Bridge is, quite simply, the greatest game on Earth. Where else can four perfectly respectable adults sit around a table for three hours, consume enough coffee to power a small city, and experience every human emotion known to science—all while insisting they are having fun? Bridge requires strategy, memory, psychology, mathematics, partnership skills, and the ability to maintain a completely straight face while your partner commits what you are certain is a felony. And unlike most games, you can play bridge well into your 90s, which is particularly convenient because by then you have forgotten where you put your car keys but can still remember a finesse you took in 1987.

Bridge also gives us something precious: an endless supply of people to blame. Your partner is too aggressive. Your opponents are too lucky. The cards are terrible. The bidding box is defective. Someone sneezed during your concentration. And if all else fails, there is always the timeless explanation: “I thought you had it.” It is a game that challenges your brain, tests your patience, strengthens friendships—and occasionally makes you wonder why you ever agreed to play with that idiot sitting across the table. In short, bridge isn't just a card game. It's competitive therapy with snacks.