The World IMP Pairs Championship is a contract bridge competition established in 1998 by the World Bridge Federation. Since then it has been a major side event in the quadrennial meet that is now called the "World Bridge Series Championships", "World Bridge Series", or "World Series".
It is open to all players without preregistration and about 15% of the pairs were transnational in the 2010 rendition.
World championship status of the IMP Pairs may be doubted or tentative for it is not explicitly listed as one of the constituent World Bridge Series Championships (nor directly listed in the side menu). [1]
| Year | Entries | Medalists | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 [2] | 149 [2] finalists | 1. |  | |
| 2. |  | | ||
| 3. |  | | ||
| 2002 [3] | 130 [3] finalists | 1. |  | |
| 2. |  | | ||
| 3. |  | | ||
| 2006 [4] | 213 | 1. |  | |
| 2. |  | | ||
| 3. | | | ||
| 2010 | 163 | 1. | | |
| 2. |  | | ||
| 3. | | | ||
In 1998 there were 160 pairs completed play on day one of whom 149 continued on day two. [5]
In 2002 146 and 130. [NB 1]
There were 213 entries in 2006 of which 72 advanced to the final and 42 to the consolation. [4] Four years later there were only 163 entries of which 73 advanced to the final.
IMP Pairs. The world championship status of this event is debatable and it may be debated by WBF online editors! The first two renditions covered above are from 1998 and 2002, whose tournament record is "No Data Found" online. (Select the event name in the Ekeblad record; see also the IMP Pairs To Date table.) The player record for Ekeblad does include his 1998 win. ... perhaps medalists alone are in the database?
Contemporary coverage. What is covered on page one of the contemporary website?
10th Championships 1998 (page one) - linked schedule at bottom of page
As listed in the three-column schedule (bottom of the same page), those are 3 Team Events (9-, 8-, and 4-day), 4 Pair Events (7-, 7-, 4-, and 3-day), and 1 Other Events (three Triathlon components over five days).
Alternatively, 7 events plus the complex triathlon result.
The schedule "Days and Rounds" (bottom of page) lists nine more events whose winners are not pictured or named on page one.
That is 16 events in all, 17 results including the triathlon complex.
TEAM
PAIR
OTHER
Thu 0827 No.: 7 • Thursday, 27 August 1998
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) and the d'Orsi Bowl (seniors). 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.
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) 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". It was first contested in 1974, as one long match between two teams, and has been concurrent with the Bermuda Bowl from 1985.
Geir Helgemo is a professional bridge player who was born in Norway but is now a citizen of Monaco. Through 2012 he had won three world championships in teams-of-four competition. As of August 2018 he ranked first among Open World Grand Masters and his regular partner Tor Helness ranked second.
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 Open Pairs Championship is a contract bridge competition initiated in 1962 and held as part of the World Bridge Series Championships every four years. Open to all pairs without any quota restrictions on nationality, the championship is widely regarded as the most prestigious pairs competition in contract bridge. In its present form, the competition lasts eight days.
The World Mixed Pairs Championship is a bridge championship for mixed-gender pairs held every four years as part of the World Bridge Championships.
Rosenblum Cup is an 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 (WBF) until 1976. A similar event for women, the McConnell Cup, which takes place alongside the Rosenblum Cup was added in 1994.
McConnell Cup is a team event for women 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 (WBF) and former president of the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL). McConnell was also instrumental in inaugurating the Venice Cup women's team championship in 1974.
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 Senior Pairs Championship is one of the competitions held as part of the quadrennial World Bridge Championships, inaugurated at the 8th rendition of the meet in 1990.
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 55 years of age. The World Bridge Federation (WBF) has decided that, as from 2005, the minimum age for a player to be recognized as Senior will be increasing one year per year, until it reaches 60 years in 2010. The decision ensures that 55-year-olds who participated in a senior event in 2003 will never become ex-Seniors.
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 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.
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) and Venice Cup (Women). 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.
Tor Helness is a Norwegian professional bridge player. He was a stalwart on Norway junior and open teams for thirty years before moving to Monaco. Through 2012 he has won four world championships in teams-of-four competition. As of October 2016 he ranks second among Open World Grand Masters and his regular partner Geir Helgemo ranks first.
The 2012 World Mind Sports Games were held in Lille, France, from 9 to 23 August 2012. The meet 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, inaugurated 2008 in Beijing.
Matthew "Matt" Granovetter is an American bridge player and writer. Granovetter is from Jersey City, New Jersey, and graduated from Hunter College. He subsequently moved to Netanya, Israel. After spending 1993 to 2005 in Israel, his wife Pamela and he returned to the US and now live in Cincinnati.
The WBF online database covers only the 2006 and 2010 renditions
The WBF online database covers only the 2006 and 2010 renditions