World Bridge Championships
Encyclopedia
The World Bridge Championships consists of several sets of championships organized under the auspices of the World Bridge Federation
.
in non-leap even years. Most of its world championship events are open in the sense that entries do not represent geographic zones or nations.
The meet was inaugurated in 1962 as the World Pair Olympiad comprising the World Open Pairs Championship
and World Women Pairs Championship
, as well as the World Mixed Teams Championship
. For the second rendition in 1966 the mixed event was for pairs, the World Mixed Pairs Championship
, as it would be thereafter except in 1974.
The World Knockout Teams for the Rosenblum Cup
was inaugurated in 1978 and soon became the most prestigious event of the meet. A parallel knockout teams for women was added in 1994, for the McConnell Cup
. Seniors competition debuted in 1990 with the World Senior Pairs Championship
and the World Senior Teams Championship
followed in 1994.
The "World Bridge Series" or "World Series" for short comprises championship tournaments for both pairs and teams in open, women's, seniors, and mixed categories. Other events are irregular. All events in the World Bridge Series are open without regard to nationality. Pairs or teams may be transnational and there are no limits on the numbers who enter.
, Venice Cup
, and d'Orsi Senior Bowl
after the trophies awarded to the winners.
Initiated by the British former international player Norman Bach, the Bermuda Bowl was first contested in 1950 in Hamilton, Bermuda
; the Venice Cup and the Senior Bowl were integrated as part of the championships in 1974 (in Venice, Italy) and 2000 (in Southampton, Bermuda
) respectively. The Senior Bowl, subsequently named the d'Orsi Senior Bowl, has been one of three concurrent World Team Championships throughout its history but the Venice Cup was originally contested less frequently than the Bermuda Bowl and it was once contested alone in a different year (1978). The Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup have always run concurrently since 1985.
In addition to the forgoing, the World Transnational Open Teams Championship is contested during the late stages of the main events. This competition is open to players of all categories who may form teams without nationality restrictions except that players on the twelve teams that reach the semifinals in the three main flights (ordinarily 72 players) are not eligible.
World Bridge Federation
The World Bridge Federation is the world governing body of contract bridge. The WBF is responsible for world championship competition, most of which is conducted at a few multi-event meets on a four-year cycle...
.
World Bridge Series Championships
World Bridge Series Championships is the new 2010 name for a quadrennial meet organized by the World Bridge FederationWorld Bridge Federation
The World Bridge Federation is the world governing body of contract bridge. The WBF is responsible for world championship competition, most of which is conducted at a few multi-event meets on a four-year cycle...
in non-leap even years. Most of its world championship events are open in the sense that entries do not represent geographic zones or nations.
The meet was inaugurated in 1962 as the World Pair Olympiad comprising the World Open Pairs Championship
World Open Pairs Championship
The World Open Pairs Championship is one of the competitions held as part of the World Bridge Series Championships. This Pairs competition was initiated in 1962 and is held every four years. It is open to pairs from all over the world, without any quota restrictions being applied. In its present...
and World Women Pairs Championship
World Women Pairs Championship
The World Women Pairs Championship is a bridge championship held every four years as part of the World Bridge Championships. It is restricted to women pairs only.-Results:World meets commonly run for 15 days on a schedule whose details vary....
, as well as the World Mixed Teams Championship
World Mixed Teams Championship
The World Mixed Teams Championship is a bridge competition for teams of mixed pairs. At every table, two teams are always represented by a mixed pair, one man and one woman....
. For the second rendition in 1966 the mixed event was for pairs, the World Mixed Pairs Championship
World Mixed Pairs Championship
The World Mixed Pairs Championship is a bridge championship for mixed-gender pairs held every four years as part of the World Bridge Championships.-Results:World meets commonly run for 15 days on a schedule whose details vary....
, as it would be thereafter except in 1974.
The World Knockout Teams for the Rosenblum Cup
Rosenblum Cup
Rosenblum Cup is Open Teams event held every four years as part of the World Bridge Championships. The event was added to the world championships in New Orleans in 1978 to commemorate Julius Rosenblum, who served as president of the World Bridge Federation until 1976...
was inaugurated in 1978 and soon became the most prestigious event of the meet. A parallel knockout teams for women was added in 1994, for the McConnell Cup
McConnell Cup
McConnell Cup is a team event for woman held every four years as part of the World Bridge Series Championships. The event was inaugurated in 1994 and is named in honor of Ruth McConnell, former treasurer for the World Bridge Federation and former president of the American Contract Bridge League...
