Bridge for Love and Life
Story by Gord McLure (BBO: elgordo1) Our bridge story begins in 1966 when I prop...
Mom was introduced to social bridge in the early 1960s, and she and Dad went to their first duplicate tournament after several years of social bridge playing. Mom was so utterly intimidated by the duplicate scene that she would Pass at almost every bidding turn. As a result, Dad made crazy one-sided bids in an attempt to be competitive... This novice, unconventional approach confounded the opponents, and gave my folks the shoot-the-moon tournament win! But after that, Mom kept to social bridge.
I remember as a second-grader (mid-1970s) coming home when Mom had a social bridge game rotation at our house. I had watched them, but gained no knowledge of how the game was played. Mom said the game was focused more on the social aspect than the actual game of bridge anyways. Though Mom was not extremely competitive, she had wanted to improve her skills. But when the social game dissolved and she no longer had an avenue to play and learn, bridge took a long absence in her life.
Bridge re-entered my life in late-1990s. My friend Greg lamented the lack of card-game players in the rural community where we were living. I mentioned that I enjoyed card games and had always wanted to learn how to play bridge. Well, Greg had a rudimentary understanding of the game and we went about finding several more people to learn... and our own social bridge game emerged! We lacked formal instruction and learned basic Goren along with quite a few bad habits. But we certainly had fun! After several more years, Greg and I started to learn and play through our local duplicate club. And since then, I’ve been blessed with a couple of wonderful partnerships that has resulted me in obtaining my Life Master!
In 2010 my dad passed and my mom was very much alone. Being an avid bridge enthusiast, I tried to introduce Mom to the modern day bridge scene. She had some resistance, and complained that she didn’t know how to play the game anymore, and had various other excuses. But the thing about Mom is: when she is given a hand of cards, she is hooked! So on my visits, we would play some form of bridge since it was a game I was passionate about, and something both Mom and I could bond over. Eventually, Mom went to the senior center and began meeting and playing bridge in a social group again. Mom, now in her mid-to-late 70’s, started learning new conventions and we even went to a couple of tournaments. We were both so pleased to brag about our mother-daughter partnership! When Covid hit, Mom said BBO online bridge had “saved” her.
This year, at age 86, Mom’s body was failing. During a hospital stay, I snuggled up next to her with my tablet and we played BBO 4-hands of bridge. The hospital staff thought it was just the cutest sight. And Mom would say “bridge is our game”! Now I am grieving her loss. I am sad I will no longer see her name when I log into BBO. Bridge was the catalyst that enriched both of our lives, separately, and also brought us closer together. I don’t know if there are other games for which that can be said.
📣 Share Your Best Bridge Memories 📣
Share your bridge stories here and we'll publish one every week in the Bridge Lovers Weekly News. If your story is selected to be published we'll give you BB$ as a token of our appreciation.
Barbara is a member of our Saratoga Senior Center Bridge Club. I was shocked and saddened by Barbara’s passing. Let us come together to remember the wonderful time we shared with Barbara. Please keep her family in our thoughts and prayers.
Barbara is a member of our Saratoga Senior Center Bridge club. I was shocked and saddened by Barbara’s passing. Let us come together to remember the wonderful time we shared with Barbara. Please keep her family in our thoughts and prayers.
Wonderful story. I enjoyed our computer games.
Sorry for your loss.
Wonderful story. Sorry for your loss
Great memories! My father taught me when I was about 14. He had this table cover that had “the rules” written on it in front of each player. Nt opening 16-18. Strong 2 bids, all of them including 2C was a huge club hand. 4 card majors, no Stayman or transfers because they weren’t yet. lol
When he was about 80, I finally got him to play duplicate at a club with me. He played until he was about98 or so and still sharp! Died a month short of a 100.
Bridge was great for our relationship.
Thanks for sharing ❤️
Beautiful depiction of the love for Mom and the game of Bridge. I loved the story.
My Dad and I had a long bridge partnership after he retired. He died in 2000. I still me him.
Beautiful story.
Beautiful memories thanks for sharing B
I grew up believing I had no imagination, as everything at home was black and white. I was a fairly good bridge player and one day my opponent said "in order to be a good bridge one needed an imagination". Well being a "fairly good bridge player" that remark changed my life and I found my "imagination"!
Thank you Sandra, for a beautiful and heartening account. The Great Game can so enrich!
My mom learned bridge as a relatively young widow in her late 40s. She took lessons every weekend with a local woman. The rules then consisted of opening 4-card major suits and other rules no longer relevant.
One day on the subway going to work a man she used to encounter almost daily said to her”lady, if you don’t know it by now, forget it!” You see, she took her book on conventions with her daily for train reading.
I was in college around that time and wasn’t interested at all in the game. It just seemed too involved. My mother played social bridge for the rest of her life — until almost 93. Meanwhile, I found I had time on my hands as a young married woman, took an evening course and became hooked. After I retired I started going to clubs.
I was able to play several hands with mom and her buddies and confessed she was right all along! Bridge is a fabulous game!
Lovely story..
Thanks for sharing with us. As a late starter in bridge...I know that love of the cards..and missing family:)
Wonderful story! So sorry for your loss.
C'est très émouvant et cela montre l'importance de ce merveilleux jeux
That’s a wonderful story!
What a wonderful story
Lovely!
I have a similar story to tell. I started to learn bridge in the mid 1950s, but then got married and the children came along so that was that for a while. I started playing again in a very small local group in the early 60's, while my husband played competitive bridge with friends. At that time there was a monthly duplicate in Hertfordshire, the winners played in another monthly meeting, the county pairs. He had tried several times to get into this exclusive group with various experienced partners. In desperation he took me one night. Midway through the evening I had had enough of his criticism and said I was leaving. He convinced me to stay but I said I would not bid anymore, so we continued with me passing at every turn,while he tried to judge what I could have and bid accordingly. We won and played monthly in the county pairs until we left the area.
🙂
Sorry no english!
Only finish and
swedish!
Thank you for sharing your and your mum and dad’s story - heartwarming, I’m sure I’m not the only one who will shed some tears for the joy and comfort that bridge has brought you.
I am trying hard to get my daughter to play bridge!!! Maybe eventually she will take it up
Lovely story 💕