V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, There is an old adage “Don’t forget the wood for the trees”; which talks about looking at the big picture. If we look at the game of bridge, we tend to look at a match, forgetting at times that each match consists of a set of deals. And each […]

V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, Every bridge player, I am sure, has some vivid memories of his / her learning days 🙂. It is well nigh impossible for anyone to learn this game without some one initiating you into it, I believe. I am yet to meet an “Ekalavya” in Bridge. There will be

V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, “Points can be pointless in Bridge! ” First thing a beginner is taught is to count the points. The points (or HCP count) is the basis to decide whether to open , over call, game or slam, double / redouble, defend or declare. As you progress, you learn that

V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, The game of Bridge, like Chess, has been recognised as a mind sport. The beauty lies in the infinite possibilities one can imagine ( or should I say un- imagine?) with 52 cards! It is mind boggling but human minds can master the game by deciphering and discerning 🙂

V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, The bridge table looks very peaceful and innocent – Green and soft. But, in reality, it is a quagmire, a battlefield with many a land mine hidden 🙃 Needless to say an unwary player has to watch his steps to avoid the impending dangers of pot holes, pot shots

V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, “A dollar for your first thought, a penny for the second” ! Quite often a bridge player is at cross-roads, not knowing which way to turn to. If you are on top of a bridge (a fly over?), you have a bird’s eye view, so to speak. All the

V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, Bridge is a social sport crowded by partners, team mates and kibitzers. Yet it can be ” Claustrophobic “, at times 😭 You have to concede that this game is not individualistic. Unless of course you are playing in an ‘individual’ event. Even then, you cannot play alone 😔.

V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, Reading the cards and their probable distribution is an asset to a bridge player. Some players have it in their blood; many others develop the skill over a period by their experience – good and bad! 😢 Whenever one holds a doubleton QJ, you will notice that the general

V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, Imagine if there were a bridge equivalent to IPL of cricket. After the advent of the IPL format of T20, the traditional, text-book styles of batting, bowling, fielding, – why, even umpiring have gone through a sea- change 🙃 You don’t score runs any more – you just steal.

V N Ramamoorthy Ladies and Gentlemen, The Table of statistical “Tricknometry” can be tricky! Bridge is a simple game with minimal need for maths, so you think. The common belief is that to “Pass” the test in bridge, one just needs to know to count from 1 to 13. Yes, basically one must be able