. Seniors competition debuted in 1990 with the World Senior Pairs Championship
World Senior Pairs Championship
The World Senior Pairs Championship is one of the competitions held as part of the World Bridge Championships. This Pairs competition was initiated in 1990 and is held every four years. Prior to 2005 both members of each pair had to be at least 55 years of age...
and the World Senior Teams Championship
World Senior Teams Championship
The World Senior Teams Championship is one of the competitions held as part of the World Bridge Championships. This event was initiated in 1994 and is held every four years. It is not necessary that all team members be from the same country. Prior to 2005 all members of each team had to be at least...
followed in 1994.
The "World Bridge Series" or "World Series" for short comprises championship tournaments for both pairs and teams in open, women's, seniors, and mixed categories. Other events are irregular. All events in the World Bridge Series are open without regard to nationality. Pairs or teams may be transnational and there are no limits on the numbers who enter.
Venues of past events
- 1962 CannesCannesCannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - 1966 AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... - 1970 StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - 1974 Las PalmasLas Palmas de Gran CanariaLas Palmas de Gran Canaria commonly known as Las Palmas is the political capital, jointly with Santa Cruz, the most populous city in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the ninth largest city in Spain, with a population of 383,308 in 2010. Nearly half of the people of the island...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... - 1978 New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1982 BiarritzBiarritzBiarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - 1986 Miami Beach, FloridaMiami Beach, FloridaMiami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1990 GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... - 1994 Albuquerque, New MexicoAlbuquerque, New MexicoAlbuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1998 LilleLilleLille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - 2002 MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - 2006 VeronaVeronaVerona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... - 2010 Philadelphia, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
World Bridge Team Championships
World Bridge Team Championships is a new name for the biennial meet organized by the World Bridge Federation in odd years. There are three main events, the World Team Championships for national teams in three flights: Open, Women, and Seniors. Those are commonly called Bermuda BowlBermuda Bowl
The Bermuda Bowl is a trophy awarded to the winners of the Open series in the World Team Championship in contract bridge and is named for the site of the inaugural tournament held in 1950...
, Venice Cup
Venice Cup
The World Teams Championship in contract bridge for women players only is also known as the Venice Cup, because the first edition was held in Venice, Italy in 1974.It is held every two years, in parallel to the Open World Teams Championship, the Bermuda Bowl....
, and d'Orsi Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl (bridge)
Senior Bowl, also known as the d'Orsi Senior Bowl, is a bridge competition held at the same venue as Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup. This event first started in 2000 as an exhibition contest before growing into a World Seniors Championship in 2001. It is contested every odd-numbered year...
after the trophies awarded to the winners.
Initiated by the British former international player Norman Bach, the Bermuda Bowl was first contested in 1950 in Hamilton, Bermuda
Hamilton, Bermuda
Hamilton is the capital of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is the territory's financial centre and a major port and tourist destination.-Geography:...
; the Venice Cup and the Senior Bowl were integrated as part of the championships in 1974 (in Venice, Italy) and 2000 (in Southampton, Bermuda
Southampton Parish, Bermuda
Southampton Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named for Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton .It is located in the southwest of the island chain, occupying all of the western part of the main island, except for the westernmost tip...
) respectively. The Senior Bowl, subsequently named the d'Orsi Senior Bowl, has been one of three concurrent World Team Championships throughout its history but the Venice Cup was originally contested less frequently than the Bermuda Bowl and it was once contested alone in a different year (1978). The Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup have always run concurrently since 1985.
In addition to the forgoing, the World Transnational Open Teams Championship is contested during the late stages of the main events. This competition is open to players of all categories who may form teams without nationality restrictions except that players on the twelve teams that reach the semifinals in the three main flights (ordinarily 72 players) are not eligible.
External links
- "World Bridge Series Championships" at the World Bridge Federation. Confirmed 2010-11-07.
- "World Team Championships" at the World Bridge Federation. Retrieved 2010-11-07.