European Bridge League

Last updated

The European Bridge League is a confederation of National Bridge Federations (NBFs) that organize the card game of contract bridge in European nations. In turn the EBL organizes bridge competition at the European level. It is a member of the European Olympic Committee and of the World Bridge Federation, where it constitutes one of eight "Zones" in world bridge. [1] [2]

Contents

Beside the administration of bridge competition (European level and European participation at the world level), the EBL provides online services for players, such as a calendar of tournaments across Europe, a list of bridge books with some reviews, and a record of major achievements by players. [3] [4]

The European Bridge League was established in 1947 by eight NBFs meeting in Denmark. It is incorporated in Switzerland with headquarters in Lausanne, administrative center and secretariat in Milan, Italy. [5] [6] From June 2010 the EBL President is Yves Aubry. [7]

European bridge players are members of the national federations. As of 2010 there are 49 EBL member countries (NBFs) with nearly 400,000 member players. [8] In turn that is nearly 40% of the countries and 60% of the players under the auspices of the World Bridge Federation. [2]

Contestants from EBL member countries have achieved great success at the world level. They won 22 of 27 medals in bridge at the first World Mind Sports Games, 2008 in Beijing. There were six EBL members in the field of 22 for the last national teams world championship, the 2009 Bermuda Bowl, and all six advanced to the 8-team knockout stage. [9]

Members

European Bridge League members are National Bridge Federations and registered European bridge players are members of their national federations. As of 2010 there are 49 EBL member countries (NBFs) with nearly 400,000 member players. [8] In turn the Europeans are nearly 40% of the countries and 60% of the players under the auspices of the World Bridge Federation. [2]

Geographically the EBL members range from Iceland to Malta to Israel to Armenia, who are all members of the European Olympic Committee too. Both "bridge Europe" and "Olympic Europe" have 49 members but only 44 match. England, Scotland, and Wales compete as three nations in bridge, Denmark and Faroe Islands compete as two, but they jointly constitute Great Britain and Denmark Olympic teams. Otherwise Andorra, Azerbaijan, Macedonia, and Moldova are in Olympic Europe but do not compete in world bridge. Lebanon is in bridge Europe and Olympic Asia. [8] [10]

The European "Small Federations" competition, established 2007, is restricted to national teams from federations with no more than 500 members. Twelve to sixteen teams have participated in the first three renditions. [11] Nineteen of the 49 EBL nations appear to be eligible. [8]

At the other extreme, France and Netherlands account for half of the 384,000 players. Five other nations constitute another 30%: Italy, Germany, England, Denmark, and Sweden. [8] Thus the seven largest bridge nations have 80% of Europe's registered bridge players. [NB 1]

Forty of the 49 EBL nations entered at least one national team in the 2010 European Team Championships: 38 in the Open category, 28 Women, and 23 Senior teams. [12]

Championships

Perhaps the primary EBL responsibility is to conduct those championships which accord the title European champion.

National teams

The marquee championships for national teams are now biennial in even years. The 2012 rendition was officially the 51st, which recognizes some that predate the EBL.

The European Bridge League (est. 1947) has conducted the event from 1948 when competition was resumed after World War II. Previously and first in 1932 it was organized by the International Bridge League, predecessor of the World Bridge Federation (est. 1958).

The Open flight was first contested in 1932, the Women in 1935, and the Senior in 1995.

Other

The European Open Bridge Championships are biennial in odd years since 2003.

The European Champions' Cup annually since 2002.

The EBL organizes youth events annually in July, for youth teams and pairs that represent EBL member countries.

The European Small Federations Trophy is contested by teams representing bridge nations with up to 500 members.

Controversy

In the 2021 European championships, Italy included Fulvio Fantoni on its team, a player previously sanctioned for cheating. In protest, the remaining national teams refused to play against the Italians and subsequently forfeited their games. [13] [14]

Several national bridge associations indicated support for the forfeitures. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] The Italian Bridge Federation vigorously protested the actions of the forfeiting players and their National Bridge Organizations (NBO) urging that the European Bridge League expel them from the tournament. [20]

See also

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.

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.

World Bridge Federation 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.

Norberto Bocchi is an Italian bridge player. Bocchi has won five World teams championships along with six consecutive European teams championships and a seventh European in 2010. For many years his regular partner was Giorgio Duboin. After missing one European and World championship cycle (2008–2009), he returned to the Italian national team in 2010, now playing with Agustín Madala, and Italy returned to the victor stand.(2010 Open Teams, final standings)

Giorgio Duboin is an Italian professional bridge player. He has won four world teams championships along with six consecutive European teams championships and a seventh European in 2010. For many years his regular partner was Norberto Bocchi; now he plays primarily with Antonio Sementa.

