Most of you know who I am, the guy in charge of BBO’s numerous vugraph presentations, and of course the same guy who does voice commentary with a distinct and maybe even posh British accent.
This is how Roland introduced himself when we interviewed him many years ago. He needed no introduction, of course… There was only one Roland on BBO, and he was equivalent to Vugraph.
On May 25, 2020, Roland’s family announced that he passed away unexpectedly, from a heart attack. In shock and pain we write this eulogy to spend some moments together remembering who Roland was and what a great man we lost…
Roland’s contribution to the world of bridge was massive. He managed to make Vugraph entertaining.
Vugraph went from a handful of people watching quietly and respectfully how the world’s greatest players play, to a live show of entertainment, jokes, and sometimes totally off topic conversations. It kept people glued to the screen for hours, not only to see how the game unfolds, but also to listen to how some of the best players in the world *think* it might unfold.
Roland put long hours into commentating, getting teams of commentators together and organizing them to help all ongoing vugraph events have commentary. He was BBO’s Vugraph Coordinator and inspired many experts and world class players to join him in this venture.
All this work was volunteer. Roland was not an employee of BBO. We of course treated him like one of ours, and he considered himself part of the BBO family, but his was a work of pure love and dedication for the good of bridge.
His efforts did not pass unnoticed. International recognition of his contribution to the bridge world came with a prestigious award from the International Bridge Press Association. Roland Wald won the 2011 Alan Truscott Memorial Award, an honor presented periodically to that person whose contribution to bridge, in the opinion of the IBPA Executive, would be most appreciated by Alan.
He always claimed to be “computer-challenged” but he adapted remarkably well to new technology. He switched from written commentary to voice commentary since voice commentary was on the testbed. Later on he adapted from the older flash BBO to the html BBO. And these past couple of months, when there were no live matches and no live vugraph, he was still present, organizing commentary at high-level online matches. For a tech-challenged person you didn’t do too bad, dearest Roland…
Here’s an excerpt from an older interview with Roland, to remind us all of his sense of humour and unforgettable presence… Farewell, dear friend. You will not be forgotten!
Tell us about the new Voice Commentary feature on BBO. You always say all you know about computers is where the ON/OFF button is… Was it tough for you to adapt?
Ask Uday or Fred, or my sons for that matter, and they will attest to the fact that I am absolutely clueless when it comes to computers. In fact, I am pretty scared when I tread on unknown territory. What if things go wrong? When Fred told me about the new voice feature, I was a little reluctant, but funnily enough it did not take me long to adapt. It was technically easier than I thought, and for that I must thank Fred and Uday. We had a conference call on Skype, and their way of explaining the procedure must have been second to none. Even I grasped it!
What was your favorite voice session so far?
There have been plenty, but if I have to mention one, it must be our inaugural broadcast at the Spingold finals last summer (n.ed. 2011) with Larry Cohen. For some reason we seem to “click”, and we are both determined to do more sessions together (we did three so far).
You sometimes mentor in the Beginner/Intermediate Lounge and other private clubs on BBO. Any stories you would like to share?
I love to teach, so I take great pleasure in having the occasional appearances in the BIL and the BBO Juniors. With regard to teaching most of it now takes place online.
As for the funniest story in my career as a bridge teacher it has to be the one that occurred about 18 years ago. At my bridge center near Copenhagen I had a class where the Stayman convention was on the agenda. I explained this useful convention at length, and everyone seemed to understand the concept. By the end of the lesson I asked the members to read about it in the textbook and come back with questions next week if they had any.
The following Tuesday one of the members raised a finger and said: “Roland, I have read it all and think I understand most of it, but what do you do if you don’t have the Two of Clubs?”
What do you like to do in your free time?
What free time? I don’t differentiate between work and leisure. My life is cricket and bridge, and then add football (soccer), handball, tennis, badminton, athletics and a few other sports. All that keeps me busy 24/7, more or less. Well, to be honest with you, I do eat and sleep occasionally. But all in all, no wonder that no woman wants me for a longer period of time 🙂
You work with the world’s greatest players. Did you get to meet any of them in real life too?
For obvious reasons I know lots of BBO’ers, also from real life. A lot of star players and the nicest people you can think of. Always there to lend a helping hand when you need one. And we all do on occasion, don’t we?
