The 2026 Seoul International Bridge Tournament will open Monday, bringing together players from 17 countries, including Asian Games gold medalists, for an international competition in the South Korean capital.
The Korea Bridge Association announced Wednesday that it will co-host the tournament with the Asia Pacific Bridge Federation at COEX in Seoul's Gangnam district from Nov. 16 to 18.
About 370 players and officials from 17 countries are expected to participate in the three-day competition.
The event, previously known as the Seoul Cup Tournament and organized by the Seoul Bridge Association, has grown steadily in recent years. Participation increased from 145 people in 2023 to 312 from seven countries last year. This year, it has been upgraded to an international tournament.
Bridge is a mind sport in which four players, divided into two partnerships, compete using playing cards and strategic thinking. It became an official Asian Games event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.
Among the prominent participants are all members of Hong Kong's gold medal-winning team from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, Singapore's Poon Hua, a gold medalist at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, world championship runner-up Patrick Huang of Taiwan and Yuan Xuefang of China, who won this year's World Women's Pairs Championship.
Representing South Korea, Korea Bridge Association President Kim Hye-young and Seoul Bridge Association President Oh Hye-min, both former national team members at the Hangzhou Asian Games, will join Patrick Huang and Mak Kok Fai on a team called Seoul International.
The organizers plan to establish the competition as an annual international event held in Seoul every November, aiming to promote exchanges among bridge enthusiasts worldwide and showcase Korean culture.
"We chose COEX because we want to introduce Korea to foreign players through 'K-bridge' at a time when K-culture is enjoying immense popularity," Kim said.
"We hope to create a platform for people-to-people diplomacy, particularly among South Korea, China and Japan."
(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)
