A world class tournament between Europe and the USA is set to take place in South Wales this September, but its got nothing to do with golf – it’s a marathon bridge match.
The third biennial outing of the Buffett Cup bridge tournament takes place in South Wales on 13-16 September, with help from an Event Support Scheme grant from Capital Region Tourism – the lead tourism body for South East Wales.
The Buffett Cup, named after the US billionaire bridge player, Warren Buffett, follows the schedule of The Ryder Cup, having been played in Dublin in 2006 and Louisville in 2008. On both previous occasions, the team which won the Buffett Cup – USA in 2006 and Europe in 2008 – failed to take The Ryder Cup in that year.
Peter Cole, regional strategy director for Capital Region Tourism (CRT) said: “Bridge has a huge following across the world and The Buffett Cup is one of the most high profile events in the bridge calendar. It attracts an online audience of tens of thousands on each of the four days of the tournament, during which spectators can watch any one of six tables in play for more than eight hours each day. It’s a card playing marathon and, given the way the results have gone in previous years, I am sure both bridge and golf enthusiasts will watch the results closely.
“Our funding through the Event Support Scheme has enabled the tournament organisers to boost their online marketing activity and increase the exposure of the event and Wales, as hosts, to a worldwide audience. While the tournament venue at the Miskin Manor Country Hotel near Cardiff will only hold around one hundred spectators, tens of thousands more will watch online and see that Wales can host great events, whether its on green grass or green baize.”
Each bridge team has 12 players, plus a non-playing captain. There is no sitting out, with all team members playing eight hours of bridge on each of the four days.
Team USA includes four members of the current world champion team and also the world’s leading bridge pair. Six other team members have previously held world titles. Team Europe contains two current World Transnational champions (the world title open to teams where the players come from different countries), the world number one ranked player, two from the Italian team that won the European championships in July, and two from the previous European champions, Norway. All members of the team have won world bridge titles.
The Buffett Cup 2010 is being co-ordinated in the UK by Daily Telegraph bridge correspondent, Patrick Jourdain, who lives in Cardiff. He said: “The teams brought together to play for Europe and the USA are probably the finest gathering of bridge players ever to compete on British soil. This is a real coup for Wales and another example of how we can attract and host world class competitions.”
To find out more about the tournament, to buy spectator tickets or to watch online, visit www.buffettcup.com.
