The 27th Bolesławiec Three-Day Bridge Tournament is now behind us. It officially began on Friday, September 21, in the gymnasium of I Liceum Ogólnokształcące.
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The competition was opened by Bolesławiec County Head Karol Stasik, president of the Bolesławiec Bridge Club Jarosław Molenda, Deputy County Head Tomasz Gabrysiak, director of the Municipal Sports and Recreation Centre Jacek Dudyński, and head of I LO Cezary Czernatowicz.
“Bolesławiec, the capital of Polish ceramics, is also becoming the capital of sport bridge for three days,” Karol Stasik said during the opening of the competition. “I wish all participants success and wise bidding. You will not all fit on the podium, so let the best be there.”
Why does the County support the Bolesławiec Three-Day Bridge Tournament?
“We believe it is an excellent promotion of the town and the County. More than 300 people from all over Poland are taking part in the competition,” the Bolesławiec County Head said in an interview with istotne.pl. “I play bridge myself; it is a great game that develops intelligence.”
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It is worth adding that Bolesławiec County is training the future elite of Polish bridge. Classes in sport bridge at the Stanisław Wyspiański Youth Cultural Centre in Bolesławiec, a county institution, are led by Roland Lippik, a teacher honoured with the Minister of Sport and Tourism’s Award.
As coach of Poland’s U16 national team, R. Lippik has many significant achievements to his name, including a gold medal at the World Championships (Istanbul 2014), won by brothers Jakub and Patryk Patreuhowie, as well as two gold medals at the European Championships (Tromsø 2015 and Samorin 2017).
“Bridge is excellent training for the challenges in the exact sciences that await our young people,” adds Stanisław Chwojnicki, a member of the Bolesławiec County Board.
The Three-Day Tournament also promotes our local gold—the prizes are Bolesławiec ceramic products.
Both representatives of the County Board agree that this event would not have achieved such stature without the commitment and organizational skills of Jarosław Molenda, head of the Bolesławiec Bridge Club.
“Words of appreciation are due to Jarosław Molenda, who turned an insignificant regional event into one of the largest nationwide events. The president is a wonderful organizer,” stressed K. Stasik. “He created this tournament; his entire family is involved in organizing it,” added S. Chwojnicki.
Cezary Przybylski, Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, added during the event’s closing:
“We will continue to support the Bolesławiec Three-Day Tournament; it is also, Jarek, a tremendous promotional tool for Lower Silesia.”
The Bolesławiec Three-Day Bridge Tournament has a 27-year tradition. For its first 17 years, it was a local event. (It was attended by no more than several dozen pairs from our voivodeship.)
“At some point, we decided to use this foundation to build a major nationwide bridge event,” J. Molenda says in an interview with istotne.pl.
Preparations took three years. First, the Euroregional Sport Bridge Tournament was launched in Bolesławiec. After those three years, when nearly 100 pairs entered the main tournament, BKB applied to the Polish Bridge Federation for the right to organize the Polish Grand Prix Pairs tournament. (The opportunity also arose to organize the Polish Team Championships, which the Bolesławiec club eagerly took advantage of.)
The result? “For 10 years, the event has had a nationwide character; we host the best bridge players,” says the BKB president. This year, several leading players were absent because the World Open Championships were being held in Orlando, USA, at the same time. Nevertheless, the crème de la crème of Polish bridge also included those who preferred to come to the City of Ceramics, such as Krzysztof Jassem.
Why is it worth playing bridge?
“Bridge develops you comprehensively,” adds Jarosław Molenda. “It offers the opportunity to learn and apply the principles of mathematics and statistics in practice: at the bridge table. It is a logic game played with cards.”
Detailed results of the individual tournaments played as part of the Bolesławiec Three-Day Bridge Tournament can be found on the website of the Polish Bridge Federation.