Buffett Cup

[jillybean]

PRESS RELEASE

SECOND TRANSATLANTIC BRIDGE CHALLENGE MATCH

Twelve of Europe’s top bridge players will start play on September 15th 2008 against a team of twelve top professionals from North America for the prestigious Warren Buffett Cup. The event, first competed for in 2006, is held every two years in the same week as the golfing Ryder Cup, on which the competition has been modeled.

The event consists of a series of head-to head matches, with players in the two teams competing in a variety of different combinations – as teams of four, as pairs, and as individuals. The winners of each head-to-head match will collect points for their team. The team with the highest overall points score will be declared the winner of the trophy.

The Americans will again be led by Bob Hamman, for many years the world’s undisputed No 1 player, this time playing with Zia Mahmood. The European team will also be strong, including several members of the Norwegian team that recently won the European championships in Pau, France, and two of the up and coming stars of junior bridge, Thomas Bessis from France and Marion Michielsen from the Netherlands. Thomas won the Transnationals in Shanghai this year and was crowned the under-25 Champion in Warsaw. Marion got the final of the Wagner Ladies teams on her first visit to an American National.

As in the Ryder Cup, none of the players is being paid to participate in the event, which has quickly established itself as the Blue Riband of the professional bridge world.

The trophy awarded to the winning team is named after Warren Buffett, a keen amateur bridge player, who is widely regarded as the world’s most successful professional investor. An investor who subscribed $10,000 in his original investment partnership in 1957 would today have a shareholding in Buffett’s company Berkshire Hathaway worth more than $400 million. He said: “This competition is unique and I am delighted to support it”.

The matches will be shown live at the venue on viewgraph, with a team of expert commentators led by Eric Kokish. All the matches will also be shown live online on Bridgebase. Spectators can log in for free to www.bridgebaseonline.com and watch the matches as they take place. An experienced international will write daily bulletins with an Internet edition. These will be sent directly to anyone who registers on the Buffett Cup website www.buffettcup.com.

The venue:

The Galt House Hotel & Suites

140 North Fourth Street

Louisville, KY 40202

Phone: (001) 502.589.5200

For further information, please contact the Team Captains:

Europe: Paul Hackett (paul.h@ukonline.co.uk)

North America: Donna Compton (cdmra@mindspring.com).

 

Teams for the 2008 Buffett Cup

Team America

· Bob Hamman and Zia Mahmood

· Geoff Hampson and Dick Freeman

· Alan Sontag and David Berkowitz

· Tobi Sokolow and Janice Seamon-Molson

· Howard Weinstein and Steve Garner

· Roy Welland and Bjorn Fallenius

Team Europe

· Sabine Auken and Marion Michielsen

· Michel and Thomas Bessis

· Boye Brogeland and Espen Lindqvist

· Tom Hanlon and Hugh McGann

· Tor Helness and Jan Peter Svendsen

· Michal Kweicien & Jarek Pszczola ("Pepsi")

[jtfanclub]

And individual?

 

How does that work?

[BillHiggin]

And individual?

 

How does that work?

Details at http://www.buffettcup.com/ then choose "Event Details".

The individual is individual in terms of pairings, but everything is BAM scoring. The individual event actually counts more towards the final standing than the other two events combined (132 points available vs 60 for pairs and 54 for teams).

 

Last year, Europe won in pairs and teams but USA overcame the deficit in the individual to win overall.

[Walddk]

It's a fine tournament with strong players and a great initiative by Paul Hackett of England two years ago, but these are not the best North American and European teams.

 

A European team without Italians is not the strongest possible.

 

I appreciate that there are lots of things to consider when selecting the teams. However, it's not bridge's equivalent of golf's Ryder Cup, where you earn the right to represent your continent.

 

Roland

[NickRW]

It's a fine tournament with strong players and a great initiative by Paul Hackett of England two years ago, but these are not the best North American and European teams.

 

A European team without Italians is not the strongest possible.

Ah, but there are some names on that list that are no slouches!

 

Perhaps golf pros earn more and are a bit keener to participate "As in the Ryder Cup, none of the players is being paid to participate in the event" - maybe?

 

Nick

[dicklont]

To become a tradition the strongest players must participate so someone must pay them.

Then the right to compete is really something to gain.

 

It seems appropriate event to be sponsored by the European Union.

The EU most certainly can afford it!

[MFA]

Surely they get paid. "Warren Buffet" - sounds like a lot of money :).

 

It disappoints me to see pairs that are not primary partnerships. I think only pairs that have been playing together (with success obviously) in the recent major tournaments (last 2 years) should be eligible. Not new constellations or some such.

 

Otherwise the legitimacy disappears from the project.

 

On the other hand I can fully live with a field without Italians this time. Italy's results have been mediocre lately, so it is no problem to have some other pairs on the European team.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

If I rember it correctly there are certain restrictions

with regards to system, hence some regular

partnerships would not be allowed to play their system,

hence some of the advantages of a regular partnership

would be there.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[Aberlour10]

Hi,

 

If I rember it correctly there are certain restrictions

with regards to system, hence some regular

partnerships would not be allowed to play their system,

hence some of the advantages of a regular partnership

would be there.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

As I can remember there were a lot of system restrictions at the last edition. I dont understand why. Also,is this overrating of individuels really necessery and helpful for sport value of the event?

