Vocal Point: Bridge teaches use of brain power

Cindy Chase grew up watching her parents play bridge. When her sister-in-law moved to Spokane and began taking lessons, Chase joined her and was quickly hooked on the game.

Now she plays each week with the Spokane Bridge Club. And she said, “I play online just about daily.”

The Spokane Bridge Club boasts more than 300 members. In addition there are several dozen social bridge groups that meet all over town in churches, clubs and retirement communities.

As someone whose knowledge of card games is limited to playing gin with my children’s SpongeBob SquarePants deck, I was intrigued that a card game could have such a dedicated following. So, I attended the club on a recent evening in attempt to unlock the mystique of this complicated game.

The group meets at the Quality Inn on Fourth Avenue. Kris Motoyoshi is a longtime member and a well-known bridge instructor. “There are games going on here daily, sometimes twice a day,” she said.

She sat me down with an instruction booklet. I flipped to the end and discovered there are 93 Laws of Duplicate Bridge. Ninety-three! Obviously, I wasn’t going to master the game in one evening.

My concern grew as Motoyoshi gave directions for the evening’s play. She addressed the players by position at the table, North, South, East and West. But none of that helped me. I’m directionally impaired. I’ve been known to get lost in my own neighborhood on the way home from the grocery store.

After making no headway with the 93 laws, I looked around for a copy of “Bridge for Dummies.” When I couldn’t find that I abandoned the rule book to visit with the players. Club president Norma Hols offered comfort, saying, “You can never learn it all. Bridge makes your brain work.”

Founding member Kay Fergie has been playing since age 16. “I was here in 1948 when duplicate bridge started in town. We played in the old Spokane Hotel. It’s now the Ridpath.”

Club members explained that duplicate bridge differs from social bridge in that everyone in the room will theoretically play the same hand. You win by accumulating points, and there are no cash prizes.

The terminology is confusing to a novice. Member Gary Singer agreed. “It’s a language,” he said. The game begins with partners making bids based on how many tricks they hope to take with that hand. “How do you know what to bid?” I asked Norma Hols. She laughed and said, “That’s why you take lessons.”

I found the quietness of the game appealing. My household full of boys is never silent. I watched as players used bidding boxes to reveal their bids. The plastic boxes allow players to show their bid instead of speaking it aloud. “We started using bidding boxes because players would cheat by using tone of voice to influence their partner,” said Kris Motoyoshi.

Motoyoshi served as the game director. Brenda Simpson, a bridge instructor explained, “The director is like a referee and the official hostess. If someone misplays a card, the director restores equity to the game.”

Sounds a lot like what I do at my house.

Motoyoshi started playing at 12. “This is my passion,” she said with a smile. “I have found the fountain of youth.” She may be on to something. According to the American Contract Bridge League Web site, a study done by a University of California, Berkeley researcher revealed that bridge is good for you. Marian Cleeves Diamond found “playing contract bridge leaves people with higher numbers of immune cells.”

Betty Doerschlag, life enrichment/wellness director at Waterford on South Hill said, “We have groups that play here twice a week. They play because they truly enjoy the game. It’s wonderful mind exercise.”

If the fierce frowns of concentration that furrowed many brows during the game was any indication, these folks were getting a great workout. During a lull, I met local bridge celebrity Gard Hayes. Hayes is the highest-ranking player in Spokane, having accumulated 18,000 master points. He said, “I like playing. There’s no other form of competition available to people our age that’s this keen, cutting, sharp and intense. It’s very complex.”

At 49, Martha Burdick is one of the younger players in town. She found bridge to be the perfect game for her. “I’m a competitive introvert,” she said. “Playing socially is a great way to overcome the intimidation. Take a class with a group of friends. If you have four people who want to learn, you’ll find someone who can teach you.”

Later that week I played gin at home with 8-year-old Sam. He beat me soundly and danced with glee around the table. “Three SpongeBobs and four Patricks!” he chortled. “I win! I win!” I recalled with longing, the etiquette, courtesy and quiet concentration displayed by the members of the Spokane Bridge Club. “You cannot be perfect in bridge,” Gard Hayes said.

I should fit right in.