Editorial

Dear reader,

Since we learned how to play bridge, 45 years ago, we breathed bridge. We played, talked about it afterwards, ruined many parties discussing deals, and we read. Learner’s books at first, but they were quickly replaced by the classics of Kantar, Kelsey, Lawrence, Mollo, Rubens, and many more. And magazines of course! The house we lived in, with four university students, had subscriptions to International Popular Bridge Monthly, The Bridge World, and the Dutch Bridge League magazine. And when we had Swedish friends over, they brought copies of the Bridge Tidningen. It inspired us to become writers and editors ourselves, first of our club magazine, later of IMP, the magazine that had its first issue in 1990.

We miss the bridge magazines of 40 years ago! Where did all these great titles go? Many disappeared the last 20 years, but the saddest moment came when last year The Bridge World ceased to exist. Bridge as a sport is struggling, at least in the Netherlands, which is one factor. Competition of social media undoubtedly is another. However, we do believe there must be sufficient interest in an English-language magazine. In the old-fashioned style, as a magazine; but in digital form, so it’s also readable on your phone in the train.

This demo issue is intended to give you a flavor of the magazine we would like to make. Below you will find a short description of wat we have in mind. We are very interested in your opinion, as a writer, editor, bridge executive, or reader: does such a magazine have a chance? Wat kind of articles should it offer? Wat is the best frequency? Will people be willing to pay for it, and if yes, how much?

For now, we hope you will enjoy the articles!

Guus, Huub, Marcel and Gabriella

Bridge Magazine IMP (www.imp-bridge.nl) is a Dutch language magazine that appears with a frequency of eight times a year. We are contemplating an English-language version, to appear initially six to eight times per year, with approximately 48 A4-size pages. Distribution will be digital-only; to print and distribute locally is an option that is worth exploring.

Content will be a mix of tournament reports, coverage of national competitions in various countries, technical articles, quizzes, interviews and entertainment. There will be plenty of photos and there will be ample room for advertisements.

The magazine will be readable both in traditional magazine format, and in ‘text-only’ mode. The latter mode, using a browser, allows multimedia as well as interaction between reader and content.

If we believe Bridge Magazine IMP stands a chance, we will publish the first issue in the autumn of 2026.