Venice Cup

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The Venice Cup is a biennial world championship contract bridge tournament for national teams of women. It is contested every odd-number year under the auspices of the World Bridge Federation (WBF), alongside the Bermuda Bowl (open), Wuhan Cup (mixed), and d'Orsi Bowl (seniors). Entries formally represent WBF Zones as well as nations, so it is also known as the World Zonal Women Team Championship, one of three World Zonal Team Championships. [1] [2] It was first contested in 1974 as one long match between two teams and has been concurrent with the Bermuda Bowl from 1985.

Contents

The Venice Cup is also the name of the trophy awarded to the winning team. It was donated by Italy when Venice hosted the inaugural contest.[ citation needed ]

The most recent event took place in 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco. [3]

Structure

See a description of the identical "Senior Bowl" structure or a detailed account of the 2011 event (below)

1937 world championships

The 1937 world champion Austria ladies team. Top left, Rixi Scharfstein. Others from left: Marianne Boschan, Gertie Brunner, Ethel Ernst, Elizabeth Klauber, Gertie Schlesinger (seated). Ladies1937@72.jpg
The 1937 world champion Austria ladies team. Top left, Rixi Scharfstein. Others from left: Marianne Boschan, Gertie Brunner, Ethel Ernst, Elizabeth Klauber, Gertie Schlesinger (seated).

Austria won the first world teams championships in both open and women categories, conducted 1937 in Budapest, Hungary. [4] They were organized by the International Bridge League, essentially the predecessor of both the European Bridge League (est. 1947) and the WBF (1958). World War II practically destroyed the IBL and its nascent world championship tournament series. With Austria the leading nation at the card table, the 1938 Anschluss of Germany and Austria was a great disruption. The leading bridge theorist and mentor, Paul Stern was an outspoken opponent of Nazism who fled to England that year.[ citation needed ]

Another 1938 refugee from Austria to England, Rixi Markus (born Erika Scharfstein) was a member of both the 1937 champions and the 1976 Great Britain team that was defeated by the United States for the second Venice Cup. [5] [6]

Historical results

China is the only bridge nation outside Europe and the United States to win the Venice Cup. Following its third-place breakthrough in 1991, China finished second in 1997 and 2003, and third in 2007, before winning in 2009.

Every Venice Cup tournament has run alongside the Bermuda Bowl except in 1978, which was not a Bermuda Bowl year. Before 1985, however, the Open tournament was more frequent; from that time they have run together in odd years.

United States teams won the first three championships and they have won 10 of 17 including six as one of two USA teams. [lower-alpha 1]

The first two "tournaments" were head-on matches between representatives of North America and Europe, like the Bermuda Bowls of 1951 to 1957. The next two were open to one team from every WBF geographic zone. From 1985 the Venice Cup and Bermuda Bowl have run side-by-side in odd years, expanding together from 10 to 22.

Prior to the inaugural Venice Cup, there had been four Olympiad tournaments for women contested 1960 to 1972. The winners had been United Arab Republic, Great Britain, Sweden, and Italy. (After losing the first Venice Cup tournament in 1974, Italy would defend its Olympiad title in 1976 and lose the third Venice Cup in 1978.) (The United States won the first three Venice Cups 1974/76/78 but did not win any early Olympiad tournament.)

Year, Site, EntriesMedalists
1974 [7]

May 20–28

Venice, Italy

2 teams

1.  Flag of the United States.svg USA
Bette Cohn, Emma Jean Hawes, Dorothy Hayden Truscott, Betty Ann Kennedy, Marietta Passell, Carol Sanders
2. Flag of Italy.svg Italy
Marisa Bianchi, Luciana Canessa, Rina Jabès, Maria Antonietta Robaudo, Anna Valenti, Maria Vittoria Venturini  
1976 [8]

May 2–8

Monte Carlo, Monaco

2 teams

1. Flag of the United States.svg USA
Emma Jean Hawes, Dorothy Hayden Truscott, Betty Ann Kennedy, Jacqui Mitchell, Gail Moss, Carol Sanders
2. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain
Charley Esterson, Nicola Gardener, Fritzi Gordon, Sandra Landy, Rixi Markus, Rita Oldroyd
1978 [9]

June 17–30

New Orleans, USA
(separate from Bermuda Bowl) 

