UC Santa Barbara bridge team heads to collegiate championship tournament in Chicago

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – University of Santa Barbara's student bridge team was invited to compete in the 2023 Collegiate Bridge Bowl in Chicago from Jul. 20 to Jul. 22.

UC Santa Barbara's Overbidders Anony team is made up of Kenneth Chan, Michael Hu, Danning Lu, Hanwen Tian, and Michael Zheng.

The five-member team received the prestigious invitation after competing and placing in sanctioned online college bridge tournaments during the 2023 Spring semester.

The governing body for bridge tournaments in North America, the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), is the host of the North American Bridge Championship where collegiate players meet, earn masterpoints, and compete for a scholarship through the ACBL Educational Foundation.

The top team at this year's Collegiate Bridge Bowl will receive $10,000 in scholarship money and $3000 for the first-place pair.

“ACBL congratulates UC Santa Barbara in earning their spot in this year’s Collegiate Bridge Bowl,” said Bronia Jenkins, ACBL's Executive Director. “I’m pleased to see a younger generation of bridge players show an appreciation for the game, let alone compete with their peers with the same spirit and grit like any other university sports team.”