Trumped-Up Ban Is Over, Bridge Players Exult in Romania
The country’s bridge players, once feared by dictator Nicolae Ceausescu as a potential source of dissent among the elite, have come out of the closet after a six-year ban.
Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, outlawed bridge, popular with the intelligentsia, and shut down clubs where the card game was played. “They were worried that when too many intelligent people got together, it could easily develop into something else,” mathematician Mircea Mihu said.
Ninety-six tables were at play simultaneously Sunday at the start of an eight-day tournament in Bucharest, testifying to the game’s survival.
Before the ban, Romania was among the top 10 competitive nations in Europe.
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