![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4332b21693933f5b6dc0e1dbe5700e255a-20260114-NYM-LB-Bridge-0211.rvertical.w570.jpg\")
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Kaydette Grant (pictured above)
Artist, East Village\u00a0<\/p>\n
Are you playing with friends today?
You don\u2019t come here for friendships, not in this arena. This is competitive bridge. I would say about 70 percent of the people out there are playing with people who are like pros. If you want a friend, go to church. You ain\u2019t going to find no friends here!<\/p>\n
You mentioned that you made your headpiece and skirt.
Yes, I\u2019m an artist, and I was a vendor on the streets of New York for 40 years. I made pocketbooks, floral crowns, and a line of children\u2019s clothes. I make stuff. I\u2019m like a Suzy Homemaker. And a perfect wife.<\/p>\n
Mike Lipkin<\/p>\n
Professional bridge player, Brooklyn Heights<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve heard that bridge is often compared to chess. Why do you think that is? <\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t compare it to chess at all. Bridge is the only game in which AI is not better than humans \u2014 as of now. Chess is an individual game that requires an enormous memory. Bridge is a\u202fpartnership game, so it\u2019s more like doubles tennis than chess.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dora Kooby<\/p>\n
Retiree, Upper East Side<\/p>\n
Richard Kassar<\/p>\n
Retiree, Upper East Side<\/p>\n
Dan Rothstein<\/p>\n
Retiree, Upper East Side<\/p>\n
Marjorie Lesch<\/p>\n
Attorney, Upper East Side\u00a0<\/p>\n
Is the setting here competitive?<\/p>\n
Only if you\u2019re competitive. I always say it\u2019s a game, not a\u202freligion. But I am competitive. We all are because we\u2019re all accomplished people.<\/p>\n
Barbara Bernard<\/p>\n
Retiree, Upper West Side<\/p>\n
Jeff Bayone<\/p>\n
Bridge-club manager, Astoria<\/p>\n
How did you start playing?<\/p>\n
The best chess player on the team in college started playing bridge, and when I\u202fasked him, \u201cWhat are you doing playing bridge?\u201d he said, \u201cWell, it\u2019s every bit as complex and intricate and beautifully designed as chess. And there\u2019s girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yasmine Guenancia<\/p>\n
Real-estate broker, Hell\u2019s Kitchen<\/p>\n
Barbara Kimmel<\/p>\n
Retired teacher, Upper West Side<\/p>\n
Lynne Halliday<\/p>\n
Playwright and producer, Upper West Side<\/p>\n
Melanie Tucker<\/p>\n
Retiree, Upper East Side<\/p>\n
Barrie Tankel<\/p>\n
Retiree, Riverdale<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the most memorable game you\u2019ve played? <\/p>\n
About six or seven years ago, I played a game here with a new partner who I was told was fairly average. There were about a hundred tables. Not only did we win our section but we got the highest score in the room. That, for me, was amazing.<\/p>\n
Joan Kestenbaum<\/p>\n
Retired teacher, Gramercy Park<\/p>\n
Serge Budzyn<\/p>\n
Retiree, Pleasantville<\/p>\n
Are people playing for money? <\/p>\n
We\u2019re not competing for money today. Maybe in Las Vegas they do, but it\u2019s not legal in New York \u2014 well, I don\u2019t know the legality. I have to get back to my game.<\/p>\n
Richard Weissman<\/p>\n
Retiree, Gramercy Park<\/p>\n
Mindy Fine Fleder<\/p>\n
Certified public accountant, Upper East Side<\/p>\n
Alan Davidson<\/p>\n
Software engineer, Harlem<\/p>\n
Shlomit Rind<\/p>\n
Bridge teacher, Midtown East\u00a0<\/p>\n
Any rivalries here at the club? <\/p>\n
Rivalry? Well, this is a very competitive game; this is life and death. People get divorced over this. In bridge, you have a partner, somebody to blame for your mistakes.<\/p>\n
\n Photographs by Frankie Alduino\n <\/p>\n
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\n If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the January 26, 2026, issue of
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