Review RECORD SUCCESS IN LILLE WORLD BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 1998 World Championships, former Prime Minister of France, held in Lille, France, August 21- offered excellent support. And there September 4, was a record suc- were countless big and small cess in many fields. sponsors associated with the vari- Never before had there been so ous tournament events. many entries in a world event. Although the UNITED STATES were Publicity for bridge was unprece- once again the multi-winner, ITALY dented both through the media and captured the prestigious in the city of Lille which, spear- Rosenblum Trophy, while AUSTRIA headed by Mayor Pierre Mauroy, a took the McConnell Cup. BRIDGE HOSTED IN OLYMPIC HEADQUARTERS

‘Bridge is a sport, and as such your place is here like all other sports’ said Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), welcoming top bridge players from all over the world to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. The IOC BRIDGE GRAND PRIX, was highly successful and ended in an exact tie between BRAZIL and CHINA.

ITALY SCORES DOUBLE VICTORY IN IN THIS ISSUE EUROPEAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS n Editorial ...... 2 n 1998 World Champion- ships: a highly successful ka- n 1999 GENERALI European leidoscopic tournament with Teams & Ladies Pairs Cham- many national winners - and, pionships to be held in Malta, above all, bridge itself! . .6-7 June 12-27 ...... 2 n IOC Bridge Grand Prix: the n Warsaw to host 1999 Euro- Olympic movement welcomes pean Pairs Championships, bridge ...... 8-9 March 15-20 ...... 3 Ën Senior bridge advancing n Letter from the President .4 fast ...... 10 ITALY won both gold medals Held in Vienna’s historic by finishing ahead of the Rathaus, the tournament n Interview with Alfredo n European Ladies Pairs field in each of the two attracted 22 countries in the Versace, Italy’s rapidly rising coming up ...... 11 series of the 1998 European Junior series and 14 in the young star ...... 5 n Competition Calendar .12 Youth Championships. Schools. The past six months saw some very positive devel- opments which, if pursued, may well make a difference to tomorrow’s bridge. In July, Vienna hosted the European Youth Champion- ships in what was - and probably will be for a long time - the most magnificent venue ever used for a bridge tournament. The Vienna Town Hall (Wiener Rathaus), a historic build- ing in the centre of the Austrian capital, provided a fitting environment for the European youth. The tour- nament generated great interest and was attended very well - both locally and from a distance, via Internet. P S The World Bridge I P H

Championships held in Lille I at the end of August were S H

also highly successful. The N was huge, and so was S O

the publicity and support it I received. Bridge is not a N P spectator’s sport - but Lille O I provided the kind of event M P

which can push the game A forward. H A few days later, the M C A Olympic movement finally

opened its doors to bridge. S And it did so in the best H R C way - by staging a top level I

bridge tournament right at A S

its heartbeat: the Olympic P

Museum in Lausanne. IOC S M S President Juan Antonio R O E

Samaranch left no doubt A I about its intentions: ‘Bridge I N E is a sport’, he said, ‘and as D E 9 T S

such, your place is here A 9

I - together with all other 9 L

L I

N

sports’. 1 S L

A N A E E Three points, seemingly A R I A E N E

unrelated - but aiming at R D E A the same direction. They E U N P L J E P must be pursued. They can N

O - E

make a difference. G A O

6

T G R N 2 h

R L t - E h A U U t 4 P 2 4 E O 7 E M 1 PROKOM SOFTWARE 10th OPEN & 5th SENIORS EUROPEAN PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Pallace of Cullture & Sciience WWaarrssaaww,, PPoollaanndd 1155--2200 MMaarrcchh 11999999

