User:P64/Bridge/European Bridge League

The European Bridge League is a confederation of National Bridge Federations 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.

Beside the administration of bridge competition (European level and European participation at the world level) ...

links
history - under construction at EBL

EBL

members

teams

events

youth teams

youth pairs

5th European Open Bridge Championships (2011). Polish Bridge Union. Retrieved 2011-07-02.

9th European Champions Cup (2010). EBL. Retrieved 2011-07-02.

50th European Teams Championships (2010). EBL. Retrieved 2011-07-02.

Championships
Categories. Special "categories" of players are Women, Youth (up to age 25), University (up to 28), and Senior (at least 60).[categories]

Contests. teams and pairs

Scope (primary events). all events "awarding the title of 'European Champion' to the winners" from the establishment of the EBL in 1948, plus pre-war open and women series (team championships first contested in 1932 and 1935).

The main meet dating from 1948 is the European Team Championships. Every member in good standing may enter a national team in each category.

Forty of 49 EBL members entered at least one national team in the latest (2010): 38 in the Open category, 28 Women, and 23 Senior teams.

European bridge championships organized by EBL (see also IBF)
 * European Team Championships]] —
 * European Open Bridge Championships]] —
 * European Champions' Cup]] —
 * PHILIP MORRIS Europa Cup]] —
 * European Open Pairs Championships]] —
 * European Women Pairs Championships]] —
 * European Senior Pairs Championships]] —
 * European Mixed Teams Championships]] —
 * European Mixed Pairs Championships]] —
 * European Youth Teams Championships]] —
 * European Youth Pairs Championships]] —
 * European Universities Championship]] —
 * European Women's Festival/Jamboree]] —
 * European Small Federations Games]] —

National teams
The European Team Championships (bridge) are now biennial in even years. The 2010 rendition was officially the 50th, 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.

The first was in 1932.


 * open 1932 (50)
 * women 1935
 * senior 1995

qualifiers for the Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup open and women teams world championships --from 2002, even year qualifiers for odd year championships Italy won seven consecutive 1995-2006, and four 1956-59, and four Women 1970-74. No other national team has won four consecutive in any category but France holds the last three Women titles 2006-10.

before the War
The International Bridge League was established June 1932 in Scheveningen, where it sponsored the first European championship, a tournament for national open teams. In 1935/1936 there were European and American divisions of the League and in 1937 the first official world championships, for national teams in Open and Ladies flights. Those 1937 tournaments in Budapest doubled as the European championships; essentially they were the annual Euro championships with Americans invited to enter. IBL planned a regular series of world championships but there was no second rendition and the European series expired after 1939.

For example: At the EBL homepage select "People"; search surnames "Scharfstein" (no hits) and "Markus". At Rixi Markus expand "Playing Record (Team Events)"; select "AUSTRIA Women Team".

through 1977
Prior to 1979 the EBL website gives Open 1st/2nd and Women 1st only. Since 1977 the championships is biennial. It had been contested three years in four, all non-Olympic years.

from 1979
Since 1977 the European Team Championships have been contested in odd years only.
 * --matching the Bermuda Bowl, and from 1985 the Venice Cup. Post-war there has been Euro only 1948/49, 1952; BB only 1976

The EBL website (European Championships: Results & Participants) gives complete rankings beginning 1979.

In 1991 with 26 teams in the open field ("easily a record"[Reese 2]), they played a complete round-robin of 32-board matches, thus 800 deals for every team, over 14 days. By 2009 there were 38 teams in the open field with a complete round-robin of 20-board matches, thus 740 deals for every team, still 14 days.

During the same time the "Ladies" or "Women" field expanded from 17 teams to ... teams and the Senior field was added.

from 1995 with Seniors
Since 1995 there is a third competition for Seniors. The inaugural event welcomed multiple teams from some nations: four from host Portugal and two each from Netherlands, Great Britain, France, and Poland (12 teams). There were six national teams: Germany, Israel/Austria, Italy, Finland, Turkey, and Belgium. Thus 18 in the field compare 32 Open, 22 Women.

* The first four Seniors tournaments welcomed multiple national entries.

