World Bridge

EXECUTIVE EDITOR MARCH 2000 Eric Kokish News THE OFFICIAL MEDIUM OF THE “ Solidarity & Global Changes ” “It’s a long journey, but we are getting there” by José Damiani

n June 20th, 1999, we received the great news: the International Olympic And it is clear that the sum of one dollar is nothing for most donors compared OCommittee had officially recognized the World Bridge Federation (WBF) as an with the resulting one-hundred fold increase in the attractiveness, reputation and International Federation. In doing so, bridge has moved out of the back room and quality of bridge on a worldwide scale. into the competitive arena, at last, it has become an officially recognized sport. In return, the National Federations will benefit from considerable financial sup- For us, this means that we need to change our port when they receive completely funded pro- Constitution and By-laws in order to embrace the grams and when they can benefit from the grants Olympic charter, adhere to the Court of Arbitration allocated by their NOC or their Ministry for Sports. for Sports, test for doping (already the case in And, of course, bridge's new image opens the door Bermuda) and reorganize our structure and our to private sponsorship. finances. Nonetheless, I will make no secret that I am worried For we are driven by a new goal: to participate in about being left alone to fight a battle which, in the Winter Olympics. reality, concerns all bridge players. We must all work together to reach this objective The obstacles are many: incredulity (what, bridge a since this new status is the only sure way for all our sport! - as if the brain were not the motor behind members (the NCBOs) to belong to their National the muscles); egotism (why not keep bridge the Committee, although we are pleased to hear that reserve of the enlightened few); jealously (other this has already occurred in some cases since the very popular sports don't have our hopes) and cyni- WBF received the official recognition on June 20th. cal press coverage attempting to belittle our sport It's not just a question of money, even though this without attempting to comprehend that bridge is perennial problem plays an essential role in develo- also a social phenomenon and the representation ping the game of bridge as we see it. of extraordinary mental gymnastics performed by "Faith helps those who help themselves" is the players independently of sex, religion or age. motto we believe in and we consider it reasonable Those who were lucky enough to be at Bermuda to ask bridge players from all over the world to can be left in no doubt as to bridge's triumphant donate 1 dollar US to help pay for bridge teaching programs in schools, junior into the 3rd Millennium thanks to the exemplary co-operation between the bridge camps, training seminars on bridge (for teachers, directors, club managers, WBF and the local Federation and Orbis Investment Management Ltd, our very journalists) and bridge-related Internet applicationsand development. Also, your generous sponsor as well as the Bermuda Ministry of Tourism. donation is needed to help promote bridge in developing countries where we I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends in Bermuda for their would like to see the game evolving from being a pastime for the elite to an acti- invaluable support in making this 50th Anniversary such a great success. vity for everyone in all walks of life I have no doubt that every bridge player all over the world feels involved in our This calls not only for solidarity but also efficiency on a global level since this is struggle and would like to help us meet this new challenge. the condition sine qua non if we are to fulfill our objective. Bridge players worldwide can be proud of the enhanced image of their favorite Bridge for all, Bridge for peace, Bridge for the Winter Olympics. sport and, by extension, of their own personal image. Contents • ORBIS WORLD BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS ...... Page 2 • 7th WORLD JUNIOR TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIPS ...... Page 11

• ORBIS WORLD TRANSNATIONAL TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIPS ...... Page 7 • 2nd IOC GRAND PRIX ...... Page 12 • WORLD NEWS ...... Page 9 • 2000 WORLD RANKING ...... Page 14

• 3rd WORLD JUNIOR PAIRS & BRIDGE ...... Page 10 • WORLD BRIDGE OLYMPIADS ...... Page 15

Official WBF Site : http://www.bridge.gr REPORT BY ERIC KOKISH Bermuda, January 7-21, 2000 The Orbis World Bridge Championships

From the moving and entertai- The Orbis World Bridge ning Opening Ceremony to the Championships in Bermuda, tasteful Prize Giving and delightful Closing Banquet, the was an unqualified success. Orbis World Bridge Championships was an unquali- Joint ventures rarely go off fied success. Joint ventures without a hitch but this one rarely go off without a hitch but this one showcased the best showcased the best efforts of efforts of the members of the Sheena Rayner, President of the Bridge Bermuda Bridge Federation, the Federation of Bermuda with José Damiani, the members of the Bermuda tenacity of the local Organizing President of the WBF and Edna Clay, Bridge Federation, the Committee headed by Sheena Marketing & Promotion. Rayner, the strong support of tenacity of the local the Bermudian Government and Ministry These Championships celebrated not of Tourism, the vision of Orbis Investment only the Golden Anniversary of the Organizing Committee Management Ltd, and the professional (there were only three guidance of the World Bridge Federation. teams in the first edition at headed by Sheena Rayner, The Southampton Princess was a magni- Bermuda’s Castle Harbor Hotel in the strong support of the ficent venue with the space and resources 1950: USA, England, Europe) but also to handle all events under one roof, and the WBF’s first 50 years as the game’s Bermudian Government even with a busy bridge schedule there governing organization. In addition was enough free time available for visi- to the 20-team Bermuda Bowl and and Ministry of Tourism, tors to explore and enjoy the beauty and 20-team , the Orbis World the vision of Orbis attractions of the island. There have been Championships featured a 6-team some fantastic World Championships in Seniors Exhibition match and a Investment Management the past but this one was the cream of strong 76-team Transnational World Ltd, and the professional the crop. Open Teams event. guidance of the World With bridge set to appear as a sporting event on the Olympic program in the Bridge Federation. next few years, this tournament was the first to introdu- ce mandatory ran- dom drug testing for the players. To put their guests at ease, the Bermudian players volunteered for the first tests before the tournament began and this ges- ture helped to allay the fears of the more reticent parti- Minister of Tourism William Gray, The Hon. David H. Allen cipants. ORBIS BERMUDA 2000 2 THE ORBIS BERMUDA 11 Great Britain 282 USA1 BOWL AND 12 Brazil 268 13.5 36.5 80.5 89.5 139.5 157.5 198.5 ORBIS VENICE CUP 13 Argentina 259 THE ROUND ROBIN STAGE 14 Egypt 254 Italy 15 Indonesia 246 26 51 107 132 156 190 Both events featured deep and power- 16 New Zealand 220 ful fields, with perhaps a dozen teams 17 Colombia 204.5 entertaining serious hopes of reaching 18 Hong Kong 197 Third place Poland elected to face fierce the quarterfinals. Halfway through the 19 India 193 USA2 even up rather than start 4 imps round robin stage (20 matches) 20 Bermuda 189 behind against nemesis Sweden. What a the top ten places in both events were battle it proved to be! With five boards occupied by the ten teams widely left to play, Poland had come from behind expected to be there. THE QUARTERFINALS to hold a commanding 31-imp lead. A BERMUDA BOWL combination of excellent, enterprising The final qualifying berths were at bidding and desperate state-of-the- issue down to the wire, but after seven The Norwegian team exercised the match aggression enabled the Americans days and nearly 400 deals, the round selection rights granted by the to pull out a remarkable eleventh-hour robin concluded with these results: Conditions of Contest, and chose to victory. face fifth-ranked Indonesia, car- rying forward 5.5 imps (rejecting Bermuda Bowl Italy, USA2 and Sweden, their Poland remaining options). This was no 28 29 64 95 120 161 1 Norway 345 cinch for Norway; Indonesia had 2 USA1 340 been playing in good form throu- USA2 3 Poland 334 ghout the round robin and just mis- 27 59 81 112 125 165 4 Brazil 330 sed the top four. The high water 5 Indonesia 329 mark for Norway came at the Brazil’s reward for their top-four finish 6 Italy 327.5 conclusion of the fourth set, but was a date with Sweden, a team they had 7 USA2 322 Indonesia rallied strongly in the narrowly defeated a year earlier in the 8 Sweden 320 final stanza and nearly pulled out semifinals of the Lille Rosenblum Teams. 9 Bulgaria 309.5 the match. This choosing of oppo- Brazil carried forward 6 imps and built up 10 France 306 nents business is a two-edged sword a nice lead, but Sweden charged back to 11 Argentina 267 and everyone knows it, but it does make a match of it before the South 12 New Zealand 259.5 seem like a nice bonus for a strong Americans stemmed the tide near the 13 Chinese Taipei 254 finish in the qualifying stage. end. 14 South Africa 253 15 Australia 252 Norway Brazil 16 China 250 5.5 20.5 62.5 88.5 143.5 182.5 213.5 6 41 91 130 170 186 221 17 Pakistan 244 18 Guadeloupe 228 Indonesia Sweden 19 Canada 221 25 45 71 107 147 205 11 23 68 127 157 191 20 Bermuda 161 As it went, the biggest imp advan- tage from the selection process THE QUARTERFINALS Venice Cup accrued to USA1, who started with VENICE CUP a 13.5 imp carryover against sixth- 1 USA1 360 ranked Italy. There were many Although USA1 had lost to Canada in 2 Netherlands 356 moments during this match that their head-on encounter, the 3 Austria 349 raised doubts in the American Canadians had bowed 2-25 to Australia 4 Denmark 348 camp about the wisdom of their in their final round robin match and 5 Germany 336 selection because the match was a were relieved to hang on to finish eigh- 6 France 335 nail-biter and ultimately turned on th. The Americans went with the 7 China 328.5 an inadvertent play by an Italian momentum by selecting their near 8 Canada 318 defender. USA1 prevailed by 8.5 neighbours, starting with a 4-imp car- 9 USA2 310.5 imps and paid due homage to the ryover deficit. This decision looked bad 10 Australia 289.5 carryover formula. after the third stanza when Canada