 

Robert

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

If I rember it correctly there are certain restrictions

with regards to system, hence some regular

partnerships would not be allowed to play their system,

hence some of the advantages of a regular partnership

would be there.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

As I can remember there were a lot of system restrictions at the last edition. I dont understand why. Also,is this overrating of individuels really necessery and helpful for sport value of the event?

 

Robert

One of the main goals of the Buffet Cup is to popularize

the game.

And the organizers believe, that having some restrictions

on system, makes it easier for peoble to follow.

... and I think this is true.

 

It does not mean, I am i favour of general system restrictions,

but it is certainly reasonable to aim for some simplicity, if you

intend a futur TV coverage.

 

I dont know a lot of Poker, but Texas Hold Them (?!) is easier

than Omaha high / low, and hence easier to follow for peoble

who have not much knowledge.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[JanM]

Surely they get paid. "Warren Buffet" - sounds like a lot of money ;).

Maybe so, but Mr. Buffett contributes only his name to this event, and the players are not paid for participating in it.

 

The organizers choose the participants and make an attempt to choose players they think will put on a good show, which may not necessarily be the best partnerships from either the US or Europe.

[jkdood]

If I were Meckwell (oh how I wish!) and I wasn't "chosen by the organizers" I would be quite miffed and rightly so, especially when compared to some chosen partnerships.

 

If Meckwell "declined" it means the prestige of this event has a long way to go, as this pair is the top quality and top in entertainment/show imaginable and inarguable.

[Guest Jlall]

If I were Meckwell (oh how I wish!) and I wasn't "chosen by the organizers" I would be quite miffed and rightly so, especially when compared to some chosen partnerships.

 

If Meckwell "declined" it means the prestige of this event has a long way to go, as this pair is the top quality and top in entertainment/show imaginable and inarguable.

Here is a hint regarding Meckwell: There is no financial compensation for playing in this!

 

Personally I think the US team needs a charismatic young person to round out the group ;)

[matmat]

If I were Meckwell (oh how I wish!) and I wasn't "chosen by the organizers" I would be quite miffed and rightly so, especially when compared to some chosen partnerships.

 

If Meckwell "declined" it means the prestige of this event has a long way to go, as this pair is the top quality and top in entertainment/show imaginable and inarguable.

Here is a hint regarding Meckwell: There is no financial compensation for playing in this!

 

Personally I think the US team needs a charismatic young person to round out the group ;)

i'm not sure Donn's available.

[jkdood]

Maybe Justin will fill in for Josh? He certainly has the "young" part covered!

[jdonn]

Sorry I refuse to play without financial compensation.

[PeterGill]

I think that if there was a smaller Individual component,

then the very best pairs would be more likely to take part.

 

Regarding the unusual partnerships, one of them is not as unusual as it may seem.

From the latest issue of Australian Bridge magazine,

www.australianbridge.com, in which Larry Cohen did a magnificent job

of hosting the magazine's equivalent of Master Solvers Club:

 

"We [AB, i.e Paul Marston] received this email from Larry Cohen:

 

'You may have already heard it from the 'rumor mill' - but here is the story ...

 

As of mid-2009, I plan to retire from "big-time" bridge.

 

This is completely my decision - something I've been wanting to do for a while.

 

The only thing stopping me was I didn't want to strand David.

But, it turns out, .... Sontag would love to play with David and

I'm sure they will be a great pair ....

 

David and I will continue to play through this cycle (ending 2009) ...

 

I just don't want the 70-80 days a year ... Life is too short ...

 

I love teaching and writing, and plan to continue and even expand

on this part of the game.' "

 

End of quote.

 

My point in quoting this is that the poster who specified a two year minimum for participating partnerships misses the point. Every bridge expert is different,

with their own motivations, and Berkowitz- Sontag will be one of the most interesting pairs to watch in the Buffett Cup.

 

Of the superstars of bridge, Larry isd one of those whom I respect most.

To me, he has a refreshing approach to the game. So does Alan Sontag,

who is a very fast player with a cheerful positive approach to the game.

 

Peter Gill

[joshs]

Most importantly, Sontag-Berkowitz will be the funniest pair in the US (I think they are both hysterical...)

[mike777]

Thank you Peter, wonderful post.

 

Wow, Larry Cohen is a young man, paid to play bridge and is retiring.

 

 

http://larryco.com/about.htm

[jonottawa]

Retiring at 50 ... not exactly earth-shattering. Certainly not a 'young man'.

[barmar]

Since the median age of US bridge players is close to 60, he's still a young whipper-snapper.

[skjaeran]

Since the median age of US bridge players is close to 60, he's still a young whipper-snapper.

60, is that really correct?

 

I thought it was 65 3-4 years ago, and going up.

[PeterGill]

Harald, you are right about 3-4 years ago. However in 2007 if I am correctly informed, the ACBL made a sound profit, increased its number of young players,

made plans to hold its first Youth NABC (which was held in June 2008)

and decreased its average age. Times change.

 

Peter Gill

Australia

[y66]

Thanks for the scoop about Larry Cohen. This is exciting news for Sontag fans.

[Gerben42]

Too bad there isn't a junior pair on both sides. Good that we have two young players on our side, though. Why not in the US?