The 2025 Buffett Cup concluded in Qingdao, China, bringing together some of the top players of Europe, China, and the United States in two exciting competitions: the Teams event and the Individual tournament.
Team Europe, captained by Eric Laurant, President of the European Bridge League, dominated both contests, displaying exceptional consistency throughout the event.
The Teams competition ended with the following result:
Europe 163 VP
USA 134.5 VP
China 134.5 VP
In the subsequent Individual tournament (a distinctive Board-a-Match format where players partnered with different teammates within their own squad) Europe once again prevailed:
Europe 82
USA 78.5
China 55.5
The World Bridge Federation President Franck Riehm also attended the Buffett Cup in Qingdao. During his stay in China, he visited the Hu Ronghua Bridge Club in Shanghai. He then travelled to Hefei, where he was joined by WBF Vice President and EBL President Eric Laurant to visit a local primary school that includes bridge in its educational activities. In Hefei, they also met municipal representatives to discuss the promotion of bridge education and future cooperation initiatives.
Buffett Cup 2025 – the Teams
China
Huang Yao, Jie Li, Ran Jingrong, Shao Zijian, Sun Ming, Sun Shiyu, Wang Renfei, Zhang Yongge
Captain: Guo Yujun – Coach: Hou Xu
Europe
Christian Bakke, Boye Brogeland, Fiona Brown, Michał Klukowski, Danuta Kazmucha, Giacomo Percario, Justyna Żmuda, Giovanni Donati
Captain: Eric Laurant – Coach: David Burn
United States
Kevin Bathurst, John Hurd, Adam Kaplan, Finn Kolesnik, Jill Meyers, Sharon Sanborn, Janice Seamon-Molson, Michael Passell
Captain: Alex Kolesnik – Coach: Jianjian Wang