PRIZE MONEY SF 120,000 GIORGIO BELLADONNA TROPHY

ENTRIES through National Federations by 15 February 1999 INFORMATION • Bill Pencharz EBL President / 8 Bell Yard, London WC2A 2JU, UK / Tel.: 44-171-242 3001 / Fax: 44-171-242 3002 • Polish Bridge Union / Tel.: 48-22-827 2429 / Fax: 48-22-827 3488 HOTEL RESERVATIONS • Irena Sokolowska ‘Orbis’ / 142 Marszalkowska, PL-00 061 Warsaw, Poland Tel.: 48-22-827 6208 / Fax: 48-22-827 1123 / Email: [email protected] s this is my last Letter From the ships must not be damaged as a result of is like a pyramid. At the top of the pyra- A President I would like to take the professionalism. mid are the experts; the internationals opportunity to identify what are The solution of this problem is a chal- who play and win in European Cham- the challenges and opportunities for the lenge to both the Federations and the pionships. But those few are supported . There are three European Bridge League. The Federa- by layer upon layer of lesser players, principal ones, I believe. tions need to make every effort to select clubs and administrators. Without a sol- and send their strongest Pairs and Teams id, wide and deep base international First, we need to maintain and, indeed, to European Championships. And the bridge cannot survive. advance the status of our European EBL must ensure that every European There are, of course, several success- Championships. Every European Cham- Championship is of the highest status ful Federations across Europe that are al- and of the highest (and ever-increasing) ready perfect pyramids – with large technical standards. The EBL also needs membership, many clubs, an infrastruc- to recognize (as, indeed, it already does ture of teaching and promotion, an effi- in the European Pairs and Mixed Cham- cient bureau and successful international pionships) that there must be financial Pairs and Teams. rewards for success as well as med- However, for most European Feder- als. ations the ‘perfect pyramid’ is some way Organizing European Champion- off. The third challenge which faces the ships of the highest standard, and EBL – and possibly the greatest – is to with large money prizes, calls for assist European Federations to promote huge human and financial resources. the game and to develop the member- Finding and organizing those re- ship, infrastructure and organization to sources is the first of the three chal- form a perfect pyramid. lenges which the EBL has to meet. I said at the beginning of this letter that The second challenge is to achieve, it would be my last. My term as President right across Europe, the recognition of expires at the end of the 44th GENERALI bridge as a sport. This recognition European Championships which take needs to be at all levels, but in particu- place in Malta next June. I decided not to lar at the levels of national governments stand for re-election as President as long and national Olympic Committees. ago as Easter this year. I believe this is the right moment to make my decision In many parts of Europe gov- public so as to give proper time for the ernments still regard bridge democratic process of selecting my suc- as something which does cessor. The choice of my successor is a not deserve patronage or fi- matter for the 42 Federations who are nancial support. This false members of the European Bridge League. LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Having had nearly four years in the job I know what the presidency entails in pionship – be it Teams, Pairs, Mixed or perception by government needs to be terms of time, commitment, experience Youth – needs to be the benchmark by changed, and we need to work together and leadership. There are strong candi- which all other tournaments are judged. to effect it. Similarly, in nearly all NCBOs dates amongst my senior colleagues and This can only happen if European Cham- bridge is not recognized as a sport by I am confident that the right person will pionships attract the strongest interna- national Olympic Committees. Again, be elected as President to lead the League into the millennium. tional players playing in their strongest perceptions need to be changed. partnerships and strongest teams. Happily we have a great ally in the For myself, I wish to continue to be in- volved in the affairs of the European International Olympic Committee and its Recently there have been some dis- Bridge League. But to what extent will de- President Juan Antonio Samaranch. At turbing signs of great players wishing to pend upon how matters develop over the world level bridge is now accepted as a participate in European (and World) next six months. Championships with a weaker, ‘sponsor’ sport and within a few years bridge will partner. This is a trend that is growing be played in the Winter Olympics. I wish you all a happy Christmas and a peaceful, prosperous and happy New and because it threatens to reduce the There are huge promotional and finan- Year. standard of European Championships it cial advantages in bridge being fully ac- threatens the status of the Champion- cepted as a sport. For bridge to be ac- Have a good game! ships. cepted as a sport is the second challenge I am 100% in favour of professional- before the European Bridge League. ism. A great bridge player is entitled to fi- The third challenge goes with the sec- nancial rewards for his skill. But the sta- ond. It is the European-wide promotion tus and prestige of European Champion- of the game of bridge. Bill Pencharz Alfredo, congratulations asked ‘Who is this little boy What did you do when knockouts. Early in ’96 we on winning the who plays like an angel?’ and you left school? came second in the Macallan Rosenblum in Lille, giv- did not play again until I was I was a bridge pro straight Invitational in London, and we ing Italy their first world 13. Then I started playing regu- away. I also teach bridge pri- won it the following year. Then title since 1975. Please larly. My father was a friend of vately. My first time for the Italy retained the European title tell us something about Mrs Lavazza who sponsors Italian Open team was 1991 in in Montecatini and we went to your family life. bridge teams, and, when I was Killarney partnering Santia but Hammamet for the Bermuda I was born in Turin on 4th June 15, I was invited to partner Italo we just missed qualifying for Bowl, where we lost to Norway 1969. My father was an actor Santia in her team. We won the the . The follow- in a very close quarterfinal. on the stage, radio and TV. I Italian Open, but as ing year, partnering Claudio have no brothers or sisters. our Nunes in the Junior Europeans How did your team cre- at Palaiseau we won the ated by Francesco title. Angelini begin? When did you start The team first played together your partnership three years ago and we have with Lorenzo won two Italian Champion- Lauria? ships. Francesco is the owner of a private pharmaceuticals It was at the Euro- company. He was going to play pean Teams in Menton in 1993. I in Lille but has not been feeling was still a junior, but very well so we played there as Arnhem the next year a five man team. I partnered was my last appear- Lauria and sometimes Antonio Sementa.