You insisted that we use your “official picture”… What’s so special about that picture?
It’s my favourite picture because of the cards I hold. I had 23 hcp 🙂
Comments
185 responses to “Farewell, Roland Wald (aka Walddk2)”
RIP, Roland !H
what a great man he was , RIP
I played online with Roland many years ago, he was always wonderful and amusing to play with and against. A loss to his family and th eworld of Bridge
Please accept my condolences
(PILOK)
RIP Roland.
A wonderful man …. a great friend — he instantly became part of my family here in south africa – and we all looked forward to his visits. Yes of course, cricket at Newlands was always on his most important list, and then our visits to our game parks a close second.
The arrival of his grandkids was the cherry on top !!
Roland or as i called him,,, the grumpy old man, will be missed not only by our family and friends here – but world wide … a true icon !!! thank you RW …. miss you ever so much xxxxx
Very sad, Di. A man with a personaility much bigger than his persona. A man whose shoes will be very hard to fill on BBO. of this I am very sure, now he has gone from this world.
He was well-liked and had an indefatigable desire to make the eclectic world of top-level competitive bridge comprehensible to the masses.. He was rarely condescending or offsensive, but gentlemanly and kind.
I had the pleasure of meeting him once in London when he lived there and we had so many laughs and interesting conversations about bridge in its wider context. His passion, and even obsession, for the game shone through. We played together once on BBO and he told me that i owed him half a bottle of whiskey 🙂
I wish my condolences to his family. His shadow will be cast over BBO for many years to come. He has set a standard for commentary amd unbounded enthusiasm for making others see the game how he did.
RIP Rolly.
Roland made watching bridge on vugraph an absolute joy, he even managed to laugh at himself when he thought a better line of play was available and it wasn’t.
Will always remember his and David Bird’s commentaries with the fondest of memories.
RIP dear friend.
Roland was a great guy, the BBO Vugraph Coordinator and
kept us all entertained with his vignettes on Bridge and Cricket.
He was very active till recently with his FB post on bridge, all instructive and clothed
with his wry British humour PG Wodehouse style.
He encouraged & mentored me to take to BBO commentary very early on.
RIP Roland. They don’t make them like you anymore
R.I.P.Roland. We will never forget you 🙁
May his soul rest in peace. Condolences to his family, never met him before but was a real BBO friend.
he was a great guy God bless his soul
Vugraph = walddk2
We spectators are going to miss you .
RIP Roland
He was a wonderful commentator,
used to listen to him long hours
will miss him,
RIP Roland
Many, many thancks for his comments and support to BBO and the Vugraph.
God bless his soul, Condolences to his family.
A true gentleman R.I.P Roland
RIP Roland
Condolences to family
Thank you for all the commentaries you shared on BBO
Goodbye my Friend
Ach…. my condoleances for the family, A lost for
BBO. Tanks Mister Walddk2.
Very sad:(
Dünyada ölümden başkası yalan. (Death is the only reality in the world- Everything other than death is a lie in the world)
Rest in peace dear friend.!
Sad news! I enjoyed his commentary. R.I.P Roland.
RIP Roland.
I have no words to describe the shock I feel – and how sorry I am for his family’s loss – and how angry I am that great beings cannot be immortal – the bridge world morn – we morn – we all will morn
Missing Roland Wald in our bridge world will be like the moon without the stars, the bacon without the eggs, the knowledge that goes with him is irreplaceable, the empty space he leaves to great to fill.
Roland, I hope your departure was free of pain and my heart goes out to and breaks for your family and your bridge family, may the lord have mercy on your soul and may you rest in peace. I’m going to miss you intensely 😢
R. I. P. Roland
Thank you for telling us more about Roland and for honoring him in this wonderful and genuine way. Such a legacy…
Rest in peace Roland.
R.I.P. Roland
RIP Roland – you will be missed
this is a devastating loss,for his family,but also for all of us.
thank you roland,for all your work.
it was greatly appreciated.
RIP Roland.. forever in your debt for showing me it was more than a game of cards
R.I.P. Roland
RIP Roland!
RIP Roland …. very very sad news … you really will be missed during the next Vugraph …. many thanks for all your work on BBO….