5 teams

1. Flag of the United States.svg USA
Mary Jane Farell, Emma Jean Hawes, Dorothy Hayden Truscott, Marilyn Johnson, Jacqui Mitchell, Gail Moss
2. Flag of Italy.svg Italy
Marisa Bianchi, Luciana Capodanno, Marisa D'Andrea, Enrichetta Gut, Andreina Morini, Anna Valenti
3. Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina
María Teresa de Díaz, Adriana C. de Martínez de Hoz, Maria Elena Iacapraro, Marta Matienzo, Clara Monsegur
1981 [10]

October 19–30

New York City, USA

5 teams

1. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain
Pat Davies, Nicola Gardener, Sandra Landy, Sally Sowter, (Maureen Dennison, Diana Williams)*
2. Flag of the United States.svg USA
Nancy Gruver, Edith Kemp, Betty Ann Kennedy, Judi Radin, Carol Sanders, Kathie Wei
3. Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil
Agota Mandelot, Sylvia Mello, Elisabeth Murtinho, Suzy Powidzer, (Maria Lena Brito, Alice Saad)**
* Dennison–Williams in 1981 did not play enough boards to qualify for the title of World Champion[ citation needed ]
** Brito–Saad in 1981 did not play enough boards to qualify for third place[ citation needed ]

The third and fourth Venice Cup tournaments welcomed one team from each WBF geographic zone. On both occasions there were entries from Europe, North America, South America, and South Pacific; they were joined by Asia in 1978, Central America and the Caribbean in 1981. All of the entries were national teams, listed here by zone.

1978: Italy, USA, Argentina, Australia, Philippines [9]
1981: Great Britain, USA, Brazil, Australia, Venezuela [10]

Except for USA ahead of Italy in 1979, those were also the final standings. (Under the same rules, there were six teams in the 1979 Bermuda Bowl tournament because Asia and CAC both participated. A second team from Europe was added in 1981.)

1985

The fifth Venice Cup was not until 1985, when the two tournaments were permanently joined side-by-side in odd years with the same structure (like the Olympiad tournaments established in 1960). Since then, the numbers of teams entered have been identical except once.

For 1985 the champion teams from Europe and North America were granted slots in the 4-team semifinal knockout. One representative from every other zone, the host country team, and second teams from Europe and North America, played round-robin for the other two semifinal slots. As for all three renditions under that format, five other zones participated (not yet Africa) and there were ten teams in the field.

1985 Venice Cup, final standings
  1. Great Britain (Europe 2)
  2. USA 1 [lower-alpha 1] (North America 1)
  3. France (Europe 1)
  4. Chinese Taipei (Pacific Asia)
  5. USA 2 [lower-alpha 1] (North America 2)
  6. Australia (South Pacific)
  7. Argentina (South America)
  8. Brazil (host country)
  9. Venezuela (Central America & Carib.)
  10. India (Asia & Middle East)
Year, Site, EntriesMedalists
1985 [11]

Oct 19–Nov 2

São Paulo, Brazil

10 teams

1.  Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain
Pat Davies, Sally Horton, Sandra Landy, Nicola Smith, (Michelle Brunner, Gillian Scott-Jones)*
2. Flag of the United States.svg USA 1 [lower-alpha 1]
Betty Ann Kennedy, Jacqui Mitchell, Gail Moss, Judi Radin, Carol Sanders, Kathie Wei
3. Flag of France.svg France
Danièle Allouche, Véronique Bessis, Ginette Chevalley, Fabienne Pigeaud, Catherine Saul, Sylvie Willard
1987 [12]

October 10–24

Ocho Ríos, Jamaica 

10 teams

1. Flag of the United States.svg USA 2 [lower-alpha 1]
Cheri Bjerkan, Juanita Chambers, Lynn Deas, Beth Palmer, Judi Radin, Kathie Wei
2. Flag of France.svg France
Danièle Allouche, Véronique Bessis, Hélène Bordenave, Ginette Chevalley, Bénédicte Cronier, Sylvie Willard  
3. Flag of Italy.svg Italy
Marisa Bianchi, Luciana Capodanno, Marisa D'Andrea, Carla Gianardi, Gabriella Olivieri, Anna Valenti
1989 [13]

