Bridge makes way to Sudoku on Washington Post

[Ashok]

My day used to begin with picking up the
Washington Post and opening the Style
section that customarily carried the
bridge column by Frank Stewart next to
the funnies. It has been some time now,
a daily Sudoku appears in that space.
One has to look around the entire Style
section to locate the bridge column, and
one can't be sure that there is one.
For reasons best known the strategists
at the paper, they have decided that
one doesn't need bridge on Saturdays.
For years, the Post has resisted appeals
by bridge lovers that the paper should
cover major bridge events. Now, bridge
is being downgraded further, in favor of
Sudoku.

What the hell is Sudoku? Does it have
the cognitive complexity and general appeal
of mind-games like chess, bridge and
crossword?

Ashok

[Eric Kehr]

Ashok wrote:

[SNIP]

Post by Ashok
What the hell is Sudoku? Does it have
the cognitive complexity and general appeal
of mind-games like chess, bridge and
crossword?

It doesn't have the cognitive complexity of those pastimes, and hence it
has much greater general appeal.

Eric Kehr

[alvin]

The New York Post (not related to the Washington Post) carries both
Sudoku and Stewart (though his daily column has no by-line). Stewart
fans - let us restore his column to Washington DC, and get him his
by-line in New York.

Alvin P. Bluthman
***@aol.com

[w***@yahoo.com]

Post by Ashok
My day used to begin with picking up the
Washington Post and opening the Style
section that customarily carried the
bridge column by Frank Stewart next to
the funnies. It has been some time now,
a daily Sudoku appears in that space.
One has to look around the entire Style
section to locate the bridge column, and
one can't be sure that there is one.
For reasons best known the strategists
at the paper, they have decided that
one doesn't need bridge on Saturdays.
For years, the Post has resisted appeals
by bridge lovers that the paper should
cover major bridge events. Now, bridge
is being downgraded further, in favor of
Sudoku.
What the hell is Sudoku? Does it have
the cognitive complexity and general appeal
of mind-games like chess, bridge and
crossword?
Ashok

Sudoku isn't as competitive or as complex as chess or bridge. It
resembles crossword in that it can be DONE in the newspaper and not
simply written about in the newspaper. I don't find it appealing.
However, the day when bridge columns in daily papers are a thing of the
past is coming and I doubt that anything can be done about it.

Will in New Haven

--

"Phil's last book was called _Play Poker like the Pros_ his next book
should be called _Cry Like a Baby_" -Norman Chad

[Steve]

Post by w***@yahoo.com
However, the day when bridge columns in daily papers are a thing of the
past is coming and I doubt that anything can be done about it.

The Seattle Times dropped their bridge column, but reinstated it after
an organized email campaign from local bridge groups.


=====================

Marriage is very much like a birthday candle,
in that the flames of passion burn brightest
when the wick of intimacy is first ignited
by the disposable butane lighter of physical attraction,
but sooner or later, the heat of familiarity
causes the wax of boredom
to drip all over the vanilla frosting of novelty
and the shredded coconut of romance.

...Dave Barry

[Frances]

Post by w***@yahoo.com

Post by Ashok
My day used to begin with picking up the
Washington Post and opening the Style
section that customarily carried the
bridge column by Frank Stewart next to
the funnies. It has been some time now,
a daily Sudoku appears in that space.
One has to look around the entire Style
section to locate the bridge column, and
one can't be sure that there is one.
For reasons best known the strategists
at the paper, they have decided that
one doesn't need bridge on Saturdays.
For years, the Post has resisted appeals
by bridge lovers that the paper should
cover major bridge events. Now, bridge
is being downgraded further, in favor of
Sudoku.
What the hell is Sudoku? Does it have
the cognitive complexity and general appeal
of mind-games like chess, bridge and
crossword?
Ashok

Sudoku isn't as competitive or as complex as chess or bridge. It
resembles crossword in that it can be DONE in the newspaper and not
simply written about in the newspaper. I don't find it appealing.
However, the day when bridge columns in daily papers are a thing of the
past is coming and I doubt that anything can be done about it.
Will in New Haven

The Saturday Telegraph in the UK dropped their bridge column in favour
of a poker column, but restored it after complaints from readers.

Post by w***@yahoo.com
--
"Phil's last book was called _Play Poker like the Pros_ his next book
should be called _Cry Like a Baby_" -Norman Chad

[Adam Beneschan]

Post by Ashok
What the hell is Sudoku? Does it have
the cognitive complexity and general appeal
of mind-games like chess, bridge and
crossword?

No, but it's arguable that most of the hands presented in Stewart's
column don't have much cognitive complexity either.

