Kaydette Grant (pictured above)
Artist, East Village
Are you playing with friends today?
You don’t come here for friendships, not in this arena. This is competitive bridge. I would say about 70 percent of the people out there are playing with people who are like pros. If you want a friend, go to church. You ain’t going to find no friends here!
You mentioned that you made your headpiece and skirt.
Yes, I’m an artist, and I was a vendor on the streets of New York for 40 years. I made pocketbooks, floral crowns, and a line of children’s clothes. I make stuff. I’m like a Suzy Homemaker. And a perfect wife.
Mike Lipkin
Professional bridge player, Brooklyn Heights
I’ve heard that bridge is often compared to chess. Why do you think that is?
I wouldn’t compare it to chess at all. Bridge is the only game in which AI is not better than humans — as of now. Chess is an individual game that requires an enormous memory. Bridge is a partnership game, so it’s more like doubles tennis than chess.
Dora Kooby
Retiree, Upper East Side
Richard Kassar
Retiree, Upper East Side
Dan Rothstein
Retiree, Upper East Side
Marjorie Lesch
Attorney, Upper East Side
Is the setting here competitive?
Only if you’re competitive. I always say it’s a game, not a religion. But I am competitive. We all are because we’re all accomplished people.
Barbara Bernard
Retiree, Upper West Side
Jeff Bayone
Bridge-club manager, Astoria
How did you start playing?
The best chess player on the team in college started playing bridge, and when I asked him, “What are you doing playing bridge?” he said, “Well, it’s every bit as complex and intricate and beautifully designed as chess. And there’s girls.”
Yasmine Guenancia
Real-estate broker, Hell’s Kitchen
Barbara Kimmel
Retired teacher, Upper West Side
Lynne Halliday
Playwright and producer, Upper West Side
Melanie Tucker
Retiree, Upper East Side
Barrie Tankel
Retiree, Riverdale
What’s the most memorable game you’ve played?
About six or seven years ago, I played a game here with a new partner who I was told was fairly average. There were about a hundred tables. Not only did we win our section but we got the highest score in the room. That, for me, was amazing.
Joan Kestenbaum
Retired teacher, Gramercy Park
Serge Budzyn
Retiree, Pleasantville
Are people playing for money?
We’re not competing for money today. Maybe in Las Vegas they do, but it’s not legal in New York — well, I don’t know the legality. I have to get back to my game.
Richard Weissman
Retiree, Gramercy Park
Mindy Fine Fleder
Certified public accountant, Upper East Side
Alan Davidson
Software engineer, Harlem
Shlomit Rind
Bridge teacher, Midtown East
Any rivalries here at the club?
Rivalry? Well, this is a very competitive game; this is life and death. People get divorced over this. In bridge, you have a partner, somebody to blame for your mistakes.
Photographs by Frankie Alduino
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If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the January 26, 2026, issue of
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If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the January 26, 2026, issue of
New York Magazine.