Macon Magazine

30 maconmagazine.com | December 2025/January 2026 BY EMORY WHITAKER Laughter, leadership, and luck have all helped this card game club survive. Y E A R S O F M A C O N D U P L I C A T E B R I D G E C L U B What is duplicate bridge? The card game traces its origins back to the 16th century with the development of trick-taking games such as whist. In its modern form, Contract Bridge is widely considered one of the most challenging card games, with its complexity and strategic depth making it compelling. In the 1950s and '60s, bridge was almost ubiquitous, with estimates that around 45% of households in the U.S. played the game. College campuses were a hotbed, and the game probably caused many students to have lower grades because of their addiction. Bridge was just as popular in Macon as it was elsewhere. In 1949, a women's bridge club and a men's bridge club joined forces to form the Macon Duplicate Bridge Club (MDBC). The form of Contract Bridge known as Duplicate Bridge offers even greater challenges because contestants all play the same hands, and your score is determined by how your result compares with others who played the same hand as you. The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) is an organization of duplicate bridge players in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. The ACBL awards masterpoints to players who are successful in bridge clubs sanctioned by the organization. It also sanctions tournaments where members can win even more points. Players who win 500 masterpoints are awarded the prestigious title of Life Master. Macon's hand is dealt In 1950, the MDBC applied for and received a sanction from the ACBL. This year, the MDBC celebrates its 75th anniversary as a sanctioned club. The first president of the MDBC was E.L. Jennings. By 1952, club membership had grown to 55 players. MDBC met every Tuesday night at the YWCA, averaging eight tables a night. The club held its first City Championship Tournament in 1951 at the Hotel Dempsey. The second tournament was in 1953 at the Hotel Lanier. Many out-of-town guests attended, including Margaret Wagar of Atlanta, the third- ranked woman player in the nation. My wife and I moved to Macon in 1970, and one of the first things we did was join the MDBC. At that time, the club was meeting at the American Legion M I L E S T O N E M O M E N T S 7 5 Photos courtesy of Macon Duplicate Bridge Club.

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