Ross Driedger

The Future of Bridge

In March of 2014, I attended the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) Spring National Tournament in Dallas, Texas. These tournaments are called "North American Bridge Championships (NABC) and attracts players from all over the continent and the world. I very much enjoy attending these tournaments for the competition, the experience and meeting a wide variety of enthusiasts to the game.

Between rounds in a pairs game in Dallas, I sat against a middle aged man whose hat, boots and drawl indicated he was a local.

"There sure are some beautiful women, here." he stated. I nodded in assent. There are younger players of both sexes that can grab your attention by their appearance, not just their card skill. "But they are all Italian, or Swedish, or Dutch or from Poland. Where all the the beautiful American women?", he asked.

"My friend, the fault is ours in that we are not teaching these beautiful women the game of bridge."

"Ah-yup." was his resigned reply.

Bridge has lost a good deal of its popularity in North America. There was a time when everybody played the game. It was played at home, at work during breaks and on commuter trains. It didn't matter what part of society you were from, bridge was part of the culture: wealthy women played it in the afternoon with their friends and with their husbands in the evening, those waiting in line for the possibility of a day's casual work played to pass the time and prisoners in the jails would spend their many spare hours around the card table. Children learned to play form their parents and would play against classmates and many a university scholar's marks suffered because of the study time lost to playing cards.

Teachers and promoters of the game were household names: Ely Culbertson, Sydney Lenz and Charles Goren. Books were written and sold on how to improve one's game and every newspaper had a bridge columnist who looked out for and reported remarkable hands for the sake of education or just a good story. The ACBL was a not-for-profit that was set up to sanction tournaments, govern tournament bridge and promote the stars of the game into celebrity status.

The game of contract bridge, both rubber bridge (played on the kitchen table to high stakes money games) and duplicate (from daily club games to national and international tournaments) is in decline in North America. I started playing tournament bridge in the 1980s. Even though the ACBL was and is not a profit driven organization, it thrives on the disposable income of its members -- it always has. In the 1980s, as before, the majority of tournament bridge players were in their 30s - 50s, with the time and means to travel to the various events. I was younger than the average demographic.

In the 1990s and early 2000s I gave up tournament bridge, for personal reasons. I still played rubber bridge and I read and studied the game but not in tournaments. I returned in 2007 to find that I was still younger than the average player: those 30 - 50 somethings were now in their 60s to 80s did not have the disposable income and desire to travel that they 25 years previous and this reflects in the attendance both tournaments and clubs. ACBL membership is down in many districts and the demographics have definitely gone 'south' -- literally and figuratively; The real substantial growth is in warmer parts of the continent where an increasingly older population spend their sunset years.

What happened? Why are few younger players taking up the game? There are a few trends:

• There are more things for teens to do. The tradition of playing cards in families is in decline. The popularity of video games, on the other hand, is on the rise. There are professional video game leagues with good cash prizes (eSports) and they have capitalized on social media.
• The popularity of poker has taken a bite out of the bridge playing crowd. Poker, while on the same technical as bridge, has less in terms of rules and game mechanics. It is easier to learn to play than bridge. It is also a singles game; bridge is intrinsically a partnership game and success depends on partnership skills.
• Many players are turning to online bridge; the predominant forum for this is Bridge Base Online. There are others like OK Bridge and for the Chinese player, Our Game. This is an especially helpful trend to the game as players can log on to the system and play, watch and interact with others of various skill levels from all over the world. Partnership -- even world class ones -- can practice online without having to be in the same physical location.
  All that said, online bridge is affecting live face to face play negatively.
• For decades the ACBL took the next generation of bridge players for granted. It remained (and in some cases remains) elitist and aloof toward the average and newer tournament player. It lauds its star players at the cost of indifference to those not quite making the grade. In the last 15 years or so, there has been a concerted effort by some in the ACBL to promote bridge education. There are programs where teachers can get materials and support for free -- even be reimbursed for some expenses. There are dedicated teachers of the game that get large classes, but this is a relatively new phenomenon.

There is no reason that the game should lose popularity, let alone die in North America. One need only look to places where the game is in growth: Poland, Italy, Australia, Holland, Sweden, Norway and China. The intellectual, logical, educational, social and economic value of the game is taken as a given. Children are taught the game from an early age and there are school programs that promote the game and its benefits to the next generation. The game can be played by those as young as six, provided they are given careful and thoughtful teaching at that stage. Not all students are going to fall into the game to a point where they start playing in tournaments when they reach their 20s, but is is conceivable that they could wait until middle age to take up more serious forms of the game. In the meanwhile, they have another social and intellectual activity that they might engage in less frequently and more casually when out of school.

It must be understood, by the ACBL at all levels, and those that play the game that teaching the game to new players is crucial. If you teach, teach enthusiastically. If you don't, find out how you can support a local teacher. Offer to mentor players who might be looking for some guidance (this does not mean 'teaching at the table' -- one of my pet peeves). Organize trips to tournaments and teams for events. If you have been playing the game for a few years, it is time to start giving back.

There are two demographics that offer hope for the future of the game in North America. The first of these are the 'newly retired or about to retire' crowd. They have raised their families, they have some disposable income and they are looking for something to occupy their time and give them something fun to do. This is the easiest group to find because they are looking for things to do and bridge fits the bill perfectly.

The real future of the game depends on getting children to play the game. This can be a challenge. In other countries, bridge programs are part of school programs because the value of teaching the game is clear to the administrators and teachers. It has been shown, though, that dedication and persistence can get the door open. The game is a good fit for those students who show aptitude in mathematics and reasoning skills; it can and has been successfully taught to children as young as six, through the ages of eight and older is optimal. Because the technical aspect of the game is so complex and deep, students can be taught and presented with material that matches their ability straight through to the 12th grade. In fact, there have been several players of international standing that have earned their ranking well before finishing high-school.

The British internationalist and teacher, Andrew Robson, makes an interesting observation. Mr. Robson spent a good deal of his 20s playing and refining his game in North America, working as a professional bridge player. Getting married and starting a family has made him give up the travel and hotels that is part of a pro player's life and he now owns and operates one of London England's largest bridge clubs. He has stated that for all the kinds and levels of bridge that is played, from international championships to small tournaments to high stakes money games at private clubs to the weekly duplicates at the local bridge center, the most important games that are played for the health of the game are those that are played around the kitchen table.

Bridge is, above all, a social game in its mechanics and the environment. Technology may advance and that might change aspects of the game, but as long as it retains its social aspect, it is fun, challenging and relevant.