You missed the World Individual in Corsica this year. Why was that? My driving test was arranged for the same time and in Italy it is very difficult to change the date. The good news is that I passed!

If you had a magic wand and could change something about bridge, what ALFREDO would it be? I am very tolerant of little mis- demeanours by the opponents so I don’t like the very legalistic players who try to use any tiny infraction to obtain an advan- VERSACE tage. What are your interests

INTERVIEW WITH outside bridge? At school were you teammates were Benito Ga- ance as a junior. I married I follow horse-racing and like good at sport? rozzo and Giorgio Belladonna Juliana that year and we now betting. And I play football in Team Angelini. No, though I played a little ten- people were not so surprised! live in Rome where Lauria also nis, and was interested in foot- lives. When did you first rep- Have you any special ball. My subject at school was tip for the readers of maths. resent Italy? 1995 was the year you became European EBL Review to improve The next year, 1986, when I their game? When did you start was 17, I partnered Norberto champion? bridge? Bocchi in the European Junior Yes, in Vilamoura. Lauria and I They should watch the top players in action more! I was 11 years old when I Teams in Budapest. Italy was also won the Butler scoring played in my first bridge tour- not in the medals. Two years where each pair was assessed Alfredo, we are very nament partnering my mother later, in Plovdiv, when I was separately. We went on to grateful for your time. and we won it, but I was partnering Giovanni Delfino, we Beijing for the Bermuda Bowl annoyed by an opponent who came second to France. but did not qualify for the Patrick Jourdain he Vivendi Rosenblum T Teams Championship TEAMS TEAMS was fiercely contested and 1 ERHART AUT that too went to Italy. The 1 ANGELINI ITA N 2 AUKEN GER champions were Francesco 2 CHAGAS BRA Angelini, Andrea Buratti,

E 3 TRUSCOTT USA 3 BRAMLEY USA WOOD USA Massimo Lanzarotti, Loren-

LINDKVIST SWE P zo Lauria, Antonio Sementa 5 BESSIS FRA 5 HACKETT GBR and . It was

O LIU CHN SUNDELIN SWE the first time Italy had cap- ALLISON USA MAAS NLD tured the Rosenblum. SOLODAR USA MUNSGAARD DEN

very four years the PAIRS World Bridge Federa- 1 Kwiecien-Pszczola POL 2 Berkowitz-Cohen USA N E D tion stages the most kaleidoscopic of its events. 3 Fredin-Lindquist SWE E The participation of players 4 Katz-Compton USA E M from all five continents and 5 Ramer-Paulissen NLD X more than eighty countries 6 Martens-Szymanowski POL I O ensured that for two weeks, 7 Mittelman-Graves USA

