Harvard Garners Bridge Title

Harvard trumped its competition--the world's universities.

In bridge, that is.

The Harvard Bridge Team earned the number one spot on the World Bridge Federation's ranking of university teams, the federation announced this week. No other American team made the top 10 of the federation, which is the primary governing body of university bridge teams.

In addition, the pair of Kirkland House tutor Bill Cole, a third year graduate student, and Michael D. Mitzenmacher '91 of Thayer Hall was ranked first in the world. The pair of James C. Colen '90 of Mather House and H. Scott Roy '89 of Winthrop House was named the seventh best pair.

Although this was the first year that either Cole and Mitzenmacher or Colen and Roy were paired up, they said their years of experience playing with other partners and a common enthusiasm for the game enabled them to work well together.

You have to be really comfortable with--and on the same wavelength as--your partner," said Cole, who played professional bridge for a year in New York between college and graduate school.

"Our only strategy is to try and not be wild," Mitzenmacher said. "We go straight by what we expect each other to do."

The federation's ranking is based on tournament performance over the past year. In years ending in an odd number, world championship is held, to which winners of national championships are invited. In even-numbered years, the federation publishes its own ranking.

In spite of its international number oneranking, the Crimson placed second in thecollegiate national championship in Buffalo, NewYork, on the first weekend of spring break.

Harvard defeated MIT, UCLA and the Universitiesof Texas and Virginia in the round robin at thebeginning of the tournament. Carrying over pointsinto the semifinals, Harvard stretched a 13-pointlead over Texas into an impressive 50-pointvictory.

But the University of Illinois, the only teamto defeat Harvard in the round robin, entered thefinal round with a 25-point advantage andeventually grabbed the championship with from theCrimson with a 30-point victory.

"We are still kind of disappointed that we didnot win the national championship. It is a morephysical thing--the world ranking is veryabstract," Cole said. "We were the better team,and we should have won."

"Being behind at first really hurt us,"Mitzenmacher said. "We had to try and catch up."

Although national tournaments were common inthe 1960s, bridge playing among college studentssubsided, and major tournaments died out in the1970s. In an effort to revive collegiate bridge,the American Contract Bridge League last yearbegan the current national championship program.

The Harvard Bridge club has 25 members andmeets every Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the GreenhouseCafe. Bridge players of all abilities are welcometo join, members said.

"The most important practice we get is at themeetings," said Cole.

The bridge season is not over--it's ongoing. Atthe end of this month, the team is scheduled tocompete in a Boston tournament. And members saythey are considering the possibility of a trip toLondon for the 1989 World Championships