September 9–23

Perth, Australia

10 teams

1. Flag of the United States.svg United States
Kitty Bethe, Lynn Deas, Margie Gwozdzinsky, Karen McCallum, Beth Palmer, Kerri Shuman
2. Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
Carla Arnolds, Ellen Bakker, Ine Gielkens, Elly Schippers, Marijke van der Pas, Bep Vriend
3. Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Francine Cimon, Dianna Gordon, Mary Paul, Sharyn Reus, Gloria Silverman, Katie Thorpe
1991 [14]

Sep 29–Oct11

Yokohama, Japan

16 teams

1. Flag of the United States.svg USA 2 [lower-alpha 1]
Nell Cahn, Stasha Cohen, Lynn Deas, Sharon Osberg, Nancy Passell, Sue Picus
2. Flag of Austria.svg Austria
Gabriele Bamberger, Maria Erhart, Doris Fischer, Terry Weigkricht, (Rosi Spinn, Britta Widengren)***
3. Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
GU Ling, LIU Yiqian, SUN Ming, ZHANG Yalan, (SHAOMIN Shi, WANG Liping)**

1991 to date

After 1989, the championship fields were expanded from 10 to 16 teams. European and North American zones were granted four and three slots respectively, without special treatment for any. (The American Contract Bridge League allocated two places to United States teams and one to the winner of a playoff, if necessary.)

1991 Venice Cup participants by zone
Europe: Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Great Britain (1st to 4th in Europe)
North America: USA 1, USA 2, Canada
South America: Argentina, Venezuela
C. America & Carib.: Martinique
Asia & Middle E.: India
Pacific Asia: China, Chinese Taipei, Japan (host)
South Pacific: Australia
Africa: Egypt

All three teams from Pacific Asia advanced to the quarterfinal knockout stage, a very strong performance. China became the first team from outside Europe and the Americas to win a medal.

Through 1993, United States teams won seven and Great Britain two.

Year, Site, EntriesMedalists
1993 [15]

Aug 29–Sep 11

Santiago, Chile

16 teams

1.  Flag of the United States.svg USA 2 [lower-alpha 1]
Karen McCallum, Jill Meyers, Sharon Osberg, Sue Picus, Kerri Sanborn, Kay Schulle
2. Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Daniela von Arnim, Karin Caesar, Marianne Mögel, Pony Nehmert, Waltraud Vogt, Sabine Zenkel
3. Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
Lisbeth Åström, Pyttsi Flodqvist, Linda Långström, Catarina Midskog, Bim Ödlund, Mari Ryman
1995 [16]

Oct 8–20

Beijing, China

16 teams

1. Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Daniela von Arnim, Sabine Auken, Pony Nehmert, Andrea Rauscheid, (Karin Caesar, Marianne Mögel)*
2. Flag of the United States.svg USA 1 [lower-alpha 1]
Karen McCallum, Kitty Munson, Sue Picus, Rozanne Pollack, Kerri Sanborn, Carol Simon
3. Flag of France.svg France
Véronique Bessis, Claude Blouquit, Bénédicte Cronier, Catherine D'Ovidio, Colette Lise, Sylvie Willard
1997 [17] [18]

Oct 19–Nov 1

Hammamet, Tunisia

18 teams

1. Flag of the United States.svg USA 1 [lower-alpha 1]
Lisa Berkowitz, Mildred Breed, Marinesa Letizia, Jill Meyers, Randi Montin, Tobi Sokolow
2. Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
Gu Ling, Lu Yan, Sun Ming, Wang Wenfei, Zhang Yalan, Zhang Yu
3. Flag of the United States.svg USA 2 [lower-alpha 1]
Juanita Chambers, Lynn Deas, Irina Levitina, Beth Palmer, Kerri Sanborn, Kathie Wei
2000 [19] [20]

January 7–21

Southampton, Bermuda 

20 teams

1. Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
Jet Pasman, Anneke Simons, Martine Verbeek, Bep Vriend, Marijke van der Pas, Wietske van Zwol
2. Flag of the United States.svg USA 1 [lower-alpha 1]
Renee Mancuso, Jill Meyers, Randi Montin, Shawn Quinn, Janice Seamon-Molson, Tobi Sokolow
3. Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark
Trine Bilde Kofoed, Dorte Cilleborg, Bettina Kalkerup, Kirsten Steen Møller, (Mette Drøgemüller, Charlotte Koch-Palmund)**  
2001 [21] [22]