August 21 - September 4, 8 Meckstroth-Johnson USA M Lille, France, was the focus 9 Ozdil-Zaremba POL W of attention for the world’s 10 Weichsel-Sontag USA bridge playing community. 11 Chagas-Branco BRA PAIRS PAIRS An outstanding Internet 12 Bocchi-Duboin ITA 1 Quinn-Meyers USA 1 Rossano-Vivaldi ITA service ensured that the 2 Auken-von Arnim GER 2 Blouquit-Bompis FRA Championships could be fol- ing or in some cases, ‘seri- 3 Bessis-d’ Ovidio FRA 3 Auken-Auken DEN/GER lowed from all around the ous shopping’! 4 Moss-Greenberg USA 4 d’Ovidio-Chemla FRA globe. Every computer being José Damiani the Pres- 5 Arnolds-Vriend NLD 5 Rauscheid-Buchlev GER used at the Championships ident of the World Bridge 6 Menil-Pigeaud FRA 6 Katz-Katz USA was connected to the WBF’s Federation attracted a huge 7 Wei Sender-Chambers USA 7 Waksman-de Monval FRA server. A massive amount of number of sponsors to the information was available, Championships. Many of 8 Wen Fei-Yu CHN 8 Vriend-Maas NLD including material that was them linked their names to 9 Ling-Yalan CHN he Louis Vuitton Mc not always included in the the various events. 10 Zur-Albu-Levit-Porat ISR T Connell Teams Champi- Daily News. Panos Geronto- Following an impressive 11 Sutherlin-Hamman USA onship saw an all-European poulos masterminded this opening ceremony the 12 Cronier-Willard FRA final between perennial rivals complex operation and must Championships started with Germany and Austria. It was have been delighted at the an event that for two days Carlos of Spain had be- Maria Erhart, Doris Fischer huge number of visits that captured the imagination of stowed on the President Emeritus of the WBF, Jaime Sylvia Terraneo and Terri were recorded. The WBF site everyone. The Compaq Par Contest involved 34 of the Ortiz Patiño, the Civil Order Weigkricht who ensured that is located at www.bridge.gr world’s finest players who of Merit, the highest honour the Austrian flag would fly and contains all the statistics played 12 deals composed Spain can award a foreigner. the highest. of the tournament. by the maestro from Switzer- he Société Générale During the Championships land, Pietro Bernasconi. he J.M.Weston Mixed T the WBF celebrated its 40th Sensationally, at the end of T Pairs was the first World Open Pairs anniversary with a banquet the first day the lead was Championship to be decid- Championship produced a at Lille’s City Hall. Those at- held by Matt Ginsberg’s ed. The gold medals went to fantastic finish with a whole tending included not only a computer programme GIB. It the Italians, Enza Rossano host of pairs chasing the host of world champions captured headlines all over and Antonio Vivaldi. Claude gold medals. In the end it both past and present, but the world. It was something Bloquit and Marc Bompis of was Michal Kwiecien and also many of the people who of a relief when Michael France took silver and the Jacek Pszczola of Poland do so much from behind the Rosenberg, representing the bronze went to Jens and who emerged on top. Sec- scenes. United States came through Sabine Auken representing ond were the United State’s Many of the players took on the second day to capture Denmark and Germany. David Berkowitz and Larry advantage of Lille’s excellent the Jean Besse Trophy. European partnerships oc- Cohen whilst third place rail links to visit Paris and Amongst the highlights cupied ten of the first eleven went to Sweden’s Magnus London, either for sightsee- was the news that King Juan places. Lindkvist and Peter Fredin. ill Meyers and Shawn Drumev of Bulgaria joined he Lipton Ice Tea Junior J Quinn of the United Karl Rohan and Franz T Triathlon went to Paolo States of America captured Baratta of Austria, Nissan Marino and Daniele Pagani the Louis Vuitton Women’s Rand and Moshe Katz of of Italy. They were also Pairs. The runners up were Israel. members of the team that Germany’s Daniella von he victory of Boris won the Lipton Ice Tea Arnim and Sabine Auken, T Schapiro and Irving Junior Teams along with the latter thus capturing her Gordon in the Elf Seniors Riccardo Intonti and Andrea third medal of the Champi- Pairs was remarkable. At 89 Medusei. onships. The bronze medals years of age, Schapiro is the he Lipton Ice Tea Junior went to Véronique Bessis oldest person to win a world T Individual was won by and Catherine d’Ovidio of title at bridge and probably in France. Poland’s R.Jagniewski, and any sport. fellow countrymen, Tomascz Masterminded by WBF President multi-national squad Previously he had won an José Damiani, the Champion- A from Israel, Austria and Przyjemski and Marcin Za- ships were strongly supported by unofficial event in 1938, The remba won the Lipton Ice Bermuda Bowl in 1955 and Pierre Mauroy, Mayor of Lille Tea Junior Pairs. and former Prime Minister of TEAMS the 1962 World Mixed France. Teams. At the other end of There were many other 1 RAND AUT-ISR-BUL events going on and the win- the spectrum the Champion- formance and that went to 2 SZENBERG POL ners included Russ Ekeblad ships featured a whole host the United States of 3 ROSEN USA and Michael Seamon of the of events for junior players. America. ORLOW POL United States of America The end of the tournament 5 RICCIARELI ITA hey were able to play who won the Cara IMP was marked by a magnifi- 6 HERTZ USA T and Mini- Pairs. India’s Sanjoy Damle cent closing ceremony, fol- 7 GU CHN bridge Competitif, the latter captured the second Coralia lowed by a victory banquet 8 BALLY ESP being similar to ‘real’ bridge Continuous Pairs. The Elf that included a superb show but minus the conventions Zonal Teams was open to as well as the standard ver- those players who were staged in the inimitable sion of the game. The former French style. The consensus S eliminated from the Vivendi was won by Amelie Imbe- Rosenblum and the Louis was that both had set new

