Since at least the 16th century, people have played cards. In the Middle East, a game called "Biritch" was popular, and Russians were fond of its counterpart "Whist."

In the United States, those trick-taking games evolved into bridge, still held dear by many enthusiasts.

Although television and other forms of technology have begun to displace playing cards as a means of entertainment, groups continue to play bridge.

"I like puzzles, and each bridge hand is like two different puzzles," said Alex Bealles of Butler, who plays with the Butler Duplicate Bridge Club. The club hosts Thursday games at the Congregation B'nai Abraham synagogue on North Main Street.

Affiliated with the American Contract Bridge League, the club's events draw between 20 and 30 players, although league membership isn't required to play and faces change from week to week.

Although the league remains popular, Bealles said membership trends have changed since he joined 15 years ago. "I'd say it's been shrinking," he noted. "In the last seven years, it's gone down maybe eight to 12 people."

Similarly, The Timbers Bridge Club has seen a decline over time. Beginning close to 40 years ago as a neighborhood club in Center Township, the group consists mainly of residents in the Timberly Heights and Timberidge subdivisions.

Although bridge nights once included concurrent games at three different homes, the club now includes 16 people instead of 24 — occupying two houses instead of three.

"I think there just aren't that many bridge players," said Lorraine Shoemaker, a longtime member whose late father also played in the club. "The younger players just aren't playing bridge like we did when we were young."

Although Shoemaker learned to play from her parents, bridge lessons were also once available at the YMCA. Bealles, 40, learned to play in college, where bridge leagues were once popular.

As with the Butler Duplicate Bridge Club, senior citizens comprise much of The Timbers membership. "We have some couples in their 50s, some in their 80s — quite a few in the 60 age bracket," Shoemaker said.

Because many of the same club members have been gathering for decades, Shoemaker cited friendship along with the game's challenges and good-natured competition as benefits of playing. "I think (it's) just the joy of interacting with people and developing those friendships throughout the years," she said. "It's just something that you really enjoy doing."

Joan McDonald of Center Township, who belongs to a women's club that meets in the homes of its nine members, agreed.

Her club, which has no official name, has been meeting for more than 50 years. Unlike some clubs, membership numbers have remained stable, with some players present since the beginning.

"We would meet at 8 p.m.," McDonald said of the early years, which required the women to be home with children during the day. "As we got older, we changed it to the afternoon."

"We got older and afraid to drive," joked Elsie O'Brien of Butler. "(We) couldn't see as well," agreed Joan Gumpper of Center Township.

With friendship also described as their biggest win, the women said bridge has been challenging enough to hold their interest. "I think bridge intimidates some people," McDonald explained of the game's complexities. "(The game) 500 is, to me, a snap. I like bridge better because it takes some planning."

"It involves psychology. It involves, math and logic," Bealles agreed. "There are billions of different combinations of hands that come up — no matter how many times you play. Every session there will be at least one hand come up that's like nothing I've seen before."

Bealles also said bridge tournaments pair opponents of all levels, not typical in other competitive pastimes.

"If you golf, you're never going to have the opportunity to compete against, say, Tiger Woods. (But) I can go to a bridge tournament. ... I can go to a regional or national tournament, and I can play against the No. 1 player in the world.

"Of course, I'd get soundly beaten, but that's beside the point."

Bealles said he sometimes provides bridge lessons when people inquire through the Butler Duplicate Bridge Club. Lessons are also being offered in April at the Institute for Learning in Retirement at Slippery Rock University, 724-738-1604.