Geir Helgemo

Geir Helgemo

Geir Helgemo (born 14 February 1970)[1] is a Norwegian professional bridge player. Through 2012 he has won three world championships in teams-of-four competition.[2] As of August 2018 he ranks first among Open World Grand Masters and his regular partner Tor Helness ranks second.[3]

Helgemo was born in Vinstra, Norway. For several years through 1994 he represented Norway on both its junior and open teams. The juniors won the 1990 European Championship and both teams finished second in the 1993 World Championships. From that time Helgemo played with Tor Helness on the open team, which was always strong and won another world silver medal in 2001.[2][4] Norway finally won the world team championship in 2007, the biennial Bermuda Bowl, with a team of six including Helness–Helgemo as anchor pair.[5]

At the inaugural, 2008 World Mind Sports Games in Beijing, Tor Helness won the Open Individual gold medal and Geir Helgemo won the silver. Norway's open team won the bronze.[2]

Emigration to Monaco

From 2011 Helgemo–Helness are full-time members of a team led and paid by the Swiss real estate tycoon Pierre Zimmermann, under contract expiring 2016. The team finished third in the 2010 world championship, not yet full-time, and it will compete in the European Bridge League open championship this spring. From 2012 all six members will be citizens of Monaco and the team will be a prohibitive favorite to represent Monaco internationally in bridge events.[6]

Books

  • Helgemo's World of Bridge: the maestro reveals his secrets, Geo Tislevoll and Helgemo (High Wycombe: Five Aces, 2000), 102 pp. – biography; translated from Norwegian, OCLC 44934034
  • Bridge with Imagination, David Bird and Helgemo (London: Finesse Bridge, 2000), 160 pp., OCLC 50842581

Bridge accomplishments

Awards

  • Herman Trophy 1999
  • IBPA Award (Personality of the Year) 1996
  • Le Bridgeur Award (Best Played Hand of the Year) 1997
  • Digital Fountain Award (Best Played Hand of the Year) 2003
  • Romex Award (Best Bid Hand of the Year) 1999
  • Precision Award (Best Defended Hand of the Year) 1991
  • Sender Award (Best Defended Hand of the Year) 1998

Major wins

Other notable wins

  • Cap Volmac World Top Invitational Pairs (2) 1994, 1996
  • Cap Gemini Ernst & Young World Top Invitational Pairs (1) 2002
  • Macallan Invitational Pairs (2) 1998, 1999
  • Politiken World Pairs (1) 1997
  • Hecht Cup (1) 2006
  • Generali World Masters Individual (1) 1996
  • Cavendish Invitational Teams (1) 2010

Major runners-up

Other notable 2nd places

References

  1. ↑ "HELGEMO Geir". Athlete Information. SportAccord World Mind Games. December 2014. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
  2. 1 2 3 "International record for Geir HELGEMO". World Bridge Federation. (WBF). Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  3. ↑ "Open Classification" (ranked table, page one). WBF Master Points Records. WBF. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  4. ↑ "World Team Championships". WBF. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  5. ↑ "38th World Team Championships, Results & Participants". WBF. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  6. ↑ "Helgeness and Fantunes Immigrate to Monaco" Archived 12 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine.. Bridge Topics (bridgetopics.com). 14 December 2010. Originally published in Norwegian: Alf Helge Jensen, "Helgeness skal spille for Monaco", Bridge i Norge (ed. Boye Brogeland), 13 December 2010. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
  • "International record for Geir Helgemo". World Bridge Federation. Edit this at Wikidata
  • The 1997 Le Bridgeur Best Play of the Year
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