National bridge league launched for everyone
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The inaugural National Bridge League (NBL) is set to begin next week with organizers claiming it aims to provide Indonesian players with equal opportunities to play in tournaments.
"The league will give them the chance of being included in the national team for international tournaments," Michael Bambang Hartono, from the organizers, told a media conference at Bung Karno Sports Complex, Central Jakarta, on Monday.
Indonesia is one of the strongest countries in the world at bridge, with the 2000 IOC Grand Prix championship trophy being its crowning achievement.
However, the team seems to have become too dependent on old faces like Eddy Manoppo and Henky Lasut, to mention two of the few veteran bridge stars, a bad indication that there are few younger players to replace them in the future.
The league operates its competitions independently to the Indonesian Contract Bridge Association (Gabsi) which so far supervises national bridge development.
Eka Wahyu, one of the organizers, said that the league was open to all Indonesian players, be it novices or national players.
"All bridge players are allowed to take part. There is no restriction on their level of play. And we give the winners free passage to international tournaments," Eka said.
The league has a six-month cycle with games being played in separate towns every month, in a one-day competition. The first round, which offers a total of Rp 30 million (US$2,885) in cash prizes, will run from January to June and the second from July to December.
The organizers confirmed that 15 towns in 13 provinces had joined the first round of the league with the opening games scheduled for Jan. 20.
"We hope there will be more towns in the competition," Eka said, adding that local organizers have been given the authority to hold a tournament if they could register at least 10 pairs.
The participants compete in their respective local tournaments at the same time and play the same array of cards distributed by the organizers from Jakarta in sealed envelopes.
"This is to ensure there will be no cheating in the tournaments. Mobile phones are also banned during play," Eka added.
The organizers are seeking 24 pairs for the final in Jakarta in July. The top ten pairs in the league will automatically qualify for the final, while the remaining 14 places will be provided in a playoff.
The playoff will be staged in Palembang, South Sumatra, where as many as 48 pairs selected from local competitions will participate.
The winning pairs and runners-up will go to the Intercity Championship in Hong Kong, which will run from July 30 to Aug. 4.
Indonesia won the championship back in 1986 courtesy of Bert Toar Polii and Memed Hendrawan. The former is currently the deputy secretary of the new league.