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Uganda Bridge Federation Successfully Introduces Bridge at UMEA Solidarity Games 2024

The Uganda Bridge Federation (UBF) is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of its bridge demonstration at the UMEA Solidarity Games 2024, held at Masaka Secondary School from March 28th to April 1st, 2024.

The UMEA Solidarity Games, which began over three decades ago in 1989, have been instrumental in promoting unity among Muslim-founded schools, nurturing talents, advancing Islamic values, and preparing teams for national championships. The games, traditionally organized during the Easter holiday period, have become a cornerstone event in the Ugandan school sports calendar.

In a landmark collaboration, the UMEA Solidarity Games partnered with the Uganda Bridge Federation to introduce the intellectual card game of bridge to over 1500 students participating in the 2024 edition. Hajj Kiteezaala Twahil, Chairman of the UMEA Solidarity Games, expressed the association’s commitment to officially adding mind games, including bridge, to future editions of the games. He encouraged school representatives to embrace mind sports, especially bridge, to prepare for upcoming competitions.

Hajj Lwembawo Kyagulanyi Hussein, General Secretary of the UMEA Solidarity Games and Chairman of Mind Sports in the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA), announced that bridge had been included in this year’s Secondary Schools National Mind Sports Championship scheduled for October at Wakisha Resource Centre.
Led by Egulwa Reagan, General Secretary of the Uganda Bridge Federation, the technical team conducted bridge demonstrations, teaching students the technicalities of bidding, play strategy, play memory, and bridge scoring over the four-day event. Students from different schools formed bridge partnerships and actively participated in the demonstrations.
Wamanya Linus, President of the Uganda Bridge Federation, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to showcase bridge at the UMEA Solidarity Games. He emphasized bridge’s role in improving students’ mathematics, decision-making skills, and critical thinking, underscoring its importance in educational institutions.

The Uganda Bridge Federation looks forward to further collaboration with educational institutions and sports associations to promote bridge and enhance intellectual development among students across Uganda.
For media inquiries or further information, please contact UBF.

In an exciting development for the world of mind sports, the Uganda Bridge Federation (UBF) has been granted a coveted slot in the upcoming UMEA Solidarity Games 2024. The event, set to be held at Masaka Secondary School from March 28th to April 1st, aims to promote solidarity and camaraderie among students from Muslim-based schools across Uganda. The inclusion of bridge in the games demonstrates the growing recognition and appreciation for the intellectual card game in the country.

The Uganda Bridge Federation, known for its relentless efforts to promote, develop, and protect the game of bridge, sees this opportunity as a significant milestone. Bridge, a game known for its strategic depth and intellectual challenges, is gaining traction in Uganda, particularly among students and young professionals. The federation believes that introducing bridge to platforms like the UMEA Solidarity Games will further popularize the game and encourage more participation among the youth.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase bridge at the UMEA Solidarity Games,” said the Technical Director, Musasizi John. He added that”Bridge is not just a game; it’s a mental sport that fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. By participating in events like the UMEA Games, we hope to inspire more students to take up bridge and experience the thrill of competitive play.”

The UBF has been actively preparing for the event, organizing demonstration sessions and training workshops to familiarize students with the rules and strategies of bridge. Experienced players and coaches will be on hand to guide participants through the intricacies of the game and provide valuable insights into bridge tactics and techniques.

Following the UMEA Solidarity Games, bridge enthusiasts can look forward to another exciting event on the horizon. The Uganda Bridge Federation has announced that bridge will be featured in the National Secondary Schools Mind Sports Championship scheduled to take place in October 2024 at Wakisha Resource Centre. This national-level competition will bring together the best young bridge players from schools across Uganda to compete for top honors and showcase their skills on a larger stage.

As bridge continues to gain momentum in Uganda, events like the UMEA Solidarity Games and the National Secondary Schools Mind Sports Championship serve as important platforms for promoting the game and nurturing the next generation of bridge players. With the support of organizations like the Uganda Bridge Federation, bridge is well-positioned to thrive and flourish in the country for years to come.

For more information about the Uganda Bridge Federation and upcoming bridge events, please visit [UBF website or contact information].

BRIDGE FOR PEACE

Researchers have found some very good reasons to play bridge:

Those who play more frequently score higher on cognitive tests.
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Bridge games offer intellectual and social stimulation on a routine basis.
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An area in the brain used in playing bridge stimulates the immune system. Researchers suggest that is because players must use memory, visualization and sequencing.
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Any activity from which you derive pleasure prevents the onset of classic depression. Players are less likely to be depressed; hence, they sleep better, tend to exercise more and have a better life in general.
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Multiple changes in lifestyle (e.g. cognitive training and social activity, two of bridge’s chief benefits) can improve memory and thinking in those at risk for cognitive decline.
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Playing bridge can help older people retain their mental sharpness.
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The frequency of playing games is associated with greater brain volume in several regions that are affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
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Successful people play bridge! Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are considered to be two of the smartest entrepreneurs in America. Both are also very accomplished bridge players.

Hall of Fame tennis star, Martina Navratilova writes that bridge “is more than just a card game. It’s a cerebral sport. Bridge teaches you logic, reasoning, quick thinking, patience, concentration and partnership skills.”

