THE Philippine bridge team promises to have a better performance when it competes in the 2018 Asian Games bridge event from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2 in Palembang, Indonesia.
Team member Gemma Tan Mariano said the 12-man Philippine bridge team is confident of its chances. Members started training last year by participating in tournaments in Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia.
“The team promises to pull off some surprises against favored China and host Indonesia in the Asian Games,” Mariano said in an interview with Sports Radio 918 on Friday.
“Our target is to make it to the semifinals for a possible medal win,” he added. “The members of this team were plucked from the monthly qualifiers by the Philippine Tournament Bridge Association.”
Aside from Mariano, also part of the Philippine squad are former SEA Games gold medalists Francisco Alquiros, George Soo, as well as 85-year-old Kong Te Yang, probably the oldest player in the Asiad.
Other members of the bridge team are Eleazar Cabanilla, Andrew Falcon, Joseph Maliwat, Alberto Quiogue, Romulo Virola, Kong Te Yang, Ann De Guzman, Victoria Egan, and Allen Tan.
Bridge is a unique card game consisting of several deals, with each game lasting more than three hours. A partnership game requiring four players, bridge has two parts: bidding (or auction) and play.
The cards are dealt to the players, and then the players auction or bid to take the contract, specifying how many tricks the partnership receiving the contract (the declaring side) needs to take to receive points for the deal.
ANOTHER ABUEVA TRADE?
Days after acquiring him from Alaska Aces, Phoenix Fuel Masters shot down reports that they plan to trade away enigmatic forward Calvin Abueva to another team.
Fuel Masters head coach Francisco Luis Alas said they intend to keep the former PBA Rookie of the Year awardee, who earlier requested to be traded to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings.
“Kinuha namin si Calvin para sa Phoenix,” said Alas. “Magbabago lang ang isip namin kung ibibigay si (San Miguel Beermen center) June Mar (Fajardo) but we intend to keep him.”
“Baka ang nasa isip nila San Miguel team kami. Iyon ang unang una kong tinanong (sa Phoenix) before I signed up. San Miguel ba tayo? Hindi talaga. Me, myself, napatunayan ko iyan. Independent team ito,” he added.
Alas believes Abueva, who was slapped with an indefinite suspension by the Aces before trading him to Fuel Masters for Karl Dehesa and the 2019 first round Draft pick, will be a huge help for his squad.
“Kahit sino namang team i-a-acquire iyan kapag available,” Alas said. “Ang amin, it is a win-win situation for the two teams. New beginning ni Calvin. New beginning din sa kanila.”
“Feeling ko competitive na. We are three pieces away. Eto na, si Calvin, at iyong dalawang pick (in 2018 Draft). For me, pang-playoffs na iyan kasi noong nakaraan, one possession away from the playoffs,” he added./PN