Oct 21–Nov 3

Paris, France

18 teams

1. Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Daniela von Arnim, Sabine Auken, Pony Nehmert, Andrea Rauscheid, (Katrin Farwig, Barbara Hackett)*
2. Flag of France.svg France
Véronique Bessis, Bénédicte Cronier, Catherine D'Ovidio, Sylvie Willard, (Catherine Fishpool, Elisabeth Hugon)***
3. Flag of the United States.svg USA 2 [lower-alpha 1]
Mildred Breed, Petra Hamman, Joan Jackson, Robin Klar, Shawn Quinn, Kay Schulle
2003 [23] [24]

November 2–15

Monte Carlo, Monaco

18 teams

1. Flag of the United States.svg USA 1 [lower-alpha 1]
Betty Ann Kennedy, Jill Levin, Sue Picus, Janice Seamon-Molson, Tobi Sokolow, Kathie Wei-Sender
2. Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
Gu Ling, Wang Hongli, Wang Liping, Wang Wenfei, Zhang Yalan, Zhang Yu
3. Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
Carla Arnolds, Jet Pasman, Anneke Simons, Bep Vriend, Marijke van der Pas, Wietske van Zwol
2005 [25] [26]

Oct 22–Nov 5

Estoril, Portugal

22 teams

1. Flag of France.svg France
Danièle Allouche-Gaviard, Bénédicte Cronier, Catherine D'Ovidio, Sylvie Willard, (Nathalie Frey, Vanessa Reess)*
2. Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Anja Alberti, Daniela von Arnim, Sabine Auken, Barbara Hackett, Pony Nehmert, Mirja Schraverus-Meuer
3. Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
Carla Arnolds, Femke Hoogweg, Jet Pasman, Anneke Simons, Bep Vriend, Wietske van Zwol
2007 [27] [28]

Sep 29–Oct 13

Shanghai, China

22 teams

1. Flag of the United States.svg USA 1 [lower-alpha 1]
Jill Levin, Irina Levitina, Jill Meyers, Hansa Narasimhan, Debbie Rosenberg, JoAnna Stansby
2. Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Anja Alberti, Daniela von Arnim, Sabine Auken, Barbara Hackett, Pony Nehmert, Mirja Schraverus-Meuer
3. Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
Gu Ling, Liu Yiqian, Sun Ming, Wang Hongli, Wang Wenfei, Zhang Yalan
2009 [29] [30]

Aug 29–Sep 12

São Paulo, Brazil

22 teams

1. Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
Dong Yongling, Liu Yiqian, Yan Ru, Sun Ming, Wang Hongli, Wang Wenfei
2. Flag of the United States.svg USA 1 [lower-alpha 1]
Lynn Baker, Lynn Deas, Irina Levitina, Karen McCallum, Beth Palmer, Kerri Sanborn
3. Flag of France.svg France
Danièle Allouche-Gaviard, Véronique Bessis, Bénédicte Cronier, Catherine D'Ovidio, Elisabeth Hugon, Sylvie Willard  
2011 [31] [32]

October 15–29

Veldhoven, Netherlands  

22 teams

1. Flag of France.svg France
Danièle Allouche-Gaviard, Véronique Bessis, Bénédicte Cronier, Catherine D'Ovidio, Joanna Neve, Sylvie Willard  
2. Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia
Lusje Olha Bojoh, Fera Damayanti, Suci Amita Dewi, Kristina Wahyu Murniati, Liem Riantini, Julita Grace Tueje
3. Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
Carla Arnolds, Laura Dekkers, Marion Michielsen, Jet Pasman, Anneke Simons, Bep Vriend
2013 [33]

September 17–29

Bali, Indonesia  

22 teams

1. Flag of the United States.svg USA 2 [lower-alpha 1]
Hjördis Eythorsdottir, Jill Levin, Jill Meyers, Janice Seamon-Molson, Jenny Wolpert, Migry Zur Campanile  
2. Flag of England.svg England
Sally Brock, Fiona Brown, Heather Dhondy, Nevena Senior, Nicola Smith, Susan Stockdale
3. Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
Carla Arnolds, Marion Michielsen, Jet Pasman, Anneke Simons, Wietske van Zwol, Meike Wortel
2015 [34]

