[Echognome]

I play bridge in order to lead Xx!

[mikeh]

I think I have played for different reasons at different times.

I always enjoyed the intellectual challenge, but my goals were different.

I got to the level below my ultimate goal 10 years ago (won the CNTCs and then repeated the win) but stalled at that level, including a profoundly disappointing trip to the BB. Currently, I play only socially: tried to form a serious new partnership last year and it crashed and burned, and currently I do almost no bridge, and no serious bridge at all.. the deepest I get into the game is posting here.

It may be complete, terminal burnout or it may be transitory... but the fact that I don't really care suggests the former. Oh well... I still like golf

[matmat]

Echognome, on Oct 18 2007, 07:04 PM, said:

I play bridge in order to lead Xx!

not xX?

[Impact]

Partly out of habit (never underrate that),
Partly so my bridge partner can vent his antisocial tendencies and angst in a relatively palatable fashion :-) ,
Partly for the sheer intellectual and theoretical interest (it is a different sort of intellectual interest from the practice of law) and stimulus,
Partly to escape for one night most weeks,
partly because my bridge partner is also a friend....

and the sheer love of problem posing and solving....which perhaps explains my interest in and creation of "weird" methods which means that I will not automatically accept that method which has been in place for an eon is either optimal or even satisfactory!
regards

[blackshoe]

Heh. I bet there are some here who remember why Sarek married Amanda.

[skjaeran]

Basically I learned to play very early, 8 or 9 years old after having played card for far longer than I can remember (probably started to learn to play simple card games at the age of 2). Thus bridge has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

I've always liked the game for it's puzzles and challenges. New situations come up frequently. New bidding techniques are developed. You never stop learning.

I'd say I play partly because of the challenges the game offer, partly out of habit and partly for social reasons.

[fred]

blackshoe, on Oct 19 2007, 02:52 AM, said:

Heh. I bet there are some here who remember why Sarek married Amanda.

It seemed the logical thing to do at the time

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[Fluffy]

kfay, on Oct 18 2007, 04:24 PM, said:

Hannie, on Oct 17 2007, 05:06 PM, said:

I like ...trying to read people's thoughts.

Han. What am I thinking right now?

You were thinkng that it was impossible for Han to read your mind at that moment

[Fluffy]

some google research about Sarek and Amanda led me to Star Trek, my knowledge about Vulcan marriages is limited I am afraid .

[Hanoi5]

Well, as you are aware now, the trekkers have been discovered.

Can one of them explain?

[blackshoe]

Vulcans eschew emotion in favor of logic.

Fred has the right answer to why Sarek married Amanda - and to why I took up bridge again after twenty some years of not playing it.

[han]

Fluffy, on Oct 19 2007, 02:54 PM, said:

kfay, on Oct 18 2007, 04:24 PM, said:

Hannie, on Oct 17 2007, 05:06 PM, said:

I like ...trying to read people's thoughts.

Han. What am I thinking right now?

You were thinkng that it was impossible for Han to read your mind at that moment

I knew what he was thinking, but I thought it inappropriate to tell this in public.

[helene_t]

Blofeld, on Oct 18 2007, 11:03 AM, said:

For the +190s.

You mean those partners who turn out to play strong NT in balancing seat (making +5) or are you talking about their age?

Justin said:

I will probably quit bridge for this reason lol.

Former Team Oranje player Ricco van Prooien did just that. He turned to poker instead because he could make a living of that. His wife Femke Hoogweg (former Dutch Venice Cup team) was asked what she thought about her husband being a poker prof. She said she appreciated it, since he's in better mood now than when he had "that boring computer job".

[Rossoneri]

Hanoi5, on Oct 18 2007, 08:31 PM, said:

And now I think is time you answered your own question and tell us what your problem is (or problems are). Maybe we can help you

I feel that I am currently at a crossroads where I am trying to make up my mind what I want to do with bridge.

Some other peer of mine actually encouraged me to try for national age group selections, which I was thinking about in the first place.

However, I am currently at a point where I am thinking of not trying this time round (Going overseas for studies towards the end of next year so I won't be around for the next few years) due to certain reasons.

Mainly, the catalyst for this thinking is the actions and behaviour of certain individuals who are in very influential positions in my NCBO. This is something which has not just disgusted me but my regular partner as well. I do not wish to elaborate on this in public as I feel that majority of it is my personal opinion.

Secondly, my regular partner is involved in some other activities which are taking up quite a bit of his time.

I asked this question to everyone, because it seems to me that some people have lost the idea of playing bridge. To me, it is a fun and challenging game which can never be fully mastered, hence the continuous challenge. But it seems to me that many think that they have mastered the game already.

On the other hand, I am also very grateful to have met many kind and knowledgeable people who have taught me much.

[1eyedjack]

I play it because it is one of the few things for which I find that I have a bit of aptitude.

At first I found surprising those individuals who score 40% to 45% day in day out after years of playing and still come back for more punishment. I supposed that they just come along for the social engagement, and I think I would find that more than a bit depressing.

But then I got to thinking about why I carry on playing golf, despite that my handicap is measured in terms of the number of balls lost during the round (and little prospect of significant improvement).

So I suppose that even if I regularly scored 45% per session at bridge, I might, measured against that personal yardstick, feel some pleasure on the occasions I break 50%.

[CSGibson]

I play because it is the most wonderful complex game in the world. The challenges and problems on every hand, the judgement, and the human factor all make each hand exciting and different.

Bridge is hard; to be truly great you have to have communication skills, math skills, people reading skills, and imagination. Not to mention 100 other things that I'm ignoring.

I also like the social involvement with people who I normally would not get to know. I'm 28, and have been involved in duplicate bridge for 4 years now. The people I've met have been wonderful, obnoxious, silly, boastful, competitive; the whole gamut of human experience.

I've thought about giving the game a pass for a while, but I'm hooked, and looking to get better all the time now.

[TheoKole]

I play because I truly love this game.

The mental challenge on all levels is stimulating and exciting. Also there is always something to learn and improve upon so I never get bored.

I truly love strategy games and problem solving, and bridge combines these and more. Also I have made many good friends around the country which I would never have had the chance to do without the game.

My aim is to represent Greece in international competition.

Cheers,

Theo

[jikl]

Many years ago I wrote an article about computers and strategy games, ie bridge, chess and draughts (checkers). I got into a lot of trouble when I wrote it actually. I stated that draughts and chess were pointless games because they have a solution.

Well recently draughts has been solved, there is now no way to beat a computer in draughts. Chess will be solved sometime too. These are "complete information systems", bridge is a "partial information system". The beauty of bridge is that you can not see every part of the puzzle; it can never be solved.

That is what brings me back all the time.

Sean