Editor's note:
Sam is one of BBO’s top performers in ACBL Instant games. He has earned more than 250 ACBL Masterpoints® this year.
I love playing bridge. I have been playing competitive bridge since the mid 1970s and have been playing throughout my working life. Now that I am retired I play the game more frequently. Every hand is different and every game is different. There is a new challenge in every deal and that is what makes the game exciting and keeps my interest.
I have had many friends and fellow partners, and some good instructors who have played a major role in making me a better player. One person that needs a special mention is an old friend by the name of Jitu, who lives in the Boston area. In the period of 2010 to 2015, I lived in Cambridge, MA as I worked there during that time, while my permanent residence has been in Princeton for the last 25 plus years. During my time in the Boston area, I played in a club very regularly. The instructor there was excellent and the lessons I took improved my game tremendously. Meeting this friend, Jitu, made it even more rewarding as he is an exceptionally good and a very enthusiastic player. He used to partner with me and will provide coaching to me as we played in many regular games as well as many local, regional, and national tournaments. It was during those times that I became a much better player and started to think about becoming an ACBL life master (a dream!). I eventually became a life master in 2021 with the help of various partners I came across during this journey.
Even after becoming a life master, my enthusiasm and love for the game never went down. In fact, my interest in the game continues to be very high. One major reason is the opportunity to play online. During the time of the coronavirus pandemic, since we could not go to play in the local bridge clubs in the Princeton area, I started looking for sites where I could play bridge virtually.
Eventually, like many of my other local friends, we discovered BBO as one of the sites that offered the most flexibility and diversity. I have been a member of BBO since some time in 2021 and it has been a god sent for the bridge enthusiasts. I play online at least for a few minutes almost every day, regardless of where I am. There are many different tournaments being offered by BBO, and various opportunities to play bridge at varying levels. Some tournaments are free and some of them have nominal fees. BBO is also linked with ACBL, so playing there one gets BBO as well as ACBL points. Many tournaments require you to have a partner, but there are several tournaments or simple games one can play alone as the site provides Robotic partners. I remain an avid fan of the game and have now become an avid fan of BBO.