Charity match to aid tsunami survivors

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Contract Bridge Association (Gabsi) will organize a tournament in a bid to collect funds for tsunami victims in Aceh and North Sumatra, according to a Gabsi official.

It will be part of worldwide tsunami charity tournament administered by the World Bridge Federation and Britain-based Ecats Bridge.

"Twenty-five countries have registered to take part in this worldwide campaign," Bert Toar Polii, a Gabsi official, announced here on Wednesday.

The matches are scheduled for five days from Jan. 17 to Jan. 21. Money raised from registration fees and contributions will be donated to tsunami victims.

Huge tidal waves, which were triggered by an undersea earthquake, razed the coastlines Asian nations, as far as eastern Africa leaving 158,000 people dead.

Indonesia bore the brunt of fatalities over 106,500 deaths.

Bert said the participants would be required to pay Rp 50,000 (approximately US$5.5) registration fee for each pair in the open category and Rp 25,000 in the junior category.

"Provincial chapters of bridge associations or clubs could organize their won matches. They can play a one-day tournament instead of five days. They can decide their playing time ... in the morning, afternoon or evening," Bert said.

However, the participants are expected to play simultaneously between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. if they play on Jan. 21.

A number of bridge players from several cities and towns have confirmed their participation. They are from Batam, Padang, Bangka Belitung, Tangerang, Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Pontianak, Balikpapan, Kupang, Mataram, Makasar and Manado.

Ernst Goeltom, the chairman of the organizing committee, said the results would be submitted to WBF to decide the world's winners.