Fulvio Fantoni Italian international bridge player

Fulvio Fantoni is an Italian international bridge player. He is a six-time world champion, a World Grand Master of the World Bridge Federation After Pedro (WBF), and the WBF first-ranked player as of December 2011. He is one of 10 players who have won the Triple Crown of Bridge.

Claudio Nunes Italian professional bridge player (born 1968)

Claudio Nunes is an Italian professional bridge player.

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 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 Norwegian professional bridge player (born 1957)

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.

2008 World Mind Sports Games

The first World Mind Sports Games (WMSG) were held in Beijing, China from October 3 to 18, 2008, about two months after the Olympic Games. They were sponsored and organised by the International Mind Sports Association with the General Administration of Sport of China and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sport.

The Norwegian Bridge Federation founded in 1932, is the national body for bridge in Norway.

Pierre Zimmermann (bridge)

Pierre Zimmermann is a Swiss-born real estate developer and champion bridge player formerly resident in Monaco.

Boye Brogeland Norwegian professional bridge player

Boye Brogeland is a Norwegian professional bridge player. After a successful junior career, he won three Bermuda Bowl medals with the Norwegian team, including the gold in Shanghai 2007, and several North American Bridge Championships. He came into public focus in 2015 when he led a campaign against cheating in bridge, exposing wrongdoing of several top pairs, for which he received public recognition.

Ron Schwartz Israeli bridge player

Ron Schwartz is an Israeli bridge player ranked as a World Life Master by the World Bridge Federation. First appearing in international competition at the 1st World Junior Individual Championships in New York in 2004 where he placed 61st, Schwartz' bridge career progressed at the 20th European Youth Team Championships held in Riccione, Italy in 2005 where, as a member of the Israeli junior team in the Schools division, he placed second.

Fantoni and Nunes cheating scandal

Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes are professional bridge players originally from Italy, but since 2011 playing for Monaco. In 2015, they were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world respectively.

References

  1. ↑ European Bridge League Archived 2012-05-05 at the Wayback Machine . EBL. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  2. 1 2 3 Geographical Zones Archived 2009-07-21 at the Wayback Machine . World Bridge Federation. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  3. ↑ Publications Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine . EBL. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  4. ↑ Bridge People Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine . EBL. Retrieved 2011-07-02. For example, Georgio Duboin.
  5. ↑ Administration Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine . EBL. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  6. ↑ Secretariat Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine . EBL. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  7. ↑ President Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine . EBL. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 EBL Member Countries Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine . EBL. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  9. ↑ 39th World Team Championships: Results & Participants. World Bridge Federation. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  10. ↑ Zone 4: Bridge Federation of Asia & the Middle East (BFAME) Archived 2011-08-10 at the Wayback Machine . World Bridge Federation. Retrieved 2011-07-02. Compare membership lists at wikipedia European Olympic Committee and Olympic Council of Asia. See also National Olympic Committee. (Geographically between the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas: Azerbaijan does not compete in world bridge. Armenia, Israel, and Lebanon are in "bridge Europe". Palestine and Syria are in "bridge Asia".)
  11. ↑ European Small Federations Trophy Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine . EBL. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
  12. ↑ 50th European Team Championships: Results & Participants. EBL. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  13. ↑ Sawer, Patrick (26 August 2021). "Teams refuse to face Italy as cheating claims rock European Bridge League". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  14. ↑ Reyes, Lorenzo (27 August 2021). "European bridge league teams boycotting Italy over cheating claims". USA Today. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  15. ↑ Swiss Bridge Federation expression of support
  16. ↑ Dutch Bridge Federation expression of support.
  17. ↑ USBF statement of support posted on the Bridge Winners website August 29, 2021.
  18. ↑ English Bridge Union expression of support.
  19. ↑ Polish Bridge Union expression of support.
  20. ↑ FIGB Letter to the European Bridge League, 26 August 2021.

Notes

  1. ↑ Presumably the role of membership differs across NBFs. The big federations field strong national teams but they do not dominate competition in the open category. In the 2009 Bermuda Bowl, Bulgaria (500 players) placed third in the world and Russia (1000) placed 5th–8th. For the 2011 Bermuda Bowl, Bulgaria and Iceland (1000 players) are two of seven EBL teams in the field. Poland (6500 players) is a "bridge power" in all categories.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.