For those of you considering learning to play Bridge, the Guru feels he must address the issue of what it is about the game that both attracts so many people and is so highly addictive.

The Attraction of the Game

Assuming you have never played the game but are tempted to learn, I’ll bet that you have watched people play- be it at home or school. Knowing nothing about the game, chances are you came away believing that Bridge is a game of Rules. You likely heard the Players asking partner questions like: “Why didn’t you play third hand high? “   “Don’t you remember, partner, eight ever, nine never? “ and“ Partner, why didn’t you lead fourth best from your longest and strongest? “Bridge is filled with clichés like these: often mistaken as Rules both by those watching and those playing! Should you decide to take the plunge and learn Bridge, here is Lesson #1: All these clichés are guidelines- not Rules!  What fascination could there be in a game one can master just by memorizing a set of rules?

The Many Attractions and the Addictiveness of Bridge

The only correct conclusion one should make from the above comments is that Bridge IS a highly structured game that, at first, requires learning a new language called “Bridge-speak”. First, you learn in “Bridge-speak” how to tell partner more and more about your hand, as partner communicates more and more about his hand. It is very much like learning a new language, but easier in two ways:                                                                                      

1.        You don’t have to memorize a dictionary of thousands of foreign words, and 

2.      There are no grammar rules to learn.

Rather, you need to learn what each Bridge bid tells partner about your hand, and what his next bid tells you about his hand. The greatest danger to a Beginner is to have a teacher convince him that the only way to build the correct foundation is to memorize every bid without understanding what your bid says about your hand. Such a posture is poisonous both to the student and to the game itself! Learning what you are saying to partner and he to you, and how it all fits together is both challenging and fun! Building the foundation the right way will best prepare you to find out why Bridge is both exhilarating and addictive. Once you master the art of two-way communication with partner, both in bidding and on defense, you will be ready to learn what Bridge is really about- partnership problem solving. As Chess and Go are the ultimate solo games, so is Bridge the ultimate partnership problem-solving game. Having helped you build the right foundation, a good teacher will next teach you the thought process necessary to solve the complex problems Bridge constantly presents. Who’d a thunk it- learning to think in order to solve complex problems is best learned from a game!!  By analogy: solving a highly difficult Bridge problem is like solving 20 NY Times Sunday Crossword puzzles simultaneously. How can that not be both exhilarating and highly addictive? For those of you who are competitive- with yourself or others, the world of Tournament Bridge awaits you.

Given the sheer amount of mental activity needed to play well, it is no surprise that study after study shows that Bridge players develop Alzheimer’s far less than non Bridge players: yet again, use it or lose it!!!

• PS: The Bridge Guru wants to make it clear that no part of the above article is intended in any way  to denigrate teachers of Beginners: many have been his students! Rather, the intent is to help the potential beginner start the learning process with a more informed underpinning.

• Lastly, the Guru intends to publish a series of 8-10 lessons for Beginners- at no charge! The focus will be on translating “Bridge-speak” into English, helping each student learn what he and partner are saying to each other. The Guru solicits responses to this idea, at www.newenglandbridgeblog.com.