More than Just a Card Game

"Excuse me, everyone! This room is reserved for the Bridge club at eight o'clock. If you want to play you can stay, but otherwise, you'll have to leave."

This announcement many not mean much to some, but to 20 students at Harvard, it marks another exciting episode in what to them is more than just an extra-curricular activity.

For the members of the Bridge Club, the game is a way of life.

"If I could go and make a living playing bridge, it would be fantastic!" says Franco M. Baseggio '92, the president of the club. "I will probably play bridge regularly for the rest of my life--it's that sad."

Baseggio is not alone. Many on the team have been playing the game since high school, and say they plan to continue into the future.

One might wonder what exactly is so appealing about a mere card game. The students themselves had many different views on their beloved game. "I see it as a social activity. It is something that I can do with my friends outside of work," says David J. Grabiner, a mathematics graduate student who plans to become a professor.

Sandy Y. Kutin '93 say the game has an intellectual side to it as well. "It is a problem solving kind of thing. It challenges you to figure out the solution," he says.

Dangers of Obsession

The enjoyment derived from playing bridge is not without its dangers, though. "There are horror stories of people who play bridge all the time and never graduate," says Baseggio.

The games themselves are quite intense. Conversations between players frequently come to a halt as players stop to organize their cards and play their hands. During one game, the discussion came to a climax when Grabiner announced that he had played against Zia Mahmood, the world's leading bridge player. His partner and opponents were thoroughly impressed.

Many of the members spend up to 12 hours a week playing bridge. Two of the members who were interviewed said they had no other hobbies besides it.

Mike A. Steigman, a first year law student who plays softball and soccer, says that often conflicts do arise between playing bridge and other activities. When asked whether he would attend the World Series or play bridge against the world champion, Steigman replied, "Both are very important. I guess it would depend on the circumstances."

Cheaters Never Win

Are bridge nuts so intense about the game that they stoop to cheating for a Win?

Baseggio was horrified at the suggestion.

"I don't know anyone who cheats here," he says. "This is a gentleman's game. People don't think of cheating because they want to do well using their natural abilities."

Interestingly, the bridge team is composed primarily of men: in fact, men outnumber women, 18 to two. But Jane E.Willis '91, a student at the Law School, says she does not feel uncomfortable in the group.

"In fact," says Willis, "in general, more women play bridge."

A Thrill A Minute

Baseggio says the club has been in existence at Harvard intermittantly since the 1940s. And Kutin says he envisions a bright future for the bridge club.

"The quality of play is improving, and more and more people play every year," says Kutin. "The club is sure to thrive because it is a place where beginners can get better and others can learn from each other."

This quality of play reached a climax tow years ago when the Bridge Club came in first in the national tournament held in Fort Worth, Tex. Baseggio, who was on that team, recalls the victory quite vivdly.

"The tournament is a small part of the summer nationals, which is always held in a big hotel," says Baseggio. "It consists of 10 days of pure bridge. Thousands of people come and play."

And Baseggio says he never doubted the team's eventual victory.

"We were heavy favorites. There was no pressure as soon as we started to beat up on the people who were worse than us. It was thrill to be on the team," he says.

Indeed, the bridge team has great faith in the power of their game. Just ask Joshua N. Newman '94.

"Will it lead to world peace?" says Newman. "Sure! You can do anything with bridge."