SUN CITY – The game of bridge is a good example of the difference between popular perception and reality.
A good amount of logic and analysis is required to play the game, which means, logically, that virtually anyone can play it with at least some degree of skill. Every human being is equipped with some degree of these two skills.
But that doesn’t prevent many from shying away from the game because they think it is “too difficult and complex.” The Sun City Bridge Club is dedicated to proving that notion wrong.
How about this for a concept: club members say the game can even be good therapy for your brain and memory. One member claimed the game can even help slow the effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in some people.
One fact about this game is unquestioned: it is popular among seniors. The Bridge Club is one of the largest clubs at Sun City.
“One of the first things a lot of seniors do when they retire is take up the game or take it up again after leaving it during the pursuit of their careers,” Harry Leopold, one of the club’s founders, said. “Our club was among the first, if not the first, one formed in Huntley.”
Leopold ought to know. He and his wife Virginia were the third family to close on a home in Sun City way back in early 1999.
“Prairie Lodge didn’t even exist yet when we put up a sign at the sales office in the outlet mall about starting a bridge club,” Leopold said. “About 25 people responded, and we had our first two tables in the mall, where the Del Webb Sales Center was originally located. Today, we have nearly 250 players participating in all levels of the game, from sanctioned [American Contract Bridge League] competition for experts and Life Masters to classes for beginners, and everything in-between. I learned the game in college, I played it a lot when I was young, didn’t play as much in my mid-years because of my career; then I picked up the game again when I retired and came to Sun City.
“The game is challenging for those who like to compete and play at a high level, and it also permits a lot of socializing. Some people play the game casually, with a lot of chatter, and others play with a lot of focus and discipline,” he added.
Go to Prairie Lodge any days except Thursday and Sunday, and you’ll find some kind of bridge game going on. There is evening contract on Tuesday, ACBL duplicate for advanced players on the first and third Saturdays at 12:30 p.m., fun bridge on Tuesday morning, lessons from certified instructor Dave Germaine on Friday mornings, contract competition on Wednesday afternoons, and other duplicate sessions on Friday and Monday afternoons.m Germaine is the club’s official teacher.
“Cynthia O’Connor, the lifestyles director, was looking for someone to teach bridge to help the club develop its membership,” Germaine said. “I was interested, and I found a place that taught players how to be instructors. After a weekend of intensive training, I was certified, and I’ve been conducting classes at Sun City since.”
Germaine’s classes are held from 9-11 a.m. on Fridays.
“I try to engage people in the game and not scare them off. These classes help provide new players to the club because they generally are attended by some of the younger people at Sun City,” he said.
It generally takes 16 lessons to teach a player the basics of the game and develop their skills so they enjoy and understand the game, Germaine said.
“At our fun bridge sessions, players help each other out and support each other. At the other end of our spectrum is Ron Hopman, who is one of our highest ranking members with many Life Master points. He coordinates our sanctioned ACBL duplicate games on Saturdays.”
Both Germaine and Leopold are active in another aspect of the game that has developed in the last decade: online bridge. Both play it several times a week, sometimes every day for certain periods.
“I do this on a worldwide basis because bridge truly is a global game,” Leopold said. “I have partners I play with often in several countries. Whenever I want, I go online and look for a group that needs another player, or I contact my partner to get in a game or tournament. My French partner and I recently finished first among 122 pairs in an international tournament.”
“Bridge requires a good amount of logic and analysis, the ability to think through problems, and the use of good short-term memory,” Germaine said. “You only need to remember some things for a few minutes, and you don’t have to be a mathematical expert or have a very high IQ.”
Bridge was adapted from the game whist in England in the 19th century. While it was initially played primarily by the aristocracy, today it is played by tens of millions of people at all levels of society worldwide.
