Story by Anuya Deole (BBO: anudeole)

Bridge is my inspiration to live life happily. It makes me forget my worries and sad feelings in life. When my husband was fighting cancer for two years, I was in a stressful frame of mind. My daughter-in-law, who is a sports psychologist, suggested that I play bridge, and I started playing again in 2019 after an almost 40-year break. I can say that bridge has proved to be a tonic for me.

I learned bridge from my father. He gave me a target to pass a competitive exam and get a job. I took up his challenge and succeeded in my professional life too. Perhaps that is why some of the lessons he taught me at the bridge table have stayed with me. Bridge has also helped me form lovely bonds and develop relationships with people across different generations, and I am happy to have made so many interesting friends through the game.

Playing bridge is a form of meditation that gives me a positive approach to life. It teaches logic and activates your brain to think. It teaches you to maintain good partnerships, follow proper systems and develop discipline. At the same time, it is an enjoyable game, with bidding, competition and the occasional opportunity to make a fool of yourself too.

I would like to share one deal from a table tournament. I remembered a tip my father had taught me: before competing, count your losers and consider the vulnerability. I had just 13 HCP, but I had two good suits and we were non-vulnerable, so I decided to compete with 4♠. The opponents doubled, but I made the contract.

North was the dealer and opened 1♣. I was sitting East and bid 1♦. South bid 1♥, while my partner passed. North then bid 1NT. I passed, and South bid 2♣, followed by North's 4♥. I thought of competing because I had two good suits and we were non-vulnerable, so I bid 4♠. After three passes, North doubled, and everyone passed.

I thought the opponents were likely to make 4♥, so even if we made only eight tricks, going two down doubled should still be a good result for us. Secondly, since North had bid 1NT, I thought he probably had control in diamonds and spades.

South led the ♥A and continued with another heart, which I ruffed. I then played the ♦K, which was covered by North's ♦A. North played the ♣A and another club, which I ruffed. I played a diamond and gained an entry to dummy with the ♦J. I then played a spade to the queen and won the trick. After removing all the remaining trumps, I was able to run my diamonds and make the contract.

This deal reminded me of what my father had taught me about bridge: sometimes you have to assess the situation, count your losers and have the courage to compete. Bridge tournaments teach you sportsmanship along with a competitive approach to life. More than that, bridge has given me a positive way of looking at life, helped me make friends across generations and kept my mind active.

Bridge is a game that is played all over the world, and its importance is increasingly recognized. It is even being introduced at school level to encourage children to play. For me, however, its greatest value is much more personal. Bridge helped me return to something I loved after many years, and it has been a source of friendship, concentration and happiness.

Bridge is the bridge between an inactive life and an inspiring life.