A look back at the January Bridge Cup!
Summary:
A final four worthy of the event
Discover our exclusive interview with Hervé Huntz, aka Huhe
A top-class competition!
Thousands of players, only one winner. The latest edition of the Bridge Cup kept all its promises. For several days, the competition pitted bridge players from all over the world against each other in a knockout format, where each game could be the last.
With 2,030 participants from France, Great Britain, Norway and the United States, the tournament once again proved its attractiveness. 🌍 Round after round, players battled it out, pushing their limits in the hope of claiming the highly coveted title of this BP500 tournament.
What were the highlights of this edition? Who stood out for their play? Let’s take a look back at the key moments and figures from this Bridge Cup. 🏆
A final four worthy of the event
After several rounds of competition, there were only four contenders for the title. Each of them had to show consistency, strategy and sometimes nerves of steel to reach this stage. Here’s a look back at the semifinalists’ outstanding performances.
Among them, Piotr Guzik, aka PiotrusG, stood out for his ability to turn tricky situations around. On a number of occasions, he beat theoretically stronger opponents, winning 8 matches against players with a better average performance than him.
His journey was marked by some close duels, notably in the second round against Canoe Chen. The score was 22-6 in favour of his opponent with 3 deals to go and he managed to turn the tide and eventually won 32-22. A match that illustrates his ability to seize every opportunity right up to the last moment.
Piotrus is also a player who plays with fire… and time! In the third round, his duel ended in a perfect tie, and it was the stopwatch that had to decide between them. He qualified with a lead of just one minute, which shows just how much every second counts in this type of competition.
Among the semifinalists, Livias, whose real name is José Damiani, former President of the World Bridge Federation, brought a special touch to the competition. As a regular player on Funbridge, his participation was closely watched.
José Damiani encountered several obstacles during the tournament. In the quarter-finals, he faced Yoram Aviram, aka Aviram1, ranked 3rd in the BP Live world rankings. An experienced player, Aviram is a former member of the Israeli Junior and Open teams, with several achievements on the national and international scene.
Diligent and methodical, José Damiani, aka Livias, concedes very few points at the end of his matches, which has enabled him to win them. His attacking play was also a major asset during this edition. He played in 5 slams during the tournament, making them all and confirming his experience in making strategic decisions.
Peter Law, aka Newseeker62, nearly won this edition. An experienced player from the UK, he stood out for his talent as a declarer. Frequently on Funbridge podiums, he has already won our Bridge Clash 2 tournament. Throughout the tournament, he made things hard for Argine 11 times and won 82% of his contracts!
His journey was marked by several outstanding duels, including his match against Luc Devocelle in the third round. After conceding one point on the first deal, he quickly reacted. With his pride hurt, he went on to win an impressive 87 points in a row without conceding a single point to his opponent.
In the round of 32, his match was hotly contested, with a total of 93 points scored by the two players. It was an intense encounter, with an average of almost 6 points per deal, illustrating the high level of competition at this Bridge Cup.
Huhe, whose real name is Hervé Huntz, approached this competition with a meticulous strategy. An ace at bidding, he took advantage of every situation to carry out hard-hitting attacks, forcing Argine to commit 17 faults.
With 127 deals opposite the dummy throughout the competition, Huhe demonstrated his expertise as a declarer.
In the quarter-finals, he played a high-flying match against Germany’s Sattes Ullrich, aka R.R. The two players scored 72 points, with an average of more than 4 points per deal!
It’s no coincidence that Huhe has reached this level. He often takes part in major events and even captained the Belgian Open team at the European Bridge Championships in Madeira. For those who want to find out more about his vision of the game and his career, check out his exclusive interview below. 🎙️
Read our exclusive interview with Hervé Huntz, aka Huhe, the big winner of this year’s Bridge Cup!
- Firstly, how did it feel to win this final? Was it a goal you set yourself from the outset?
I took one match at a time without putting any pressure on myself. My initial objective was rather to do better than my Belgian (and French) friends. I’m just happy to have managed my stress! And, of course, happy to have won!
- Can you tell us about your bridge career?
I started playing bridge in Paris at the age of 18, then I moved to Belgium when I was about 24. There I met my wife, who currently plays in the Belgian Women’s team. We have two children and we started a recycling company, which absorbed a great deal of my time and concentration… I continued to play bridge though. I was crowned Champion of Belgium twice in the Teams category and Champion of France once in the Excellence category.
For the last 4 years, I’ve had more time and I’ve become captain of the Belgian Open team. I’ve learned a lot from these champions by being in contact with them, taking part in training sessions and kibitzing them at the European Championships and Bermuda Bowl. I’m also captain of the Belgian Women’s team, and it’s very interesting to see a different vision of bridge. The Women’s team brings a lot of positive emotions. I started playing on BBO because of Covid, then I switched to Funbridge 4 years ago.
- What an incredible journey! 🌟 What was the most memorable or decisive moment for you during this competition?
In the second and fifth rounds, I beat some very good Funbridge players. I believed in my star! But the key moment came in the round of 64. My opponent took the lead when my robot (on the same defence as my opponent) gave a game… I managed to stay focused and I qualified on the last deal, going for grand slam on a finesse 😟 while my opponent was only playing in game… Luck was on my side.
- Do you regularly participate in Funbridge tournaments? What are your favourite game modes and what do you like most about these formats?