3 picked up 49 imps to assume a 43-imp Denmark Chip Martel had an easy ride in 3 lead, but USA1 recouped 27 imps in the 16 55 93 154 191 243 260 on the lead of the A. After a fourth set and salted the match away heart continuation he drew trumps the following morning to reach the France and so lost two diamonds, but that semifinals. 22 34 52 83 129 176 was plus 110.

The deal below was the final board on When Piotr Tuszynski elected to rebid USA1 between USA2 and Poland. 1NT (18-20) rather than 2, Zia’s well- 27 58 78 123 With five deals left to compare and one timed two-card raise found a particu- 194 239 of them likely to be flat, Poland seemed larly suitable layout for his mildly off- to be home and dry with a 31-imp lead. center action. Krzysztof Jassem felt he Canada Sure enough, Board 16 was flat, but was too strong for a competitive 2 4 26 52 121 139 Board 15 brought in 6 imps for USA. and knew his partner would have only 158 184 That left only 12, 13, and 14. On Board two hearts (well, only one if the 12 Zia-Rosenberg bid and made a good Americans had the eight trumps their vulnerable slam missed by Pszczola- bidding suggested) and would therefo- The Netherlands chose seventh-ranked Kwiecien. On 13 Stansby-Martel over- re normally hold three or four spades. China, a team they had beaten soundly in bid deliberately to reach a thin vulne- Tuszynski hated his hand for spades the round robin, carrying forward 16 rable game not attempted by Jassem- and toyed with converting to 3NT, but imps. The Netherlands won the match Tuszynski. Both the American contracts he finally passed. On the lead of the outright but not by much. China showed came home for a combined 24 imps, Q, Jassem called for the king. Now some strength in the early going and took and Poland’s once secure lead was Zia got two over-ruffs on the third and the lead at the halfway mark, but two big down to just 1 imp as the final deal fourth rounds of hearts (after crossing sets in the fourth and fifth stanzas deci- (Board 14) flashed up on the . to the A) and he still had a ded the match. winner coming. 3 was two down; 106 minus 100. Those 6 imps gave USA2 a Dlr: East QJ985 Vul: None remarkable 165-161 victory. Had The Netherlands A932 Tuszynski tried 3NT Zia would have had J5 16 30 74 86 141 195 217 to lead the A to defeat the contract AJ754 83 legitimately (else declarer could suc- 6432 K10 N China ceed by refusing to play his K when 8 W E KQJ4 37 72 110 122 150 191 742 S AKQ86 North switched to that suit after coming in with the A). You would not KQ92 have found anyone at the A7 Austria chose Germany and started with a 10765 Southampton Princess willing to bet 10-imp cushion. They didn’t need it, 1093 against Zia doing the right thing in though, because they won the match at that scenario. the table by a single imp! West North East South Although it is usually incorrect to state Austria Stansby Pszczola Martel Kwiecien that a match turned on a single deal, 1 Pass the Italian supporters might be forgi- 10 42 86 106 133 1 Pass 2 Pass ven for offering that opinion about 170 177 2 (1) Dble Pass Pass the following deal from the second 3 All Pass segment of the Italy-USA1 encounter. Germany (1) Artificial weakness gadget 21 56 78 121 KQJ10432 Dlr: South K10985 128 166 Vul: None --- Denmark, the fourth-ranked qualifier, West North East South 8 was left to face France, but the circum- Jassem Rosenberg Tuszynski Zia 95 7 QJ7 43 stances came up well for the 1(1) Pass N A10876 KJ542 Scandinavians, who had won their head- 1(2) 1 1NT 2 W E A73 S KQJ52 on match by a wide margin. Denmark 3 All Pass started with a 16-imp advantage and A86 won each of the first five sets to coast (1) Minimum BAL hand or strong, any shape A62 Q93 home in comfort. (2) Negative 10964

