Bridge
At a bridge tournament about 15 years ago, I started chatting to a friendly, eccentric woman in her mid-sixties, wearing…
Bridge
I recently spent a long weekend in Lillehammer in Norway. Apparently it’s very charming, but frankly I have no idea:…
Bridge
For those of us who are prone to anxiety before playing in big tournaments, there are plenty of self-help books…
Bridge
The Spring Fours is one of the great events in the English bridge calendar – a five-day knockout attracting many…
Bridge
Recently, a friend was browsing through the bridge books on my shelves, when suddenly she burst out laughing. ‘Here’s a…
Bridge
I went cycling in the Pyrenees with my teenagers last week. Every time we stopped for a break, out came…
Bridge
I don’t play rubber bridge nearly as much as I used to, but I still enjoy the occasional game at…
Bridge
I still haven’t got over the novelty of sitting down at home, opening my laptop, and – just like fantasy…
Bridge
Few things in life compare to the joy of playing bridge, but if I rack my brain I can think…
Bridge
A couple of weeks ago, just as I’d begun to think that if I hadn’t got Covid by now I…
Bridge
I’ve been friends with the England player Mike Bell for many years; as top bridge professionals go, I’d say he…
Bridge
Almost everyone has a set of ‘carding’ agreements with their partners to convey information when defending. But I’m always amazed…
Bridge
We’re all guilty of making silly mistakes at the bridge table and then hurriedly trying to explain them away —…
Bridge
All the best people play bridge. Stephen Sondheim, who died two weeks ago, was mad about the game. In his…
Bridge
Succumbing to your emotions at the bridge table can be fatal. Whatever you’re feeling, get a grip! Easier said than…
Bridge
It can’t have been a surprise to anyone who knows him that when Andrew Black — Bertie to his friends…
Bridge
It was great to be back playing live bridge at the Portland Club last week. I was lucky enough to…
Bridge
The Gold Cup is the most prestigious Open Teams event in Britain, and has been ever since Colonel ‘Pops’ Beasley…
Bridge
Online bridge has been a lifeline for many players these past 18 months. But not everyone wanted to try it.…
Bridge
‘Table presence’ is a funny old expression in bridge. You might think it means what it would in any other…
Bridge
It’s not often that bridge makes headlines, but last week something extraordinary happened. At the online European Qualifier for the…
Bridge
Live bridge is back. It kicked off two weekends ago with Eastbourne’s Swiss Pairs. I went with my friend Ollie…
Bridge
To be a killer bridge player, you need to be aggressive. Many of us are hampered by timidity, especially when…
Bridge
Bridge is a game you can never fully master, which is why it’s so endlessly stimulating. No sooner have you…
Bridge
Top bridge players have a spooky ability to recall thousands of hands, often from many years back. With so many…
