9-15 July 2012, Reims
Source: Event Bulletins
Sunday, july 15 2012:
Poland have won their third World University Bridge Championship, after 2004 and 2010. For Piotr Zatorski, it is the second time he’s won world gold, since he was also on the winning team in Kaohsiung. He also has a European gold medal from 2009. Silver went to the Czech Republic, and Bronze to Poland 2. On that team played Jan Sikora, for whom it is the fourth medal in University bridge (he previously won 1 gold and 2 silvers).
For the Polish Coach, Stanislaw “Bubu” Gołebiowski, it is the first time his teams won two medals, which gives him 11 medals out of 11 championships (Poland did not win a medal at their first appearance in 2002). When the last day started, Poland 1 had a lead of 16 Victory Points over the Czech Republic, but those two teams would meet in the first of two matches during the day. Poland 1 won their encounter 16-14 (report inside), virtually
guaranteeing them the gold medal. In that same round. In the last round, nothing special happened, although both teams had a few scares against nominally weaker opponents.
Final Ranking
1 348,00 POLAND 1
2 336,00 CZECH REPUBLIC
3 334,00 POLAND 2
4 315,00 FRANCE 1
5 295,00 BELGIUM
6 277,00 SERBIA
7 276,00 GERMANY
8 274,00 CHINA 1
9 271,00 TURKEY
10 254,00 NETHERLANDS
11 241,00 FRANCE 2
12 220,00 CHINESE TAIPEI
13 199,00 CHINA 2
14 196,00 THAILAND
15 182,00 CROATIA
16 178,00 FRANCE 3
17 69,00 BOTSWANA
Saturday, july 14 2012: On the 223rd anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, the World University Bridge Championship carried on as usual. Poland 1 took a lead of 16 VP over their nearest rivals, their countrymen. The Czech Republic are lying one VP behind in third place, but they still have both leaders (and Botswana) to face. Continuing their remarkable (*) surge up the leaderboard are Belgium, who have taken an 8 point lead over the hosts. The medals are still in the balance then, on Sunday, the final day of competition. (*) remarkable to anyone but your editor, but then he’s obliged to say this.
Regional Tournament but International Winners: The side tournament yesterday was intended for club players from the Champagne-Ardennes region but Geert Magerman and Harry Van De Peppel were invited to play along. They made good on their credentails and finished with 64%. Well done to our organisers!
Friday, July 13 2012: On Friday morning the competitors were given the morning off, and a visit to Reims cathedral was planned. During the visit, we learnt a number of things: During the visit, we learnt a number of things: it took 80 years for the ground floor to be finished, (1211-1290) and another 3 centuries to reach the final height, but then a fire meant the roof needed replacing, and there was no money left to build the spires. From the begining however, the architect made certain the pillars could bear the load of the entire structure, which meant that for the first time ever, glass could cover the entire width between the pillars. Stained-glass windows from every conceivable age (the most recent ones only this year to commemorate 50 years of Franco-German friendship) complete the building. A cathedral is notoriously difficult to capture in a picture – did I do a good job?
Three matches have been played since the previous bulletin, and the Czech Republic and both Polish teams are still in the lead. France and China are still in pursuit, but Belgium has taken the lead of the second group and caught up with fifth place. After this evening, there are five matches left and let’s see who the leaders still have to meet: To start with, the Czechs still have to meet Poland 1 and 2, and France 2 and 3. They have Botswana as dessert. Both Polish teams still have Croatia, a bye and Chinese Taipei. Poland 1 additionally have Serbia while Poland 2 still face the Netherlands. France still have a bye, Belgium and all three Chinese teams, while China 1 seem to have the easier route with Thailand, Turkey and the three French teams.
