One sizzling summer afternoon, Amy, Emily, and I had nothing to do. It was dreadfully hot outside, scorching hot that when I planted my feet on the driveway with no shoes on, it felt like hot coals were going into my soles of my feet. We sat down outside in the backyard and observed Pepper, our dog, rough housing with Mac, our neighbor’s dog. Once we got uninterested with that, we went to ask Mrs. Collins if she wanted to play Rummy. We played Rummy for awhile, and then Mrs. Collins asked if we were up to the challenge to be taught a new game. Amy and I are always determined to play a brand-new and difficult game. Also, Mrs. Collins demanded that we play too. The card game was called bridge. That was the summer of 2008 and I still play bridge many summer days and days I have off school also. Through the months, I have learned to be a higher quality player and I have formed an attachment to the game. I think everyone would like to learn and play bridge. It keeps the mind thinking; it is something to do with relatives and companions. Also, there is a lot of competing with one another, and lastly there’s teamwork.

The brain is a muscle and if people keep the brain active their brains will get stronger. My brain is getting extremely strong from playing bridge. Also, bridge makes me smarter with numbers and basic math skills. Everybody wants to get smarter; start playing bridge.
I want to live a long and ecstatic life. People can live longer and happier if they play bridge. It is a proven fact that if older adults keep their minds engaged and if they are social, they will live longer. I want a long and fulfilling life; I am going to keep playing bridge.
If one does not have anything to do over the weekend or on vacation, think about this. The only objects needed for bridge are a deck of cards, a pencil, a sheet of paper, and two to four people. It’s that simple! The hardest part might be to find someone to coach and instruct new players. I recommend people ask an older adult, maybe a grandparent. My grandpa did not know how to play bridge, but he taught me to play euchre. My neighbor and my babysitter got a kick out of teaching Amy and me. When we messed up Mrs. Collins would say, “I am going to hang you from a tree”. Playing bridge brought us all closer together. That is another good point about bridge; playing can bridge people closer to each other, particularly if they play a lot.

I know I am not the only one who loves to win. Even when I play a game of war, I want to be victorious; I get competitive a lot. Bridge can be competitive; I like that about the game. Bridge is somewhat like euchre, but more complex. Players have to be quite attentive while playing bridge, because they have to keep track of what cards have been played. Short term memory is one key to winning, along with some luck. Scoring in bridge is fun and complicated. The players have to know what the bid is and if it is a minor or a major. Also, all hands in bridge are unique. Every time people play, the hands will be different, which keeps it interesting. Lastly, bridge uses a lot of teamwork, because the partners want the best bid that works with both of the hands. They will have to use teamwork to figure which bid works the best.

Whenever I have a conversation with an adult about bridge, they are always shocked that I play. It looks like they just saw an immobilized object jump up and slap them across the face. Everyone thinks bridge is for blue haired ladies, but I disagree. I think many believe it is for wrinkled elderly diminutive ladies, because players have to be sharp and knowledgeable. First I thought that was offensive, but now I consider it a compliment. Let’s make bridge a game of the young too!



“One diamond,” declared Amy.

“Two hearts,” answered Susan

“Three diamonds,” responded Emily.

“Pass,” stated Mrs. Collins

“Pass,” said Amy.

“Pass,” declared Susan.

I bet a lot of people are wishing to say these terms now they know how fun, entertaining, and useful bridge is. There are a lot of reasons bridge is an excellent game to learn. First, people’s life span might be longer. Next, it is something to do family and acquaintances. Another reason to play bridge is that people get to compete with one another. Lastly, there’s a lot of teamwork involved. Overall, the best thing about bridge is that it is a BLAST!