Call me a creature of the night, but I’ve always preferred to schedule my casual bridge games for the evenings. Daytime is a different thing, and sunlight just doesn’t carry the same vibe. I won’t burst into flames, but I would still prefer to dim the lights for my bridge games, thanks.

At night, things are more relaxed. Animals and bugs provide the soundtrack, and I overlay my own playlist in preparation for the game. Sometimes it’s blues, other times it’s metal.

If you have a busy schedule and can’t fit bridge into your days, how about playing at night?

Opportunities exist in every day to do those things you “never have time for.”  Add just under 30 minutes to your nighttime routine, and you might be able to fit in more bridge.

Here are 4 great tips for playing nighttime bridge.

1. Too Comfortable?

The first obvious tip for nighttime bridge is to get comfortable, but I would like to add this: don’t get too comfortable, either.

If you play bridge at weird hours, getting too comfortable is one step closer to being completely asleep. There’s nothing quite like waking up at three in the morning drooling on your keyboard.

Stretch. Get some blood-flow going before your nighttime games.

It’s good for you. It might also keep you from falling asleep halfway through.

2. Dim the Lights

The same screen that looks fine during the day is likely to look horribly bright when viewed at night. Lighting is different at night, and you might give yourself a headache (or simply, cause too much eye strain).

It’s easy to download a screen filter, or just to set brightness down under your respective device’s settings.

Dim the lights!

3. Night-friendly keyboards (Are your friend)

Cheaper keyboards are a temptation, but take some advice and spend the money on just one keyboard that was designed for gaming. You’ll never look back, and might even choose to destroy your collection of older keyboards in a spectacular and satisfying fire.

Gaming keyboards are useful things: quieter, and more comfortable for resting wrists than you can imagine if you’ve never tried one.

Why do I recommend them for nighttime bridge games?

Oh, well, some of them light up.

For late-night bridge discussions and games, it helps to know where your keys are. It’s also just fun to have a keyboard that lights up, what can I say?

If your keyboard is powered by batteries, here’s one more tip: keep a battery collection. Keyboards practically eat them for breakfast in the morning.

4. Coffee in moderation

Coffee and bridge is a favourite combination for me. I would imagine that it’s true for other players out there, too. But if you’re going to put together bridge at night with your favourite buzzing beverage, remember to take it easy.

Why?

Coffee has its drawbacks, if you’d like to get some sleep after the game. Depending on your individual reaction to caffeine, coffee at the wrong time of night could keep you awake, trigger particularly odd dreams, or do its other job as a diuretic.

Just trust my advice.

What’s your favourite time for bridge?