September 26 – October 10

Chennai, India  

22 teams

1. Flag of France.svg France
Deborah Campagnano, Bénédicte Cronier, Elisabeth Hugon, Vanessa Reess, Sylvie Willard, Joanna Zochowska  
2. Flag of the United States.svg USA 2 [lower-alpha 1]
Juanita Chambers, Lynn Deas, Joann Glasson, Beth Palmer, Janice Seamon-Molson, Tobi Sokolow  
3. Flag of England.svg England
Sally Brock, Fiona Brown, Heather Dhondy, Catherine Draper, Nevena Senior, Nicola Smith  
2017 [35]

August 12–26

Lyon, France  

22 teams

1. Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
Yan Huang, Yan Liu, Yan Lu, Qi Shen, Nan Wang, Wen Fei Wang, Jianxin Wang npc, Xiaojing Wang coach
2. Flag of England.svg England
Sally Brock, Fiona Brown, Catherine Draper, Sandra Penfold, Nevena Senior, Nicola Smith, Derek Patterson npc, David Burn coach
3. Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
Pia Andersson, Kathrine Bertheau, Ida Grönkvist, Emma Ovelius, Cecilia Rimstedt, Sandra Rimstedt, Kenneth Borin npc, Carina Wademark coach
2019 [36]

September 14–28

Wuhan, China  

24 teams

1. Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
Kathrine Bertheau, Sanna Clementsson, Ida Grönkvist, Jessica Larsson, Emma Ovelius, Cecilia Rimstedt, Kenneth Borin (npc), Carina Wademark (coach).
2. Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
Yan Liu, Yan Lu, Qi Shen, Nan Wang, Wen Fei Wang, Xiaoxue Zuo, Xiaojing Wang (npc), Xiaojing Wang (coach)
3. Flag of England.svg England
Heather Dhondy, Catherine Draper, Gillian Fawcett, Nevena Senior, Nicola Smith, Yvonne Wiseman, David Gold (npc), David Burn (coach).
2022 [37]

March 27 - April 9

Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy  

24 teams

1. Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
Kathrine Bertheau, Sanna Clementsson, Louise Hallqvist, Ylva Johansson, Jessica Larsson, Emma Ovelius, Tobias Törnqvist (npc), Carina Wademark (coach).
2. Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey
Özlem Kandolu, Serap Kuranoğlu, Eren Özan, İrem Özbay, Hatice Özgür, Dilek Yavaş, Belis Atalay (npc), Halil Atalay (coach)
3. Flag of England.svg England
Sally Brock, Fiona Brown, Heather Dhondy, Catherine Draper, Gillian Fawcett, Nevena Senior, David Burn (npc)
Flag of Poland.svg Poland
Cathy Baldysz, Sophia Baldysz, Katarzyna Dufrat, Danuta Kazmucha, Anna Sarniak, Joanna Zaleswka, Miroslaw Cichocki (npc)
2023 [38]

August 20 - September 2

Marrakech, Morocco  

24 teams

1. Flag of Israel.svg Israel
Adi Asulin, Hila Levi, Adel Petelko, Ziv Roitman, Dana Tal, Noga Tal, Israel Yadlin (npc), Ron Pachtman (coach).
2. Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey
Asli Acar, Tuna Elmas, Berrak Erkan, Özlem Kandolu, İrem Özbay, Hatice Özgür, M. Gokhan Yilmaz (npc)
3. Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
Yan Huang, Yan Liu, Jing Rong Ran, Xiuting Yu, Meiling Zhou, Xiaoxue Zuo, Yannang Wang (npc), Xin Li (coach)
* Brunner – Scott-Jones in 1985, Caesar–Mögel in 1995, Farwig–Hackett in 2001, and Frey–Reess in 2005 did not play enough boards to qualify for the title of World Champion[ citation needed ]
** Shaomin–Wang in 1991, and Drøgemüller – Koch-Palmund in 2000 did not play enough boards to qualify for third place[ citation needed ]
*** Spinn–Widengren in 1991 and Fishpool–Hugon in 2001 did not play enough boards to qualify for second place[ citation needed ]

2009

Over 13 days in São Paulo, Brazil, beginning 30 August 2009, China became the first bridge nation outside Europe and North America to win the Venice Cup. Indeed, only China has won any gold, silver, or bronze medal in the tournament (see table, below).

