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The 2001 World Bridge Championships comprises the Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup and Transnational Open Teams competitions and takes place in Paris, France. Play starts on Monday 22 October, and the Finals end on Saturday 3 November The Bermuda Bowl is the symbol of world supremacy at bridge. It is awarded to the winner of the open teams competition between the representatives of the WBF geographical zones. Since its inauguration in 1950, the competition has been played 34 times. The United States of America were victorious 15 times, while their European rival, Italy, prevailed 13 times. The other titles were won by France (twice), Great Britain, Brazil, Iceland and The Netherlands. The Venice Cup is awarded to the winner of the zonal competition for women players. It was established in 1974 and since then only four countries have won it. The United States of America leads the race with 8 titles, while Europe follows with four successes achieved by Great Britain (twice), Germany and The Netherlands. The World Transnational Open Teams Championship came into being in 1997 in Hammamet, Tunisia. It is contested by teams nominated by the NBOs without nationality or other restrictions. The first winners were the team led by Leandro Burgay of Italy, while in the second edition the title went to the USA team captained by Rose Meltzer. For detailed information on past events, see the World Championships section or the sites of the particular events.
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2001 WORLD BRIDGE
CHAMPIONSHIPS The Championship Diary entries are taken from the Daily Bulletins, Co-ordinator: Jean Paul Meyer - Editor: Mark Horton - Assistant Editors: Brent Manley & Brian Senior French Editor: Guy Dupont - Layout Editor: Stelios Hatzidakis - Photographer: Ron Tacchi Championship Diary, Bulletin 14 - Germany's celebrations went on long into the night and severely depleted the reserves of the Daily News.The German players received countless e-mails from their supporters. They included warm congratulations from the German Bridge Federation - and permission to spend a small fortune on new outfits for tonight's ceremony. Among the messages was one from Karin Caesar and Marianne Mogel who completed Germany's winning Venice Cup team in Beijing in 1995. For the second week of the Championships we were lucky enough to have a piano in the Daily News office.We heard bravura performances from Eric Rodwell, Kojak, David Levy, Ray Lee and Jovi Smederevac. We can recommend the web site www.topornot.de Despite the name it has nothing to do with bridge, although we have already spotted one bridge player on the site, and perhaps you may find others. France Soir published a photograph attributed to Ron Tacchi in today's issue.Having attained celebrity status Tacchi is now demanding his own changing room. Championship Diary, Bulletin 13 - You may be interested to know that in Bali it is only 12¡C and raining! One of the more intriguing statistical exercises of the event is to calculate the number of World Champions competing in the Transnational. We make it thirty-six. Do you agree? We should have known better than to let Patrick Jourdain proof read the Daily News following his birthday celebrations. One more tent story, not quite as good as the previous ones but close enough for government work. A bridge player became lost in the Sahara desert. Realizing his only chance for survival was to find civilization, he began walking.Time passed, and he became thirsty. More time passed, and he began feeling faint. He was on the verge of passing out when he spied a tent about 500 meters in front of him. Barely conscious, he reached the tent and called out, "Water...". A Bedouin appeared in the tent door and replied sympathetically, "I am sorry, sir, but I have no water. However, would you like to buy a tie?" With this, he brandished a collection of exquisite silken neckwear. "You fool," gasped the man. "I'm dying! I need water!" "Well, sir," replied the Bedouin, "If you really need water, there is a tent about two kilometres south of here where you can get some." Without knowing how, the man summoned sufficient strength to drag his parched body the distance to the second tent.With his last ounce of strength he tugged at the door of the tent and collapsed. Another Bedouin, dressed in a costly tuxedo, appeared at the door and enquired, "May I help you, sir?" "Water..." was the feeble reply. "Oh, sir," replied the Bedouin, "I'm sorry, but you can't come in here without a tie!" Championship Diary, Bulletin 12 - That you are reading this issue of the Daily News at all is in no small measure thanks to the Herculean efforts of Mark Newton et al. Production was disrupted from late on Wednesday evening through until lunchtime yesterday, as the offices were hit by wave upon wave of power cuts. Your Editor's suggestion that we pack everything up and return to the Stade de France curiously having been rejected, we were about to fall back on emergency measures when power was miraculously restored.We have added a generator to the list of essential equipment for Montreal. In response to vociferous demands here is another story about tents. Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine, they lay down for the night and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. "Watson, look up and tell me what you see." Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" Watson pondered for a minute. "Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three.Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.Why, what does it tell YOU?" Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. "Watson, you idiot. Some jerk has stolen our tent." Congratulations to Patrick Jourdain, who celebrated his birthday yesterday with a party in the Press Room. His age remains a closely guarded secret. Championship Diary, Bulletin 10 - Through confidential sources we have learnt that Paul Soloway has always wanted to be the sponsor of a bridge team. There are two reasons. The first is that if he was the sponsor he would have to be extremely rich. The second is that if he was the sponsor and by inference the weakest player on the team the rest of them would have to be very good indeed! At the IBPA awards ceremony yesterday, Andrew Robson was presented with the Sportsmanship award. Master of Ceremonies Barry Rigal observed that it was gratifying that Andrew's brain had not been damaged by his accident, although there were signs of a regression as he had renewed his old partnership with Tony Forrester. Ron Tacchi commented that fell walking was probably still a safer option! Receiving his award, Robson related how he had been asked to leave the playing area the previous day as he had been standing up. Given the horrendous nature of his injuries he was only too happy to be penalised for being on his feet. Albert Benjamin, 92 years young, was also present at the meeting. In French his surname translates to 'The youngest son'. The story of the self-sacrifice of Captain Titus Oates during Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole is well known. Hoping to give his comrades a better chance of survival Oates walked out of the tent into a blizzard in the hope of saving those more physically fit, with the immortal words, ' I'm going outside and I may be some time'.We have a theory in the Daily News that what he actually said was 'I'm going outside. Don't move the tent'. Championship Diary, Bulletin 08 - The Daily News is obviously very popular. In view of the number of approaches we have received for copies Patrick Jourdain has kindly agreed to rent his copy out - its up to you to negotiate a rate. The overnight move from the Stade de France to the Hotel Concorde La Fayette was completed with the minimum of fuss. By some miracle (called Newton, Gudge,Tacchi et al) the Press Room was up and running before play started. Hugh Grant is to star in a new movie entitled Two Weddings and a VuGraph. The marvellous line up desk operators, Jan & Corrie Louwerse, are ever present at major championships. They are so efficient that nothing controversial ever happens. Perhaps they could pass on their secret? Championship Diary, Bulletin 06 - George Retek, Treasurer of the WBF and President of the ACBL called in to the Daily News. Spotting your Editor and temporarily mistaking him for Brian Senior he advised of bad news. 'You have to produce the World Championship Book for another year.' I asked for the cheque to be made out to cash. Wit Klapper is representing Poland in the Senior Bowl. When we asked Patrick Jourdain for background information he said he was not sure, but his name rang a bell. If you had read your copy of 'Le Figaro' yesterday, on page 27 you would have seen a picture of our French Editor, Guy Dupont, just below that of Paul McCartney. Several readers of the noted newspaper were heard to ask "Who is in that photograph just above Guy Dupont?" The article was reviewing his new book "Le Bridge dans tous ses Žtats". BE WARNED, tomorrow morning (i.e. Sunday) at 03.00 a.m. the clocks go back one hour.The good news is that if you forget to change your watch you will arrive one hour early for play and thus will not receive a penalty.This also gives rise to the anomaly that 02.30 a.m. will occur twice in the same day. To celebrate this unusual event the limerick competition will be resurrected. You are invited to submit a limerick that has a flavour of bridge, is witty and amusing, and is also printable. Those fulfilling my exacting standards will be published in