RIP Roland. We will miss you. Best commentator ever!
RIP, Roland, miss your comments
very sad
Rip Roland.
RIP Roland.
Roland was a natural at bridge commentary. It was always entertaining listening to him. He will be sorely missed on BBO that’s for sure. RIP Walddk.
I am absolutely in shock 😢. Roland is one of those people with whom conversing is a pleasure, topic never matters.
My condolences to the Wald family, extra hugs to August and Hannah 😢
RIP Roland 💔
will miss him a lot, loved his commentary
A very serious loss to the bridge world. A wonderful man who will be very much missed. My condolences to his family.
A very serious loss to the bridge world. A wonderful man who will be very much missed. My condolences to his family.
RIP Roland.
I was shocked and dismayed at the news of Roland’s passing. I never met him but he gave me hours of pleasure on BBO and for that I will always be truly grateful. My husband and I were scheduled to come to Copenhagen to board our very first cruise ever on June 9th and I was looking forward to perhaps being able to meet or speak to him. Fate had other ideas. I will remember him with fondness and great sadness whenever I watch a vugragh presentation. I will miss wishing him Shabbot Shalom every week. R.I.P. dear Roland.
Very sad news. My condoleances to his family. R.I.P and we will miss you.
Such a nice man and such a loss to BBO and the wider world of bridge.
RIP!
We were partners for two boards years ago.. Rest in peace Roland.
RIP!
RIP. His humour and insights will be missed in equal measure.
RIP Roland .I have enjoyed your commentary immensely and also your non bridge jokes on the face book shared by you .
Miss you and God bless you wherever you are..
R.I.P.
Roland showed me around Copenhagen when I visited a few years ago and I learned he was not only a great Vugraph host but also extremely hospitable in person. We’ll all miss him.
First: Condolances to family for your loss – thank you for telling us..
Dearest Roland,
YOU made BBO the World Wide Venue for the bridge programs Fred, wife S + Uday made at the turn of the Century. For more than a decade, You organized voluntarily BBO venues for our Tournaments. We felt it a priviledge when our Tournaments were accepted – Clubs as well as Feds – resulting in the most esteemed & best Tournaments were presented to kibitzers world wide. At the start of BBO, You were priviledged being Danish, having the best of Players for personal friends, ‘catching’ them as commentators making BBO a daily enjoyment for tens of thousands of kibitzers – especially during ACBL’s – EBL’s – WBF’s Tournaments.
We were priviledged to enjoy your company in the Press rooms as well as the smoking areas during European Championships. You made a mark on us – we miss you. Takk Roland – RIP
This is sad news, indeed. I well remember that 2011 Spingold vugraph session and hearing Roland and Larry Cohen “click” during their audio commentary. I don’t think there has been a better vugraph audio commentary team since!
I never met Roland, but I did get to know him a bit as Walddk2 online recently. He was struggling with how to make his audio sound good using the new HTML BBO “Version 3” voice system. I was an audio engineer and early adopter of digital audio systems for radio stations in the early 1990s and was able to help Roland and a few of his voice commentary partners improve their audio quality on the new BBO system. He was not as computer challenged as he let on — he picked up on the somewhat arcane audio stuff — even learning about digital audio “flanging” which he loved to joke about. I was honored when he made me a BBO “friend” and when he sought me out online to provide a tip or two for his audio.
We will all miss you, Roland.
Roland thanks for the patience and the memories
Arev ha Sholem my dear friend. I will never forget you and I know I will always look for you on Vugraph.
Tanker til din familie, jeg vil savne din stemme, på BBO RIP
For sure you are in BBO heaven doing what you love. Good journey my dear friend
ria mm he smiled for me may god bless this gentleman
May his memory be for a blessing.
I’ve been listening to Roland – and various broadcast partners – for many years. He was very adapt at getting them to go ‘off script’ so that we could ‘meet’ them. His discussions on geography, history, wine (with David Bird), and many other topics will be missed.
will be sorely missed he certainly encouraged me to take bridge learning more seriously. Will miss his humour farewell roland
Donna, I don’t think I have laughed or screamed out loud as hard as I have while listening to you and Roland at the same time! RIP Roland
Donna, I don’t think I have laughed or screamed out loud as hard as I have while listening to you and Roland at the same time! RIP Roland
I enjoyed his voice commentary, we should all hope there’s bbo awaiting, my respects to his family at this time.
