What do Sharif, Buffett, Navratilova + Gates have in common with my grandmother?
My grandfather, Ralph, wanting to show his support to my grandmother, planted a low hedge of boxwood to circle the patio located at their lakefront cottage. There, while overlooking the lake in the bright sunshine of warm summer days, she would grandly host bridge parties with her friends. You see, my grandmother was a devoted bridge player. She played and excelled in every league possible in Saskatchewan.
During her summer bridge parties, I would hang at her elbow, watching her take tricks with extreme precision, and of course, to be in line for the lemon tarts and sugary tea that always followed. So, although I don’t play bridge, I do understand the dedication of bridge players.
Bridge was derived from the 17th century card game, whist, which was in vogue among the English nobility of the time. In whist, four players (who comprise two partnerships) are each dealt 13 cards from a 52-card deck, with a partnership’s objective being to win as many ‘tricks’ as possible. There was no auction to determine the ‘trump suit’ as there is in modern bridge, and the scoring was vastly simpler. Today, bridge playing has no social boundaries.
Billionaire Warren Buffett told CBS News, “You know, if I’m playing bridge and a naked woman walks by, I don’t even see her.”
Microsoft genius Bill Gates, who plays with Warren Buffett, said, “Bridge is one of the last games in which the computer is not better.”
Egyptian-born Omar Sharif represented the United Arab Republic bridge squad in the 1964 World Team Olympiad, and was the playing captain of the Egyptian team in the 1968 World Team Olympiad. He ranked among the world’s top 50 contract bridge players, and played with Charles Goren in an exhibition match before the Shah of Iran.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has been quoted as saying “No matter where I go, I can always make new friends at the bridge table.”
At Goward House, passionate people meet to play bridge regularly. One afternoon, I slipped down to the Lower Hall to see what the Wednesday bridge group was all about. The first thing I noticed was that the room hosts a bank of east facing windows, filling the space with natural light and revealing the jade green lawn and gracious poplars and maples outside.
Next, my eye scanned eight tables of intensely concentrating duplicate bridge enthusiasts. The room was so silent, I could hear the leaves rustling outside. Only one person looked up as I paused in the doorway. Sensing this was not the time to intrude, I beat a hasty retreat.
The Thursday bridge group, located in the Sun Room on the Main Floor, has an equally beautiful location featuring, as you would expect, bright sun streaming through the windows. This group is much smaller and much louder, with voices murmuring during play. That’s to be expected since their bridge is called ‘Social Bridge’.
Ray Coutts, a Goward board member, told me he has taken four different sets of classes offered by Jim Brackenbury, and plays regularly in the Wednesday duplicate bridge. He learned to play as a child with his parents. Although Ray has played on and off in his adult years, he prefers the bridge games offered at Goward House. He finds the atmosphere friendly.
After not playing for 40 years, my husband, Harry, took two sets of lessons at Goward House. He found them worthwhile and stimulating. He said the lessons were an eye-opener as he could see how much he had to learn to be a really good player today.
Please remember – you don’t have to be a famous person, a billionaire, an athlete or a computer geek if you want to play Bridge. Just come and join in. You will meet new people – people just like you, who like the sociability and mental challenge of the game. See the sidebar at right for details on True Beginners Bridge lessons. Visit: gowardhouse.com.