The Chinese victory was decisive, culminating in a 220 to 148 IMP domination of USA1 in the two-day final match. Previously China led the seven-day 21-round-robin (France second) from which eight of 22 teams advanced to the knockout stage, then defeated Sweden 259–182 in the quarterfinal and France 245–221 in the semifinal. The 77-IMP and 72-IMP wins over Sweden and USA1 were the second and third biggest margins in the seven knockout matches. [39]

Bénédicte Cronier–Sylvie Willard of France were the high-scoring players on all 22 teams during the round-robin, playing 15 of 21 matches and scoring 0.93 IMP per board. Hongli Wang–Ming Sun of China were second at 0.81 in 15 matches and their teammate pairs (six players on a "Team-of-four") ranked third and eighth. [40]

2011

France won the 2011 Venice Cup by 196 to 103 IMP in a two-day final match against Indonesia [41]

Indonesia 0132419=56389103
France0+464139=1263238196+

France started with one-third IMP carryover from the 16-deal round-robin match, meaning Indonesia must score at least one IMP better on the 96 deals of the final. France scored consistently well during the first three segments, to lead overnight by 126+ to 56, and Indonesia conceded after two of three segments scheduled for the next day.

Notable performances

This is the second Venice Cup for France and the 7th medal in 14 Venice Cup tournaments from 1985 to date, the time of equality with the Bermuda Bowl. Silvie Willard has played for all seven medalists; Véronique Bessis, Bénédicte Cronier, and Catherine D'Ovidio (Saul) six; and Danièle Gaviard (Allouche) five. Following the tournament, D'Ovidio and Willard moved up current ranks one and two among Women Grand Masters and their three frequent teammates moved into the top twelve. [42]

The silver medal for Indonesia represents a sudden arrival among the stronger teams, having placed during the preceding decade no better than 9th (2009), just outside the knockout stage in the current format. [43]

Preliminary

There were 22 national teams in the field, who represented the eight WBF zones as follows. [44] The regular quota for Europe is six teams, seven at Veldhoven because the host country qualifies automatically. [45]

Europe: France, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, England, Poland, Italy —ranks 1 to 7 in the European championship [46]
North America: Canada, USA 1, USA 2 [lower-alpha 1]
South America: Brazil, Venezuela
Asia & Middle East: India, Jordan
C. America & Carib.: Trinidad & Tobago
Pacific Asia: China, Indonesia, Japan
South Pacific: Australia, New Zealand
Africa: Egypt, Morocco

The first stage was a full round-robin scheduled in advance. [lower-alpha 2] Every team played 21 short matches of 16 deals, three daily.

The women of France, Germany, and the Netherlands have been strong teams for about two decades but this year they waged a close fight for the last two slots in the knockout, Netherlands and France surviving with Germany 7 VP short. [47] The two USA teams [lower-alpha 1] led the round-robin and selected quarterfinal opponents Indonesia, sixth, and Netherlands, seventh. England placed third and selected Sweden, fifth. That left defending champion China, fourth, to face France, eighth, a rematch of one 2009 semifinal.

In the quarterfinals, Indonesia and Netherlands both overcame 16-IMP carryovers (the maximum achievable head starts) to defeat the Americans by 33 and 28 IMP. England defeated Sweden to be the only preliminary leader who advanced, and France defeated China, 205+ to 197, in the only match that "went to the end". [48] France led by 15+ after five segments and extended the lead to 29+ IMP on the 84th deal (#20), but the champions yielded nothing more and cut the margin to 2+ on the 95th deal. [49] (The leader was known only to spectators, including local and internet commentators and presumably the third pair from each team.) Finally China defeated 3 one trick worth 50 points, while France doubled 4 and beat it two tricks, worth 300 points and a final margin of eight up from two IMP. [50]

In the semifinals, Indonesia outscored England by 18 IMP on 96 deals to overcome 10.5 carryover. France outscored Netherlands by 21 to overcome 0.5 carryover. [51]

While France won the Cup from Indonesia, the host Netherlands overcame 12 IMP carryover to beat England in 48 deals and win the bronze medal, 109 to 91. [41]

So the preliminary eight, seventh, and sixth place teams had finished one, two, three on the victory stand.

2013

USA2 won the 2013 Venice Cup in Bali, Indonesia, defeating England by a score of 229 to 220.3 IMP. [52] The two-day final match of 96 deals was unusually close: the margin, a fraction less than 9 IMP, is frequently exceeded on a single deal; China and France had won the 2009 and 2011 Cups by more than 70 and 90 IMP.

