BBOers Festival Winners - November 2024
November's Festival news round-up The November Festival has officially concluded...
I recently caught up with Turkiye's Ekrem Serdar (BBO exerdar) winner of December's Country vs Country.
Ekrem lives in Istanbul and has been playing Bridge for 20 years. It's more than just a hobby for him, and takes up a lot of his time.
Some of that time is taken up playing the 16-board Zenith tournament, which he says has real similarities with Country vs Country.
Talking of the Country vs Country, here's one of his interesting hands from the tournament:
The opponent on my left opened with 1 club, my partner doubled, and the player on my right bid 1 heart. I chose to double, hoping it would indicate a heart lead. After the opponent on the left bid 2 clubs, my partner raised to 4 hearts. After I noticed the right-hand opponent had 4-4 Majors, I managed to ruff a spade and successfully made the contract with a score of 99.5%.
Ekrem shared this advice for beginner bridge players:
"Read bridge books and watch experienced players. It helps you progress quickly!"
Besides playing bridge, he likes to play chess and video games with friends and go for walks. He also has a soft spot for animals. He once had three turtles, although they are no longer with him. Plus, he mentioned that he loves dogs and birds.
Interested in playing Country vs Country Championships in the next festival? If you'd like to add the game to your calendar it's played over three days and starts on Monday, January 1. Click here for all the details.
