CAN WOMEN PLAY BRIDGE ?.....( Prof. Hu Chi Ku Chi investigates ) I put this very question to the man himself.......Bigot-Johnson.....only to get this rather surprising and perceptive answer: " Generally speaking, not as successfully as men." He then went on to offer ten possible explanations as to why the women have yet achieve the same degree of success as men..... at all levels of the game.

1. Sexist attitudes: Although it is not blatantly obvious, the majority of men, if given a straight choice of equal ability partners, will prefer to team up with a man. As a consequence, the women are left only with each other to form partnerships. Furthermore same gender partnerships are far more prevalent than mixed ones in any open event.

2. The Macho Male : In some instances, it is the ladies who prefer partners of their own sex. For them the stereo-typical male player possesses undesirable character traits. The worst of these include egoism, grumpiness, nastiness, rudeness, aggression and bullying.

3. The Male Ego : This is often far greater than a woman's. Men seem more hell-bent on acquiring accolades and recognition at the highest level. The quest for glory, fame and fortune can drive them on to careers as professional bridge players, available for hire. Results can become a matter of life-or-death on which their egos can either grow or be shattered.

4. The Social Dimension : Many women are quite happy to play bridge as a " social pastime " , or to play bridge "sociably ". Bridge is a small part of their social calendar, which will of course include many other activities and pastimes. Men, who tend to be far more obsessive and single-minded, often allow bridge to completely take over their lives.

5. Women's Priorities : Most women quite rightly get their priorities right : looking after the family, and the family home, will always take precedence over bridge. Some men, on the other hand, might well put work first and bridge next.....such is their level of selfishness. Bridge addicts, fanatics, geeks and obsessives are all words that are generally ascribed to men. Moreover, most women have children at some time in their lives, which really puts any bridge ambitions ( they may have had ) well and truly on the back-burner. Not so for men, whose progress in bridge often remains uninterrupted and unimpaired.

6. The Predatory Male : Since the dawn of time, women are nurtured and educated to be carers and home-makers, leaving men to be the predatory hunters and food providers. The instinct to be calculating and ruthless comes easier to men than women. Theses characteristics, alongwith the desire and willingness to be risk-takers, clearly help men to succceed at the highest levels in bridge.

7. The Left-Sided Brain : Neuro-scientists claim that the male brain develops a stronger bias towards mathematical/ logical thinking, which are two crucial under-lying abilities needed to become a top class player. Whether this phenonomen is a result of nature or nurture who knows. Perhaps it is a combination of both. As Miriam Harris-Botzam astutely points out : " But it means that by the time people reach an age to begin learning bridge, there are fewer women who have the requisite abilities to become top experts. There are certainly exceptions to this rule, but from a purely statistical perspective, the odds favour a preponderence of men in the top echelons. "

8. The Female Body : Women tend to be more emotional, and subject to mood swings. These two feminine characteristics can seriously impair their game, being the unavoidable consequences of hormonal changes that dictate their lives. Biologically different, men find it much easier to stay on an even keel, therefore more able to focus on their game, and not be distracted by " other things ".

9. The Inner Self : Women, according to most psycho-therapists, possess a completely different set of sub-conscious values and attitudes to men. Their greater level of empathy enables them to display a greater level of politeness, friendliness and forgiveness than men. This can translate itself at the bridge table by not rounding on partner's mistakes, prepared to let them go unnoticed and therefore repeated again. Transgressions by opponents may be sympathetically overlooked, with TDs rarely being summoned. As a consequence their scores suffer, and with it their reputation as being " sufficiently competitive ". Men like to see themselves as " pushy", " brave ", "deceptive", "cunning " , "devious ", alongwith a load of other basic animal instincts. Again, these are qualities which can raise a bridge player's game to the highest level. Men are much more ready to chastise and discipline partner, and if mistakes are repeated, partnerships are ruthlessly terminated. Transgressions are never over-looked.

10. The Vicious Circle : Again Miriam makes the point that because of " the commonly held views of women's abilities at bridge, it is rare for a talented woman player to get a really good mentor, or partner.....or even to get into the best teams.......unless of course she is paying for the privilege. Even then, she may get treated as an inferior, rather than an equal ( or soon to be equal student )." This state of affairs merely perpetuates the status quo of a male dominated elite.

So with all these factors in place ( and no doubt there are many others ), it is no wonder that women have been held back at developing their game. Will the balance of power ever change ? Miriam, Bigot and I very much doubt it. Obviously, some women will make it to the top, but only after over-coming the many obstacles that stand in their way........ some of which are clearly man-made !