4 West North East South Venice Cup final involving teams from the THE SEMIFINALS Meckstroth Bocchi Rodwell Duboin same country. Thus, it was pre-determi- VENICE CUP 1NT(1) ned that USA1 would meet USA2 with Pass 4 All Pass the latter enjoying a 3-imp edge, leaving USA1 was able to choose Denmark, Norway to face Brazil, starting 1.3 imps starting with a significant 16-imp car- (1) 9-12 behind. ryover advantage. The Netherlands West North East South was left to face Austria 8.7 imps Ferraro Nickell DeFalco Freeman Norway gained 1 imp in the first set and behind. Pass 6 in the second; Brazil netted 2 imps in Pass 4 4NT 5 the third, all very low-scoring sessions. The Americans tacked on 10 imps in 5NT Pass 6 Pass Brazil made a statement in the final set of the first set, 3 in the second, and a 6 6 Dble All Pass the first day, however, winning 43-19. more serious 36 in the third to break Norway struck back mightily in the mor- open the match, but Denmark rallied Eric Rodwell’s decision to pass over 4 ning session the next day, holding Brazil in the fourth session to reduce the was not really a close one at the pre- to 4 imps while scoring 34. With 16 deficit to 42 imps at the end of the vailing vulnerability. 4 made five boards to play, Norway was back in front first day. The morning set was decisive without incident; plus 450. Score one by 10 imps. Brazil rallied in the last ses- for USA1, who won 47-21, and the for the mini-notrump. sion and won 34-13 to prevail by 11 imps final margin was 70 imps. overall to reach the final. Not that it was particularly secure for The Netherlands wiped out the carryo- Dano De Falco to come in over Nick Norway ver deficit with a big second session Nickell’s 4 opening but here it was the 16 42 59 78 112 125 and stayed in front the rest of the way right gambit at the right time. At least although Austria stayed in touch over in theory. Guido Ferraro, expecting Brazil the course of the match. rather more from his well-seasoned 1.3 16.3 36.3 55.3 98.3 102.3 136.3 partner (a solid citizen by today’s stan- dards), drove to slam. Who could blame There was much more scoring in the All- USA1 him? Perhaps Nickell should have passed American semifinal. After an even first set, 16 43 70 123 153 200 221 6 around to his partner but his hand USA2 gained 24 imps in the second before Denmark was sufficiently unusual that a direct 6 suffering a 1-54 pasting in the third. 17 41 58 111 132 151 seemed the practical call. With 6 USA2 never really recovered from that doubled likely to go down 300 and 6 a session. USA1 added marginally to their certain one down, Italy was due to gain lead in the fourth and fifth segments and The Netherlands 11 imps, but something extraterrestrial coasted home with a conclusive 70-10 run 30 99 130 158 174 211 occurred on the way to the Forum. in the last set to win handily. Austria Ferraro had mis-sorted his hand and had 8.7 40.7 73.7 118.7 148.7 154.7 174.7 the 7 buried somewhere among his USA1 diamonds. When Nickell drew trumps 27 58 112 137 157.2 227.2 and played the A Ferraro played the USA2 queen. On the second heart he played 3 30 85 86 108 125 135 the jack. The third round of hearts was never played. Nickell claimed; plus 1210. It would be two old rivals in the final, 13 imps to USA1, who won the match by Brazil and USA1. only 8.5 imps.

THE SEMIFINALS Bronze: BERMUDA BOWL Denmark: Lotte Skaanning-Norris, npc: Dorte-Cilleborg/Trine Bilde-Kofoed, Charlotte Koch-Palmund/Bettina Kalkerup, Although winning the round robin carries Kirsten Steen Moller/Mette Drogmuller, a continuing right of choice for the semi- Lars Lund Madsen, coach finals, the presence of two American teams at this stage eliminated that edge The final would feature two solid Bronze: and created forced matchups. Unless the USA2: Michael Becker, npc: three-partnership teams who seemed Conditions of Contest are changed there Jeff Wolfson/Neil Silverman, to be in their best form at the right will never again be a Bermuda Bowl or Chip Martel/Lew Stansby, Michael time, USA1 vs The Netherlands. Rosenberg/Zia Mahmood 5 THE FINALS USA1 conclusion of any set, the match was nearly BERMUDA BOWL always very close and when it came down to 24 68 102 145 192 283 352 the final few deals, the teams remained a USA1, on the strength of a strong perfor- 401 443 465 506 half-imp apart for what seemed like an eter- mance in their head-on round robin nity. Any overtrick or undertrick could have match against Brazil, carried forward the decided the match and the potential was maximum 24 imps. Over 160 boards this Brazil certainly there down the stretch, but the didn’t have to amount to much but a teams kept putting up identical results until couple of modest positive sets by the 25 65 83 113 117 128 the boards ran out. The spectators filled the Americans early on would have the 169 204 234 288 Vugraph theatre and their emotions rose potential to put Brazil at a psychological and fell with nearly every bid and play. disadvantage.

Gold: The Netherlands: Ed Franken, npc: Bep Vriend/Marijke van der Pas, Jet Pasman/Anneke Simons, Wietske Van Zwol/Martine Verbeek, Chris Niemeijer, coach

Gold: USA1: Sidney Lazard, npc: Bob Hamman/Paul Soloway, Jeff Meckstroth/Eric Rodwell, Nick Nickell/Dick Freeman, Eric Kokish, coach PLAYOFFS FOR THE At the end of the first day the lead BRONZE MEDALS was up to 79 imps and there were no BERMUDA BOWL signs that the Brazilians were ready to mount a comeback. The first set Norway of the second day was conclusive, a 8 35 64 115 Silver: 91-4 run by USA1. The Brazilians USA1: Jo Morse, npc: refused to quit, of course, but the USA2 Jill Meyers/Randi Montin, Americans were in great form and 27 84 143 Shawn Quinn/Renee Mancuso, Tobi Sokolow/Janice Seamon-Molson the match was never in doubt after the halfway mark. THE FINALS USA1 VENICE CUP 3 20 44 58 88.25 125.25 170.25 209.25 249.25

This one will go down as a match for the The Netherlands ages. There was some terrific bridge and 38 59 108 120.75 147.75 181.75 224.75 249,75 some of the other kind too, as the match wound down nervously. In the fourth ses- sion, one table finished very late. The time BRONZE MEDALS monitor deemed that the American pair was VENICE CUP more responsible for the time overage by a Austria Silver: ratio of roughly 3:1, and so the 5 penalty Brazil: PP Assumpcao, npc: imps were divided on that basis; hence the 34 45 62 Gabriel Chagas/Marcelo Branco, fractions in the table below. Although the Denmark Joao-Paulo Campos/Miguel Villas Boas, 8 59 130 202 Roberto Mello/Ricardo Janz Netherlands was never behind at the