IMP tournaments are my favourites. But I also play a lot of MP tournaments. I particularly enjoy watching the bids and card play of those who have performed afterwards. Of course, trying to beat my friends in a tournament is a plus. I don’t really enjoy challenges anymore, they are too short for me (5 deals).
- If you had to give one piece of advice to future Bridge Cup participants, what would it be?
Don’t grumble, lose concentration or try to make a coup because the “robot” has made a mistake… In general, you’re often the one to blame.
Funbridge faces put to the test
The Bridge Cup saw the participation of many well-known figures from the Funbridge community, including ambassadors, Team Funbridge members and staff members. They were very much involved throughout the tournament, but although only a few of them made it to the end, they all performed well.
Several offered very interesting performances, starting with Vincent Gallais, aka Galesh. As a member of staff and Funbridge R&D engineer, he reached the round of 32, an impressive achievement that was not just down to luck.
Galesh came close to elimination in the fifth round in an intense battle against Spoutnik66. It was a tight duel in which there were plenty of ties: out of 16 deals played, 13 ended in perfectly equal scores between the two opponents. The 14th tie could have gone in Spoutnik66‘s favour as Galesh had just one more deal to win to qualify.
But he was finally beaten by David Bellamy, alias Khalimero41, ranked 122nd in the BP Live rankings. This victory gave Khalimero41 15 Diamonds.
Another member of Funbridge staff taking part in the competition was Boris Plays, Product Manager at Funbridge. Throughout the tournament, he was able to beat opponents with a better average performance than him, scoring three consecutive victories over higher-ranked players.
One of his most remarkable achievements happened in the third round when he faced Giorgio37. Despite a significant difference of almost 10 points in average performance, 52.07% for Boris against 61.51% for Ferdinand Denon, aka Giorgio37, he was able to make the difference and win 23-18. 💪
His great adventure finally came to an end in the fourth round, where he lost 56-1. A tough final duel, but Boris believed in victory right to the end!
As for Team Funbridge, Margaux Kurek-Beaulieu had the best journey at the Bridge Cup. Used to major competitions, she put her experience to good use by reaching the fifth round, a remarkable performance in such a tough tournament.
Her precise and rigorous play was visible throughout the competition. One of the highlights of her performance was that out of 13 deals on the lead, she didn’t lose a single trick!
Other members of Team Funbridge were also present for this edition. Among them, Ronald Goor, Nachiketa Muthuswamy and Ella Rosthøj, three new faces in the team, all reached the third round. A promising first appearance for these players, who will no doubt continue to reach the top in future competitions.
Nachiketa Muthuswamy
Ella Rosthøj
Ronald Goor
Suspense à la carte: the key moments of this edition
The Bridge Cup was a competition full of surprises! As is often the case with this type of event, each match offered its share of unforgettable moments, and this edition was no exception. We have summarised all the matches, deals and essential information to capture the essence of this competition.
- One of the notable facts of this edition was the number of perfect ties, with 25 cases where the players’ fate was decided by time by a hair’s breadth.
- A special mention to Rutger Van Mechelen, aka Ilfuego, Pascal Petit, aka ppp78, and presid, who all won the most contracts in the competition, namely 13. An unfortunate number for some, but one that brought them luck during this event! 🍀
Let’s move on to the most remarkable matches of this edition, those that saw players with notable performances go head-to-head.
A gala match ⭐
In the round of 64, Fabrice Noilhan, aka Fabno, faced Jan Langøy, aka longisland1. The level of this match was incredible. With an average performance of 73% for Fabno and 63% for longisland1, the two players put on a high-quality show. The match finally ended in a perfect 19-19 draw after a particularly close contest.
A duel between Bridge Points rankings aficionados!
In the third round, Yoram Aviram, aka Aviram1, (3rd in the BP Live rankings) took on Vidar Engenes, aka Nopaleon (8th in the BP live rankings). This eagerly-awaited duel pitted Aviram1 against Nopaleon, two of the tournament’s top players. The match was very close, with Aviram1 winning 23-22, a small but decisive difference.
David beats Goliath 👏
Kazaa played brilliantly against Bloedi in the round of 64 in what at first sight appeared to be a one-sided duel. With an average performance of 48%, well below his opponent’s 67%, he didn’t start out as the favourite. However, he was able to impose his play and win 27-14 to advance to the next round. In the round of 32, he then faced the eventual winner, Huhe, an encounter that would mark the end of his journey.
A real basketball match! 🏀
This match was one of the most exciting of the competition. In the fifth round, Julien Clement, aka Jujux, took on BudapestXavier. The two players scored 114 points, with an impressive average of 7 points per deal. Their encounter was marked by 4 grand slams, adding a spectacular touch to it.
A historic comeback 📈
In his second round match, Frances Dillistone aka dillyd was leading 43-6 opposite Yves Charbit with 4 deals to go. But the latter did not give up and started a spectacular comeback. His lead on the last deal was decisive, allowing him to regain control in extremis. In the end, he won 44-43, one of the greatest remontadas of the competition.
Thank you to all the participants!
This year’s Bridge Cup was once again a success, thanks to you. Your performances, commitment and passion set the pace for this competition and offered some memorable matches. ⚔️
We would love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. What did you think of this edition? What were your favourite moments? And of course, tell us what you thought of this article.
See you soon for more competitions on Funbridge!
Wonderful blog to review. Saved on my laptop for reference!
Wonderful summary-very interesting moments to read about!