bridge team confident it can break jinx against big names
bridge team confident it can break jinx against big names
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian bridge team will head for the Bermuda Bowl in
Paris full of confidence, with the players having put the "high
play" jinx behind them following an upset victory in Lausanne, an
official of the country's bridge association (Gabsi) has said.
"We turned out to be able to break the jinx when we were up
against top teams," Bertje Polii, Gabsi's deputy secretary
general told The Jakarta Post here on Wednesday.
Bertje was referring to Indonesia's domination at the 2000 IOC
Grand Prix in Lausanne, where the pairing of Henky Lasut/Eddy
Manoppo and Franky Karwur/Danny Sacul claimed the big scalps of
the United States and Italian teams en route to their victory.
Indonesia, currently ranked fourth in the world, has won
several international trophies including the silver medal at the
1996 Olympiad in Rhodes, Greece.
The main concern now facing the country's bridge fraternity is
the failure of any Indonesian team to finish higher at a world
championships than the fifth place secured at the 2000 Bermuda
Bowl, held on the island of Bermuda.
Another cause for concern, which has apparently sent GABSI's
officials into a flap, is the fact that Indonesia has yet to
overcome its strong rivals, especially when competitions have
entered the knock-out stage.
At the 2000 Maastricht Bridge Olympiad, Brazil, another force
on the world stage, pipped Indonesia by a narrow margin in the
quarterfinals.
At the last championships at the Bermuda Bowl, in the same
year, Indonesia delivered an outstanding performance by finishing
second in the preliminary rounds before going down to Norway in
the KO stage.
"The Lausanne trip proved the team's ability to shrug off the
pressure of playing against big names," Bertje said.
The win, he added, had provided a morale boost as the team
mounted its quest for a top placing at the World Championships,
even after the World Bridge Federation (WBF) had withdrawn
Indonesia's hosting rights over security concerns.
Bertje hinted that the venue shift had in no way distracted
Gabsi from the target, saying: "Gabsi has not altered its policy
over the team's goal."
However, he said a place in the top four would be equally
satisfying because of the potentially stiff competition.
The Bermuda Bowl was formerly scheduled to be held in Bali,
but the WBF decided to shift the venue to Paris amid security
concerns in the wake of the Sept. 11 suicide plane attacks in New
York and Washington.
The Indonesian team comprises eight players. They will start a
six-day training camp on Saturday.
The 17 countries contesting the Bermuda Bowl include Italy,
Poland, Norway, United States (two teams), Brazil, Indonesia,
Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Guadaloupe, Egypt, Hong Kong,
Japan, India and Pakistan.
The event will also play host to the women's Venice Cup, where
the Indonesian female team will be content to finish in the top
10 of the 16 team competition.
Indonesian team lineup: (men's) Henky Lasut, Eddy Manoppo, Denny
Sacul, Franky Karwur, Santje Panelewen, Robert Tobing, Giovani
Watulingas and Taufik Hasbi; (women's) Lusye Olga Bojoh, Elita
Syofian, Riantini, Irma Korengkeng, Nana and Suci.