Although its roots in Egypt go back to the early 20th century, little is known about bridge. With a Sharm El-Sheikh tournament in May, Youmna Bassiouni sheds light on the popular mental card game The first time bridge was formally recognised in Egypt was in the early 1930s when the Egyptian Bridge Association was established by Mohamed Pasha Sultan. However, bridge was basically the game of the foreign communities in Egypt, such as the British and Greek. And, as there were some Egyptians in contact with these communities, they were exposed to the card game and as such, the game made its way into Egyptian society. Supporters of this game were known to be a product of elite families. The elitist of them all, King Farouq, was known to enjoy a game of bridge at the famed downtown Automobiles Club. "Bridge was known in Egypt since the early days of King Farouq's rule. It was a common game played by the king, the foreign communities and their entourages which represented the elite during that time," says Mohsen Kamel, head of the Egyptian Bridge Federation (EBF). By the 1952 Revolution, the game had undergone a process of Egyptianisation, developing into a sport rather than just a game for the elite. In 1960 the women's bridge team won the gold medal at the so-called Bridge Olympics, held every four years. In 1969, the Egyptian Bridge Federation merged with the Chess Federation under the name Egyptian Bridge and Chess Federation. However, four years later, the EBA was registered independently of chess. According to Kamel, "after being played by the A class people, the game moved out of the circle into clubs like Heliopolis, Gezira and Ahli where special bridge activities were launched. Egypt won the first Bridge World Championship for Women in 1960. Egypt was then one of 10 teams selected to the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002 in an attempt to have bridge recognised as an Olympic event. Egypt finished sixth and was the best bridge team in Africa. It was a major turning point in bridge history, however, the International Olympic Committee did not repeat the experiment because "the Games had become a matter of business," says Kamel. The focus now is on the more popular sports that are more likely to bring in a high profit, which is not applicable in the case of bridge, Kamel says. For instance, the organising committee of any sports event seeks to maximise its economic profit through television ads. Thus, when a bridge game is broadcast live on television, its viewership rating is relatively low when compared to soccer or basketball. Consequently, it will not bring any valuable advertisements. Among the obstacles that hinder the popularity of bridge in Egypt, Kamel listed the lack of publicity and sponsorship to cover the expenses of organising bridge contests and the high cost of travelling abroad to participate in international tournaments. The lack of financial resources is a major barrier to the game's development. The EBF does not receive enough subsidies from the Ministry of Youth, which is why not all people can afford paying the expenses of travelling abroad and participating in international tournaments. "Hopefully, with changes made by the Sports Council, there will be more interest in our federation in the future," says Kamel. Egyptian bridge players are not recognised enough by the country for their achievements. Kamel complains that the national bridge team does not receive media attention accorded other games. "For example, two of the best bridge players in the world are Egyptian, Walid El-Ahmadi and Tarek Sadek, but they have never been honoured by their country." Consequently, young players lack the motivation to practice the game and be committed to it, believing they will be ignored by the end. Thus, increasing the number of Egyptian bridge players that currently stands at only 866 is a problem. Kamel, who was elected for a second term as the EBF head in 2004, believes that to be a proficient player requires time, practice, good arithmetic knowledge, commitment and above all lots of reading concerning the game's rules and ethics. He says bridge is like an "indirect protection" for youth as they can spend their leisure time in practicing this mental game in clubs instead of being involved in dangerous adolescent acts such as drugs. Kamel aims at increasing the number of young players as they shape the new generation of bridge players in Egypt while at the same time maintaining the excellent performance of the national team in general. He also hopes to solve the problem of fund-raising which will facilitate the federation's dream of hosting the Youth Bridge Championship in 2008. How to play AROUND the bridge table, there are four players divided into fixed partnerships. Partners sit facing each other. One will attack and the other will defend. It is traditional to refer to the players according to their position at the table as North, East, South and West, so North and South are partners playing against East and West. All 52 cards of the deck are distributed equally so each player is handed 13 cards. Cards are evaluated on the grounds of "strength and distribution" and then "bidding" takes place before the playing begins. The game is played clockwise. These rules present the basic form of bridge called "Rubber Bridge". However, in most present tournaments, players follow "Duplicate Bridge" which is slightly different. In this latter type, the outcome of a single rubber depends heavily on which side is dealt the better cards. This element of luck is eliminated by duplicate bridge, by having the same hands played more than once, by different sets of players. It also consists of two methods of playing, either teams of four or pairs. That's why this type requires at least eight players.
