Bridge | 7 January 2023

Did you make any new year’s resolutions? High on most people’s lists – along with shedding a few pounds – is to exercise more. But what about mental fitness? It’s a lot more fun than getting sweaty in the gym – and all it requires is taking up bridge. Bridge really is the best mental workout you can do; endless scientific studies have proved that it staves off dementia. But forget the studies – just ask anyone who plays, at any level. To quote the Irish novelist Colm Toibin: ‘Bridge saved me from becoming a lazy bastard.’

My own resolution isn’t to play more but to play better: to push myself harder, minimise the lapses of concentration, banish the brain fog. In other words, to try and be more like – well, any of the world-class players I so admire. I’ll pick the Norwegian star Boye Brogeland, given that he has just won the International Bridge Press Association’s award for Best Defended Hand of 2022.