Almost New Year!

In a few days - 2021 will be history!  And 2022 will be upon us...

 Bridge will change - yet again - as it has for decades.

I recall when I first began to play bridge.  Often, I wouldn't play at all; I'd watch.  Why did declarer make the play he did?  How did the appoinant know to give away a trick - then get a whole lot more success for doing so?  What caused some players to literally take years to improve their games - while others seemed to have some innate abilities to remember all the cards, focus on what play would give them an edge, know when to be aggressive and when to be patient and calm?

My belief is that each of us has unique talents... and others must work harder to achieve similar goals.  Some are happy to play a couple of times a month; others scramble to have as many dates as possible, study what went wrong and why some choices were magnificent successes.

Needless to say, our bridge world is always changing.  But in these most recent years, it has done so in ways that have surprised and shocked both the best of us and those of us who must dig deep to achieve success.

One aspect of our game that has been superb is the fact that more and more young players are studying and learning more than ever.  The more one can grasp of the game at an earlier age, the better the odds often are that success can be realized, that what was once a deep challenge becomes more facile - and we grow.

Of course, Covid has had a devastating impact on bridge.  Too many have been lost.  Too many are fearful to play these days at all.  Yet I remain hopeful that despite the challenges we face, that our love for the game will yet again grow and survive.  Whether you are a junior who can't get enough bridge no matter what - or - a retiree who enjoys friendships, the occasional win - and only can muster a fraction of what our best competitors achieve - my wish is that we'll have fun - we'll learn - we'll help others - and bridge will indeed grow.  

Fingers crossed that our bridge world - in so many ways - puts smiles on our faces and wisdom in our brains.  And that new generations of competitors enjoy the New Year, entice more to play - and appreciate that bridge truly is The Greatest Game!

 

Comments

[Mark Patton]

Thanks for this posting, and all that you do.