Bridge at First Sight

 Bridge at First Sight

Chess was the name of the game during my primary school years in the 50s in Colombo. It was more like a war game where the object of the exercise was to ring down the opponents king. The excitement the game generated, pumping the adrenalin and sending the mind into a kaleidoscopic world of permutations, combinations and what-if’s was simply out of this world. The challenge was even more overwhelming.

And so we played.

Playing cards, mainly at home, was purely a fun thing. We played 3-cards, rummy, asking-hitting, patience, and 304. Most times it was with the family members and cousins who came over to stay on weekends. Never did we gamble. It was all just for fun using chips.

Our gang of friends in the 60s, comprised the late Sada, the late Lal, the late Sumith, (may they all rest in peace), Anura, Haji, Rizvi and my younger brother Firoze. We came together most weekends at our home at #300 in Bambalapitiya where everyone would gather to figure out how to spend the say. Sada, Sumith, Haji, and Lal had vehicles which came in very handy for long drives and excursions out of Colombo.

However, the main catalyst that kept the gang together was Bridge. The game actually evolved from 304 which is a kind of lesser version of the game involving bidding and playing. Yet, Bridge was a totally different animal. The world championships were on and monitoring the play in the newspapers, seeping through the bids and play, and trying hard to learn the game was always exciting.

Soon, the whole gang became experts using the conventional Goren bidding system 4 card opening. Blackwood was a significant part of asking for Aces. Sometimes it went wrong and partners used to kill each other across the table.

And then one fine January, day when I entered the University of Colombo to start my degree program in Physical Science in 1967, I found Bridge again. She was still so very beautiful. She still is. And I fell in love with her all over again.

“Have you ever played bridge before?” one of the guys asked.

Mumbling I had to admit that I knew how to play but was not an expert.

Good,” he said smiling. “We can teach you.”

Every break, in the cafeteria on Thurstan Road, we used to come together around a table for four and play until the next class was on. The late Waraney (Asoka), was a keen player who was also very good at it.

At the time, I was 19 years old and didn’t know anyone my age who played bridge at this advanced level. Our old Bridge gang at 300 was purely a fun filled play with no one even attempting to take the game to the next level. These guy’s enthusiasm and commitment to promoting the game to its highest portal was infectious, so I agreed to participate in the daily sessions, worried that they would laugh at my novice play.

From then on nothing was stopping me. Bought a few books on Bridge and started learning new systems. Standard American, Precision, and the many intriguing conventions came into play. Remembering all of them was tough but continuous play, making mistakes along the way, made me a scholar.

It’s now been almost 60 years now since my bridge meet-cute, and all those awesome friends and colleagues had come together to indulge in this wonderful pastime.

Online bridge on BBO portal has come alive now and one can play sitting at home with real people from across the world. I spend at least 3 to 4 hours daily, now that I am retired, paying BBO. It is so refreshing, invigorating, exciting and still learning, too.

This is one love affair that will never end.

Fazli / Aug 2024