From 2002 the team championships are contested in even years, the calendar year prior to the world championships for which the European Teams are qualifying events.

In all three flights of the 2011 World Teams Championships, European teams will comprise 7 of 22 entries. Italy, Poland, and host Netherlands will be represented in all three flights.

Small Federations
Small Federations (2007, 2009, 2010). The European Small Federations Trophy is contested by teams representing bridge nations with up to 500 members. Twelve to sixteen teams have participated in the first three renditions. According to the latest membership list (sometime 2010?), nineteen of the 49 EBL nations appear to be eligible.

It appears that 19 are eligible.

Luxembourg won the latest competition, mid-September 2011.[WBF current headlines]

 Inline templates linking country articles

Open
The European Open Bridge Championships are biennial in odd years since 2003. The fifth rendition in Poznan, Poland will conclude 2 July 2011.( http://www.eurobridge.org/index2.html temporarily a current Headline) The championship fields are open (with entry fees) to anyone rather than restricted by invitation, by past performance, or by residence. The events are "pairs and teams in all categories (open, women, seniors, mixed)".

Open Teams 33 of 120 teams transnationalOpen Teams - Round Robin 2011 Mahaffey six men from the US 2009 Ned White four men from the Netherlands 2007 2005 2003

Women Teams 2011 KAPADOKYA five women from Turkey

Senior Teams 2011 Grenthe

Youth
World Junior Pairs Championship with many HIDDEN comments useful here
 * World Junior Pairs Championship
 * World Junior Pairs Championship

The EBL organizes youth events annually in July, for youth teams and pairs that represent EBL member countries. It also supports participation in the World Scholar-Athlete Games (age 15-19, June/July 2011) and World University Games.

European Youth Teams Championships are biennial since 1968 contested in even years to 2004 and odd years from 2005 (next July 2011). The under-26 "juniors" event dates from 1968, the under-21 "youngsters" from 1994, and the under-26 "girls" from 2004. Poland has won eight of twelve championships from 2004 including all four under-21.

European Youth Pairs Championships are biennial since 1991 contested in odd years to 2003 and even years from 2006 (next July 2012). (For some time, perhaps 1995 to 2006, the European under-26 junior pairs event was a world event sited in Europe.) Pairs from Poland won the first two girls championships 2008–2010 and the first two under-21 championships 2004–2006. The under-26 champion pairs include three from Austria, two from Sweden, one each from Denmark, Norway, Israel, France, and Greece.

European Junior Pairs
The European event was held 1991 in Fiesch, Switzerland and 1993 in Oberreifenberg, Germany, then incorporated in the new World event. (The field counts finalists only.)

For six cycles 1995 to 2006, the European championships were incorporated in the World championships. The European champion was the highest ranking pair with both players from Europe, second place in Europe was the second-ranking such pair, and so on. In fact, all eighteen of the World medalists were European pairs.

European Youth again, 2008 9th European Youth Pairs Championship, 2008. EBL. and 2010 10th European Youth Pairs Championship, 2010. EBL.

The tournament proceeds in three stages (2010). For example, stage one divided 44 Youngsters into groups of size 20 and 24, from which stage two qualified 15 and 5 to compete in the medal stage.

Stage one divided 22 Girls into groups of size 10 and 12, from which stage two qualified 7 and 3 to the medal stage. The three who initially qualified for the first tier, then dropped to the second tier after day two, are listed 11 to 13 in the final standings. Ranks 14 to 22 in the final standings are the nine who dropped into the second tier after day one and did not qualify for the medal stage. Final ranks 1 to 10 comprise the medal stage participants.

(Some three-stage events are similar but a consolation round, played alongside the medal round in stage three, determines the final rankings of all who do not qualify for the medal round.)

For 2011 Juniors, stage one divided 61 pairs into flights of size 32 and 29 from which 16 and 4 advanced during stage two to the medal round of size 20. During stage three, 34 also-rans participated in the consolation round and 7 evidently chose to drop out.

For a medal round of size 30, stage two would qualify 25 and 5 participants from two flights. (We have an example, which originates with 70 entries, divided into groups of size 35 and 35.)