As most of you know, I have many friends in the Bridge community and I am very grateful to have these friendships provided to me by the game I love. Without Bridge I wouldn’t have such a variety of wonderful friends
from many different age groups and diverse cultural backgrounds who share their many experiences not just of bridge but of life in general. We – Bridge players – are really privileged to have this opportunity and those who don’t realize it have the wrong set of priorities in life.
What I am going to say next is written with no intention to offend anyone or stop people making efforts to keep the game fair.
I am writing this letter because I’m afraid we might not be able to afford this privilege to the next generation of players and that could be the end of our beloved game. In order to have a good environment we can’t go on fighting each other forever, the reasons for said in fighting are irrelevant.
We have to present to the youngsters an enjoyable and pleasant ambience or they would never be attracted to the game. The importance of keeping the game clean cannot be bigger than the game itself and its charms and delights. Many of you, some of my friends included, are just off the tracks. You seem sometimes like crazy or addicted people looking for one thing and one thing only. Clot the bad blood now, make your priorities for keeping a clean environment clear, and move on quickly to focusing on making the game pleasant again and attractive to future generations of players. Give bridge back some of the pleasure you’ve derived from it, forget a little about your present needs or point of views. Be greater than yourself. Don’t be as selfish as the ones you condemn for staining the game: stop giving internet Bridge too much importance, we all know it’s a fake game. You’re keeping this format for so long because it’s comfortable for many of you pros and organizers, but you’re damaging the real game.
Forget about yourself and think about the future of bridge and what it can offer to future generations.
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Diego Brenner
(The opinions expressed here are solely those of the Author, and do not necessarily represent those of the Neapolitan Club or its members.)