October 1, 2009
Fifth Chair launches redesigned Bridge web site!

Today the Fifth Chair Foundation launched a jazzy new website designed to help bridge learners and bridge teachers with the education process with plenty of content to help more experienced players improve their game!

Built by the inventive folks at Rock Paper Scissors Creative Media in Washington State, the new site is vibrant with color and original artwork. It contains the content from the organization’s former version of the site along with some new offerings. Fresh content will continue to be added. And, players can now follow FifthChair on the Twitter networking site – http://twitter.com/FifthChair – with the most recent “tweets” also showing up on the new Fifth Chair website’s home page.

First organized in the mid-1990s, Fifth Chair’s interest in attracting new players to a game that has challenged, intrigued and entertained people since the early 16th Century –
when it was known as whist in England – is evident throughout the new site. The bold design, whimsical art and amusing bridge quotes that rotate at the bottom of each page combine to convey a sense of the fun to be had at the bridge table!

One early visitor to the new website, writer Johanna Harness, commented, “Wow! That's so inviting and fun! You take the intimidation out of bridge and make me want to learn!”

“We’re thrilled with our new look and hope learners, teachers and more advanced players will visit the website and take a look around. They’re sure to find useful materials and information to help them learn, teach or improve their game,” said Marcia West, President of the Fifth Chair Foundation.

As it has always been, all aspects of the Fifth Chair website are free and teachers are welcome to send students to the site’s Bridge School to use the Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC) lessons and follow-up quizzes. Teachers will also find the collection of files available on various Bridge topics in the site’s Archive useful in their teaching efforts.

Learners will find help throughout the site - from the Jargon Glossary, which explains those confusing Bridge acronyms and lingo, to the educational files in the Archive collection, to the Ask Anything feature which they can use to submit a bridge question to an experienced player and receive an answer via email.

More advanced players will find plenty to catch their interest as well and are invited to participate by volunteering to mentor a novice, contribute content to the Archives or fill available volunteer positions.

The work of the Fifth Chair is supported entirely by grants and individual donations.