R notte and Capucine Mou- Vuitton McConnell. standards. ret, the latter by Michael and The Solomon Trophy is It seemed appropriate that O this bridge marathon was

I Marc Soussand, all repre- presented to the Country senting France. with the best overall per- immediately followed by one

N of the more conventional kind when the feet of thou- E TRIATHLON sands of athletes pounded

S 1 MARINO ITA the streets of Lille. Did any of S 2 PAGANI ITA them expend as much PAIRS R 3 KRISTENSEN DEN energy as Brazil’s Gabriel 4 INTONTI ITA Chagas who played no less 1 Schapiro-Gordon GBR O

I 5 NOHR DEN than 742 boards in these 2 Dupont-Garozzo USA 6 MEDUSEI ITA outstanding championships?

3 Avensleben-Höger GER N 4 Gigli-Latessa ITA U 5 Maruggi-Romanin ITA 6 Renouard-Farahat FRA J 7 Hamilton-Sutherlin USA 8 Schwarz-Robinson CAN A pair representing Poland, Piotr Madry and Lukasz Bulgaria captured the Elf Piworowicz won the Tropico Senior Teams in remarkable Schools Pairs. LILLE • FRANCE The World Bridge Federa- style. In the 28- final tion’s support of bridge at their opponents conceded at this level is unparalleled. half time when the score They provided all 228 com- was an incredible 62-0! Four petitors with free meals and of the victors were repeating accommodation and took their win in Albuquerque in them to a French Premier 1994. This time Christo League football match! THE INTERNATIONALGRAND OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRIX © CIO / Collections du Musée Olympique Photo: M.A. Guex

he possible inclusion Olympic Museum in Lau- occupying a site that pro- The competition included the T of Bridge in the Winter sanne, Switzerland, Septem- vides magnificent views five countries that have been Olympic Games took a ber 7-11, 1998. across Lake Geneva. Open Olympiad Champions significant step forward with following the inception of the In his opening address José the staging of the Interna- It would be hard to find a competition in 1960, Brazil, Damiani, President of the tional Olympic Committee more spectacular setting for Italy, Poland, United States , Bridge Grand Prix at the a bridge event, the Museum of America and France. expressed his delight that China, the Far East Cham- the Olympic Museum had pion joined them to complete opened its doors to mind a global representation. sports. He was followed by Juan Antonio Samaranch, The teams included many President of the International household names: Olympic Committee (IOC), • BRAZIL who made the historic state- ment: ‘Bridge is a sport and Marcelo Branco, Gabriel as such your place is here Chagas, João Paulo Campos like all other sports’. and Miguel Villas-Boas.

It was in June 1995 that the • CHINA IOC first recognised the WBF Dai Jianming, Shi Haiojun, as an International Orga- Wang Weimin, Wang Xiao- nisation. Thereafter Marc jing, Xu Hongjun, Zhang Ze- (above) IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch Hodler, IOC Vice President, jun; npc: Chen Zelan. and IOC Director of Sports Gilbert Felli with José Damiani made visits to the World (below) WBF President Emeritus Jaime Ortiz-Patiño Championship events held in • U.S.A. with IOC Vice President Marc Hodler Rhodes and Hammamet. Bob Hamman, Paul Solo- The organisation of the IOC way, Jeff Meckstroth, Eric Grand Prix was requested Rodwell, Bobby Wolff and and presided over by Juan Dan Morse. Antonio Samaranch, Presi- • FRANCE dent of the International Olympic Committee. Paul Chemla, Alain Levy, Christian Mari, Hervé Bridge fans all over the Mouiel, Franck Multon and world were able to follow the Michel Perron. IOC Grand Prix on the Internet. You can find a • POLAND detailed account of the event Cezary Balicki, Apolinary at www.bridge.gr. Kowalski, Krzysztof Mar- It actually happened! Level at the end of the qualifying stage, Brazil and China proceeded to finish a most exciting final with exactly the same score! Rather than following the tie-breaking procedure, the two teams decided to MESSAGE share the Grand Prix in a FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE demonstration of true Olympic spirit - evident INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE as Jihong Hu and Gabriel TO THE IOC GRAND PRIX PARTICIPANTS Chagas hold the Cup. On behalf of the Olympic Movement, I would like to welcome to Lausanne, the tens, Jacek Romanski, Ma- Olympic Capital, the participants in the International Olympic Committee Bridge rek Szymanowski and Adam Grand Prix, taking place at the Olympic Museum. Zmudzinski; npc: Andrzej In the past twelve months Lausanne has hosted highly successful world Orlow. championships, and now the World Bridge Federation has spared no effort in preparing the IOC Grand Prix, a major event in bridge. Always a popular game of • ITALY skill, bridge is open to all age groups and all levels of ability. By organizing Dario Attanasi, Norberto international meetings such as the Grand Prix, bridge will contribute to the further Bocchi, Giorgio Duboin, Giu- development and promotion of its game. seppe Failla, Ruggero Pulga I wish you every success. and Gianpaolo Rinaldi; npc: Carlo Mosca.

