Bridge in Poland
By Alex J. Coyne © 2019 Great Bridge Links
For our next article in our world bridge series, with the International Bridge Fest taking place on the 11thof May, 2019 in Warsaw, we take a closer look at the current bridge scene in Poland.
Poland is part of Zone 1 of the World Bridge Federation. The governing body for Zone 1 is the European Bridge League.
The Polish Bridge Union
The Polish Bridge Union is one of the organizations that represents bridge for the whole of Poland, and their website is the best place to visit if you’re making a visit to Poland and would like to meet up with veteran and beginner players, find events and, well, play bridge.
If you were wondering, the translated name is Polski Związek Brydża Sportowego (PZBS) and their website can be found by going here.
The Warsaw Bridge Union
If you were wondering, the Polish word for bridge is brydz – if you’ve tried to look up anything bridge-related in Poland and struggled to find it, try typing it in this way and you’ll be surprised at your results. There’s a lot of brydz in Poland!
The Warsaw Bridge Union is another large bridge organization in Poland so, if you’re located in or near the capital city, you might want to start off by visiting their website and finding a game.
Bridge2Success
If you didn’t get the memo, Bridge2Success is a worldwide initiative for promoting the game of bridge that originated in Warsaw, Poland. In addition to doing a lot to promote the game as a way of improving business and life skills, they’re also hosting the International Bridge Fest in Poland this year. Going? Here’s their website.
If you’d still like to be part of the game, it will be available through Funbridge online for international participants. Find the info on how to enter at the official Funbridge blog, or browse through their selection of other tournaments and games.
Polish Bridge… In Vancouver?
Polish Bridge is increasingly well promoted outside of Poland too. There appear to be hundreds (if not thousands) of Polish players spread all over the world. Here, we found a Polish-focused bridge club located in Vancouver, BC – you should go here if you (1) speak Polish and (2) play bridge. They’ve got plenty of available resources on their website, everything from finding local games to getting a bridge partner.
Get the schedule on their website.
BridgeNet
BridgeNet is a great Polish-based website for anyone who is looking to find more information on the internet championships and how to play them. You’ll also find some great general bridge resources. (And yes, much of it is in Polish, but the Google Translate version of the site should be able to get any non-speakers through the navigation.)
Bridge24
Bridge24 is a website that’s been set up to offer Polish-based and born bridge players some more support – especially in terms of where to find games and how to get more involved in professional bridge. Their website is pretty comprehensive. Try the “Ask an Expert” section if you ever have a burning bridge question that nobody can answer.
More Bridge Links
Want to be even more connected when it comes to Polish bridge? The Bridge Guys put together this list of bridge websites, connections and clubs based in Poland. Some of the links maybe be outdated but it remains a great resource.
Online Gambling in Poland
If you’re looking for more information about online gambling and related laws in Poland instead, you’ll find it on the official Taxes website listed under Inne Podatki (other taxes) and then Gry hazardowe (or gambling/wagering games). You can just use the direct link over here, and remember to run it through your friendly neighbourhood translation program if you don’t speak Polish.