"Charles Brenner" wrote in message
...
On Feb 25, 8:31 am, Bob Lipton wrote:
Chess One wrote:
"David Babcock" wrote in message
...
Here he is; the man who brought contract bridge to the United States
Tell me something about Bridge players - my own teacher was a guy who
was on
"Omar's Flying Circus", and needless to say, quite good! And in
exchange for
the pain of teaching a novice bridge, I taught him chess.
Is there, in your experience much mutual interest in the games? I know
many
ardent chess players have never tried Bridge, while others seem to like
all
'deep' games.
I also note your previous comment about chess and bridge being perhaps
equivalent in popularity - and while I have no datum to permit any
comment
of my own, I did read with amusement some months ago that Bill Gates
and his
Tennessee buddy billionaire tried to give away - how much was it? A
$million
to NY City schools if they would teach bridge.
They were unsuccessful! Though, it did occur to me at the time that if
the
very evident success of Gates and Buffett suggested that bridge aided
modern
management practices, and my premuption being that they tried to
encourage
the game by entering it to mainstream curricula, then they were
commenting
on something lacking in US education.
The same is true, you see, about chess - where there is a mass of
anecdotal
support for its benefit, academically, psychologically, but also in
terms of
socialization of students, harnessing agrression in culturally
permitted
ways, and so on ... everything in fact except academic acceptance.
Have there been successfully entries of bridge into mainstream
education
anywhere in the Western World? If so, can you please cite me a
reference?
Cordially, Phil Innes
Vermont USA
[excuse my presumption that you are American]
David
1: Culbertson's book written in the wake of the 'Bridge Match of the
Century' was published by a Philadelphia firm.
Surely, but written where?
2: Culbertson was living in New York City at the time. He later owned
about six houses, including Connecticut; bought the place in
Brattleboro some time later than the events under discussion.
Pardon me, I was unaware of what events these are. I rather thought he
stayed here, previous to buying a place? The town was after all, a 'spa',
and thought that is as facetious a claim as many Vermont and New York
exclmations, nevertheless, people came.
3: 'Gates' Tennessee buddy' is Warren Buffett, who was born in Omaha,
raised there and Washington D.C., worked for a few years in NYC and has
lived again, for the past forty or so years, back in Omaha. While it is
possible he may have visited Tennessee, I can't think of any visit I
have ever heard of.
Ah... well, at least I know something!
4: As I can't think of why anyone in the chess newsgroups might be
interested in this discussion, I have removed them from the list.
Except of course what I wrote about bridge being adopted in any curriculum.
But, let me take that as a pass, I having opened 2 clubs! being a 23+ point
conversational item!
Chess people are a large part of this discussion -- including the OP
and the one you just responded to.
Charles
Surely... ?
Otherwise I notice no inaccuracies in your assertions, except that I
thought that all of Omar's Bridge circus members were Egyptian or
European. But I might be mistaken.
Yes. A man who after 6 hours of play can say about the second hand, which we
defended;- do you remember your club holding [when spades were trumps, and
the 2, 9, J, and then compares with a similar hand just played, and a deceit
possibly thereon, and after being 'in wine' for the interim period; such a
person is a 'player'. Possibly an extremely strong player, though admittedly
not on the evidence of any such meagre anecdote.
I apologise if such references ruffle feathers, or if local knowledge
deflates historiographies, but I too am a player
Cordially, Phil Innes
Bob