These six giants played a round robin of 24-board matches at the end of which the two leading teams con- Juan Antonio Samaranch tested a six-session final of Marquès de Samaranch 72 boards. A thrilling finish to the open- ing stage saw the table look of the Olympic movement, that seemed as these great If all this were not enough, the like this: Brazil 85, China 85, Pierre de Coubertin, ‘The teams stood toe to toe battling icing on the cake came when USA 83, France 78, Poland important thing is taking out some of the most pulsat- WBF President José Damiani 65, Italy 49. part’. ing sessions of bridge that revealed that the IOC had have ever been seen. At the already forwarded an invita- The eliminated teams were The final of the IOC Grand Prix disappointed but they recog- end they were inseparable, tion for the next edition of the was undoubtedly one of the nised the words of the founder their IMP totals identical! most exciting in the annals of IOC Grand Prix. bridge as Brazil and China They were supposed to play Mark Horton  Bridge is a produced one of the most fan- four more boards to resolve tastic finishes in the history of the tie but like the Olympic FINAL sport and as such sporting contests. Those who Rings they locked arms and BRAZIL-CHINA 167-167 your place is witnessed it will consider both were declared winners. here like all other themselves to be privileged in And they were not the only QUALIFIER the years to come. ones as Bridge now stands on 1 BRAZIL 85 sportsž the threshold of a great new 2 CHINA 85 Juan Antonio Samaranch The library of the Olympic dawn. A golden age where the 3 USA 83 (speaking at the opening ceremo- Museum featured an exhibi- greatest prize of all will be the 4 FRANCE 78 ny of the IOC Bridge Grand Prix) tion of books on the noble art ultimate sporting achievement 5 POLAND 65 of boxing. How appropriate - an Olympic gold medal. 6ITALY 49 ADVANCES IN SENIOR BRIDGE

The World Championships held in Lille, Claude Beineix who was in charge of France, August 21-September 4, 1998, running the events. gave a considerable boost to Senior The 1998 World Championship demon- Bridge. For the first time ever, the semifi- strated the superiority of Zone 1 in most nals and finals of the Senior Teams events and especially for seniors. The multi Championships were held in the same hall, national European team including a pair and played with the same hands, as the from Austria, Karl Rohan (captain) and four final ladies teams and the eight final Franz Baratta; Moshe Katz and Nissan open teams. The progress of the semifinal Rand from Israel, and Christo Drumev Nissan Rand

