People who love any kind of card or board game should be right at home playing the game of bridge, and the other way around.
I’ve noticed that many people who are avid players of one thing also happen to be players who can hold their own at other games – and this led me to take a closer look at some of the games that might boost your bridge technique.
Games like Othello can improve your overall thinking skills, and even though there isn’t a card deck anywhere near it, what you learn at other board and card games can easily spill over into bridge. Learning how to see moves, learning how to analyze players, learning how to interact and learning how to build your in-game memory.
Are you a fan of any games other than bridge? Because if not, you should be. It helps.
Here’s a look at a few other games from my own collection – and what it can mean for your bridge game.
Chess (in Every Variety)
Most card players I know personally would win a money bet if I played them at chess. I imagine that this is true for plenty of bridge players out there – and this is why I don’t generally challenge a card player to a chess game: Most of them are better at it than you would think – and were taught by friends and family members with a few decades more experience than I’ve had time to build up.
If you don’t play chess now, the occasional game is a huge lateral and logical thinking boost. It helps you to focus – on what your opponent is doing now and what your opponent is going to do in five or ten moves. And it helps you to develop the same natural foresight at any other game or situation you apply it to.
One of the best things about chess? You can find it in a few varieties that weren’t there decades back, including classic 3D Battle Chess or even multilevel 3D chess.
Othello
Some people call it Othello, while some people might know this one as Reversi. It seems like one of the simplest games to get the hang of – until you’ve played a few games against someone who turns out to be a practical killer at the board.
Othello is one of the simpler “take-over” type board games you’ll find. But this doesn’t make it easy to win at. Building your stronghold – and keeping it – becomes the main goal of this game until you’ve dominated the entire board.
Because of its near-simplicity when it comes to the rules (but complexity when it comes to the play), it’s one of the best games that can teach you how to watch and learn an opponent’s style by their moves. It teaches you, “Oh, I’ve seen this before!” and it teaches you what to do with these situations.
Again, what you learn in Othello/Reversi makes for very good learning material when it gets applied to bridge.
Backgammon
Backgammon is another traditional game of board dominance, but one that will teach you entirely different techniques to Othello and Reversi. Imagine what Othello would be if it were played on a different board and with a pair of die, and you’ll have an idea of what your average backgammon game is like.
It’s one of the most ancient battle games there are, and it’s where really clever players get to strut their stuff. Assume that most backgammon players are advanced ones until their play shows you differently.
Hearts
Hearts is a game that most people will remember as one that’s been bundled with Windows for a very long time – and then suddenly not, for whatever reason. If you’ve never played Hearts before, take it up on the base that it’s a steady introduction to the concept of a trick-taking game if you meet players who aren’t sure what a trick is yet.
Since tricks are not a familiar sight in card games like blackjack and poker, Hearts (and alternatively, Whist) are great for getting the point across to a total novice or younger card player.
Plus, it’s a lot of fun – and it’s usually one of the first card games many people are first taught when they step up their abilities from simple ones like Snap and Go Fish.
Tri-Ominoes
A lot of readers might have grown up with the game of Tri-Ominoes somewhere around the house. Simply put, I didn’t, and this is a board game that I only properly discovered in my twenties.
Ever since I found an in-tact, slightly battered copy in a coastal pawn shop, my wife and I have been playing regular games. She wins, mostly, and it’s still really good practice for my bridge game.
It’s great for staying on your feet – and at its most simple, it teaches you how to quick-count multiples when your brain might not be used to doing it yet.