![]() Together, the two teams, teammates across from one another, try to make clear the value of their competing bids during an “auction” process. The cards are ranked aces high, while suits are ranked spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. What about bridge? Well, the thing that makes it more complicated is the use of a bidding system, in which two of the four players playing (you absolutely need four players) make a series of agreements, or bids, based on the quality of your hand of 13 cards. Like games you may be more familiar with, such as spades, hearts, or euchre, it relies on a “trick-taking” approach, which effectively means that the people with the highest card values win the hand.īut games like spades, hearts, or euchre are relatively easy to understand. Now, bridge-in its most common form, contract bridge-has been around for about a century, with an evolution that goes back centuries further. (via Greater NY Bridge Association) Explaining what makes bridge so appealing to certain types of people … and what limits that appeal to everyone else Noted bridge players Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. What about bridge makes it so appealing? And why did that appeal lead to a straight-up video game console licensed by the BBC? Today’s Tedium tries to figure it out. But, apparently that column is no joke to bridge players-when The New York Times dropped its bridge column in 2015, it led to hundreds of complaints. It was just a card game! But somehow this game had earned its place in the newspaper over something … say, more generally appealing. ![]() But of the many things that were in newspapers, one of the things I never understood was why most newspapers had a dedicated bridge column, next to the funnies and the crosswords. ![]() Today in Tedium: As you probably know about me, I used to spend years working in newspapers. Am I tempting fate again by resurfacing this piece? Of course. When I wrote this a couple of years ago, I expected a flood of angry messages and notes, but did not receive them. Hey all, Ernie here with a refreshed 2021 piece about everyone’s favorite card game, bridge.
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