6 The Orbis World Gold: Poland won 109-74. France, left to face Transnational Meltzer (USA/Poland): Rose Meltzer- China, also enjoyed an advantage of 8 Johnson, Peter Weichsel, Alan Sontag, imps in carryover, and the French team Teams Cezary Balicki-Adam Zmudzinski won comfortably, 145-83. In the Championships playoff for 5th-6th, the reigning World Silver: Seniors Teams Champions rode an 8- Milner (USA/Canada): Reese Milner, imp head start to a solid 130-53 win The 76 teams played a 14-round Swiss Marc Jacobus, Bobby Levin, Brad Moss- over Australia. movement to qualify four of their num- Fred Gitelman ber for the Knockout stage, 32-board In the playoff for 3rd-4th, China semifinals and a 48-board final. Two fur- Bronze: defeated North America 135-80.3, ther Swiss matches were played to deter- Mihov (Bulgaria): Vladimir Mihov-Ivan after starting 4.3 imps behind. mine the final overall positions. Nanev, Jerry Stamatov-Borislav Popov, Kalin Karavainov-Rumen Trendafilov The final, featuring two strong teams, was expected to be a close match, and it star- After 14 matches, the top four finishers ted out that way, Poland giving back 4 of were: 4 Hackett (Great Britain/USA) the 12 imps in carryover in the first 20 5 Brachman (USA) boards. The second stanza, however, tur- 1 Mihov (Bulgaria) 254 VP 6 O’Rourke (USA) ned the match, with Poland outscoring 7 Rinaldi (Italy) France 84-12. It ended 229-73. 2 Meltzer (USA/Poland) 253 8 De Falco (Italy) 3 Hackett (GB/USA) 252 9 J Dhondy (Great Britain) The final rankings 4 Milner (USA/Canada) 245 10 Reiplinger (France) Munawar (Indonesia) 1 Poland 12 Sosler (USA) Jan Prochowski, npc: Janusz The Mihov vs Milner and Meltzer vs 13 Terraneo (Austria) Nowak, Julian Klukowski, Hackett semifinal matches were both Amoils (South Africa) Adrzej Wilkosz, Aleksander very close: 15 S Ekeblad (USA) Jezioro, Stefan Szenberg 16 Shugart (USA/Great Britain) 2 France Pierre Adad, Maurice Aujaleu, Mihov 36 34 70 Claude Delmouly, Jean-Marc Milner 37 48 85 WTNOT Mixed Roudinesco Meltzer 53 35 88 Barrett (USA) 3 China Xue Hai Gu, Jin Li, Chen Ting, Hackett 23 48 71 WTNOT Ladies Hsu, Houzou Tang, Yulin Lu Jabbour (USA) 4 North America There was no playoff for third, the Marc and Sandra Low, John & Mihov team being awarded the bronze WTNOT Seniors Richard Potter, Jim Barrow, medals for their superior performance Simpson (USA) Hugh McLean in the Swiss. Ricciarelli (ITA) 5 World Champions Karl Rohan, Nissan Rand,Moshe The Meltzer vs Milner final was expected Katz, Franz Baratta, Christo to be a first class match between two THE ORBIS SENIORS Drumev, A Tanev strong teams with playing sponsors who EXHIBITION MATCH 6 Australia could hold their own at this level. With Neville Moses, John Brockwell, the Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup win- The six invited teams played a double John Ashworth, John Mottram, ners determined, the last two sessions of round robin of 20-board matches, with Robert Evans, William the Transnational were shown on four teams qualifying for 40-board Westwood Vugraph and the teams did not disap- semifinals (first choosing between the point the spectators, keeping the outco- teams finishing third and fourth). A Seniors bridge has grown dramatically in me in doubt until the last few deals. 60-deal final would determine the win- recent years and there is enough enthu- ner, with playoffs to determine the siasm and interest in this sector to think final overall rankings of all six teams. realistically about the possibility of Meltzer 50 74 104 Seniors World Teams Champions conduc- In the semifinals Poland chose North ted along the same lines as the Bermuda Milner 33 79 93 America and carried forward 8 imps. Bowl and Olympiad.

7 World News

MARC HODLER IS 1999 2006, with medals and genuine IBPA BRIDGE recognition for our sport. PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR Winners of the Orbis Seniors Exibition Match, Poland team: Marc Hodler of Switzerland, a great Jan Prochowski, npc: Janusz Nowak, Julian Klukowski, Adrzej Wilkosz, friend to bridge, has been named Aleksander Jezioro, Stefan Szenberg. Personality of 1999 by the Selection Committee of the International Bridge Press Association. ORBIS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Mr Hodler learned bridge at an early age from his family in Berne and The third annual World Computer devoured Culbertson’s Blue Book Bridge Championship was contested in when it was first issued in 1930. He Bermuda by eight participating pro- played for Switzerland in the grams. The first stage was a round European Championship and was robin of 10-deal matches, with 38-deal President of the Swiss Bridge semifinals and a 54-board final to fol- Federation for 30 years. low. Total prize money was $6500, with Marc Hodler Orbis providing the $2000 first prize for the winning program. The four Skiing has been another passion but semifinalists, in order of finish in the he admits that he started three years round robin: too late (at age five) to entertain serious thoughts of contending at WBF CREATES 1 GIB (USA) 100 VP the world level. He was President of ZONE 8 the International Skiing Federation 2 WBridge 5 (France) 99 from 1951 through 1998, a remar- The World Bridge Federation has 3 MicroBridge9 (Japan) 91 kable run that brought him directly approved the creation of a new 4 Bridge Buff (Canada) 70 into the Olympic movement, based in zone, the African Bridge Lausanne. He has been a member of Federation. This zone will include the International Olympic Committee the NCBOs of Botswana, Egypt, Missing out on the Knockout phase since 1963 and his efforts to counter Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, were: Q+Plus Bridge (Germany), Blue corruption within the Olympic move- Mauritius, Morocco, Reunion, Chip Bridge (Great Britain), Bridge ment recently helped to expose some South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Baron (USA), and Meadowlark Bridge of the worst abuses. Zimbabwe. (USA). Bridge Baron won the initial contest in 1997, GIB the second edition in 1998. Mr Hodler has been instrumental in The creation of the new zone affects establishing and developing the IOC the structure of Zone 4 (Asia and the GIB carried forward 21 imps against Grand Prix together with IOC Middle East), which loses many of its Bridge Buff while WBridge5 and President Juan-Antonio Samaranch member NCBOs and significant brid- MicroBridge9 started their semifinal and José Damiani WBF President, ge-playing population. This raises the even. GIB won 118-79, WBridge5 133- that is now an annual fixture in possibility of further moves involving 107. Lausanne. Their next target is the Zone 4 and Zone 6 (Pacific Asia) to establishment of a similar demons- create more balanced zones across The final was one-sided, with GIB out- tration event in Salt Lake City. the wide span of Africa and Asia and classing WBridge 5 178-77 (the match Realistically, we can think in terms of will duplicate the IOC geographical was curtailed after 48 deals). an official bridge event in Turin in organization.

