A High Court judge in the U.K. has declared that the card game, Bridge, may be considered a sport.

If the brain is a muscle, it [may satisfy the definition of sport]. You are doing more physical activity playing Bridge, with all that dealing and playing, than in rifle shooting… There are a number of physical activities, such as running on a treadmill in a gym, which are physical recreation but not sports.

The question of whether a card game should be considered a sport is the subject of a case initiated by the English Bridge Union against Sport England. The latter, a government agency responsible for disbursing lottery grants to non-professional sporting groups, had refused to recognize mind sports as “physical activity aimed a improving physical fitness and well being, forming social relations and gaining results in competition at all levels.”

The judge, however, disagreed, possibly enabling the English Bridge Union to obtain public funding for tournaments.

[via Daily Mail]

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The New Zealand Festival of MindSports runs Friday through Sunday, February 28th-March 2nd, in Thames. The event features Bridge, pub trivia, Chess, miniature war games, Draughts, Scrabble, Mahjong, Backgammon, Magic: The Gathering, Sudoku, Dungeons & Dragons, Poker, Snooker, and Blackjack. A registration fee of $15 covers entry in to all events.

Medals will be awarded in a MiniPentamind tournament for players that accumulate points playing Backgammon, Chess, Draughts, Mahjong, Scrabble, and Bridge.

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