[661_Pete]

I was quite intrigued by this article:
https://www.bbc.co.u...-india-45293912
Perhaps one day, bridge might make it into the Olympics. That would certainly fire up plenty of interest - or do people think there are enough bridge-players already?

Mind you, I had to laugh when I scrolled down the article to the section headed "How do you play bridge?". Should someone explain things to the Beeb?

[The_Badger]

661_Pete, on 2018-August-26, 02:58, said:

Mind you, I had to laugh when I scrolled down the article to the section headed "How do you play bridge?". Should someone explain things to the Beeb?

The Beeb. [That's the UK's nickname for the BBC] Big lol, yes! It isn't a case of 'lost in translation'. The BBC are so useless - so obsessed with political correctness (sterilisation) - these days that they wouldn't even be able manage to describe the rules of Snap, let alone Bridge.

As for bridge as an Olympic 'sport'. Well, someone should tell the Olympic committee that if Beach Volleyball can be considered a 'sport' then bridge should be too. It's just a variation of Beach Volleyball. Think net 'screen'; volleyball 'board'; bikinis 'tuxedos and evening dresses', and we'll nearly there

[pescetom]

Bridge is recognised as a sport in many European countries but not in UK, where the government sought and obtained an EC judgement to the contrary. After Brexit the UK can do what it wants anyway, but will now leave this axe hanging over the head of the game in the rest of Europe.

It's obviously unrealistic to hope to see mind games in the Olympics, but maybe with a dose of pragmatism on the part of the IOC there might be space for bridge and chess in the Winter Olympics.
Another possibility is that Mind Games events gain more interest and sponsorship, perhaps by opening up to the most popular electronic games which attract a lot more attention and sponsorship than bridge or chess.

[helene_t]

One of the most entertaining BBF threads was about this topic:

https://www.bridgeba...rt/page__st__80

We learned a.o.t. that Formula 1 drivers burn a lot of calories.

[nullve]

The_Badger, on 2018-August-26, 06:25, said:

As for bridge as an Olympic 'sport'. Well, someone should tell the Olympic committee that if Beach Volleyball can be considered a 'sport' then bridge should be too. It's just a variation of Beach Volleyball.

Or doubles table tennis.

From Wikipedia:

Quote

Players must hit the ball in turn. For example, if A is paired with B, X is paired with Y, A is the server and X is the receiver. The order of play shall be A→X→B→Y.

[661_Pete]

As far as getting any 'exercise' out of Bridge is concerned ... at our weekly pairs I usually endeavour to sit East-West - because in many of the movement systems, E-W do all the moving from table to table between rounds, N-S pairs stay put. Walking from one table to another hardly counts as much 'exercise' - but still..... I can't always get my way: I play with several different partners and some of them prefer to stay in one place so we sit N-S...

At least I have the redeeming factor in that I cycle to the venue whenever possible. It's a 20-mile round trip. In fact I chose the club because of the distance involved, not in spite of it. I need the exercise...

[barmar]

661_Pete, on 2018-August-26, 02:58, said:

Mind you, I had to laugh when I scrolled down the article to the section headed "How do you play bridge?". Should someone explain things to the Beeb?

Trying to explain bridge in six sentences is practically impossible. It's woefully incomplete, but mostly correct, although I'm not sure what they're talking about when they mention "complex dealing" (maybe they're thinking of goulash?).

[pescetom]

barmar, on 2018-August-26, 13:37, said:

Trying to explain bridge in six sentences is practically impossible. It's woefully incomplete, but mostly correct, although I'm not sure what they're talking about when they mention "complex dealing" (maybe they're thinking of goulash?).

I hope they are talking about one of the few real improvements of the 2017 laws: that you can finally deal the the cards in ways that change the order of the cards after shuffling, so long as no hand can be dealt two cards in succesion.

[pescetom]

661_Pete, on 2018-August-26, 12:43, said:

As far as getting any 'exercise' out of Bridge is concerned ... at our weekly pairs I usually endeavour to sit East-West - because in many of the movement systems, E-W do all the moving from table to table between rounds, N-S pairs stay put. Walking from one table to another hardly counts as much 'exercise' - but still..... I can't always get my way: I play with several different partners and some of them prefer to stay in one place so we sit N-S...

