Dominique Fonteneau: a bridge between passion and transmission

A passionate bridge player from the start, he enthusiastically shares his knowledge from his small village in the Tarn. A dedicated teacher with good teaching skills, he guides his students with patience and rigour, passing on much more than just techniques: a genuine passion for the game.

Who is Dominique Fonteneau really? What is his secret to captivating his students and rocking the bridge tables? One thing is for sure: his name will continue to resonate in the bridge world for a long time!

Article Summary:
Portrait of a bridge player
A promising start
A passion that becomes a profession
A long relationship with Funbridge
Chinese portrait

Portrait of a bridge player

Can you introduce yourself to the Funbridge players?

A promising start

I took lessons at the age of 11 with P. Caralp, a leading figure in France. It was then that I met Julien Geitner, a gifted bridge player, with whom I played for over 15 years with great success. Unfortunately, Julien left us far too soon.

The competitive aspect appealed to me straight away. I read a lot about bridge, enjoying the many French magazines that my father collected. I also watched the best players. When I was 15, I joined the France Junior club, where I was coached by the best, which enabled me to take part in many international Junior competitions.

The EBL organised the first Under21 event at the 1994 European Championships. We were overwhelming favourites and, despite a heavy defeat in the first match, we dominated the event.

Which victory are you most proud of?

Our victory in the Coupe de France, still in 1994! We weren’t the favourites. Never before had such a young team (average age 19) won a major title at bridge. A record that is still very far from being equalled.

From left to right: Laurent Bouscarel, Jérôme Rombaut, Julien Geitner and me.

That was 30 years ago. I remember coming home with Laurent at 4am after celebrating the title in style. We got lost in a dark suburb until a car followed us. A few minutes later, an unmarked police car stopped us. They were not kidding. While they were checking the papers we didn’t have, they started to search the car, opened the boot and found… the Coupe de France [Editor’s note: French Cup]! With a plaque engraved with the date of the day in question. We explained to them that we had just celebrated an exceptional event, their tone softened and they let us go, congratulating us.

I remember one deal. It was during the qualifying match for the national final of the Coupe de France. We were playing in the provinces against the local stars, who rubbed their hands when they saw teenagers arrive. The match was close and the atmosphere became tense. With a few deals to go, my partner decided to pass in the 1♠ – 2♠ sequence with a spade-club 5-5 and 12 good HCPs, even though 2♠ was positive. The local star got upset, saying that we sucked, and started insinuating that we were cheating. I was ready to intervene when my partner handled the situation differently. He deliberately made himself look like an idiot by repeating over and over “But I’ve only got 12 points…”
This completely destabilised our opponent, who went down in 4♥ with 10 tricks off the top on the next deal. We won the match by 3 IMPs. And later, Julien explained to me that sometimes it is clever to make people think that you are stupid.

Do you remember a memorable anecdote from when you started bridge?

My first club tournament! I was playing with my father and I was only 11 or 12, having discovered Minibridge six months earlier. We were playing all natural and I didn’t know what a take-out double was.

My dad opened 1♣, 1♦ overcall, I had a good hand and 6 nice diamonds. I doubled. Result: 5 down and surely my first top!

A passion that becomes a profession

What does your role as an ambassador on the app involve?

My activities are varied: a monthly tournament with video and article, live weekly challenges on Twitch and a monthly masterclass. I also take part in major Funbridge events where I have the honour of being a target. I get a lot of requests for challenges and messages, and I try to live up to my ambassador status.

Every month I run an ambassador tournament accessible from the section “Play a tournament” (Bridge Points circuit), which is free for Premium+ subscribers. The tournament is accompanied by a video and an explanatory article. There is also a monthly tournament with preset deals for each masterclass, open to everyone.

What do you like about teaching bridge?

Sharing knowledge is essential. Anything that gets in the way, such as a lack of debate, weakens us.

What is the best way to learn and progress in bridge?

When I was younger, reading and observing the best. Today, computer tools like Funbridge have become essential.

If you had to give just one piece of advice to a player wanting to improve, what would it be?

Know yourself and work on your weak points.

A long relationship with Funbridge

How long have you been playing on Funbridge?

I signed up in December 2018, 18 years after Jérôme Rombaut!

I’d like Funbridge to act as a springboard to attract young and working people to bridge. Unfortunately, clubs have difficulties to attract these groups. For online competitions to be a real success, there will have to be a lot at stake and the results will have to be totally reliable. I hope we will get there.

Dominique Fonteneau’s Chinese portrait

♦️​​ If you were a bid, you’d be… A fit because it’s the most useful information.

🍻​ If you were a card, you’d be… The 7 of diamonds… if there’s beer in the fridge!

​📽️ If you were a famous player, you’d be… Omar Sharif, a life like in novels.

🃏​ If you were another card game, you’d be… Barbu: technical, fun and convivial.

🌄 If you were a city, you’d be… Shangri-La for its peace and tranquillity (even if it’s imaginary). It’s a place described in the novel Lost Horizon, written by James Hilton in 1933.

🎵 If you were a piece of music, you’d be… Ride of the Valkyries because bridge is also a battle.

📖 If you were a bridge book, you’d be… Le Bridge dans la Ménagerie [Editor’s note: Bridge in the Menagerie] for the self-mockery.

🙏 If you were an expression often heard at the bridge table, you’d be… “Thanks, partner!” (which I don’t say often enough).

🤍 If you were an essential quality for a bridge player, you’d be… Resilience.

🫥​ If you were an emotion in the middle of a game, you’d be… Doubt.