What a pleasure it has been to spend so many happy hours watching great bridge on BBO vugraph over the years and enjoying the colorful commentary and repartee of Roland and his colleagues. Farewell Roland.
a huge loss to WW bridge. RIP Roland
Condolences to his family. To my great regret I never met Roland during the time he spent in London. Our paths always seem about to cross and never did. I enjoyed his BBO commentaries; I sort of enjoyed his terrrible F…b…k jokes and I enjoyed at second hand his interest in cricket. The world of bridge is a lot poorer for his passing.
Above comment by Ned Paul
The man who never sleeps is how I remember him, and a witty commentator to his beloved game. Ronald we will miss you,
A truly great loss- I felt as if I knew him by his wonderful work.
Now would be a great time to name a future event in his honor.
Only Edgar Kaplan could match his level of commentary.
Having worked only one VuGraph I can vouch for how incredibly difficult it is to explain the bridge in real time. Amazing talent and prayers for his family.
c’est dommage
Rest in Peace Roland – in the early years when Vugraph was in its infancy the BILies (Beginner Intermediate Lounge members) were so very fortunate to have you pop in for an hour or two sharing your profound bridge knowledge with them. One of the truly talented teachers you were able to bring the game of bridge alive for the learner player. As the years passed it became harder to pin you down but when I managed to do so the BILies flocked to attend your Specials and would beg me to make you a regular, but Vugraph was your passion and our loss. You will be missed across the spectrum of Bridge . Our condolences to Roland’s Family – Maureen and the BILies
Great Guy! Always giving. I loved doing commentary with him. He will be sorely missed.
Peace be yours, Roland.
A wonderfull person left our world. He will be missed by so many, none the least by his lovely grandchildren he was so proud of. A person always willingly to help others, weather on bridge topics or else. A person who always showed his care. Thanks Roland for all the effords you made to make this world a little bit a better world. Sincere condoleces to his family, family he was so proud of
I will never forget the numorous private discussions Roland and I had when he was commentating. His love for the game was exceptional, his sense of humour was amazing and his respect for all players and kibitzers exemplary. He will be missed. My condoleances to familiy and friends
Very sad. Roland was a great man to make comments, had a special warm voice, answered questions I had and took the fights to highest levels.
Rest in peace.
RIP
I was so emotional when I saw the news appear on facebook very late in the night (for Indian time). Back in 2003, we had the first every live VU Graph presentation on BBO from Aurangabad, India, for Winter Nationals. I was in charge of training the operators. I had done a similar training in Bahrain in 2001 for the first live BFAME broadcast, but we had used a site called Bridgeplaza as BBO was not operational then with VU Graph broadcasts. Got to know Roland from then onwards, we did many more together. With his encouragement, the normally reticent me was also persuaded to be commentator for the Indian and Asian time slot tournaments until I restricted my typing due to CTS in my fingers. He was always tongue in cheek about the “flexible” start timings for Indian tournaments, we were still operating as if it didnt matter if overnight the start timings were shifted by half an hour, little were we aware that the world was waiting, more importantly Mr Roland Wald was waiting! From his gentle insistence on punctuality, I made that a highlight for our VU Graph operator training. So many memories of him! Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.
I propose that the BBO Vu Graphs, if the new owners of the site would be so willing, be henceforth called Roland Wald VU Graphs, that will be a fitting tribute to a man who put so much of his heart and soul into bringing world class Bridge to our homes.
It goes without saying that BBO vugraph will never be the same without Mr. Roland, RIP and may God bless your family.
Agreed. Thank you.
The cards, little treasures of joy are now finally folded, what will the next deal bring?
I like his Phylosophy ” What free time? I don’t differentiate between work and leisure. ” RIP dear. But I know u dont like resta
RIP, I will miss you!
I am really upset to hear this… RIP, gentleman of Bridge
Le monde de BBO a perdu un grand homme pour tout le travail fait. lors des rencontres mondiales de bridge.tout le monde adorait ses commentaires…A Sa famille je présente mes sincères condoléances , Roland tu seras toujours dans ma mémoire repose ne paix BERNARD Chouan4
Very sad news. Thanks a lot for his entertaining & educating vugraph commentaries. Işıklar içinde yatsın.
