We have a champion! After 11 days of intense competition, it was the German Konstantin Mineev who triumphed at the Bridge Clash, the latest knockout tournament on Funbridge!

In this article, discover the world of this champion through an exclusive interview! Then, relive this exceptional event filled with twists and epic battles for the 1.146 contestants. ⚔️

Summary

Konstantin Mineev answered our questions!

At the age of 39, Konstantin is married and the father of a 12-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl. He works as a biochemistry scientist at the University of Frankfurt. 🔬

• What are your impressions regarding the ‘Bridge Clash’ elimination tournament?

 I had a lot of fun actually. I like playing IMP tournaments, so it was a great 10 days, I was always looking forward to 6 pm when the deals are open. The knock-out format makes you play every deal as the last one.

• How did you come across Funbridge? Since when have you been a member?

I am a Funbridge member since 2017, but I have played actively only since 2021. I don’t remember, how I came here, but it is a good way to play 5-10 hands a day without obligations and without being bound to a particular time, so I like it quite a lot.

• What do you particularly enjoy about Funbridge? What are your favorite game modes?

I enjoy the variety of game modes, the possibility to fine-tune the bidding and carding systems and the ergonomic interface. Most of all I like playing in the Series tournament and Team championship, I prefer to compete with the players of my level or stronger ones. 

Review of the Bridge Clash event

A Breathtaking Final

The final gave us a dream lineup between Konstantin Mineev and the young Léo Rombaut, member of Team Funbridge. Like all members of Team Funbridge, our Ambassadors, and Staff, Léo had a bounty on his head. A bounty he defended dearly throughout the competition, marking a stunning journey dotted with numerous landslide victories. But history will remember that all bounties were meant to be won, with Konstantin Mineev eventually winning with a score of 20 to 5!

The suspense was total in this final as it was the antepenultimate hand that decided everything, with Mineev scoring 17 IMP (ouch!) on that single hand, then sealing his victory by securing the last two. Glory to the champion, who also wins an iPad for his victory!

Luc Bellicaud on the Razor’s Edge

Among the stars of the tournament, we note the remarkable journey of Luc Bellicaud, Funbridge ambassador who fell at the gates of the semi-finals. His journey could have ended much earlier, as his victory in the round of 32 was decided by… 63 seconds! Indeed, at the end of one of the tightest matches of the tournament (final score 4-4) it was the rule of the fastest that applied: Luc finished his match at 16:27 and 38 seconds while TomekT – another well-known Funbridge player accustomed to top performances – finished at 16:28 and 41 seconds! And to think that both players had until 17:00 to finish their match… 😅

The tournament through the eyes of Luc Bellicaud

Relive the highlights of this tournament in a YouTube video commented on by Luc Bellicaud himself. Don’t forget to activate subtitles first, then choose the language in the settings. 😉⚙️

Get ready to be transported into the heart of the action! 🎬

A Complicated Path for the Rest of the Funbridge Ambassadors

Besides Luc Bellicaud, most of our Funbridge Ambassadors were also part of the event. Nikolas Bausback fought until the round of 32, Vanessa Reess reached the 5th round, one more round than Milan Macura. Dominique Fonteneau, Tom Drijver (eliminated by Léo Rombaut), and Jérôme Rombaut stopped at round 3.

We note the cunning of Jérôme who, being down 3 IMP, attempted an unlikely turnaround by pushing to slam on the last hand! Unlucky: one trick down. Nice try maestro 😉

The Funbridge Staff Makes an Appearance

The Funbridge Staff can be proud of a very successful first knockout tournament… unlike their own journey 😬

If proof was needed that working at Funbridge doesn’t consist of training all day at bridge, here it is! The Funbridge Staff didn’t survive the first weekend of competition, inadvertently handing out the bounties to their opponents. Pierre Dreulle, managing director, briefly raised hopes of a victory before bowing out in the last hands of his third-round match against ludo17. The team later comforted themselves with the thought that this ludo17 had already finished 8th in the Elite series and thus the victory would have been miraculous 😛

A High-Level Tournament

Even if miraculous victories did occur, adding spice to this particularly exciting first edition, it is clear that the last contenders for the title were all excellent players. With an average performance of +2.45 IMP for the 8 quarter-finalists, there is no doubt: reaching the summit required the stuff of a champion. And that champion is Konstantin Mineev 🥇! Congratulations to him and to the rest of the podium: Léo Rombaut (2nd 🥈), Nihao, and Cocozza65 (3rd 🥉).

Find the complete standings and the journey of all the valiant participants by following this link.

See You on November 30 for the Next Edition!

This first successful edition comes to an end and we are all looking forward to one thing: seeing even more of you for a new knockout tournament! While this first tournament was reserved for Premium+ members, the next one will be open to all Funbridge players, promising an even greater celebration!

Circle November 30 on your calendar, because that’s the date when the arena will reopen its doors 😤⚔️

See you soon on Funbridge!