the Daily News. Bring them to Ron Tacchi in the Bulletin Room or e-mail them to BermudaBowl@AOL.com if you are reading this via the Internet. There is a very popular feature in various English newspapers and periodicals that highlights blunders made by sporting commentators. For example, Speaking of the famous Cuban athlete one unfortunate said 'Juantarina opens his legs and shows his class'.Another classic (as did many of the original blunders) came from David Coleman, describing a football match on television, 'For those of you watching in black and white Tottenham are in the all-yellow strip". All these errors are affectionately known (in honour of their inventor) as Colemanballs. It occurred to us that there must be many such moments in bridge, especially at the commentator's table.Yesterday a player led the ]6 and trying to interpret it the man with the microphone said 'it could be second highest from J96'. Championship Diary, Bulletin 05 - The VuGraph is always full for the afternoon match.One wag jokingly suggested that if one of the commentators were being paid by the word the WBF could be in serious trouble. Guy Dupont has to hand over his pen to Jean Paul Meyer for the weekend editions of the Daily News Ð the small matter of his mother's 90th birthday celebrations. (She does not play bridge).We are reasonably confident there will be no loss of quality. We are not sure what has happened to the traditional Limerick contest. 'There was a young girl from Paris' appears to offer plenty of scope to those of an imaginative disposition.We understand an announcement will appear interfrastically. (That means Tacchi is working on it). Championship Diary, Bulletin 04 - Bridge aficionados all over the world are following these Championships. Sitting in a bistro on Tuesday night the Editor received a call from the legendary Leonard The Rabbi Helman, who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He sends his best wishes and blessings to everyone in Paris. If you are reading this Leonard, greetings from us all and God bless you. Herman de Wael reports that the museum workers are on strike, so if you are planning to visit one check before you set off. There is increased security at the Stade de France please be patient. Ron Tacchi has produced a programme that enables us to import the deals directly into our working documents, thereby saving hours of time. Unfortunately the software has a bug, so when you copy a hand over the computer always shows North as the dealer. The suggestion that until further notice we only be reporting on boards 1, 5, 9, 13 and 17 is under consideration. Did you hear the story about the bridge player who made it through the telephone stages of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? He was fine until the question master asked him for the names of six friends. Championship Diary, Bulletin 03 - The Stade de France is a national monument, so we can't reproduce a picture in the Daily News - well, not quite true, but the fee is 10,000FRF! We know the Daily News is popular - everyone asks us where they can get a copy. Our suggestion is to ask the concierge at the Hotel Concorde. Yesterday we tried a tactical manoeuvre by going down to breakfast at 07.45.A strategic triumph as the lift is empty and quick, and apart from the Lavazza girls, Jeff Meckstroth and Daniela von Arnim, we are the only early risers. Patrick Jourdain, our roving reporter, arrived in our Daily News Office first thing in the morning, dampened by the rain, but triumphantly waving his breakfast paper napkin. On this he claimed (already) to have recorded 'the defence of the championships'. Unlucky! The rain had caused his notes to run. Will his masterpiece be denied us by a drop of rain? Championship Diary, Bulletin 02 - The film Moulin Rouge is proving to be quite a hit - although this may have something to do with the outfits worn by Nicole Kidman.The live revue at the Moulin Rouge is well worth seeing - the late show starts at 23.00. The lifts in the Concorde La Fayette are very busy in the mornings - several people have reported on a new type of squeeze play! A couple of power-cuts in the afternoon disrupted the Press Room, the Duplication Room and the preparation of the Daily News. Luckily the problem did not extend next door to the VuGraph theatre. At the end of day one our photographer, Ron Tacchi, had taken a mere 243 pictures.We will make sure he is up to scratch today! Our only disappointment so far has been the result of the Prix Paris at Auteuil on Saturday when the strongly fancied Carthago, under the ownership of two well-known Frenchmen, could only finish second. C'est la vie. |
DAILY BULLETIN Bulletin 01 |
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GREAT
BRIDGE LINKS
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