged deck, get dealt HALF your hand - do the bidding - and THEN get the rest of your hand. Very lively game - lots of fun, especially with enough rum.

[Maria]

So much to take in isn't there. I'm going to see if I can find a bridge club in my area that is willing to teach me one version of the game. It looks complicated, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Especially it if involves rum! Can't wait to be 18!