Summarized from an article in the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) Bulletin:
“A Bridge to Brain Power” March 2015

Here’s another article in the AARP Bulletin, related to bridge:
Bridge Games Thrive Online Amid COVID19 Precautions June 25, 2020

The WBF Women’s Online Autumn Festival will take place next week, from 6 – 12N ovember 2023. It is open to all women!

This is a fun, challenging and exciting event that has been enjoyed by women all over the world.

There will be 7 games per day: Pairs, Individual Robot and Individual Human, with times to suit every time zone.

The Festival is very popular with women players – yes, there is an excellent main prize for the winner of free entry to the next WBF Women’s Pairs Championship for her and a partner of her choice and WBF Online Master Points for the top 20 players, and there are also numerous other BBO prizes.

Taking Part
The games will be held on BBO. On the All Tournaments page, search for “Women” and once the tournaments are set up they will all appear there. The entry fee for each event is BB$1.

Further information:

Women’s Online World Bridge Club
Dates & Times (European Time (CET) is 1 hour ahead of GMT)
Rules & Regulations
Format
More details

The Uganda Bridge Federation is a relatively new national Sports body . In it’s quest to introduce and spread the sport in Uganda, efforts have been directed to Universities first and currently they have created Makerere University Bridge Club, Kyambogo University Bridge Club, Nkumba University Bridge Club, YMCA Bridge Club, Uganda Christian University Bridge Club, IUIU Bridge Club and MUBS Bridge Club.

In preparation for the forthcoming AUUS Games scheduled for December at UCU, the Uganda Bridge Federation organized a University Bridge championship last weekend at Makerere University in Mary Stuart Hall and it brought together 6 pairs from Makerere University and Kyambogo university to compete in Duplicate Bridge pairs. In a 3 table movements system, pairs accumulated points over 16 boards and points were converted into the International Match Points ( IMPs) to determine the champions of the day.

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🥇Aruho Nabimanya & Berna Apio from Makerere University came first with 40 lMPs , followed by 🥈Michael Mwesigwa & Peterson Ntanzi from Kyambogo University with 35 IMPs and 🥉Emmanuel Wamala & Prize Muhwezi from Makerere University came third with 31 IMPs.

Egulwa Reagan the Competition director for the day states that “the players played with a lot of caution hence bidding low throughout the entire competition resulting into low scores per board. That explains why the IMPs recorded are low even when a complete cycle of 16 boards were played”.
Nevertheless, the entire organizing team is extremely humbled for the turn up of Kyambogo University and Makerere University Bridge players at this maiden championship.

As we prepare for the December AUUS Games, the Federation is continuing to engage and introduce Bridge to more universities with an aim to have a competitive bridge championship in December at Uganda Christian University.

Else where, the federation has activated it’s efforts to introduce and train Bridge in primary and secondary schools in preparation for the 2024 USSSA Mind Games Championship.

#WeBridgeForPeace
#UniversityBridgeChamprionship
#UgandaBridgeFederation-UBF

A new resource, already adopted by numerous Federations and teachers, has the potential to liberalize and enhance the development and learning of Bridge. The website www.bridge-training.com was created as a personal project by Jean-Pierre Desmoulins from France, an AI project engineer who also serves on the Executive Board of his Federation, responsible for development, and is a Bridge teacher and author.

Principle

The platform allows everyone, especially Bridge teachers, to make their deals playable with just a few clicks, free of charge and without registration. The initial version is available in English and French, but will soon be expanded to include other languages and additional features.

How it works in 3 steps

Enter or upload a prepared deal (PBN or DUP file).
Set your educational parameters (with or without bidding, minibridge or bridge, student’s position, predetermined cardplay at the beginning, comments, objectives, etc.).
Generate a link that you can send to your students, allowing them to play the deal as instructed, against four robots, on any device (smartphone, tablet, or laptop).

Some new opportunities offered by this tool

For a Federation: Create a webpage containing links to playable educational boards for their teachers. Sharing these links enables newcomers to practice and enjoy Bridge between sessions, accelerating their integration into club tournaments.
For a Federation or a club: Create a paper flyer with a QR code linked to a simple board without bidding, to entice non-Bridge players to try the game (see example in Resources section).
For a Federation, a club, or a teacher: Publish digital ads featuring a link that allows people to try Bridge immediately.
For Bridge authors, journalists, or YouTubers: Include QR codes or links in their articles or video comments, directing readers to playable boards.

Interested? Here’s what you can do!

– This project has been managed with limited resources, aiming to remain free for all users. If you have skills in JavaScript (particularly) or PHP, and are willing to volunteer your time to help accelerate this project’s development, please contact Jean-Pierre at contact (at) bridge-training.com.

– Share this project with your Federation, your Club and your Bridge teacher friends!

– Become an active member of our community on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092414937746

Resources

– Presentation Video (automatically translated from French by AI) for the conference organized in early October by Realbridge and BAMSA: https://youtu.be/8COotm_15Zg?si=-zPUYPyfgXXfK2Ne

– Example of a deal generated from a file: https://bridge-training.com/player/?dds=NTEGfg7Y&lang=en

– Example of flyer using a QR-code to a discovery deal: https://1drv.ms/p/s!Ai3m6bTsv1R1kuZIuriIBl7iD9s7SA?e=wGYBA4

Uganda Bridge Federation

#WeBridgeForPeace