Diamond Bridge: Locally Made Board Game

Come play Diamond Bridge at the Forbes Library in the Community Room on Monday, May 24th at 7pm. Free and open to the public. (Pictured here: Andy Grant holding his locally made board game, Diamond Bridge)

If you’ve ever dreamed about creating a board game and then decided it’s not possible to compete with Milton Bradley, take heart. Andy Grant, who moved to the Pioneer Valley a few years ago, not only created Diamond Bridge, he also had it produced…yes…locally…by the United Paper Box Company in Holyoke, MA.

Andy and friends will demonstrate how this fascinating game is played at several local gatherings, including the Forbes Library in Northampton on Monday, May 24th, to which you’re invited as a participant or an onlooker.

Diamond Bridge is a strategic board game for two to four players ages 8 and up. Andy Grant explains that, “Diamond Bridge is in the lineage of a game invented by Piet Hein in 1942 at the University of Copenhagen. In 1948, a similar game was introduced at Princeton University by John Nash, a Nobel Laureate mathematician and subject of the book, A Beautiful Mind. Reading a description in the book inspired me to make a board to play at home with my children.

The board has a diamond-shaped grid, four corner pits and gems of two colors. Users say, “It’s Zen-like.” “The blue and green remind me of flowing water.” “It doesn’t take a lot of instruction. The learning happens as you play the game.”

“In recent years, I developed a series of prototypes and an updated set of rules based on extensive play testing. My box design and name, Diamond Bridge, reflect a core strategy of visualizing diamond shapes to span across the board. The game concept is basic-players try to bridge sides of their color. It’s fun to play ‘right out of the box.’ For the serious player the complexity of Diamond Bridge soon becomes apparent. Mastering the game requires a sense of balance, spatial reasoning and sustained focus. Enjoy!”

Come play Diamond Bridge at the Forbes Library in Northampton, MA on Monday, May 24th at 7pm. This program is free and open to the public and will meet in the Community Room.