8 WORLD SIMULTANEOUS server in England. Alternatively, the club based on the overall results in their juris- PAIRS may copy the scores to a diskette and diction. JUNE 2-3 send them to the NCBO or directly to MIND SPORTS headquarters by snail or email. ORGANIZATION (MSO) Entries WORLDWIDE BRIDGE CONTEST PAIRS Dynamic Scoring An entry form will be sent to every NCBO. AUGUST 22-23 Organizer packs are available for 5, 10, As club results are received they will be and 15 table sections. The NCBOs are To all NCBO: scored exactly as they are scored locally asked to indicate how many of each type and then displayed on the server. of pack will be required for onward dis- This year the World Bridge Federation has Simultaneously, the scores will be match- tribution to the clubs. The packs will be organized two Worldwide Pairs events. In pointed across the whole world and the distributed in early May. addition to the traditional World overall results will be shown. By clicking Simultaneous Pairs to be held on June 2- on their names in the club results, a pair The entry fee charged by the WBF for the 3, 2000, the WBF is working in conjunc- will be able to see their ranking in the June contest will be $3.00 per player, tion with the MSO to run a. Pairs event world. invoiced to the NCBO when the results during the Mind Sports Olympiad. are finalized. NCBOs may add an extra fee for administrative costs and charge the The scores for both these exciting events Analysis and Frequencies players accordingly. will be matchpointed across the entire field ñ literally across the world ñ using Each organizer pack will contain copies the Internet. Imagine the excitement of a of the hands with a very brief description Publicity top, the banking of thousands of match- of the best contract. Once the event has points (let us not speak of the horror of a been played throughout the world, the All IBPA members will be contacted by bottom). The eventual winners will web site (http://www.worldbridge.org the WBF with news of the events. indeed have something special to remem- www.worldbridge.org) will have the Mailings will be sent to the major news- ber. hands displayed with detailed analysis of papers and computer magazines (innova- the bidding and play by Eric Kokish (for tive use of the web should be of great Although the scores at each venue will be the June games) and Brian Senior (for the interest). computed in normal fashion, the club August games). The frequency charts for rankings wonít have anything to do with every board, both at the local and inter- Many clubs and players will be contacted the worldwide comparisons, which will be national level, will be displayed. directly about these events. They will be a direct reflection of how all the pairs directed to their NCBOs for further infor- holding the same cards fared in that ses- mation on registration. sion. Results will be updated and made Results available at all times. It will be possible Publicity will be available on the follo- for players to verify their scores against When the scoring is finalized, the overall wing website: http://www.bridge.gr , frequency charts. It will also be possible results will displayed on the web site by www.bridge.gr, www.worldbridge.org, to see how certain experts handled the Zone and Country. Each NCBO will recei- http://www.msoworld.com, www.mso- deals. ve files with the results for onward trans- world.com, http://bridge.ecats.co.uk, mission via the Internet or on PC disket- http://bridge.ecats.co.uk In addition, the MSO is planning a rubber te. bridge competition; the winners will earn Any email addresses of individuals, clubs, a trip to London for MSOís Olympiad, newspapers, or organisations that you August 22-28. Prizes (the NCBO) believe might be interested in receiving more information about these Prizes will be awarded to the winners at events, can be forward to us (at Scoring CD all levels: the club, the country, the zone, [email protected]). The WBF is now reco- and the world. gnized as an Olympic Federation and Each club running a heat will receive an bridge will become more widely known ìorganiser packî containing a computer WBF master points will be awarded. than ever before. Please help us to reach CD with a very simple scoring program Although the scale has not yet been more people directly; these contests can that will be used for the event. The CD determined, the information will be pas- help raise funds for the NCBOs and will will also have the program necessary for sed as soon as it is available. All NCBOs help to raise the profile of bridge throu- uploading these scores directly to the are invited to award their own points ghout the world.

9 REPORT BY PANOS GERONTOPOULOS Nymburk, Czech Republic, 9-11 July 1999 The 3rd World Junior Pairs Championships and The 3rd World Junior Bridge Camp

The 3rd World Junior Pairs Championship was held at the Nymburk Sports Centre, Nymburk, The Czech Republic, 9-11 July 1999.

This Championchip was the biggest international Junior event in the history of the game with 186 pairs representing 28 countries participa- ting. The tournament was played in four sessions, scored with the barometer system, whereby running scores are published frequently during play. Left to right : Bronze : Daux/Geither (FRA), Gloyer-Saurer is the second Austrian Gold : Gloyer/Sauser (AUT), Silver : Brondo/Mazzadi (ITA). pair to win the Junior Pairs title. Their compatriots Seidel-Wodniansky The 3rd World Junior Bridge Camp was Participants spent an unforgettable day were the first winners of the tourna- held in Nymburk, The Czech Republic, in Prague, courtesy of the Czech organi- ment when it was introduced as a 12-20 July 1999. zers. However, time passed too soon. At European event in 1991. Two years the closing ceremony, the WBF Award later, the winners were Dall- A wonderful venue, a rich programme, winners were announced, and the Thomsen of Denmark. Norway’s an excellent atmosphere and lots of fun appointment for the next Camp was Brogeland-Helgemo prevailed at the was all that was needed by the 105 par- renewed with the traditional festivities first world event in 1995, while ticipants from 20 countries to enjoy of the various groups. Solbrand-Wademark of Sweden were their time at the Camp and leave with the 1997 winners and reigning cham- happy memories - and many new Steve de Roos, 18, of Belgium is the pions until Nymburk. friends. 1999 winner of the Youth Cup. The Camp followed immediately after Established in 1987 by Dirk Schroeder of the Junior Pairs Championship. All parti- Germany, the Youth Cup is awarded cipants were lodged under the same roof every two years to the Camp participant FINAL RANKINGS and followed a daily programme which with the best results over three Pairs provided many activities but also lots of events in which he played with three 1 GLOYER - SAURER AUT 58.61 free time. different partners from three different 2 DAUX - GEITNER FRA 58.46 Camp mornings were usually devoted to countries, excluding his own. 3 BIONDO - MAZZADI ITA 58.37 physical sports, and tournaments were In Nymburk, de Roos captured the Cup, 4 KUCHARSKI - LUTOSTANSKI POL 58.19 5 HALLDORSSON - HARALDSSON ICE 57.99 held in soccer, volleyball and basketball. finishing ahead of Ionut Coldea of 6 NYSTRÖM - STRÖMBERG SWE 57.94 After lunch, the Camp’s two lecturers Romania and Miltos Karamanlis of 7 HELLER - WOOLDRIDGE CAN/USA 57.66 divided the field and spoke on various Greece in a close race. 8 CZECZKO - WITTENBECK POL 57.40 9 BURAS - KAPALA POL 57.32 bridge subjects suitable for weaker and 10KONOW - MADSEN DEN 57.18 stronger players. Afternoons varied, but 11DRIJVER - DE WIJS NTH 56.60 every night there was an organized brid- 12BURGHOUT - HASPER NTH 56.59 13GREEN - HAZEL GBR 56.54 ge tournament in which the standard 14GINDA - PILCH POL 56.53 Camp rule applied: participants were not 15COLDEA - RÓTARU ROM 56.49 expected to play with a partner from 16CLARSON - McCORMAC IRE 56.17 their own country. The tournaments 17HOFFMAN - LALOUCHE ISR 56.06 18PIASECKI - PIONTKE POL 56.00 were followed by a midnight snack, and 19TESSIÈRRES - TESSIÈRRES MAR 55.75 then most Juniors preferred to continue 20FERRANDO - RÔMBAUT FRA 55.72 their day - some with more bridge and 21BALSCHUN - LINDE GER 55.62 others socializing. Steeve de Roos

10 REPORT BY ERIC KOKISH Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, 9-18 Aug. 1999 The 7th World Junior Teams Championships