RIP
The kindest thing I can say about Roland is that I would always look hopefully for his voice commentary on any big match broadcast by BBO, often choosing to watch such matches rather than to follow my favourite teams without Roland’s commentary.
The commentary usually started with the recurring and somewhat chaotic question to his old partner and co-commentator Peter Lund:
“Peter, can you hear me now?”
I’ll really miss you. Vugraf will never be the same. Hope you took another great hand with you.
RIP Roland….I loved your style
It was a pleasure to know you, Roland.
You were a remarcable person, and I was proud, when you asked me to become a BBO commentator a 15 years ago. I enjoyed very much our conversations on Messenger, where we mainly talked about bridgeproblems like squeezes, of course. You were bright, spoke at least six languages and had a great humor. It was very amusing to read your jokes on FB.
It made me sad to hear about your far too early death.
RIP.
R.I.P
RIP Roland
we would miss you but your voice will always remains in our memory.
Remarkable person, great commentator
RIP Rolland
We will miss you a lot
Quelle tristesse. RIP Roland
toen ik hem hoorde op VU dacht ik eerst dat het een computerstem was , ik ge deze persoon erg missen RIP
RIP Roland. You set the tone for VuGraph commentary: classy, humorous, insightful, conversational. Thank you for all the wonderful commentary that I have enjoyed and learned from, especially for always taking time to explain expert thinking to the average player. You have been one of my great teachers, though I never knew you personally. This is a great loss to us all. Condolences to Roland’s family.
I had only good experiences with Roland, as he helped me to set up tournaments on BBO. No question to silly, no question too difficult. Also, I enjoyed his commenting on high-level tournaments all over the world. He was even more posh in his way of speaking, than most posh British commenters. He always had intelligent approaches on things that happened, or things which were about to happen. Rest in peace, Roland. We will miss you. Regards to his family.
R.I.P. Roland
Davs Rol.
For all you did for this community and for being a friend for manymany years.
My deepest condolences to the family of a great man Roland. May he R.I.P
My deepest condolences to the family of a great man Roland. May he R.I.P
He gave unstintingly of himself while he was with us; we must endeavor to take up the slack left by his passing. With respectful condolences to his family.
My deepest condolences to Rooland’s family. I wrote a post dedicated ti him in my blog in the Hebrew languagehttp://avirosenthalbr.blogspot.com/2020/05/roland-wald.html
I just loved commentating with Roland in the early days, especially if we were both listening to a test match at the same time. Sadly we never got to go that match at Lords.
Great can be overused, but not for someone who turned bridge into a spectator sport.
How we will miss him.
,I am sry for your lost
I am glad I was able to share the vugraph “desk” with Roland a number of times in the 18 months or so since I joined the commentator ranks. His knack of smoothing things for those around him has virtually no rival, and his knowledge was great. Waldkk, your table presence will long be felt.
Will miss you Roland.
I was shocked at the news of Roland’s passing. I enjoyed his BBO commentaries. His sense of humour was amazing and his discussions on a lot of topics will be missed. Roland, we will miss you.
Thank you for the music
🙏❤️
I am sitting here in tears. When I joined BBO in 2003 as a very nervous online bridge player, Roland was so welcoming and helpful, like so many others I was part of the original BIL, and he was there making us all feel glad to be part of this wonderful site.
I shall miss you terribly Roland, RIP and my sympathy to your family.
RIP Roland. Miss you as a great commentator.
Que descanse en paz, la voz de BBO
mis mas sinceros pesames
Rip walddk2
RIP Roland, you gave so much to BBO. In the early years teaching 2/1` Who would want to miss Roland’s expect commentary on vugraph. You were a true gem.
Roland was superb at what he did. His entertaining commentary kept you glued to the screen.
Prabhat,
Rip, Roland was an Excellent and entertaining commentator and will be remembered always.