The Los Angeles Times carries both Sudoku and Stewart's column. Sudoku
is just a logic puzzle. I do it sometimes, pretty much just to kill
time---usually they require just a small amount of thought, but
recently I did run into a puzzle that my wife couldn't solve (she
usually has no problem with them), and I ended up having to copy the
diagram onto a separate sheet of paper so that I could try filling in
various numbers to see which ones worked and which ones didn't. I do
read Stewart's column, although perhaps about half his columns are
based on themes I've seen so many times that doing the Sudoku is a
bigger challenge than figuring out the point of the bridge column. As
for the crosswords, I don't even do those any more except on
Saturday---it's too easy the rest of the week.

Whatever. YMMV. But if my impression is correct that they've only
dropped the column on Saturdays, you shouldn't complain too much. By
the way, we've got something called the Internet now---aren't there any
daily bridge columns available somewhere on the 'net that could satisfy
your bridge needs even on Saturday?

-- Adam

[Mitch Edelman]

Post by Adam Beneschan

Post by Ashok
What the hell is Sudoku? Does it have
the cognitive complexity and general appeal
of mind-games like chess, bridge and
crossword?

No, but it's arguable that most of the hands presented in Stewart's
column don't have much cognitive complexity either.
The Los Angeles Times carries both Sudoku and Stewart's column. Sudoku
is just a logic puzzle. I do it sometimes, pretty much just to kill
time---usually they require just a small amount of thought, but
recently I did run into a puzzle that my wife couldn't solve (she
usually has no problem with them), and I ended up having to copy the
diagram onto a separate sheet of paper so that I could try filling in
various numbers to see which ones worked and which ones didn't. I do
read Stewart's column, although perhaps about half his columns are
based on themes I've seen so many times that doing the Sudoku is a
bigger challenge than figuring out the point of the bridge column. As
for the crosswords, I don't even do those any more except on
Saturday---it's too easy the rest of the week.
Whatever. YMMV. But if my impression is correct that they've only
dropped the column on Saturdays, you shouldn't complain too much. By
the way, we've got something called the Internet now---aren't there any
daily bridge columns available somewhere on the 'net that could satisfy
your bridge needs even on Saturday?
-- Adam

the fact that the Post (to which I have subscribed for what seems like
a century) has elected to replace the bridge column with a numeric
crossword puzzle is annoying. If I want to solve these things, I will
just write a program to do it ('taint hard to do).

Doesnt matter that Stewart's column is not a challenging as, say,
Truscott's. I want my bridge column IN THE DAMN PAPER - where I can
read it with my morning coffee, and especially on Saturday, when I
don't want to go to the trouble of looking online for bridge columns.

Grumpily yours,

Mitch Edelman

[Woodsey]

Check it out www.sudoku.com/

It is a good exercise in logic. Not worth replacing a bridge column.
However more people will read it since bridge seems to be a dying game
for us old people. I am going to have my bridge cards and books buried
with me when I die. Bridge will be gone.

How Sad!

[w***@yahoo.com]

Post by Woodsey
Check it out www.sudoku.com/
It is a good exercise in logic. Not worth replacing a bridge column.
However more people will read it since bridge seems to be a dying game
for us old people. I am going to have my bridge cards and books buried
with me when I die. Bridge will be gone.
How Sad!

Only in the U.S. and only to the extent that "gone' means much smaller.


So it goes.

Will in New Haven

[Gerben Dirksen]

Post by Ashok
My day used to begin with picking up the
Washington Post and opening the Style
section that customarily carried the
bridge column by Frank Stewart next to
the funnies. It has been some time now,
a daily Sudoku appears in that space.
One has to look around the entire Style
section to locate the bridge column, and
one can't be sure that there is one.
For reasons best known the strategists
at the paper, they have decided that
one doesn't need bridge on Saturdays.
For years, the Post has resisted appeals
by bridge lovers that the paper should
cover major bridge events. Now, bridge
is being downgraded further, in favor of
Sudoku.
What the hell is Sudoku? Does it have
the cognitive complexity and general appeal
of mind-games like chess, bridge and
crossword?
Ashok

Now after 13 years also the Bridge column by Jan van Cleeff in the
Dutch newspaper NRC makes way for Sudoku. What is the world coming to?

Gerben

[Adam Beneschan]

Post by Gerben Dirksen
Now after 13 years also the Bridge column by Jan van Cleeff in the
Dutch newspaper NRC makes way for Sudoku. What is the world coming to?

I wouldn't worry. Bridge has been around for decades and isn't going
to be slayed by a passing fad this quickly. Check back in a couple
years---you'll probably hear people saying "SudoWHAT?? Is that
anything like Tae Kwan Do?"

-- Adam