The 7th World Junior Teams ceremonies, Panos Gerontopoulos of Round Robin Championship was held at the Radisson Greece, chairman of the WBF Youth 1 Italy 304 Bahia Mar Hotel, a wonderful facility Committee presented to Charlotte 2 USA 2 260 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, 9-18 Blaiss, ACBL’s Coordinator of Junior 3 Denmark 260 August 1999. Bridge the Bronze Medal of Distinction 4 Israel 243 for her contribution to Junior Bridge 5 Norway 231 All WBF zones were represented in the over the last five years. 6 Argentina 225 16 team (14 countries) round robin 7 Australia 218.5 stage Florida put on a first-class show 8 China 216.5 and, as usual, the juniors generated a Final 9 Central America 211.5 feeling of warmth for everyone by Italy-USA 2 261/186 10 Hong Kong 198.5 enjoying themselves thoroughly, 3rd Place playoff 11 Canada 2 197.5 demonstrating excellent sportsmanship Israel-Denmark 162/163.5 12 Canada 1 196 throughout. Italy, the reigning Semifinals 13 Brazil 194 European youth champions (both in the Israel-Italy 86/161.5 14 Egypt 177 Junior and School series), had little dif- USA2-Denmark 236/102.3 15 USA 1 176.5 ficulty in capturing the title by defea- 16 Chinese Tapei (disqualif.) ting the United States in the final. Denmark, winners of the previous com- petition, edged out Israel for the bron- ze medal in a dramatic match decided on the final deal. Jaime Ortiz-Patino, WBF President Emeritus, was in atten- The Italian dance to present the trophy bearing his team. name to the winning team. the event was a joint organizational effort of the WBF and the American League. At the closing

2000 Event contact

March 9/19 ACBL Spring Nationals, Cincinnati www.acbl.org 18/24 European Mixed Pair & Teams - Rimini [email protected]

April 13/15 Generali Masters - Athens [email protected]

June 2/3 Worldwide Simultaneous by Internet [email protected]

July European Youth Championships [email protected] AugustCALENDAR10-20 ACBL Summer Nationals - Anaheim [email protected] 22-23 M S O/W B F Worlwide Charity simultaneous [email protected] 26-9 Sept World Bridge Olympiad - Maastricht [email protected] November 28/10-4/11 2000IOC Grand Prix - Lausanne [email protected] 16-26 ACBL Fall Nationals - Birmingham [email protected]

11 REPORT BY ERIC KOKISH Lausanne, Switzerland, 20-24 Sept.1999 2nd IOC Grand Prix Angelini Group Trophy

European players scored a Marc Hodler, Vice president of double victory at the 2nd IOC the IOC, expressed his belief Grand Prix. Francesco that the debut of bridge as an Angelini’s Italian team won Olympic demonstration sport the Open competition, while in Salt Lake City in 2002 will the multinational European be a first class event, staged All-star team defeated the in a major hotel. USA (representing North America) in the inaugural The format for the Open Women’s event. Series was a round robin of 24-board matches, with the Bridge returned to the magni- top four teams qualifying for ficent Olympic Museum in the 36-board semifinals. The Lausanne, the spiritual home final was a 60-board match; of the Olympic Games, to play with the losing semifinalists the second edition of the IOC playing off for third place (24 Grand Prix organized by the boards). Olympic Committee. Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of The Women played four the IOC speaking at the closing matches, each North-South Brazil, France, Italy and the ceremony of the 2nd IOC Grand Prix pair scoring with their East- USA (nations with Olympiad West counterparts, with IMPS titles to their credit) were joined in the Open Series converted to Victory Points. by China, representing the Far East, and The Netherlands, host country for the upcoming 2000 Matches were shown on Bridge Vision and reported Teams Olympiad. on the WBF’s site at www.bridge.gr and on other Internet sites across the world. The Angelini Group, one of the leading privately held Italian companies, sponsored the event. This genero- Italy (Francesco Angelini-Antonio Sementa, Andrea sity meant that the players were competing not only Buratti-Massimo Lanzarotti, Lorenzo Lauria-Alfredo for glory but also for valuable prizes. The winners of Versace) received magnificent trophies presented by the Open Series earned $25,000, with $15,000 going Juan Antonio Samaranch, the President of the IOC at to the runners-up and$10,000 to the team finishing the Closing Ceremony. third. The players on the winning Women’s team divi- ded $10,000, with $5,000 going to the other team. Brazil (Gabriel Chagas-Marcelo Branco, Miguel Villas-Boas-Joao Paulo Campos) dominated the In his welcoming address, Jose Damiani, the round robin and defeated China (with whom they President of the World Bridge Federation, announced tied for first in the inaugural edition) handily in the that the successful organization of the first IOC semifinals, but succumbed to the Italian machine in Grand Prix had enabled bridge to be recognized as a the final. France (Albert Bitran/Jean-Michel Voldoire, sport. Furthermore, the World Bridge Federation’s Marc Bompis-Thierry de Sainte-Marie) won the status had subsequently been raised by the IOC to playoff for third place after bowing to Italy in the the rank of “International Federation.” other semifinal.

12 Francesco Angelini, captain of the Italian team, and Jens Auken who captained the European Ladies team, hold the trophies just handed to them by Juan-Antonio Samaranch. Also pictured, Italian stars Lorenzo Lauria, Massimo Lanzarotti & Antonio Sementa on the left, with WBF President José Damiani and IOC Vice President Marc Hodler on the right.

The Women’s contest got off to a quiet start, with Results Europe holding a slender lead at the end of the Final first match, but European [Sabine Auken-Daniela von Armin (Germany), Veronique Bessis-Catherine Italy/Brazil 140-85 D’Ovidio (France), Pat Davies-Nicola Smith (Great Britain), Marijke van der Pas-Bep Vriend (The 3rd place playoff Netherlands)] turned in two huge sets to defeat USA (Lynn Deas-Beth Palmer, Rozanne Pollack- France/China 76-28 Connie Goldberg, Carol Sanders-Lisa Berkowitz, Shawn Quinn-Mildred Breed), 278-210. Semifinal The Angelini Trophy was presented to the Italian Brazil/China 130-62 team by Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the Italy/France 144/71 IOC, whose address to the participants at the Closing Ceremony was warmly received.

Round Robin Although bridge aficionados could follow the 1 Brazil 98 tournament on the Internet, only those in atten- dance could fully capture the exciting atmosphere 2 Italy 80 that accompanied this event. There is no doubt 3 China 78 that the setting of the Olympic Museum, dedica- ted to sporting achievements of the past, present 4 France 70 and future, inspired all. Salt Lake City was very 5 Netherlands 66 much on everyone’s mind. 6 USA 57

IOC officials see how well Bridge combines with audiovisual technology in Bridge Vision.