At least I have the redeeming factor in that I cycle to the venue whenever possible. It's a 20-mile round trip. In fact I chose the club because of the distance involved, not in spite of it. I need the exercise...

Cycling or walking to the venue is valid, and also helps you to be more lucid at the table.
But I wouldn't underestimate the benefits (and risks) of a competitive tournament in itself.
Out of interest I once measured heart rate, turned out to be on average 25bpm over resting rate, similar to a 2 hour walk.
Add in that you tend to sleep later and less too.

[helene_t]

barmar, on 2018-August-26, 13:37, said:

Trying to explain bridge in six sentences is practically impossible. It's woefully incomplete, but mostly correct, although I'm not sure what they're talking about when they mention "complex dealing" (maybe they're thinking of goulash?).

Or maybe they mean duplicate.

[661_Pete]

I was thinking of the bit where they say:

Quote

If they achieve the number of tricks agreed at auction they win the game but if not, they lose.

I'd be bemused if they changed the rules in duplicate so that one can make 'game' by bidding and making 1♣....

[shintaro]

661_Pete, on 2018-August-26, 12:43, said:

As far as getting any 'exercise' out of Bridge is concerned ... at our weekly pairs I usually endeavour to sit East-West - because in many of the movement systems, E-W do all the moving from table to table between rounds, N-S pairs stay put. Walking from one table to another hardly counts as much 'exercise' - but still..... I can't always get my way: I play with several different partners and some of them prefer to stay in one place so we sit N-S...

At least I have the redeeming factor in that I cycle to the venue whenever possible. It's a 20-mile round trip. In fact I chose the club because of the distance involved, not in spite of it. I need the exercise...

mmm I seem to remember that as for exercise portion of the sport the English teams covered that by bending their elbows regularly to down their pints

[barmar]

pescetom, on 2018-August-26, 14:50, said:

I hope they are talking about one of the few real improvements of the 2017 laws: that you can finally deal the the cards in ways that change the order of the cards after shuffling, so long as no hand can be dealt two cards in succesion.

I actually thought about the way that some players (including myself) deal 5 piles and then combine the two outer piles. But I doubt that this is what they were talking about. The full statement is "At higher levels, the game includes bonus points, complex dealing and other rules." Allowing funny dealing isn't really the same as the game "including" complex dealing.

As for making any contract being a game, yeah, that's an over-simplification. Like I said, trying to boil such a complex game into a few sentences is difficult.

[MP7601]

For your information, Bridge was included as a sport played at the 2018 Asian Games.

[barmar]

MP7601, on 2018-August-27, 09:19, said:

For your information, Bridge was included as a sport played at the 2018 Asian Games.

Of course, what the original article that started this thread was about.

The IOC already recognizes the existence of "mind sports", which don't have to involve physical exertion. This is what allowed them to even consider the possibility of chess and bridge being included in the Olympic Games.

[pescetom]

barmar, on 2018-August-27, 09:07, said:

I actually thought about the way that some players (including myself) deal 5 piles and then combine the two outer piles. But I doubt that this is what they were talking about. The full statement is "At higher levels, the game includes bonus points, complex dealing and other rules." Allowing funny dealing isn't really the same as the game "including" complex dealing.

Well it's about as complex as dealing gets... but probably they were just fumbling for something to say.
I too like to deal five hands, it does a good job of reordering the cards and it's a useful check on lucidity: if you get it wrong then better to keep the bidding simple tonight

[brislboy]

Great iDEA----now I'm TOOO old to jump about,,

[661_Pete]

I have to admit, I haven't dealt any cards for months now (at our club all the boards are pre-stocked). And I'm rapidly losing the art of neat shuffling: mixing up your hand before returning it to the board doesn't really count.

Perhaps I should watch out for my fingers stiffening up. A bit of piano-playing might help.....

[Vampyr]

Whether or not bridge becomes an Olympic sport does not concern me. It is the definition in the UK that matters, since “sports” are not subject to VAT.

[barmar]

Vampyr, on 2018-August-28, 06:20, said:

Whether or not bridge becomes an Olympic sport does not concern me. It is the definition in the UK that matters, since “sports” are not subject to VAT.

I wonder how many people voted for Brexit so the UK wouldn't have to conform to the EU definition of "sports"?