SENIORS and final senior teams were exhibited on from Bulgaria, won the Senior Teams Seniors Cmtee Chairman Bridgerama along with the other 12 match- Championship in a grand style. Two strong es that were running concurrently. Polish teams captained by Szenberg and Thus, for the first time ever, the seniors Orlow respectively won the second and EUROPEAN SENIOR could feel that they commanded respect third place while the top American team TEAMS - MALTA equivalent to the open and ladies events. which reached the semifinal stage ended in The format of the European We wish to express our gratitude to Jean- fourth place. Senior Championship in Malta will be the same as The British senior pair Boris Shapiro and for the Ladies Teams, play- lrving Gordon won handily the Senior ing probably from Thursday, Pairs Championship in Lille ahead of the June 17 to Saturday, June runners-up from the USA, 27. The exact number of and Lia Dupont. hands (rounds) will depend A German pair, B.Vavensleben and on the registration. If there W.Höger, won the third place. are 24 teams or less, the The 89-year old Boris Shapiro is certainly format will be a round robin; the oldest person ever to win a world otherwise, the field will be championship. His victory was very well divided into two round robin sections, with semifinals received all over the world. and finals. A ‘Butler’ score will accompany the results EBL SENIORS COMMITTEE MEETING of each pair in the senior championship to determine During the World Championships in Lille, a for- many senior players as possible to attend, stress- the ranking of the pairs for mal meeting of the EBL Senior Committee was ing that Warsaw is a beautiful city and offers the purpose of making up held which was attended by 6 members of the excellent conditions for the tournament. an all-European Team. EBL Executive including the President and both Andreij Orlow, President of the Polish Bridge The Senior Teams will com- Vice Presidents. The meeting was also attended Union, and member of the EBL Senior Committee, pete at the same site as the by delegates from Austria, the Czech Republic, informed the meeting that negotiations were France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, lsrael, Malta, underway to offer discounts for players using the Ladies Teams in Malta, play- Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. Polish Airline LOT. It was decided that the Senior ing the same hands (possi- The chairman, Nissan Rand, announced that in Pairs will play only one session a day of 26-28 bly a few less hands per total there were 38 Senior Teams participating in hands in the three qualifying sessions, and 28-30 session). the World Championship of which 27 teams were hands in the three final and two consolation ses- from European countries (Zone 1) including two sions. multinational teams. 100 pairs participated in the On the subject of the Senior Teams Champion- SENIORS World Senior Pairs Championship of which 76 ship in Malta, it was reaffirmed that each NCBO BERMUDA BOWL pairs were from Zone 1 (none were multinational). can send one or two national teams. Transnation- The theme of the meeting was that seniors all al teams of European players will also be accept- It was decided to hold some over the world demand to be treated with respect ed in Malta provided that at least 2 players in the senior event in Bermuda in as their younger colleagues are. The consent of transnational team represent a country that is not January 2000 with up to 3 the meeting was such that this aim was basically otherwise represented by a national team. This teams competing from achieved in Lille when the tournament chairman means, for example, that Poland can send two Europe. The minimum for- Jean CIaude Beineix detailed the format of the national teams, and in addition they can help mat will be an all-European senior world championship. countries such as Lithuania, Ukraine, Romania senior team competing with The Seniors Committee discussed the 5th and Slovakia to form a multi-national team which a North American senior Senior Pairs Championship which will be held in may include 2 Polish players in each multi nation- team. Details are yet to be Warsaw, March 15-20, 1999, sponsored by al team. The make up of each multi-national team discussed. Prokom Software. EBL President, Bill Pencharz, must receive approval from the EBL Senior asked the committee members to encourage as Committee, following proper application. GETTING READY FOR THE EUROPEAN LADIES PAIRS ’99

s Malta ’99 is coming up, the EBL Ladies Committee is completing preparations for the 7th European Ladies Pairs Championship. Sponsored by GENERALI - the ‘Insurer without frontiers’ - the tournament A will take place June 13-15. Chairman Anna Maria Torlontano reports: The European Ladies Pairs Champion- Ø The final will be played with screens. LADIES Anna Maria Torlontano ship is open to all National Ladies Pairs Ø There will be a carry-forward score for Ladies Committee Chairman and also to the Lady players whose stan- pairs qualifying for the final. dard of bridge is well known in their own country. Those pairs wishing to partici- Ø Money prizes will be awarded to the pate in this International and very presti- leading ten pairs in the final and to the gious tournament should apply to their leading five in the consolation. Beautiful Federations. We know that each country prizes offered by the Malta Bride Federa- has a number of Ladies Pairs, not select- tion and other sponsors will also be ed to play internationally but who, never- awarded to pairs in finals. theless, have the necessary expertise to Ø European Master Points will be award- participate in this event, and we want to ed on the usual Championship scale. give them the opportunity to compete in Entries this great Championship. Entries must be made by 20 May 1999, Venue although late entries may be accepted at The 7th GENERALI European Ladies the Championship venue provided there is Pairs Championship will be held in con- sufficient space. junction with the European Teams The entry fee for the Championship will be Championship in Malta, starting on 280 Swiss Francs per pair. PROGRAMME Sunday 13 June 1999, at the same time Saturday 12 June, 7.00 pm as the Open Teams, and ending on Information Opening Ceremony Tuesday 15 June, before the start of the Brochures about the event are now avail- Ladies Teams Championship. Sunday 13 June, 1.30 pm able from your NCBO, or can be obtained Qualifying Rounds Malta is a wonderful island, with a wealth by contacting: Session 1 of history to be discovered. Our opening Anna Gudge Sunday 13 June, evening ceremony, hosted by the National Tourist The Old Railway Station Qualifying Rounds Organization of Malta, will be held in the Long Melford, Sudbury Session 2 magnificent old knights’ hospital in the Suffolk C010 9HN Monday 14 June, 1.30 pm capital city of Valletta, which will give all Great Britain Qualifying Rounds the participants a taste of Malta’s rich and fascinating heritage. (: 44-1787-881 920 Session 3 2: 44-1787-881 339 Monday 14 June, evening The main venue, the Hotel San Gorg, is 7: [email protected] Championship Final located in a peaceful bay by the sea, a We hope as many pairs as possible will Consolation Final short walk from the busy restaurant, bar, come to Malta for the 1999 Champion- Session 1 Casino and night-spot areas of Paceville ship, which we are sure is going to be a Tuesday 15 June, 12.30 pm and St Julians. very enjoyable and exciting event. The Championship Final Programme Ladies Committee is taking care to pres- Consolation Final ent a tournament of very high quality. You Session 2 The Championship will consist of: will be able to play in a very prestigious Tuesday 15 June, 7.00 pm • 3 qualifying sessions international competition, experience the exciting atmosphere of the European Cocktail and Prize Giving • a final played over 2 sessions and Wednesday 16 June Teams Championships and, at the same • a consolation final (also 2 sessions) Start of the time, enjoy the scenery and historical atmosphere of the wonderful Island of GENERALI European Please, also note that: Ladies Teams Championship Malta. What more could you possibly Ø Bidding boxes will be used throughout. want? JANUARY APRIL