13 The 2000 World Rankings and Master Points

2000 13 SUN MING CHN WLM 1839 32 PICUS SUE USA WGM 1336 WOMEN’S 14 MONTIN RANDI USA WGM 1620 33 ZWOL van WIETSKE NLD WLM 1297 RANKING 15 PASMAN JET USA WLM 1558 34 BREED MILDRED USA WGM 1273 16 SANBORN KERRI USA WGM 1554 35 MCGOWAN ELIZABETH GBR WGM 1238 17 SIMONS ANNEKE NLD WLM 1533 36 GORDON DIANA CAN WLM 1212 NAME FIRST NAME NCBO CAT M.P. 18 NEHMERT BEATE DEU WGM 1530 37 WANG HONG LI CHN WLM 1156 19 CHAMBERS JUANITA USA WGM 1525 38 VERBEEK MARTINE NLD WLM 1142 1 MEYERS JILL USA WGM 2658 20 FISCHER DORIS AUT WGM 1521 39 BERKOWITZ LISA USA WLM 1140 2 AUKEN SABINE DEU WGM 2577 WEIGKRICHT TERRY AUT WGM 1521 40 MC CALLUM KAREN USA WGM 1126 3 VRIEND BEP NLD WGM 2505 22 LANDY SANDRA GBR WGM 1495 41 RAUSCHEID ANDREA DEU WLM 1121 4 ARNIM von DANIELA DEU WGM 2317 23 GREENBERG GAIL USA WGM 1456 42 REUS SHARYN CAN WLM 1109 5 SOKOLOW (Deutsch) TOBI USA WGM 2267 24 PALMER BETH USA WGM 1452 43 CRONIER BENEDICTE FRA WLM 1097 6 QUINN (Womack) SHAWN USA WGM 2144 25 ERHART MARIA AUT WGM 1444 44 RADIN JUDI USA WGM 1054 7 DEAS LYNN USA WGM 2135 26 SMITH NICOLA GBR WGM 1431 45 POLLACK ROZANNE USA WGM 1033 8 BESSIS VERONIQUE FRA WLM 2135 27 WANG WEN FEI CHN WLM 1431 46 ARNOLDS CARLA NLD WLM 1004 9 GU LING CHN WLM 2037 28 WEI-SENDER KATHERINE USA WGM 1423 47 CIMON FRANCINE CAN WM 986 10 ZHANG YA LAN CHN WLM 2022 29 DAVIES PAT GBR WGM 1422 48 LETIZIA MARINESA USA WGM 973 11 D'OVIDIO (SAUL) CATHERINE FRA WLM 1989 30 WILLARD SYLVIE FRA WLM 1398 49 MITCHELL JACQUI USA WGM 949 12 PAS van der MARIJKE NLD WGM 1969 31 ZHANG YU CHN WLM 1378 50 LEVITINA IRINA USA WLM 938

WOMEN WORLD 11 ARNIM von DANIELA DEU 19 26 BROCK SALLY GBR 13,5 GRAND MASTERS DAVIES PAT GBR 19 27 PAS van der MARIJKE NLD 12 13 PICUS SUE USA 18 NEHMERT BEATE DEU 12 NAME FIRST NAME NCBO P.P. MC CALLUM KAREN USA 17 29 SOKOLOW (Deutsch) TOBI USA 11,5 TRUSCOTT DOROTHY USA 17 BIANCHI MARISA ITA 11,5 1 DEAS LYNN USA 25 16 VRIEND BEP NDL 16 JOHNSON MARYLYN USA 11,5 LANDY SANDRA GBR 25 CHAMBERS JUANITA USA 16 33 MONTIN RANDI USA 11 3 SMITH NICOLA GBR 24 PALMER BETH USA 16 McGOWAN ELIZABETH GBR 11 4 MEYERS JILL USA 21,5 19 QUINN (Womack) SHAWN USA 15,5 35 D'ANDREA MARISA ITA 10,5 SANBORN KERRI USA 21,5 FISCHER DORIS AUT 15,5 CAPODANNO LUCIANA ITA 10,5 RADIN JUDI USA 21,5 WEIGKRICHT TERRY AUT 15,5 37 POLLACK ROZANNE USA 10 7 MITCHELL JACQUI USA 21 ERHART MARIA AUT 15,5 LETIZIA MARINESA USA 10 8 GREENBERG GAIL USA 20,5 SANDERS CAROL USA 15,5 OSBERG SHARON USA 10 9 AUKEN SABINE DEU 20 24 FARELL MARY JANE USA 15 10 WEI-SENDER KATHERINE USA 19,5 25 KENNEDY BETTY ANN USA 14,5

2000 13 MARTENS KRZYSZTOF POL WGM 1980 32 GAWRYS PIOTR POL WGM 1443 OPEN 14 CHEMLA PAUL FRA WGM 1978 33 VERSACE ALFREDO ITA WLM 1440 RANKING 15 PERRON MICHEL FRA WGM 1956 34 COHEN LARRY USA WLM 1376 16 ROSENBERG MICHAEL USA WGM 1914 35 AUKEN JENS DNK WLM 1372 17 BALICKI CESARY POL WGM 1906 36 SZWARC HENRI FRA WGM 1368 NAME FIRST NAME NCBO CAT M.P. ZMUDZINSKI ADAM POL WGM 1906 37 MITTELMAN GEORGE CAN WLM 1362 19 MARI CHRISTIAN FRA WGM 1773 38 LASUT HENKY IDN WLM 1356 1 HAMMAN BOB USA WGM 4581 20 MAHMOOD ZIA USA WLM 1755 MANOPPO EDDY IDN WLM 1356 2 RODWELL ERIC USA WGM 4270 21 WEICHSEL PETER USA WGM 1746 40 BURATTI ANDREA ITA WLM 1355 3 MECKSTROTH JEFF USA WGM 4213 22 LINDKVIST MAGNUS SWE WLM 1693 41 VILLAS-BOAS MIGUEL BRA WLM 1345 4 CHAGAS GABRIEL BRA WGM 3062 23 LAURIA LORENZO ITA WGM 1688 42 SONTAG ALAN. M USA WLM 1337 5 WOLFF ROBERT USA WGM 2931 24 MULTON FRANCK FRA WGM 1619 43 BOCCHI NORBERTO ITA WM 1337 6 BRANCO MARCELO BRA WGM 2658 25 BERKOWITZ DAVID USA WLM 1613 44 LANZAROTTI MASSIMO ITA WLM 1327 7 MARTEL CHARLES USA WGM 2618 26 SOLOWAY PAUL USA WGM 1606 45 SACUL DENNY IDN WLM 1273 8 MOUIEL HERVE FRA WGM 2616 27 MELLO ROBERTO BRA WGM 1585 46 LESNIEWSKI MARCIN POL WLM 1250 9 STANSBY LEWIS USA WGM 2605 28 FALLENIUS BJORN SWE WLM 1553 47 GULBERG TOMMY SWE WLM 1248 10 LEVY ALAIN FRA WGM 2269 29 SZYMANOWSKI MAREK POL WLM 1541 48 FALCO de DANO ITA WLM 1230 11 FREEMAN RICHARD USA WGM 2069 30 KATZ RALPH USA WM 1529 49 ROMANSKI JACEK POL WLM 1216 12 NICKELL NICK USA WGM 2069 31 DUBOIN GIORGIO ITA WM 1516 50 FREDIN PETER SWE WM 1212

