BRIDGE BOOTCAMP

All you need to play Bridge is four friends – two pairs who play against each other and a deck of cards.

Each deal in Bridge is its own mini-adventure. The language of Bridge is called Bidding – decipher coded language to determine if you will defend or attack. It’s North-South vs. East-West.

The four players, we call them North and South, which is one pair, playing against East and West, which is another pair. Each player is dealt 13 cards, and when all 4 players have played a card it is called a trick. Usually, whoever plays the highest card wins the trick. The objective of bridge is to take as many tricks as possible.

Of all the reasons to learn the game, the most important is that it’s just fun to play. It offers the suspense and adventure of a thriller novel, the cerebral qualities of chess, the excitement of video games and teamwork of athletic sports, all in a friendly setting.

Bridge has been shown to hugely reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, along with improving focus, communication, problem-solving and memory skills. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have often credited Bridge to their intellectual agility. India has a deep-seated tradition of Bridge – Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel’s legendary friendship started on the Bridge table, and they spent hours each day playing Bridge in jail.