USA2 was the second of two United States entries [lower-alpha 1] in the field of 22: namely, Hjordis Eythorsdottir, Jill Levin, Jill Meyers, Janice Seamon-Molson, Jenny Wolpert, Migry Zur Campanile; Sue Picus npc. England was represented by the same team that won the 2012 World Mind Sports Games: Sally Brock, Fiona Brown, Heather Dhondy, Nevena Senior, Nicola Smith, Susan Stockdale; Jeremy Dhondy npc, David Burn coach.

The Netherlands won another close match for third place, defeating China by 152 to 139. The bronze medalists: Carla Arnolds, Marion Michielsen, Jet Pasman, Anneke Simons, Wietske van Zwol, Meike Wortel; Alex van Reenen npc, Hans Kelder coach.

Jill Meyers now has four Venice Cup wins (after 1993, 1997 and 2007), Levin three (2003, 2007) and Seamon-Molson two (2003). Meyers is the first to win six world titles for women, as Nicola Smith would have been with an England victory. She has won five medals in Venice Cup tournaments, as have the Dutch women Arnolds, Pasman, and Simons. [52]

2015

In 2015 the Venice Cup was held in Chennai (formerly Madras), India. It was won by France, with USA2 taking silver. England beat the Netherlands in the bronze medal play-off. [53]

2017

In 2017 the Venice Cup was held in Lyon, France. It was won by China, with England taking silver. Sweden beat Poland in the bronze medal play-off. [54] [55]

2019

In 2019 the Venice Cup was held in Wuhan, China. It was won by Sweden, with China taking silver. England beat Netherlands in the bronze medal play-off. [56]

2022

The tournament was scheduled for 2021 but was held in Salsomaggiore, Italy in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was won by Sweden, with Turkiye taking silver. England and Poland shared the bronze medal. [57]

2023

The tournament was held in Marrakech, Italy in 2023. It was won by Israel, with Turkiye taking silver. China beat Norway in the bronze medal play-off. [58]

Medals (1974–2023)

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States  (USA)116219
2Flag of France.svg  France  (FRA)3238
3Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China  (CHN)2338
4Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER)2305
5Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain  (GBR)2103
6Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden  (SWE)2024
7Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands  (NED)1146
8Flag of Israel.svg  Israel  (ISR)1001
9Flag of England.svg  England  (ENG)0235
10Flag of Italy.svg  Italy  (ITA)0213
11Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey  (TUR)0202
12Flag of Austria.svg  Austria  (AUT)0101
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia  (INA)0101
14Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina  (ARG)0011
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil  (BRA)0011
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada  (CAN)0011
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark  (DEN)0011
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland  (POL)0011
Totals (18 entries)24242371

Hosts

Zones and nations

See the version at "Senior Bowl".

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Complete final standings for the entire history show double representation for the US from 1985 to date except 1989. Select "Venue" links at "World Team Championships to Date". WBF. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
  2. Schedule of Play / Venice Cup. 2011. WBF.
    Given the full round-robin structure, the particular schedule should make no difference in the outcome of the first stage.

Related Research Articles

The Bermuda Bowl is a biennial contract bridge world championship for national teams. It is contested every odd-numbered year under the auspices of the World Bridge Federation (WBF), alongside the Venice Cup (women), the d'Orsi Senior Bowl and the Wuhan Cup (mixed). Entries formally represent WBF zones as well as nations, so it is also known as the World Zonal Open Team Championship. It is the oldest event that confers the title of world champion in bridge, and was first contested in 1950. The Bermuda Bowl trophy is awarded to the winning team, and is named for the site of the inaugural tournament, the Atlantic archipelago of Bermuda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Bridge Federation</span> International governing body for contract bridge

The World Bridge Federation (WBF) is the international governing body of contract bridge. The WBF is responsible for world championship competitions, most of which are conducted at a few multi-event meets on a four-year cycle. The most prestigious championships are those for national teams in Open, Women, and Seniors categories: the Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup, and Senior Bowl, and the quadrennial World Team Olympiads, incorporated in the World Mind Sports Games beginning 2008.

The triple crown of bridge is a career achievement in duplicate bridge, namely winning the three marquee Open world championships conducted by the World Bridge Federation. The Bermuda Bowl is now contested by national teams in odd-number years. The Olympiad Open Teams, contested by national teams in Olympic years, has been incorporated in the World Mind Sports Games (WMSG). The Olympiad Open Pairs, now World Open Pairs Championship, is contested in non-Olympic even-number years.

