Welcome
Professor Samantha Punch (Bridge: A MindSport for All)
Opening Address
Gianarrigo Rona (President of the World Bridge Federation)
Live Presentations
Bridge as a Mindsport in Research, in the Bridge World, in Society
Professor Samantha Punch, Dr Miriam Snellgrove and Zoe Russell (BAMSA)
Bridge: A MindSport for All (BAMSA) aims to bridge the worlds of academia and the bridge community. This presentation refers to BAMSA’s eight research projects and accessible resources that are being created to promote bridge in wider society.
Mind, Body and Confidence: Sociological Approaches to Emotion and the Physicality of Bridge
Dr David Scott (Sport and Exercise Sciences, Abertay University, Scotland)
The emergence of categorisations such as ‘mind sports’ and ‘esports’ raises questions about the role of ‘physicality’ in defining sport. While this paper does not necessarily argue the case for bridge’s inclusion into the wider classification of ‘sport’ on a philosophical basis, it does present a sociologically-informed understanding of how the bridge world could argue that playing is more physical than first seems.
Panel
Professor David Scott (Recreation, Parks and Tourism Services, Texas A&M University, USA)
Kim Frazer (Author of Gaining the Mental Edge at Bridge, 2019, Australia)
Dr Liat Hen-Herbst (Health Sciences, University of Ariel, Israel)
Dr David Scott (Sport and Exercise Sciences, Abertay University, Scotland)
Zoe Russell (BAMSA)
Advance Recorded Presentations
(Click green arrows to view recordings)
Studying Bridge: Lessons Learnt
Professor David Scott (Recreation, Parks and Tourism Services, Texas A&M University, USA)
Professor Scott reflects on the ways that researching bridge has shaped three decades of his work. He outlines his personal interest in the social worlds of sport and he describes the academics that influenced his work. He discusses the role of specialisation within leisure pastimes and the segmentation of the bridge world into social and serious players.
The Growth of Contract Bridge as a Mindsport in China
Professor Shuxiang Zhao (School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, China)
Bridge is becoming hugely popular in China, and in 2018 it became an official event in the Asian Games. Academic and bridge player, Shuxiang Zhao has developed a programme to promote the sport of bridge. His course helps students understand the history and development of bridge as well as teaching them a natural bidding system, basic playing technique and logical thinking.