Au revoir Monsieur merci pour tous vos commentaires riches instructifs merci également de toutes vos bonnes histoires sur Facebook sans vous connaître vous avez plus d une fois enchantée ma journée toutes mes pensées a votre famille reposez en paix
R.I.P. Roland
R.I.P. Roland
R I P roland Wald . we lost you
We were very shocked to hear the news. You were a much loved teacher and commentator, and will be missed by all of us who knew you. RIP Roland. Michelle & Andy
RIP my friend, i still remember what you have taught me abt signalling ages ago!
Rip Roland het ga je goed
You will be missed Roland. I loved talking to you. Du var altid venlig.
RIP Roland… the absolute best host of VU; you will be sorely missed sir…
Rest In Peace 🙏❤️🇮🇪
Rest in peace, Roland. 🙏
Unfold your hands there now, you can chose any 23 HCP you like. ❤️
Roland was unsurpassed as a Vugraph voice commentator. He will be sorely missed.
I am shocked and saddened. For the bridge-playing and vu-graph family, Roland was a friendly uncle. He kept ungodly hours to do commentary on round-the-clock global events. Like one of us, he loved the excitement of the game and enjoyed teaching it to relative newcomers in simple terms. His sense of humor was palpable although one did not know him personally. RIP Roland Wald.
Thank you for all your kind words. It means a lot to our family and would have meant alot for our father as well. This is a hard time, but knowing how much he meant to so many around the World makes it a little easier. Daniel Wald (Rolands son)
I was sadden by his departure. I admired his personality – a genuine, sincere, respectful and subtly humorous person enjoying his BBO commentaries.
The tide goes out yet leaves behind bright seashells in the sand ………….
The sun goes down yet gentle warmth still lingers on the land ………….
The music stops yet echoes on in sweet refrains……….
For every joy that passes, something beautiful remains.
~~ author unknown
A great personality who left such a strong impression on the game of Bridge, so much so that posterity will benefit from it!!!
I spent many years commentating with Roland. He was tireless. He was always precise. And he loved what he did. My fondest memory of Roland was the day when we were commentating and we both held our breath as the total tables passed 10,000!!!! We both suspected the site might crash….it didn’t. We subsequently spoke about that day often and got a good laugh every time. Vugraph will never be the same. RIP my friend.
I am so sad to hear that dear Roland has passed away
I wish my sincere condolences to his family and the community. RIP dearest friend.
I just loved your accent, your sense of humor, your splinter gadget 😉
Your sessions in the BIL. RIP Roland
A great and simple man. Rest in peace Roland
Hi’
Thank you for sharing this about such a nice man . Thank you for his services . Our heart felt condolences. He is in better place with God . God give strength to his love ones to face this precious loss. Peace . 🙏
After spending countless hours listening to Roland’s vugraph commentary, I feel like I have lost a brilliant, kind and generous friend. What a great loss for the world bridge community. RIP Walddk2.
I always enjoyed listening to Roland. He provided insights to the game which were helpful to me.
Forever in our hearts dear Roland. May your memory always be a blessing.
You were a genunie gentleman Roland. BBO family will miss you.
Oh nooooo! I liked him sooo much! RIP❤️
You were one-of-a-kind, Roland, and will be deeply missed.I hope you will go on commentating wherever you land.
What a shock! I will miss you forever, RIP Walddk2.
Vi savner dig, Roland, og dine kommentarer på fomfuldendt British English. Og jeg mindes med glæde timerne i Nordsjællands Bridgecenter.
So sad. He truly was voice and face we thougth of whenever we saw vugraph broadcast.
Condolences to family and friends. RIP
I only listen to the commentaries and never play. This to me is such a shock that I shan’t here Roland’s voice again. RIP in Bridge heaven.
I wept when I learned of Roland’s passing. I didn’t know the man, but I loved him. He brought online bridge alive. How will I ever know how to pronounce all of those beautiful names? I feel a huge sense of loss, as does all of the bridge world. Irreplaceable.
RIP Roland. I’ll miss your commentary on BBO and your naughty jokes on Facebook 🙁
“I think I can walk my snail around the block before he plays.” RIP Roland Wald
Is there by any chance some “Best of Roland Wald Vugraph recordings” anywhere online? I didn’t listen nearly enough before I heard this sad news.
Thank you, RW, for all you gave to bridge!
