By Homonnay Géza, 5th place in eCup2

I am an electrical engineer and have been managing my own companies for about 35 years. I have three adult children and two grandchildren who keep life joyful. Bridge has always been a huge part of my life. I have represented Hungary several times at international events, with my best result being 7th place at the European Pairs Championships. I also served as president of the Hungarian Bridge Federation for six years. Outside of bridge, my serious hobbies are tennis and stamp collecting.

Bridge first entered my life through my family. My parents were not strong players, but my aunt was better and she became my first teacher. I loved the game so much that in school I taught my entire class to play bridge. It became a lifelong passion from that moment.

When online bridge emerged, BBO quickly became my platform of choice, especially the robot tournaments. The ease of play and flexible timing fit perfectly into my life. I always say the daylong tournaments were invented for me.

I took the eCup 2 very seriously this year. My goal was the podium, and for most of the event I sat between 2nd and 6th place, so finishing near the top feels like a real success. It was certainly a more focused effort than during the September qualification, when I misjudged the event and thought that steady results around 57 to 58 percent would easily put me into the top 500. That experience taught me that in eCup every single board matters.

My approach was simple. When I had time, I played. No fixed routine, no deep analysis sessions. And if the first 3 or 4 boards did not go well, I stopped and came back later. After more than 50 years of playing at a competitive level, I trust my instincts enough to let experience guide the results.

One thing I have learned from robot tournaments is that you must watch out for some surprising bidding behavior. A small example. If you bid Michaels with a good hand and then bid again to show strength, the robot may decide you have 30 points and leap to slam with a complete bust. Make sure to read the explanations; knowing these situations helps to avoid them.

Despite a busy schedule and occasional frustrations, I really enjoyed the event. It was fun to play in such a large field and to be honest not a super strong one which made the competition exciting from day one.

What keeps me logging into bridge online is easy to explain. Bridge is a fantastic game. Every hand presents a new task and a new challenge. It keeps me thinking and I would much rather play bridge than just watch a film.

If I were trying to convince someone new to give bridge a chance, I would tell them that it is truly a lifelong game and perhaps even one that helps you live longer. And if I can offer one piece of advice to learners. Find a good teacher and, if possible, play with stronger players than yourself. That is how you grow.