14-17 International Bridge 2-5 Easter Festival of 20-25 14th Grand Prix of Í Memorial of Marycy Rustecki / Bridge / London, Great Britain Portugal / Estoril, Portugal Ì Olsztyn, Poland 10-11 34th Kaasstad Tourna- 28-May 2 International Ê 14-17 7th Taoro Parque ment / Alkmaar, The Nether- Berlin Championships / Berlin, Ë Bridge Tournament / Tenerife, lands Germany Spain • This is an abridged list of the tour- 28-Feb. 5 33rd Israel Inter- MAY naments scheduled to take place in national Bridge Festival / Tel Europe in the first half of 1999. More Aviv, Israel information is contained in the com- 7-20 50th International 21-24 45th European Bridge prehensive publication 1999 EBL 30-Feb. 7 Vienna Bridge Bridge Festival Juan-les-Pins / Assembly / Vichy, France Competition Calendar. Congress / Vienna, Austria Juan-les-Pins, France 21-27 12th International Bridge Tournament ‘Costa Calida’ / Murcia, Spain COMPETITION 22-27 1st Cyprus Interna- tional Bridge Festival / Larnaca, Cyprus 27-30 32nd Tallinn Interna- CALENDAR tional Bridge Festival / Tallinn, Estonia FEBRUARY 21-23 5th Luxembourg Inter- 29-30 13th Bridge Tourna- national Bridge Tournament / ment / Badhoevedorp, The 16-21 13th International 26-28 Buxton Spring Pétange, Luxembourg Netherlands Bridge Festival ‘des Jeux’ / Congress / Buxton, Great Cannes, France Britain JUNE 26-28 Abano International 27-March 5 5th Malta Inter- Teams Championship / Abano national Bridge Festival / St. 1-6 14th International Terme, Italy Julian’s, Malta Bridge Festival ‘Locomotiva’ / Bucharest, Romania MARCH 5-11 International Bad Griesbach Bridge Festival / Bad 7-13 12th Festival Isla de Griesbach, Germany Tenerife / Canary Islands, Spain 12-26 44th GENERALI Euro- pean Championships / Malta 11-15 22nd Budapest Inter- national Bridge Festival / 15-26 17th International Budapest, Hungary Bridge Festival / Albena, Bulgaria 15-20 PROKOM Software 10th Open & 5th Seniors 25-27 Carta Mundi Bridge European Championships / Festival / Ostend, Belgium Warsaw, Poland 29-July 11 Biarritz Interna- 24-28 Kalamata International tional Bridge Festival / Biarritz, Tournament / Kalamata, Greece France

Publicizing your events EBL Review

The European Bridge League provides the best media for advertising EBL Review, published bian- All correspondence should be your tournaments. nually, is the official medium of addressed to: The EBL Competition Calendar, published annually, contains con- the European Bridge League. cise information for some 100 tournaments organized across EBL Review It is distributed free of charge Europe. 3,000 copies are distributed, free of charge, to all NCBOs P. Gerontopoulos, Editor and the Press, reaching hundreds of bridge clubs and thousands of to all National 154 Patission Street, individuals interested in international events. Organizations, Bridge Clubs, GR-112 57 Athens, EBL Review, is published twice a year and provides global informa- Tournament Directors, Journal- Greece. tion about what is happening in the world of bridge. It has a circula- ists, Bridge Teachers and Offi- tion of 8,000 and is also distributed free of charge to all NCBOs, cials of the 42 EBL member 2 30-1-861 3740 administrators, teachers and the Press. countries. 7 [email protected]