It would be quite nice if someone who knew him and who has some anecdotes… could make Mr. Wald a page on Wikipedia.
Life after is being remembered Roland will never be forgotten .
The voice of bridge and a wonderfully entertaining, modest and natural one at that! I’ll miss you Roland.
RIP our beloved Richie Benaud of bridge
I have been playing on BBO since it’s inception. I was so sorry to learn of walddk2’s passing. He certainly was a force, an amazing bridge coach with a fantastic sense of humour.
Such sadness for everyone who is part of the BBO community. You were vugraph Walddk2, we will be lost without you. RIP
Terribly, terribly sad. I cherish the pleasure of meeting him just the one time but so grateful for that but wish he’d been around longer.
RIP Roland you will be missed
ditto
How sad to know that you will be not with us anymore. I started to comment from the very beginning as Roland organizaed and distributed all the commentators through all the comming matches. It was an enormeous task as it was not a self registration method.
What a reprimend I was given once a failed to appear! He was strict and very efficient and did not accept excuses.
RIP dear friend…and my condotations to your whole family.
Roland Wald, equally erudite in Danish, English, and Hebrew, was a delight to follow in his commentary on the important matches of the last 2 decades. His lucid explanations of the world class players approaches to bidding and play were always so instructive. He gave us listeners the feeling of being there in the tourney room, and often gave us his alternative analysis of a hand, all with a wonderfully wry sense of humor. I was always amazed at how many of the kibitzers comments he acknowledged and commented on.
As we see from all the tributes to him on his untimely passing, he was truly beloved by so many in the bridge world.
Rest well in Gan Eden, dear friend.
In the early days (Uday / Fred / Sherri) Roland asked me to commentate as we were in short supply back then. He was wonderful to work with, and I shall miss his voice commentary (esp interacting with David Bird) and will miss his Wald..1/2/..up to 8 names on BBO! I remember the time when he moved to UK from Scandinavia when he was apprehensive of the weather and accents. I will miss him.
Go well, my friend
Sid Ismail, South Africa
I, too, watched hours of tourneys on the PC with RW’s paly by play. WDR.
R.I.P.
Makes me so sad. We will miss him always.
We won’t be having second Roland. I could never miss a match when he was at the table, especially with voice commentary. Massive knowledge of everything bridge, all that was going on at the table, lovely voice and nice humor made all such matches exceptionally enjoyable. He cared to respond to every comment from every kibber, at the same time sharing valuable and entertaining insights about players.
RIP, Roland. The bridge community will be missing you – very much…
RIP Roland
RIP
Did some kibitzing with Roland on BBO.
Fantastic guy, a perpetum mobile for BBO commentary.
RIP
MERCI vous avez été le premier à m’accueillir sur BBO
reposez en paix tout le monde ira vous retrouver
I love to kibbitz good bridge and Roland’s vugraphs were always very entertaining. Sometimes, while we were waiting for 10 minutes for one card to be played, he was very entertaining with other things, like Cricket. He also had a great knack commenting on an expert’s mistake without dragging their nose to the ground, a great quality not had by many. His vugraphs were free, I cannot think of better entertainment to be had! RIP Roland, we will all miss you!
I rarely use BBO for anything but Vugraph so Roland became synonymous with BBO for me. When I logged in today I was surprised at how shocked I was to hear of the passing of someone whose voice was all I knew of him.
When I saw the photos of him here, for the first time, I realised that I’ve played against him in the past without realising!
Until i read this, I wasn’t aware that he did all this unpaid.
RIP Roland, thanks for all you did for bridge.
Ummm my comment above – I didn’t realise that i had to enter my username!
Very sad to hear. Had been following his play and commentaries from the day I joined BBO in 2004-5. Wonderful person, highly knowledgeable. Miss you Roland. RIP
Shocked as everyone.
Wat is hij belangrijk geweest in het opzetten van BBO Vugraph.
En wat heb ik genoten van zijn commentaar, droge Engelse humor, zijn subtile gestelde vragen met veelal niet zulke subtile uitkomsten. Samen met David Bird, prachtig. Het commentaar van zijn Deense collega verdroeg hij (ik probeerde het altijd uit te zetten) maar zo was hij.
We zullen hem missen, Roland!
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