Ranking after 11 rounds
1 225,00 POLAND 1
2 221,00 CZECH REPUBLIC
3 214,00 POLAND 2
4 203,00 FRANCE 1
5 191,00 CHINA 1
= 191,00 BELGIUM
7 185,00 TURKEY
8 182,00 SERBIA
9 170,00 GERMANY
10 156,00 NETHERLANDS
11 143,00 FRANCE 2
12 138,00 THAILAND
13 133,00 CHINESE TAIPEI
14 132,00 CROATIA
15 123,00 CHINA 2
16 111,00 FRANCE 3
17 33,00 BOTSWANA
Youngsters’ tournament Yesterday, the French federation organised a tournament for yougsters. All young players from the North of France were invited to come and and watch their older colleagues, and play a tournament amongst themselves. There were 22 pairs of under-14s and 42 pairs of under-18s, so the future of youth bridge in France is certain for some years to come.
Initiation a success: The French federation took the opportunity of these championships to invite anyone who wanted to come and take a beginners course in bridge. This proved to be a great success, as almost 50 people turned up during the week to taste their first piece of bridge. Let’s hope some of them get infected with the bug that is bridge.
Thursday, July 12, 2012: Thursday is the longest day of the championships, the only one with four matches. When this bulletin goes
to print, only two matches have been played. Of the top five, Poland 2 had the best day, with two 25’s, but all five teams kept more or less together in the front group. Three “poursuivants”, as they say in the Tour de France, have detached themselves from the peloton: Serbia, Belgium and Turkey.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012: The second day’s play saw no major upsets. The four overnight leaders were joined by Poland 2, which is a team worth looking out for, considering that it contains three previous University medallists, who have earnt six medals in total: five silvers and a gold for Jan Sikora at the 2010 Worlds. Germany also caught up with the leaders, by catching France 1 who had to face both Polish teams.
Ranking after 5 rounds:
1 111,00 POLAND 1
2 100,00 CZECH REPUBLIC
3 98,00 POLAND 2
4 96,00 CHINA 1
5 90,00 FRANCE 1
= 90,00 GERMANY
7 85,00 BELGIUM
8 80,00 NETHERLANDS
9 78,00 TURKEY
10 71,00 SERBIA
11 70,00 FRANCE 2
12 61,00 THAILAND
13 59,00 CROATIA
14 53,00 CHINA 2
15 52,00 FRANCE 3
16 49,00 CHINESE TAPEI
17 14,00 BOTSWANA
Tuesday, July 10, 2012: Today Tuesday, the championship started in earnest. On the first day of the sixth World University Championships, the organisers had prepared special matches. Of course the two Polish teams, the two Chinese ones and the French had to meet in round one, but the draw also put three other groups of countries together that share a common language. Thus we were treated to matches between Serbia and Croatia (2-25), and between Belgium and the Netherlands (24-6).
After two matches, the Czech Republic have yet to drop a point, while the first teams of Poland, China and France have dropped 1, 2 and 4 respectively. It’s undoubtedly too early to say, but we predict three of these four will be the teams on the podium
Competition Program
Monday, July 9, 2012
6pm to 9pm : Opening Ceremony
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
9am-12am: Competition
12am-2pm: Lunch
2pm-6pm: Competition
6pm-8pm: Dinner
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
9am-12am: Competition
12am-2pm: Lunch
2pm-6pm: Competition
2pm-6pm:Tournoi des Chefs d’entreprise
8pm: Dinner Chiefs of delegations at the Champagne TAITTINGER
Thursday, July 12, 2012
9am-12am: Competition
12am-2pm: Lunch
2pm-6pm: Competition
11am-5pm:Tournoi des jeunes
6pm-8pm: Dinner
Friday, July 13, 2012
9am-12am: Competition
12am-2pm: Lunch
2pm-6pm: Cultural Program
2pm-6pm:Tournoi régional des clubs
6pm-8pm: Dinner
Saturday, July 14, 2012
9am-12am: Competition
12am-2pm: Lunch
2pm-6pm: Competition
6pm-8pm: Dinner
Sunday, July 15, 2012
9am-12am: Competition
12am-2pm: Lunch
14pm-18pm: Competition
6pm-8pm: Awarding ceremony