PHOTOS:  Warren Buffett Plays Bridge (With an Audience)

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Each year at the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting, Warren Buffett makes a point of sitting down to play his favorite game, contract bridge, before an audience of shareholders.

That happened earlier today (Sunday), as part of "Borsheims Shopping Day." Shareholders get brunch and the run of the place to use their discounts. (Borsheims is a high-end jewelry store owned by Berkshire.)

Several tables are also set-up for bridge playing, which continues throughout the day.

Just before heading to his afternoon news conference with Charlie Munger (Live Blog Archive), Buffett came by to play for about 45 minutes with his long-time bridge partner, Sharon Osberg, who is an international champion. (She's sitting opposite Buffett.)

Buffett really likes bridge. (See the WBW Post from last February: Warren Buffett Says Playing Bridge Theoretically More Interesting Than Naked Woman.) He and Bill Gates helped create the School Bridge League, which encourages elementary and middle schools to use the game as a teaching tool.

Gates, who often plays bridge online with Buffett, sometimes plays with Buffett in person at the shareholders meeting. This year, he showed up, but arrived after Buffett had left.

I had departed for the news conference, too, so I didn't get any photos of Gates. I did, however, take some photographs while Buffett played.

Click Continued to see them ...

BUFFETT'S ARRIVAL

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BUFFETT'S ARRIVAL

Anytime he's out in public during shareholders weekend, there are generally a lot of people with cameras.

AT THE TABLE

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AT THE TABLE

Buffett and his bridge companions did a lot of smiling and laughing during their game.

LISTENING IN

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LISTENING IN

A CNBC microphone records the sounds of the game for Monday night's Billionaire Next Door: All Accessspecial.

KEEPING SCORE

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KEEPING SCORE

The results of each hand were recorded in a long, black notebook. No word on who, if anyone, won.

SPECTATOR SPORT

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SPECTATOR SPORT

Just a few of the hundreds of shareholders who watched and photographed the action.

BUFFETT ON BRIDGE'S BUSINESS LESSONS

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BUFFETT ON BRIDGE'S BUSINESS LESSONS

"You have to look at all the facts. You have to draw inferences from what you've seen, what you've heard. You have to discard improper theories about what the hand had as more evidence comes in." (CBS)

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