The "Bridge" To Bridge

By Ning Liu

When Dee Berry first began teaching bridge at Bellevue Club, it was just a Monday evening of the game, which, as Dee says, "is now very huge with more than 15 bridge tables during the night."

Rated as a master teacher by the American Bridge Teachers Association, Dee is now the most-experienced bridge instructor in the Northwest. She learned bridge from her parents at the age of nine and she immediately fell in love with it.

“It’s hard not to love bridge once you start enjoying this game, which is pretty addictive,” Dee says. “And I enjoy the people part of the game, the social interactions involved between hands and rounds. That’s why I never play bridge on the Internet."

When Dee moved to Seattle, she searched for a writing job, but with no luck, she looked to bridge instead.

Dee has been teaching classes at the Bellevue Club since the Club opened. “I thought it was an ideal venue, and I enjoyed building a bridge program at the Club,” Dee says.

“Bridge is one of the most challenging games in the world. It’s like a crossword puzzle. Every hand is different, and one may never encounter the same hand twice in her life"

However, Dee recommends that everyone should experience the fun of bridge because there is no obstacle between a newcomer and a professional player.

“Bridge is the only game where a beginner can actually play against a world-class player. Anyone can play. That, to me, is the fascination of the game."