I’ve probably typed the term “contract bridge” into search engines a couple of hundred times just this year.

Every time I look up the game of bridge, there’s something new to see. Fresh articles, new players,  more participation and discussion surrounding the game.

How often do you search the game just to see what comes up?

I’d like to encourage more people to do it. Even if you know bridge, look it up just to read what’ out there. Even players who know the game like the back of their hand can find resources to learn from.

I like looking out for inventiveness and ingenuity during these searches. Sometimes the online search takes me to things like bridge columns or article archives where the game gets a mention.

One of my recent journeys through the internet took me straight to the official Facebook page for the ACBL.

More specifically, I had found a previous post on their timeline that I’d call a fascinating piece of bridge history.

Did you know Princess Diana was a fan of bridge? She served as Patron of the Second World Junior Bridge Championships held at the University of Nottingham in 1989 and shared her delight at the decision to host the event in the United Kingdom in a letter sent to ACBL leadership.

#ThrowbackThursday

In her letter, Princess Diana displays a clear fondness for the game. She elaborates, congratulating players and welcoming them to the United Kingdom for the Second World Junior Bridge Championships.

A screenshot of the full letter is shown here, reproduced from the ACBL.

If you happen to be a fan of letter writing in general, the good news is that Princess Diana was a prolific letter-writer during her lifetime. (Yes, I love reading letters just as much as general archives, but more about that later.)

More letters from Diana are collected in books like these, for any other readers who happen to love them as much as I do – although I haven’t yet checked if any of these letters happen to mention bridge.

Now, type bridge into your search engine and let’s see what comes up. You never know what you’re going to find next!