Bridge Cup: a look back at the October edition

Summary

• A high-level autumn tournament
• An exceptional final four
• Exclusive interview with Bloedi
• Staff members, ambassadors and BP top 10 players
• Unusual facts and figures
• Thank you to all participants

A high-level autumn tournament 🍂

The October 2025 Bridge Cup brought together 2,371 bridge players from all over the world—a figure that confirms the growing success of this knockout tournament.

Over several days, players competed in 16-deal duels in an electric atmosphere where the slightest mistake could change everything.

Which matches were the closest? Who did well? Here are the highlights, the decisive deals and an interview with the big winner of this edition! 🌟

An exceptional final four 🏆

🥇 Bloedi – Peter Splettstoesser

International Grand Master, level 59 on Funbridge, Peter Splettstoesser from Germany, aka Bloedi, won this October edition with a precise and thoughtful style of play as well as an absolutely perfect tempo.

On his way to the title, he literally faced a wall of BP Circuit stars: Tidou, Valardent and Pikarek. Despite the very high-level competition, he showed impressive consistency, with an average of 2.11 IMPs scored per deal throughout the tournament—enough to bring even the very best to their knees over time.

🥈 Pikarek – Steven De Donder

Steven De Donder aka Pikarek (World Grand Master, level 60) finished second after a remarkably solid journey.

He is one of the fastest players at the table, averaging just 60 seconds per deal.
Opposite the dummy, this top player conceded only 6 tricks in total vs the double dummy out of 118 deals played, while remaining very combative during the bidding. He reopened 5 times out of 5.

His performance was punctuated by close duels: a 30-26 victory over Aymeric Lebatteux in the round of 32, then a 3 IMP victory over Aramis Aramis—a well-known username among bridge players on Facebook—in the quarter-finals. His consistency in defence and calculated risk-taking strategy led him to the final, where he lost to Bloedi in a high-level match.

🥉 Papa Francesco – José Prete & Valardent – Patrick Bocken

The two players completed the podium with very different but just as spectacular profiles.

• Papa Francesco (José Prete), National Champion (level 32), played a series of high-intensity matches with an impressive average of 2.32 IMPs per deal, proof of his very offensive play. He bid 17 slams (a very high number) and made 11 of them.
  He is also one of the most patient players: he passed 133 times out of 154 deals played, that is one of the highest pass rates in the tournament. His round of 32 match was a real firework with 74 IMPs exchanged, for a final victory… by only 4 points.

• Valardent (Patrick Bocken), Grand Master (level 53), for his part, shone with his technical finesse and very distinctive style. He is one of the players who plays the least in NT, with only a third of his deals in NT. He takes his time to think, around 3 minutes per deal, and is extremely efficient (8.46 tricks on average).
  His tournament was marked by an all-Belgian duel on the 6th round against Alain Labaere, which he won 3-2 after… 13 draws—a match amost impossible to decide!

🎙️ Exclusive interview with Peter Splettstoesser (Bloedi), winner of the Bridge Cup

Peter Splettstoesser is a well-known name in international bridge. He discovered the game at the age of 15 in 1972 and joined the German Juniors team from the start. From 1976 to 2003, he participated in many major tournaments: Olympiads, European Team Championships and World Championships.

His playing record is impressive: finalist in the World Pairs Championships (1978 & 1986), bronze medallist in the European Pairs Championships in 1980, and captain of the German Women’s team.

“I have played for Germany for nearly thirty years, first in the Juniors team and then in the Open category. My best memories? The major championships, of course… But above all, the unique team spirit that bridge creates.”

For several years now, Peter has mainly been playing online. He sees Funbridge as a stimulating playing field:

“A few years ago, there was a tournament reserved for the best players on Funbridge (without Argine). I met Eugene there and we put together a team of Germans and Russians. We still play together today, and the team spirit is fantastic.”

His secret? He respects his partner and enjoys the game:

“My advice is simple: respect your partner. If the decision is not yours, let them make it. Don’t contradict them unnecessarily. That’s the key, quite simply.”

Currently on a cruise on the Atlantic, Peter is keeping a close eye on upcoming competitions, including the eBridge Cup final.

Staff members, ambassadors and BP top 10 players took up the Bridge Cup challenge 🎯

Behind the usernames are many well-known faces from the Funbridge community: staff members, ambassadors and BP top 10 players took up the challenge in the same conditions. Barrois Xavier, Timour, Tidou and Aviram1—all used to the top of the rankings—fought to advance to the last rounds (some reached the 12th!).

As for Funbridge, several familiar faces participated: Jérôme Rombaut (Funbridge staff member & Star) reached the 6th round, and his colleagues Margaux Kurek-Beaulieu, Vincent Gallais, Jo De La Vega and Boris Plays also took part in the event.

Not to mention Funbridge Stars and content creators Milan Macura and Dominique Fonteneau, who played to show the way… or to be gently “jostled” by the community! 😄

Unusual facts and figures from this edition

Beyond the podium, this October Bridge Cup was marked by constant suspense and players coming from all around the globe. Here are a few figures which speak for themselves:

• 2,371 participants from over 40 countries 🌍
• Europe was the most represented continent: France (675 players), Poland (114), Belgium (75), the Netherlands (72), the United States (68), Norway (65), Great Britain (63), Sweden (57), Switzerland (48) and Italy (45).
• 35 matches ended up in perfect ties, decided only by the timer (the player who finished their deals first won).
• 50 matches were played with a difference of just one point—enough to keep more than one bridge player’s heart racing until the very last card!

And for those who like spicy stories, here are a few not-to-be-missed duels:

💥 The match with the most IMPs exchanged: a real marathon full of adrenaline, where the scores soared deal after deal:

It seems that Jujux was already listed in this category in one of the previous editions. He is used to spectacular matches!

⚡ When the outsider creates a surprise: in another memorable duel, the player with the lowest chances on paper still managed to win. The statistics predicted a 65% vs 48.5% average… But the outsider did win.

This proves that nothing is ever written in advance at the Bridge Cup!

These figures, combined with the performances of Bloedi, Pikarek, Papa Francesco, Valardent and many others, confirm that this Bridge Cup was not only a top-level competition. It was also spectacular, unpredictable and full of unexpected twists and turns.

Thank you to all participants 💚​

Well done to Peter Splettstoesser (Bloedi) for his victory, as well as to Pikarek, José Prete, Patrick Bocken and all the players for their performances!

This October Bridge Cup confirms that the tournament has become a truly global event for online bridge enthusiasts, each edition being marked by talent, suspense and a competitive spirit.

💬 Which deal struck you the most?
Share your feedback in the comments, and see you very soon for the November Bridge Cup on Funbridge!