The Most Beautiful Game in the World ♠

By Patricia Herrera D16 Education Coordinator

Bridge is the ultimate mind and social sport. It keeps us socially active and cognitively challenged. We love the game. We know it. We feel great when we win and intrigued when we don’t. We want to learn more; we want to become better. On top of the game, we make new friends. Even new dates. We get to travel. The list is never ending, yet we constantly hear about the number of players declining and clubs getting smaller.

We have talked about how to help bridge before and there is something that deserves a special column by itself dealing with new players. First, let’s acknowledge that we need new players more than they need us. They have plenty of hobbies in the world; but since we already love bridge, what we specifically need are new players. So, let’s try to hold onto them like Rose did to that piece of wood from the Titanic. What are new players in the first place? New players are usually players that are new to our clubs and tournaments. They can be beginners/newcomers or not, but they usually are.

Here is a basic list of some things we can all do to help keep new people that eventually will bring even more new people:

• Welcome beginners every time.

• Make sure they have such a wonderful experience that they want to come back.

• Let them know they can always call you if they need a partner. Yes, we rather play with partners with whom we can win, but we are trying to hold onto new players, right?

• If you can, pay their entry fee once. We all love to be treated and probably that will entice them come back.

• Celebrate their wins and accomplishments as much as you can.

• Talk about it. Nothing is more powerful than word of mouth. Share wonderful stories. Just remember the conversation is not about you and your accomplishments but rather about the game.

• Make sure you also invite them to social events organized by club members. The social aspect of bridge is a huge selling point.

• Also, show them the cool online aps and web sites we have for learning, watching, reading and training bridge. My next two columns will be about the cool gadgets that technology has for us such as BBO, Bridge Winners, CueBids, the ACBP website, etc.

• Don’t gossip. Probably one of bridge’s worst enemies: people talking bad about one another, politics, rumors, and all sorts of toxic behaviors. Just don’t do it, please. You are better than that. You don’t like someone? Keep it to yourself. Learn about it. Some interesting facts and statistics include bridge is the most popular card game in the world. It’s played by over 220 million people worldwide, almost twice the population of Mexico. Bridge is an Olympic sport. Yes, it is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Famous bridge players include: Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Isaac Mizrahi, Gandhi, Churchill, Martina Navratilova, the agent 007, aka James Bond (read Ian’s Fleming Moonraker), and Snoopy.

All studies place bridge benefits on top of other sports like gold and/or chess because bridge includes both the mental aspect and the social one, making it the mind sport.

If you have more ideas, or if you have done something that worked, please share them with me so that I can publish them and we can all keep on promoting the most beautiful game in the world. (heart)

Please join us and encourage others to come and practice in a fun environment with other newcomers (0-50 points) every Monday from 4:00-5:40 pm CET on BBO. Email Kim Brinkman at beginner20bridge@gmail.com She will follow up and give you instructions about how to find the game.

Patricia Herrera is a Mexican bridge player. She is also the President of the Mexican Bridge Federation. When she is not playing bridge, she runs a nonprofit consulting firm based in Mexico City. You can reach her at: herrerapatricia@gmail.com