Bridge is a lot more than just a game.

It’s a way to pass some time, a way to meet new people, a way to better the mind, a way to reduce the risk of mental degeneration, a way to get through hard nights – and a way of life.

It could also be leading the next revolution.

Here are 10 ways the game is helping to make the world a better place.

1. Bridge encourages greatness.

Bridge encourages greatness. Not just great achievements, but great people.

Of course a lousy score will want to push you to better playing, but it’s about far more than that. You won’t get far at a bridge game if you’re a [chosen expletive] to everyone at the table or event – and with fairness, everyone you’ll find at the bridge table is generally nice.

Many of the bridge greats were also highly respected (and exceptionally inventive) within other fields, and many will continue to be from here.

2. There is no box.

The game pushes players towards thinking a few moves ahead – and towards thinking about cards that have been played, haven’t been played and are somewhere on the board.

This means that instead of thinking out of the box, most bridge players imagine there’s no box.

It’s good initiative to learn bridge if you want to improve your logical thinking and keep your brain in working condition throughout your life.

It’s also a skill that carries over to areas outside of the game itself.

3. There’s no tolerance for cheating at the bridge table.

Sure, players have cheated before: But they’ve also had their behinds handed to them faster than you can say this sentence and sent to live out the rest of their days very far away from the table.

Bridge players don’t tolerate cheating, corruption or unfairness (and again, this counts for  things away from the table, too).

4. There are many interests within bridge.

The interests you’ll find within bridge are vast. Some bridge players are engineers, or programmers, or musicians, or model train builders, or writers… If you can think of a career, someone in it has played bridge.

This gives players a lot to connect over and talk about. You might even discover a new hobby that you didn’t know you liked.

5. Bridge players are pretty opinionated.

Most bridge players I know speak their minds, and this counts as vital in many environments.

Whether they’re behind a computer or standing in court as an attorney, I’ve always seen bridge players stick up for what’s fair.

When things get real, bridge players are usually the first ones to say, “Hey, what’s going on here?”

6. The game teaches strict fairness.

Bridge teaches you how to be fair: The rules of the game are set out (and seldom crossed): If they are, that’s where the tournament or club director steps in and double-checks.

Players can call attention to irregularities during a game (of course, see the rules of bridge for specifics if you’re not familiar with it as a newer player), and this inevitably teaches how to be entirely fair – and how to speak up.

7. Bridge directly promotes essential funding and research.

Bridge is played for good causes the world over (including the Longest Day initiative together with the ACBL): This means that bridge games have contributed millions in donations towards essential funding and research that works to find causes and cures for many diseases and world issues.

Funding fast-tracks better solutions, and bridge is one way to do it.

8. Bridge is charitable.

Other than research, bridge has also been successfully applied to other good causes, many for the direct communities in which the bridge clubs are based. Overall, bridge is charitable – and every bit of good done makes the world a better place

9. Bridge reaches out.

Bridge can also reach out in a more personal way to those who need it.

Depression is extremely hard to anyone who has never experienced it. Simply, it feels dark – and it can feel like it has no end.

Playing a game connects people, and it might encourage someone to get the assistance they need to live a better life.

Bridge is also a great way of getting through hard times: Many times, a few hands at the right time can be the light in the dark.

10. Bridge bots help build brain patterns.

The ability to play hundreds of deals with robots, the double dummy analysis, the automatic explanations help train and advance in the game of bridge faster than live practice and consolidate patterns in your brain that help prevent brain disease like dementia and alzheimer.