An exciting Round 2 (News of 21 November) – Bridge Cup diary
Summary:
Let’s go! – News of 19 November
Day 1: First eliminations! – News of 20 November
Day 2: An exciting Round 2 – News of 21 November
Let’s go!
News of 19 November
The first ever Bridge Points knock-out tournament has begun! 🥳
1,378 participants have the opportunity to stock up on Bridge Points thanks to this BP500 tournament (x5 multiplier coefficient). Will we see any upheavals in the Live rankings at the end of this event?
Top players participate
The best players in the Live rankings compete in the Bridge Cup with the aim of consolidating a position or trying to gain a few places:
Roelof Van Lopik remains untouchable at the top of the Live rankings with 5,824 points but is not missing any opportunity to consolidate his lead.
Our Ambassador Dominique Fonteneau (username: domineau) is currently second with 3,028 points but the cavalry is pushing behind him!
Michael Staub (3rd), nao7 (5th), FatOrange (6th) and superdario (9th) have every intention of shaking up the hierarchy…
Among the regulars at the top of Funbridge events, we note the presence of Pikarek, recent winner of the Halloween tournament, and Bono Lee, who regularly rises to the top of the rankings.
Familiar faces among the participants
Funbridge Ambassadors Jérôme Rombaut, Dominique Fonteneau aka domineau, Milan Macura are in the game. Beating them allows you to pocket 100 additional Diamonds!
Léo Rombaut (username: Lélé) will represent Team Funbridge in this tournament. The last winner of the mixed tournament at the Pula festival will sell his skin dearly. 100 additional Diamonds will fill the pocket of the bridge player who manages to eliminate him.
Also Funbridge Staff members like Galesh, Valootin, Boris Plays, Pierre DREULLE, Jo De La Vega… If you face them and beat them, you win 15 additional Diamonds!
A circle in the colours of Funbridge surrounds the profile photo of the heads at stake.
We should also note the participation of Alexis Maugat (username: _Alexis), Argine’s father, and Aviram1 who regularly publishes on the Funbridge blog.
Good luck to all participants and see you tomorrow for the results of the first round, undoubtedly the scene of great clashes and the very first surprises of the tournament… ⚔️
Day 1: First eliminations!
News of 20 November
The first phase of the elimination tournament wrapped up yesterday, and what an intense round it was!
Numerous matches were decided by razor-thin margins, with players going all out to secure their place in the next stage. Funbridge ambassadors Jérôme Rombaut, Luc Bellicaud, and Dominique Fonteneau successfully navigated this round, showcasing their trademark excellence ⚔️
But the competition remains wide open! Léo Rombaut, representing Team Funbridge, and our staff member Boris Plays are also still in the running.
The next phase promises even more excitement!
When David Beats Goliath
Some players have shaken up the tournament by eliminating Funbridge’s household names.
A prime example: Vincent Gallais, known as “Galesh” and a proud member of the Funbridge staff, stumbled at the first hurdle. He bowed out with a narrow 23-27 loss to Michel Flandin. A tough blow for someone accustomed to deep elimination runs.
Meanwhile, Richard McCordo made a statement with a resounding 62-31 victory over Milan Macura, showing once again that this competition is full of surprises.
These performances hint at thrilling twists to come. The players who pulled off these upsets have proven they can disrupt predictions, setting the stage for an unpredictable tournament.
Stay tuned, the drama is far from over! 😁
Edge-of-Your-Seat Matches: When Every Point Matters
In this elimination tournament, even the smallest mistake can be costly. Many matches were decided by the narrowest of margins, keeping players on edge. While some top players received byes in the first round, those who competed gave it their all.
One standout matchup came right out of the draw: Johan Bergström versus Aymeric Lebatteux. These elite players delivered a thrilling duel, with the Swedish star edging out a hard-fought 29-20 victory.
Tight contests were the theme of the day. Seven matches ended in perfect ties, forcing a decision by time.
A record!
More than the scoreline, it was their ability to seize every opportunity at the right time that made the difference in securing their places in the second round.
Perhaps the cruelest outcome came in the battle between Antonia Zeman and Marc Grandemange. After a 29-29 tie, the Chilean player advanced by finishing just 35 minutes faster than her French opponent.
Many top contenders from the Bridge Points Circuit were in action, and for the most part, the favorites delivered.
Although Bertrand Kaczmarek, a top 10 player, bowed out gracefully, the other stars shone brightly :
Michael Staub, ranked in the global top 5, left no doubt with a dominant 64-8 victory over Gilles Hourquet. Similarly, Timour Khachtchevatsky dispatched Jean-Michel Perrin with a crushing 50-2 scoreline.
With the strongest players now advancing, every match takes on added significance.
The stakes are rising, and the next rounds promise intense battles .
The remaining players have already proven their mettle, and this tournament is far from done delivering surprises. Stay glued to the action, it’s only going to get better! 🔥
Day 2: An exciting second round!
News of 21 November
The Bridge Cup continues with the second round of competition. The survivors of the first round have again 24 hours to make the best of 16 deals.
Different fates for the leaders of the Live ranking
They qualify for the 3rd round of the Bridge Cup 🥳:
Roelof van Lopik (1st in the world ranking)
Dominique Fonteneau aka domineau (2nd)
Eric Zerbib aka legascon (4th)
FatOrange (5th)
Nao Tabata aka nao7 (6th) – Opponent did not played.
Błachnio Dariusz aka superdario (9th)
Timour Khachtchevatsky aka Timour (10th)
End of the path for two top 10 players 😥:
Danish player Michael Staub (3rd) lost by a single point against Canadian Stephen Kwan aka Skwan (38th)
Raymond Tseng (7th) loses to Gilles Péré aka 8252
Ambassadors, Team Funbridge, Staff Funbridge: who is still in qualified?
End of tournament for our ambassador Jérôme Rombaut who lost to Jacques Fraisse aka velay who pockets 100 additional Diamonds for this performance!
Luck had chosen its side in the Rombaut family: Léo aka Lélé (Team Funbridge) did not have to worry about an absent player. Boris Plays (Staff Funbridge) also made it to the 3rd round: who will manage to eliminate him to pocket 15 additional Diamonds?
We are thrilled by their tournament
Richard McCordo (848th), who surprisingly defeated our ambassador Milan Macura in the first round, continues the adventure.
Unfortunately, this is not the same for laurence88 (1,483rd). The player who defeated Bertrand Kaczmarek aka serogan (8th) in the first round did not repeat her feat against Austrian player Vlatko Angelov aka VlaAut (126th).
Our bridge player/blogger Yoram Aviram aka Aviram1 (15th) made it to the 3rd round by defeating Mats Larsson aka Matsiponken.
Argine’s father, Alexis Maugat aka _Alexis, also qualified.
Raymond Jensen. (61st in the world), player of the Elite series and very regularly well ranked in the big tournaments on Funbridge, also passes the 2nd round. We also have the pleasure of finding the Taiwanese champion Bono Lee in the 3rd round.
Again, very close matches
Several matches were the scene of epic clashes where 1 or 2 points ended up making the difference:
And as in Round 1, the clock had to decide between perfect ties:
Beware of the bridge player/sniper
Finally, let’s end on a funny note: have you noticed the presence of James BOND among the participants? He added tadlaoui to his list of conquests during the second round. Be careful if you come across him: this player seems as comfortable with cards as with his arsenal of spy gadgets.
