For people who may have always had a secret wish to learn how to play bridge, this is the chance.
A class called Beginner Bridge will start next month at NWT Centennial Library.
"I think anybody can learn how to play," said Tatiana Petrov, a program librarian and one of the instructors for Beginner Bridge. "Certainly, you start at a basic level and then you just go from there."
She said the class – which will begin on the evening of Nov. 22 and run every Thursday for five weeks – will start with the absolute basics.
"It will be starting right at the beginning assuming one knows nothing about it and just going from there," she said. "As with anything, sometimes even when you are a player, when you go back to basics you become a better player. And that's often the way it is."
Petrov said the goal is that people will learn the basics and then begin forming their own groups to play the game.
"I think one of the biggest reasons I got involved also was being new to Hay River I wanted to meet new people and this is a nice way for people coming into the community to meet new people and start building a social life here," she said.
Petrov and Bonnie Webb will be the instructors.
One of the participants will be Marny Twigge.
"Bridge can be extremely competitive," she noted. "I mean you can play it for money. But you can play it like we do. Just for fun."
Twigge, who learned how to play bridge when she was in junior high in Edmonton, said the players in Hay River are a fun group and very welcoming.
"When we play, we tend to help each other out, too," she added.
Petrov has been playing since she was 10 or 11 years old, having learned while watching her parents and their friends play the game when she was growing up in Montreal.
She noted bridge is one of the most popular card games in the world.
"It's played worldwide," she said. "It can be super competitive or very casual. We're much more on the casual side."
Petrov plays bridge online with people from numerous countries.
"I think it's very good for the mind and it's good for problem-solving," she said. "It's good for communication between partners. There are many nuances. Once you start, you learn the basics. Then it just gets more and more refined. There is no end to the amount of learning that can occur."
Beginner Bridge at NWT Centennial Library has 12 spots for participants and six were still available as of last week.
The classes are free.