Lars Blakset

There are not many people that can say that they were born in a brewery and can also say that they run the largest bridge club in the world – but Lars can!  Drink a cup of coffee with Lars one day and you will relive exciting stories about his father’s work as a master brewer in Africa, the small town in Norway that bears his family name and, of course, bridge stories of triumph and defeat.

Lars’ bridge story starts at an early age. After his father’s many attempts to teach him the game of bridge, it wasn’t until he was 15 and his brother came home with a book on bridge that his passion was ignited. After 3 weeks he had torn through 40 books, playing around the clock and was ready for the junior league. By 17 he had won at the championships.

A few years later, armed with his Masters Degree in Economics, Lars took his first job in Copenhagen against the advice of his labor union. The contract stated that he should receive no salary. Conceptually it may have seemed naïve, but Lars’ self-assurance and confidence led him to do quite well on 100% commission – so well, in fact, that he helped grow the start-up company into a success.

With an itch to get something going of his own, he and his brother, Knut, opened doors to their very own bridge center in 1998, which has grown to become the world’s largest. He attributes the success of their center to their vision of lifting the club standards to a new level. They employed the best teachers to add fun to learning and created an inviting and comfortable atmosphere. This very same vision has made him a strong contributor to Bridge4People since it’s inception.

Lars looks forward to bringing the Bridge4People concepts to the market and, on a personal level, winning a gold medal in an European, Olympic or World bridge championship.

Lars also finds time for life away from bridge. He has a wonderful wife and daughter and keeps quite active with sports. He also finds time to catalogue and enjoy a cellar full of wine.

Besides his role as the new level development manager, Lars is founder and board member in Bridge4People.