For lovers of the game, big bridge tournaments can be as tense and exciting as any sporting event

THE WORLD'S MOST important bridge event is the World Team Championships, which is held every two years. Players representing countries within the eight geographical zones of the World Bridge Federation (WBF) compete for 15 days. There are tournaments for pairs and teams in four categories: open, women, seniors and mixed. The three main inter-zonal competitions are the Bermuda Bowl for open teams, the Venice Cup for women players and the Seniors Bowl for those over 56 years of age.

In 2007, 1,200 players from 50 countries participated in the 38th World Team Championships, held in Shanghai. Norway won the coveted Bermuda Bowl for the first time. The US won the Venice Cup and Seniors Bowl.

The World Series and the World Team Olympiad are held every four years.

Bridge world rankings are determined by how many Master Points a player has accumulated. Computing Master Points is complex; it is dependent on the size of the playing field, the importance of the tournament, whether the game was directed officially and the number of career wins. The most coveted rank is Life Master, which requires 300 Master Points. The WBF publishes lists of “World Grand Masters” for the most successful players of all time.

Entering a tournament arena for the first time is daunting. The matches are usually held in dungeon-like conference rooms of large hotels in order to accommodate hundreds of bridge tables. Doors are mostly closed and bear placards saying: “Silence, Game in Progress” or “Only Authorized Personnel.” The one that says: “Absolutely No Entry” is usually the room where up to 20,000 pre-dealt boards (bridge hands), are ready for play.

A bell signals an event is about to start. More seasoned players casually shuffle to their allocated rooms and take their seats, while the less experienced scramble around looking for their section and table number, and direction, i.e. whether to sit North-South or East-West. A tournament director takes the mike to make announcements about the Movement (Round Robin or Mitchell), time allowed per hand and other rules, while caddies hand out color-coordinated boards. The room is filled with tension and excitement, but the players appear outwardly calm as they make neat the small tables cramped with bidding boxes, boards, curtain cards, convention cards, table markers and scoring sheets.

With the announcement “start play,” silence descends on the room. It is time for deep concentration and gentle movements, like plucking cards from the bidding boxes. The only sounds are the soft calls of the card to play punctuated by an occasional loud call to the “director.” The scorekeepers and caddies glide down the aisles. The only distraction is when a director arrives at the table to sort out an irregularity.

During the final rounds of the tournament, you are denied the comfort of your partner’s presence as tables are set with screens and kickboards. Bidding trays are passed back and forth through a narrow gap in the screen to prevent extraneous signaling.

There is also the added pressure of eagled-eyed kibitzers and VuGraph cameras, which are used to transmit webcasts of premier championships, while experts commentating on your moves can be an adrenaline boost for players.

So what is the key to winning?

Allow time for challenging hands, but play fast and claim early for the easier ones. Plan your strategy, try for overtricks in pairs games, bid the slim games and slams in team matches. Familiarize yourself with the Rules of Duplicate so that you know which option to choose when a director is called to the table. Maintain concentration and keep counting; good defense wins or loses tournaments. And finally, keep your cool, or as Alfred Sheinwold, captain of the US team that won the Bermuda Bowl in 1985 put it, “The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.”

Though tournament play is exhausting, some players can’t seem to get enough. The main focus is the Open Pairs and Open Team events, but if teams are knocked out in the early rounds, they will likely sign up for Mixed Pairs, Transnational Teams and Swiss Teams. And then there are the couples that spend many months of the year tournament-hopping, holidaying and playing in exciting locales around the world. C’est la vie.