| Christian MARI | |
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Francese, nato nel 1945 in una cittadina a Sud di Parigi, giocatore professionista di bridge figlio di un partigiano corso, vive in una deliziosa piazza paese nei dintorni di Parigi da molti anni con la sua compagna Dominique Frenove e non ha figli.
Laureatosi in Scienza delle Telecomunicazioni a 23 anni, ha cominciato a giocare a bridge un poco verso i 17 anni ma, non troppo, perché, a quel tempo, i suoi principali hobbies erano il calcio ed il tennis.
Insieme ad altri numerosi e prestigiosi piazzamenti che ne fanno uno dei più forti e longevi giocatori europei, Mari ha vinto gli Europei a Squadre del 1974 arrivando secondo nel 1973, 1989 e 1995 e terzo nel 1981, le Olimpiadi del 1980 e 1996, la Bermuda Bowl del 1997 preceduta dal bronzo del 1975, il Forbo Nation Cup del 1999, due volte il Biarritz Mixed (1998 e 1990), i Campionati del MEC del 1973 arrivando secondo nel 1977 e terzo nel 1996, il bronzo nella Rosenblum del 1978, l'oro nei Campionati Europei Misti a Squadre del 1992.
Mari, che è uno dei soli 7 World Grand Master francesi ancora in vita, passato nella Categoria Seniores ha vinto l'argento nel 2003 ed il bronzo nel 2001 nella Senior Bowl e nei Campionati Europei a Squadre ha collezionato un oro nel 2002 e tre bronzi (2001, 2004, 2006).
Mari story taken from an interview in the EBL Review (1998).
Christian, please start by telling us something about your family life.
My father lived in Corsica and fought in the war. When France was defeated, he fought for the Resistance for four years in the forests just outside Paris. There he met my mother, a school teacher. My brother was born in 1940 and I was born in 1945.
What was your school life?
We stayed just south of Paris until I was 12 years old when the family moved into Paris. I played my first bridge there at the age of 17, but only a little. I was much keener on football, and then tennis which I played to a good standard. I was a successful student and won the Concours to the High School where I studied as a Telecommunications Engineer. I finished my diploma when I was 23 and then had a year in military service. I was a sub-lieutenant, and this was the only time in my life when I had a regular wage!
What happened after you left the military?
I returned to Paris in 1970 and started playing bridge at the Bridge Club de Paris. Two years later Michel Lebel and I entered and won the French Trials. We went to the Europeans in Ostend where France took the silver medal. Next year in Herzlia, Israel, we went one better, taking gold. We went to the 1974 Bermuda Bowl in Bermuda itself and came third. But then there was a gap of four years before I played again for France.
What was your family situation?
In 1978 my girl friend, Dominique Frenove, and I set up house together, and we are still together now, twenty years later. We have no children, but two large and very beautiful dogs; we love them both very much.
How did your bridge career restart?
I began a partnership in 1976 with Michel Perron and in 1978 we played in the Rosenblum in New Orleans finishing third. In those days, the Albarran Bridge Club in Paris organized a duplicate match every day for a top group of players: Perron, Chemla, Lebel, Szwarc, Boulenger and myself, where we drew for partners and played for small stakes. We all had to play the same system and that experience has been the basis of many French national teams over the following 20 years where we are happy to change partners and know we can pick up a system with little problem. In the 1980 Olympiad I partnered Chemla, and we won the famous final with the hand where I raised to 7diamonds and Hamman led the wrong ace. The next year I partnered Perron at the Europeans in Birmingham where we finished third. Only two teams qualified for the Bermuda Bowl, so we stayed at home.
There was then a long gap in your career. What happened?
I played money bridge for high stakes almost exclusively for three years, and then had ten years partnering a sponsor. I had one trip with Jean-Christophe Quantin in 1989 to Turku where we were second, and this took France to Perth, but we didn't make it through the Round Robin. It was not until 1995 I came back into the French Team partnering Michel Lebel again, as I had done 23 years earlier. We came second in the Villmoura Europeans and France went to Beijng, but it was a not happy team, and I decided to stay at home. The next year I partnered Marc Bompis in the Rodhes Olympiad and France won. It had been 16 years since our win in Valkenburk. Now I am partnering Alain Levy.
If you had a magic wand, what would you change about Bridge?
I hate smoking - I gave it up myself 4 years ago! I dislike slow play. I would like the score for 3 spades making to be more them 2spade plus one, as we always seem to be in the higher contract!
What about other activities?
I have had to give up tennis, but I am now learning golf. I enjoy reading about European history, and like classical music, and go to the opera in Paris. I also enjoy good food and wine, but who lives in Paris and does not?
What advice do you have ordinary players?
Keep your bridge simple, with few conventions, and natural methods, using your intelligence all the time. France has won many world titles following this recipe. We use few conventions, and I believe, would do better with even less!
Il n'est pas possible de
répondre à cette question dans cette discipline. La seule réponse objective peut
provenir du jugement émis par ses pairs à propos du talent de Christian Mari.
Bref, ce monsieur sait jouer au bridge !
3 titres de champions du monde Open par équipes : une Bermuda Bowl en 1997 et
deux olympiades 1980 et 1996, plusieurs titres de champions d'Europe et depuis 3
ans, il convient d'ajouter à ce palmarès ses résultats dans la catégorie senior,
champion d'Europe en 2002 et vice-champion du monde cette année à Monaco.
Depuis les championnats d'Europe à Ostende
en 1973, voilà 30 ans que Christian Mari contribue au succès des équipes de
France.
Pourtant notre homme est infidèle, il a souvent changé de partenaire et joué en face des tous les meilleurs joueurs français mais jamais très longtemps : Michel Perron, Michel Lebel, Paul Chemla, Alain Lévy, Marc Bompis et en mixte avec Sylvie Willard et Véronique Bessis avec lesquelles il a gagné plusieurs grands festivals de bridge.
Il attribue cette instabilité à son caractère difficile et
exigeant mais aussi au fait qu'il ne soit pas possible en France de vivre du
bridge et, qu'alors, un champion doive trouver des partenaires qui lui assurent
des moyens d'existence.
Christian n'a jamais écrit de livre de
bridge et cependant son apport au système français est considérable. On lui doit
de remarquables études sur tous les développements après passe, qu'on devrait
légitimement appeler le "Mari" plutôt que le Drury, ce serait une juste
reconnaissance de son travail. On lui doit également des réflexions profondes
sur les contres négatifs qui furent, il y a 30 ans déjà, salués par le grand
Kaplan comme une avancée capitale dans les systèmes d'enchères compétitives.
Aujourd'hui, toujours aussi brillant, Christian Mari est un peu démotivé par le bridge, il serait dommage que cela dure à une heure où il approuve les efforts que la fédération semble prête à faire en faveur de ses champions.
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