In recent years the potential entry of bridge into the Olympic Games has made the question ‘Is Bridge a sport?’ a popular topic of conversation. The following observations might help the undecided to make up their minds.

Wimbledon (Roland Garros for our French Readers), The World Series, The Masters, The Super Bowl, Royal Ascot, The European Cup Final – the list of outstanding sporting events is endless and everyone has their own favourites. All of them require physical training and lengthy preparations.

In the case of a soccer team they train during the close season, practising various routines, (Bend it like Beckham), studying videos of potential opponents and generally planning for the matches ahead. The golfer and tennis player spend hours practising and refining their skills. (Do you recall the spectator who chided Gary Player for a ‘lucky’ shot. ‘Yes’, said Gary, ‘the more I practice the luckier I get.’)
The Blue Team used to deal hundreds of hands prior to every tournament. Almost all today’s top teams put in hours of work between Championships.

To be a great player you require physical endurance, a gentle disposition towards partner and the wisdom to recognise that the pair in the other room always play well. Ruthlessness towards opponents, who must be – courteously and cordially – destroyed. A measure of fanaticism in accepting a monastic life during the championships and the rigours of constant practice at other times. Add a knowledge of mathematics, the memory of an elephant, the gift of intuition and a lively imagination. And yes, it helps to play bridge well. (The wise words of Carlo Alberto Perroux, the greatest Captain in the history of bridge.)

The basic skills of all sportsmen and women never alter, but the way in which they are utilised are subject to endless variations. For example, in Ice Hockey, teams employ an entirely different strategy when faced by a ‘Power Play’. In golf, club selection is affected by a players standing, especially during the closing holes.
It is just the same in bridge. A team trying to overturn a deficit must adopt a different strategy – ‘playing down the middle’ will no longer do.

To many, Bridge is ‘just a game’; the idea that it might be regarded as a sport is difficult to comprehend. Yet, at the highest levels – events such as these Championships – Bridge is indeed a sport, making severe demands upon the participants and often extracting a physical toll. The necessity to prepare psychologically is no less a consideration.

The physical tension of a major tournament is similar to that of many sports, even those involving ‘contact’. (You can readily draw an analogy between golf and bridge, where a great performance can be followed by a less spectacular effort just one day later). Of course there are many successful players who are in less than the peak of condition plus those who smoke and who carry a fair amount of weight. Nevertheless, the physical dimensions of the contests, especially at the highest levels, are impressive.

International teams now employ various coaches, including those designed to look after their physical and psychological well being. They play practice matches before important events, apart from spending many hours refining their bidding systems and honing their card playing skills. Many players include physical exercise as part of their daily routine – we have the pictures to prove it.

Almost uniquely in bridge, a player’s career can span an amazing number of years – no one ever stopped playing because they couldn’t run fast enough! Experience is a tremendous factor, and in a long match between two equally strong teams there is no guarantee that a much younger team would triumph.

The physical stress involved in playing takes its toll. Many players have succumbed to heart attacks. Sleepless nights as every vital deal is replayed in the mind’s eye are commonplace.

Some players rely heavily on the advantages to be obtained by using complex systems, difficult to understand and to counter. A player facing an unusual system for the first time cannot hope to play as confidently as usual.

There is also the question of concentration. The average human cannot concentrate effectively for much longer than 45 minutes, so, with sessions lasting for several hours, the effort required of a player is considerable.

After football Bridge is arguably the second most popular game on the planet earth.