Bridge to the future

Jerry Fleming, president of the American Contract Bridge League, identified the following trends:

dressed up to play bridge,” Fleming said. “You would find a number even in ties. Nowadays anything goes, almost. We tried to have a dress-up night at our national tournaments about 10 years ago, and it went over like a lead balloon.

Increased popularity: “After years of decline,

membership is growing,” said Fleming. “It’s a game you can play forever. Face it, bridge is a good mind game. Bridge keeps you thinking. A lot of people are wondering what they’re going to do when they retire. Bridge is one of the things that does hold appeal to that age group.”

Virtual bridge: “The popularity of online bridge

has surpassed our expectations,” said Fleming. “It’s going like crazy, and it’s the best way in the future to attract young people. According to Fleming, sanctioned bridge games are played on privately owned sites including Bridge Base Online, OK Bridge and Swan Games.

—Jane Kwiatkowski