Italy: Mixed Teams Championships by Francesca Canali

 Source: Bridge d’ Italia Online

FIGB: Official Site

From Saturday, May 30 to Tuesday, June 2 will take place in the traditional Salsomaggiore Terme Palace, the Italian Mixed Teams Championships.

The Lavazza team, the reigning champion, has decided not to participate in this year’s championship after winning the title for three consecutive years (2012, 2013, 2014, with various formations, the last one: Darío Attanasio, Sabine Auken, Norberto Bocchi, Giorgia Botta, Gabriella Manara, Roy Welland).

Why?

Norberto Bocchi reports a change in the team’s strategy, shifting the competitive approach from Italy to abroad, where the team has intensified its activities. As expected, given the level of its players, immediately the team has achieved excellent results in other parts of the world, especially in the USA where in New Orleans, played and won one of the most important American National Championships.

Speaking of Spring, we are very sorry that Turin, that has always been attentive to young people and has always been an active player in the history of Italian bridge, was unable this time to set up a team to be present in Salsomaggiore, which also would have avoided the BYE in the Excellence series.

After this introduction, who can take the place of the current champions?. Surely the big favorite is the team Fornaciari, who in 10 years has already won the title four times. The team last year won the second place, will present the same line-up: Ezio Fornaciari, Mónica Buratti, Carla Gianardi, Lorenzo Lauria, Carlo Mariani, Christian Morgantini.

Even the team that won the bronze in 2014, Hugony, line up the same players who had in the previous edition: Fabrizio Hugony, Paul Chizzoli, Leonardo Cima, Laura Consonni, Barbara Dessi and Vera Tagliaferri.

Among the world champions that will take part and that can be enjoyed on the big screen in the VG room «Guido Ferraro», will be present besides the aforementioned Lorenzo Lauria (Fornaciari team), Alfredo Versace (Biagiotti team), whose team has climbed to Excellence this year. Lauria and Versace will face, in an unusual way as adversaries in the table.

The 130 eligible teams to participate are divided into three series: Excellence (10 teams), Serie A (30 teams divided into three groups) and Serie B (90 teams divided into nine groups). After 9 matchs RR, the first in Excellence will be proclaimed champion of Italy. The last three places in the group (this year, two teams, plus BYE) will be relegated to the Serie B.

In the Serie A, the winner of each group will be promoted to the Excellence series, while the last three will be relegated to Serie B. In Serie B, the winner of each group will be promoted to Serie A, while the last four teams will be relegated to the Promotion Series.

Francesca Canali