Very few people are aware that bridge is a sport; a sport with a coach, long training hours, seasonal competitions, and an established federation.
Citing archaic notions of exclusivity, some blame it for being a gentleman’s sport and only for the aristocrats; others blame it on the absence of media coverage. Nevertheless, the emergence of bridge in Egypt dates back to the early 1930s, when friends used to team up and pass time playing mind games in Nady El Sayarat (Auto Club) in the heart of downtown Cairo.
Mohsen Kamel, former head of the Egyptian Bridge Federation, recalls when he used to watch people play bridge at Gezira and Ahly clubs in the 1960s, wondering what it is they were playing. Bridge is a mind game played typically with one deck of cards, four players at the table, two from each team. Sports clubs witnessed its birth because, although a silent game, it is widely practiced as a hobby or a social activity.
Bridge, unlike many other sports, relies heavily on social interaction. The setting of the game makes way for hours of playing coupled with chats, tea, coffee and whatever else is on the menu.
“When I go to the club to play bridge, it’s a minimum of two hours, said Kamel. Although some players take the sport professionally, participating in interclub and international competitions, others find pleasure in keeping it as a hobby.
Egypt joined the World Bridge Federation upon its formation in 1958, after the 1950s attracted a larger crowd of bridge lovers who used to play at Gezira and Ahly sporting clubs, and the Greek Club. The year 1960 was a turning point in Egypt’s history of bridge, when the women’s team won first place in the world championships. Unfortunately, as Egypt went into two wars in the late 60s and early 70s, many widely practiced and supported sports took a back seat to other concerns – and bridge was no exception.
It wasn’t until the early 80s that Egypt picked up again one of the most mind-stimulating sports. Egypt’s position in the international bridge arena has been flourishing ever since.
Last month, Egypt’s senior team won fourth place in the First World Mind Sports Games in Beijing, China. The World Mind Sports Games is what the Olympics is to sports including five games: bridge, chess, Chinese chess, draughts and go. Chinese chess, draughts and go are played solely in East Asia.
In a sterling performance that included 33 teams, the senior team, whose six players are 58 years old and over, came fourth after USA, Japan and Indonesia, respectively.
“The fourth position is a great result and a big achievement. It never happened to the Egyptian team in the past 50 years, said Kamel. The Egyptian delegation included other bridge teams, namely: an Open team, a Ladies’ team, a Youth Under-28 and Youth Under-26 teams.
Next year, the bridge team will represent Egypt at the World Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