The World Team Olympiad was a contract bridge meet organized by the World Bridge Federation every four years from 1960 to 2004. Its main events were world championships for national teams, always including one open and one restricted to women. A parallel event for seniors was inaugurated in 2000.

The World Bridge Championships consists of several sets of championships organized under the auspices of the World Bridge Federation.

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.

The World Transnational Open Teams Championship is a major side event conducted by the World Bridge Federation during the semifinal and final stages of its world championships for national teams at contract bridge—the Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup, and Senior Bowl. New teams may enter the Transnational, as well as national teams eliminated before the semifinals of the main events—Open, Women, and Seniors respectively. It is not required that all team members be from one country, hence the term transnational. A series of Swiss matches qualifies eight teams for three knockout rounds which conclude during the finals of the main events.

The d'Orsi Senior Bowl, or Senior Bowl or d'Orsi Bowl, is a biennial world championship contract bridge tournament for national teams of "Seniors", players age 60 and older. It is contested every odd-number year under the auspices of the World Bridge Federation (WBF), alongside the Bermuda Bowl (Open), Venice Cup (Women) and Wuhan Cup (Mixed). Entries formally represent WBF Zones as well as nations so it is also known as the "World Zonal Senior Team Championship", one of three "World Zonal Team Championships". It became an official world championship event in 2001 following a successful exhibition in 2000.

The World Junior Pairs Championship is a bridge competition organized by the World Bridge Federation. It was inaugurated 1995 in Ghent, Belgium, when it incorporated the European Junior Pairs Championship inaugurated 1991. Officially the Juniors and Youngsters Pairs Championships are biennial in odd years, although there are parallel contests in some even years.

The World Junior Teams Championship is a bridge competition for zonal teams of players up to about 25 years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Priday</span>

Richard Anthony (Tony) Priday was an English bridge player and journalist, who had a longstanding and successful partnership with Claude Rodrigue. He was a member of Great Britain teams that finished third in the 1962 Bermuda Bowl and the 1976 World Team Olympiad, and those that won European Bridge League (EBL) championship teams-of-four in 1961 and came second in 1971.

Jie "Jack" Zhao is a Chinese professional contract bridge player. He became a World Bridge Federation Grand Master (WGM) in 2014.

Steve Weinstein is an American professional bridge and poker player. He is known best as the youngest winner of the ACBL Life Master Pairs at the time that he achieved it, and the most frequent winner of the Cavendish Invitational Pairs, the world's leading contest for cash prizes. As of March 2022, the World Bridge Federation shows Weinstein at number 22 in the Open World Grand Masters rankings. His highest ranking was 16th, in October 2011.

The 2012 World Mind Sports Games were held in Lille, France, from 9 to 23 August 2012. The meeting started during the 2012 Summer Olympics and ending shortly before the 2012 Summer Paralympics, both in London. This was the second rendition of the World Mind Sports Games, which was inaugurated in 2008 in Beijing. The mind sport games had about 2000 players from 95 nations—down from 2,763 competitors and 143 countries at the 1st Games. More than half of the gold medals were contested at draughts and Russia, with the strongest draughts squad, won the most gold and most overall medals. China won five gold medals—all five events contested at Xiangqi. Chinese Taipei won four gold medals—four of the five events contested at go.

Rose Meltzer is an American bridge player. After completion of 2014 tournaments she was the only woman among 84 living Open World Grand Masters and she ranked 58th among them by World Bridge Federation (WBF) open masterpoints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion Michielsen</span> Dutch-Swedish professional bridge player (born 1985)

Marion Susanne Michielsen is a Dutch-Swedish professional bridge player. At the annual World Bridge Federation (WBF) meet in October 2014, she played on teams that won two world championships. Thus she became a World Women Grand Master.

The 2021 World Bridge Team Championships (45th) was a contract bridge event being held in Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy, from 27 March to 9 April 2022, delayed from its original schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Wuhan Cup is a biennial world championship contract bridge tournament for national mixed teams. It is contested every odd-number year under the auspices of the World Bridge Federation (WBF), alongside the Bermuda Bowl (Open), d'Orsi Bowl and Venice Cup and was inaugurated in 2019. The event took the name of the City of Wuhan which presented the trophy and will provide replicas for future editions.

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Citations