Bridge is well known to be a sophisticated and complex card games that can be played by even older people. The game is played with ordinary deck of cards and has very unique benefits. Playing bridge game helps in providing great cognitive workout which is suitable for old people.
Leonard Malender made history by becoming the oldest person at age 82 to win the U.S. national duplicate bridge championship. Four years later, Malender was also rewarded in the senior division. He still pursues bridge playing cards at 90. Bridge can help you in career, health and intelligence apart from playing it as a fun.
How to play bridge
Playing bridge can be easy and sometimes hard. There is no limitation in wanting to learn how to play bridge. Regardless of your age, physical condition, education and tools, anyone can learn how to play bridge.
The game has a lot of programs that have been developed to make it easy to learn how to play. There is a new Learn to Play Bridge software program developed by ACBL which essentially is a learn-as-you-play tutorial. ACBL has also introduced free personal PC software programs that are suitable for beginners. An example is Learn to Play Bridge I for beginners. There is also the introduction of a five hour course which is suitable for rookies. It means that you can learn bridge within a day and not years.
There are also local bridge groups that help new members learn how to play bridge. If you decide to learn the game by yourself, then websites like acbl.org/teachers/directory, bridgedoctor.com and learn.acbl.org can be helpful.
Mental Gym
Bridge game is rewarding, attractive and is commonly referred to as a problem-solving satisfaction used by intellectuals. Researchers have discovered that bridge is good for older people and people like Warren Buffet and bill Gates use the game for fun and for intellectual and social stimulation purposes.
Bridge is a mental gymnastics and studies reveal that the part in the brain used for playing bridge is fundamental in stimulating the immune system. This is because memory, visualization and sequencing are used. Memory is needed because you have to remember the every playing card. You also have to know how to sequence them. Bridge therefore helps in reducing short-term memory.
Playing bridge helps in keeping players smarter, happier and more social especially in old age. This is according to recent major research conducted by the University of Stirling, Scotland. According to the research, it was also revealed that playing card game bridge helps in generating higher levels of wellbeing. Besides, it helps in keeping your health in good shape.
Card game bridge was introduced in in schools in the Netherlands as one way of interacting with other students, learn social skills and solve problems. Before you play bridge, you have to learn and that’s why Netherlands has classes to teach new students how to play bridge. Below are some of the benefits of bridge game:
Brain stimulation
Many players have stated that bridge helps in stimulating the brain. Bridge players have further indicated that they feel mentally alert after spending hours in playing bridge game. They also feel more energized compared to the experienced by long distance athletes.
Helps in exercising both sides of the brain
The two sides of the brain are what control most of our lifetime activities like communication skills, memory, math, logic, psychology as well as visualization. When you play bridge game, you are stimulating the sides of the brain to gain more skills. Bridge is amongst the few games that does this work. This is the most unique and effective way the two sides can be worked out leaving you relaxed.
Bridge helps improve your health physically
Research has shown that playing bridge game can improve your physical health as well as increase your immune system. It has been revealed that when a person plays bridge, the brain cortex is stimulating and as a result more white blood cells that fight against disease are produced. Further research proved that playing bridge on a regular basis helps boost immunity against acquiring Alzheimer’s disease by at least 2 ½ times and other forms of dementia. Also, bridge players have the potential of achieving higher cognitive tests.
Bridge helps in socialization
Playing bridge game requires interacting with your partner through cooperation and communication. It requires teamwork and sportsmanship and besides, you get new friends when you play duplicate bridge.
Other benefits of bridge
Besides helping your brain in many ways, bridge has other benefits to human body. They include the following:
It is a bargain
Besides playing with other people, you can install bridge software on your PC and start practicing it on your own at home. Bridge can also link you with other players around the world when you play online games. There are also bridge local duplicate clubs one can enrol in and play bridge other than watching movie.
It is fun to play bridge
One of the reason people play bridge is just to have fun. It is an all in one game from socializing to sporting. Throughout the game, you test your skills and enjoy the fun of all the accomplishment when you win.
Bridge is an easy and yet can be a lifelong pursuit. It takes time and self-effort to master the game. The game always develops newer challenges regardless to the more years of experience you have. Bridge game therefore has a learning process for every active player.
Besides keeping your mind sharp, it helps in the coordination of your hand and eye. Handling the cards has great effect on your hand-eye coordination especially if you can be able to shuffle the cards and distribute them to your playing partners.
By keeping your brain active all the time, it is easier to stave off mental illness as you grow older. Any level of comprehension involved in card playing is determined to lower the risk of getting mental illness.
