Gatlinburg, Tenn., (Jan. 18, 2012)—The City of Gatlinburg will host the country’s largest regional bridge tournament this spring.  This annual event has been hosted in Gatlinburg for 24 years and features nearly 4,000 players and 10,000 tables of bridge where players compete over a six-day tournament of competitive events.
 
Players from around the world including China, Poland, Norway, Canada and Czechoslovakia will descend upon Gatlinburg to take part in The Smoky Mountain Gatlinburg MABC Regional Tournament that features the very best players from around the country in addition to beginners.

“We’re excited for this year’s tournament and hope to see an even larger turnout than in past years,” said Pete Misslin, this year’s host for the Gatlinburg Regional Bridge Tournament.  “The City of Gatlinburg has a convention center equipped to handle our large crowd and offers so much for bridge players to see and do in addition to playing in the tournament.  It’s great for a family or couples getaway to come play Bridge, explore the City and enjoy the beautiful spring outdoor attractions and majestic scenery.”

This year the tournament will also feature a Junior Bridge Symposium that will help avid bridge players learn how to create a junior bridge club in their community to motivate and challenge students, promote generational connection and provide a fun and engaging activity for youth to enjoy for a lifetime.  According to Youth 4 Bridge, the game has also been shown to improve students’ standardized test scores. In a 2005 study, young bridge players out-scored their non-playing counterparts on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills by 39.31% in Science, 24.22% in Math, and 22.74% in Social Science. Some notable bridge competitors that advocate for youth engagement include billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.

The tournament will be held April 16 – 22 at the Gatlinburg Convention Center in Gatlinburg, Tenn. and does not require pre-registration, but players are encouraged to make travel arrangements in advance of the tournament.  Those wishing to learn more about the games available and tournament specifics can visit www.gatlinburgregional.org.


About Gatlinburg:

Gatlinburg is a quaint, mountain getaway nestled in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains.  It offers a variety of travel experiences ranging from family activities to romantic getaways or outdoor adventures.  Gatlinburg also has more than 12,000 rooms for lodging and 400 shops as well as many attractions including Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Ober Gatlinburg and many others.