1) Future World Championships
The WBF has announced that several future World Championship venues have been determined, while others are under consideration. Here is what we know at the moment:
2014 – Sanya, Hainan, China
2015 – Goa or Opatija, Croatia
2016 – Örebro, Sweden, or Warsaw, or Istanbul
2017 – Lyon, France
2018 – Orlando, FL
2) Oldsters
The Baze Senior Knockout Teams in Phoenix had the toughest field in the event’s existence so far. Among the contestants were Rodwell-Meckstroth and Stansby-Bramley (the victors), Hamman-Lev, Balick-Zmudzinski, Woolsey-Stewart, Boyd-Robinson, Gawrys-Tuszynski, Hallberg-Holland, Romanski-Kowalski, Chambers-Schermer and Bates-Wold.
3) National Pairs
The WBF will introduce a new National Open Pairs in 2016, to be contested in Olympiad years, details to be determined. Each player in the pair must be from the same country, a throwback to the old conditions for the World Open Pairs, now cross-national.
4) Italian Team Changes
Lauria-Versace have left Lavazza and will join Angelini for the 2014 Trials to choose Italy’s team for the next European Teams. From now on, the Italian Bridge Federation will use Trials to decide its international teams.
Bianchedi joining the Lavazza team raises the spectre of a Lavazza team playing for Argentina – Madala and Bianchedi are Argentine, as is Bocchi’s mother, making him eleigible to play for that country as well.
