Bridge | 20 February 2021
In general, I don’t like to play bridge just for fun: I prefer the cut-throat atmosphere of a tournament, or…
Bridge | 6 February 2021
The American professor Martin Seligman is one of the most influential psychologists in the world. Known as the father of…
Bridge | 23 January 2021
When lockdown began, all those months ago, I remember chatting to a few of England’s top players about the shift…
Bridge | 9 January 2021
It’s so much easier to play bridge well when luck is on your side. You’ve just doubled your opponents and…
Bridge | 12 December 2020
It’s surprising how quickly we adapt to things: nine months ago, most of us had never played bridge online before,…
Bridge | 28 November 2020
Each November, Paula Leslie organises the Young Chelsea Women’s Teams — a fantastic event, attracting many of Europe’s best players…
Bridge | 14 November 2020
It’s been a busy week of bridge. First came the Lady Milne, the women’s home internationals. As the host nation,…
Bridge | 31 October 2020
I know its only October, but I’ve already found the perfect Christmas present for bridge-lovers: Simon Cochemé’s new book, Bridge…
Bridge | 17 October 2020
‘I have a wonderful hand to show you,’ Gunnar Hallberg exclaimed when I saw him last week. Gunnar is a…
Bridge | 3 October 2020
The Alt Invitational is a prestigious online teams tournament held every fortnight or so, packed with world-class players. It’s not…
Bridge | 19 September 2020
My friend Ollie Burgess has just made the bold move of quitting his job in Manchester, and moving to London…
Bridge | 5 September 2020
A major pandemic has been sweeping through the bridge world since the game went online — and it’s called cheating.…
Bridge | 22 August 2020
There are some experts — like my friend Sally Brock — who think Blackwood is an overrated convention, and that…
Bridge | 8 August 2020
Stuart Wheeler was a true original. I was lucky enough to be a friend (we met playing bridge), and will…
Bridge | 25 July 2020
Gunnar Hallberg moved to England from Sweden 25 years ago to play professional bridge, and made such a success of…
Bridge | 11 July 2020
What goes through a world-class player’s mind when he or she stops to think for an age during a hand?…
Bridge | 27 June 2020
I’m not a great fan of online bridge but I must admit, lockdown has provided a real opportunity for players…
Bridge | 13 June 2020
Have you ever been at a bridge event and heard someone exclaim: ‘He Grosvenor’d me!’ They are referring to a…
Bridge | 30 May 2020
One of the drawbacks of online bridge is the lack of après-bridge fun — those spontaneous drinking sessions where we…
Bridge | 16 May 2020
My entertainment last week was watching the NN-Cup, a ‘Goulash’ tournament normally held in Moscow, now played online for the…
Bridge | 2 May 2020
I’m aware that this column is in danger of turning into the Alex Hydes fanzine, but after writing about his…
Bridge | 18 April 2020
While chatting on the phone to my friend Alex Hydes a couple of weeks ago, I asked whether he was…
Bridge | 4 April 2020
I’m finding it harder than I thought to concentrate while playing bridge online. And not just because my two children…
Bridge | 21 March 2020
Bridge is obviously another casualty of the coronavirus. Clubs have closed their doors; tournaments have been cancelled; championships have been…
Bridge | 07 March 2020
I love the French expression esprit de l’escalier (‘wit of the staircase’); it perfectly captures that moment of frustration when…
