Friday, July 30, 2010

Playing for blood

Husband-and-wife partnerships are notorious for bickering at the bridge table. The following takes that to a much more serious level.

Blogger Wolynski doesn't play bridge, but she noticed this in the U.K. Daily Mail, an online newspaper:

A company director who stabbed his wife to death after a series of violent rows over her bridge-playing ability was jailed for 23 years yesterday.

Stephen Green, 52, a former world championship bridge player, stabbed wife Carole, 57, more than 100 times.

He considered her to be a mere 'club player' and repeatedly belittled her skills in front of friends.

You can read more about it here.

They refer to him as "world championship" caliber. Newspapers don't understand bridge, so I was skeptical and went to the web site of the World Bridge Federation to check. The WBF shows that his team was 17th in the European Championships in 2003 in Menton, France. He also played in two pair events in world play in Lille, France, in 1998.

Maybe Paul Gipson (or another Europeans) knows the man, and could leave a comment.

13 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. One thing I can is clear up the confusion that the newspapers have created.

    I do know the Stephen Green who played internationally at Menton and Lille. He is a very good player who often features in the later rounds of our top tournaments. I don't know if he has represented England but certainly quite possible (but not recently).

    However I do not know the Stephen Green accused of this crime. He lives about 100 miles north of the Stephen Green that I do know.

    I guess their proximity has confused people!

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  3. I reckon my old man will know him or know of him as he plays bridge though not as many national tournaments as he used to.

    I'll ask him and post again

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  4. You can also look at the EBU master point lists for 2009 to see the difference.

    Stephen Green (Warwickshire) is a Premier Grand Master, the highest rank in English bridge.

    In Lancashire, where the murderer is from, there is S Green who is a Life Master and a Mrs C Green who is Premier National Master (equivalent to Gold and Silver Life Master respectively).

    As you say newspapers don't understand bridge and their research in this case seems negligent.

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  5. You mention the press doesn't get bridge.

    Kind of looks like they don't get geography either.

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  6. You give up poker or something?

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  7. If indeed he did, he wouldn't be the first according to ACBL annals.

    Judy Kay-Wolff

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  8. Nothing like taking a game too seriously!

    People are nuts.

    And I know that's not your car. Your car would be red and white and blue.

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  9. Now you know why I don't play bridge. My father was a perfectly civilized man, until it came to bridge. Oh, the names he called my mother. My mother wasn't very good at bridge, but did it to be sociable. Not good memories.

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  10. I just emailed my friend Steve Green (the bridge player) who tells me Ruth is still alive and kicking.
    He lives in Coventry and when they opened the new bridge club he was on the dais. He told the audience that he'd been allowed to take off his security anklet for the occasion.

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  11. The Stephen Green who played in Lille in 1998 is indeed the Same Stephen Green that has been convicted or murder. I had this officially confirmed, but just in case I also checked with the Warwickshire Stephen Green, who tells me it definitely was not him!

    Remember that that championship was one of those where anyone who has paid their subs to their national bridge organisation can enter. A beginner could take part if he/she was so inclined; they might not enjoy it much, but they would be allowed to play.

    Elena Jeronimidis

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  12. Gosh, who'd have expected the papers to get it right?

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  13. Thanks to Elena and Paul for the update.

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