OPEN WORLD 14 CHEMLA PAUL FRA 25 ZMUDZINSKI ADAM POL 14,5 GRAND MASTERS 15 LAWRENCE MICHAEL USA 23,5 ASSUMPCAO PEDRO PAULO BRA 14,5 16 PERRON MICHEL FRA 23 34 KANTAR EDWIN USA 14 NAME FIRST NAME NCBO P.P. 17 ROSS HUGH USA 22 SCHAPIRO BORIS GBR 14 18 MOUIEL HERVE FRA 21 36 HAMILTON FRED USA 13,5 1 HAMMAN BOB USA 85,5 19 MARI CHRISTIAN FRA 19,5 37 PASSELL MICHAEL USA 13 2 GAROZZO BENITO USA 75,5 SZWARC HENRI FRA 19,5 38 LAURIA LORENZO ITA 12,5 3 WOLFF ROBERT USA 68,5 20 LEBEL MICHEL FRA 18,5 39 WEICHSEL PETER USA 12 4 FORQUET PIETRO ITA 58 21 FRANCO ARTURO ITA 18 GAWRYS PIOTR POL 12 5 RODWELL ERIC USA 37 22 CINTRA GABINO BRA 17 41 BRANCO PEDRO PAULO BRA 11,5 6 MECKSTROTH JEFF USA 35,5 23 RUBIN IRA USA 16,5 42 GHESTEM PIERRE FRA 10,5 7 PABIS TICCI CAMILLO ITA 36 24 ROSENBERG MICHAEL USA 16 43 MULTON FRANCK FRA 10 8 CHAGAS GABRIEL BRA 35,5 25 FREEMAN RICHARD USA 15,5 DEUTSCH SEYMON USA 10 BRANCO MARCELO BRA 33,5 MELLO ROBERTO BRA 15,5 FONSECA CHRISTIANO BRA 10 10 SOLOWAY PAUL USA 31,5 27 LEVY ALAIN FRA 15 46 KREIJNS HANS NLD 9,5 11 STANSBY LEWIS USA 29 NICKELL NICK USA 15 47 DELMOULY CLAUDE FRA 7,5 12 MARTEL CHARLES USA 28 29 MARTENS KRZYSZTOF POL 14,5 48 BOURCHTOFF GERARD FRA 7,5 13 EISENBERG WILLIAM USA 25,5 30 BALICKI CEZARY POL 14,5 49 SINISCALO GUGLIELMO ITA 4 14 The World Bridge Olympiad Maastricht, The Netherlands, 27th Aug. - 9th Sept. 2000

It is extremely important that each NCBO should send a team to enhance In addition Maastricht will feature the : our Olympic image and also to ensure that your NCBO will be eligible to qualify for the 2001 Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup. 1st WORLD UNIVERSITY TEAMS The conditions of entry for the various events in Maastricht are as fol- BRIDGE CUP lows: M.E.C.C. CONGRES CENTRUM

11th WORLD TEAMS OLYMPIAD Played under the auspices of the FISU (Fédération Internatioanle des WOMEN’S AND OPEN SERIES Sports Universitaires) M.E.C.C. CONGRES CENTRUM • Entry fees: Free • Entry fees : US $ 2 500 per team • The University Cup will be played from Sunday 27 August to Saturday 2nd • We would appreciate it if you could inform us before the 15th of April September (i.e. during the first week of the Olympiad.) which of these events you intend to participate in, so that we can make • Minimum age 17, maximum 28 the draw early. (it will allow us to make a public draw in Amsterdam sta- • Accommodation: very inexpensive accommodation has been specially dium) It is probable that the contest will be organised initially with dif- arranged for this event. You have already received all the details with our ferent groups in the Round Robin (4 groups for the Open Series and 2 previous letter. groups for the Women’s Series). It will be to the advantage of all coun- • It is very important that each of the main NCBOs should make every tries to know the draw well in advance, but in order for us to do this we effort to send a team to this event as this is also part of WBF strategy need to know which countries will be competing at an early stage. towards the IOC. • Names of the players by 1st June in order to prepare the program. • Please ensure that we receive your entry for this event by 01 May and the • The qualification phase will be played from Sunday 27th of August to names of the players by 1st June 2000. Saturday 2nd of September. Players eliminated from these Finally, it was decided to organise the : Championships may play in the: 1st SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CUP 2nd WORLD TRANSNATIONAL MIXED TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIPS • Entry fees: US$ 1,400 M.E.C.C. CONGRES CENTRUM • This event is for national teams who will compete in a Round Robin to be played from Sunday 27 August to Saturday 2nd September (i.e. during the • Entry fees: free for the eliminated players first week of the Olympiad.) US $ 800 for a new team • You are entitled to send one team per country, all members of which must • If a team is composed of players eliminated from the Olympiad toge- be citizens or “Bona Fide” residents of your own NCBO. ther with players who have not competed in the Olympiad, the players • Players competing in the Seniors Championships must be at least 55 years who have not competed will be charged US $150 per head if it is a team of age on the first day of this competition. of six, or $200 per head if it is a team of four. • Please ensure that we receive your entry for this event by 01 May and the • at least two women and two men from any country, playing in Mixed names of the players by 1st June 2000. partnerships. • The Senior International Cup will be played in the “Platte Zaol” which is • The qualifying rounds will be played from Tuesday 5th to Friday 8th of on the border of the river Maas looking towards the centre of the city, with September followed by the semi-final on Friday evening and the final on the following hotels within walking distance : Hotels Mabi, du Casque, Saturday. Derlon, de l’Empereur, Beaumont, BergËre and Crown Plazza. • Entries before the 15th of July. • We feel sure that many players of them will find it a very interesting • If bank transfer is not possible, please contact Mrs Christine Francin at and enjoyable Championship as it was the first time with 86 teams. WBF office, who will discuss possible alternative arrangements for payment. • Entry fees for all events must be paid by 15 June. Entries must be sent • Please assist us by ensuring that you respect the deadlines for entries, to WBF by bank transfer to: team names and payments of entry fees which are as follows: Banque de Baecque Beau - 30118 - Ag 00001 - Entry of Teams to the Olympiad Open and Women’s Series 15 April 2000 3, rue des Mathurins - Players names for the Open and Women’s Series 01 June 2000 75009 PARIS - France - Entry of Team to University Teams Cup 01 May 2000 Account N : 03203 Q 1065 - Players’ names for University Cup 01 June 2000 - Entry of Team to Senior International Cup 01 May 2000 List of the hotels and registrations available at : - Players’ names for Senior International Cup 01 June 2000 MECC Hotel Service - fax : +31 43 383 8300 or - World Transnational Mixed Teams 15 July 2000 VVV Maastricht +31 43 325 21 21 - [email protected] Late entries are accepted, with payment on site for the Transnational Mixed Entries must be sent at : WBF - 40, rue François Ier - F-75008 PARIS Teams, but according to the space available.

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