Three days remain in the qualifying rounds of the Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup and Seniors Bowl, meaning that the clock is ticking for teams with hopes of continuing to play when the knockout phases begin.

In the Bermuda Bowl, Italy maintained their stronghold on first place in the round-robin after 12 rounds of play – and the Netherlands made a move with a dismantling of the USA2 team that had been playing so well. The Americans held on to fourth place despite the 93-6 drubbing.

In the Venice Cup, China’s once-impressive lead – more than a match – had shrunk to barely more than 7 VPs, with France in close pursuit.

In the Seniors Bowl, Indonesia took over the top qualifying spot after the previous leaders, the Netherlands, were thumped by USA1 84-16.

At the halfway point of qualifying in the World Computer Bridge Championships, Wbridge5 (France) held a narrow lead over the defending champion, Jack (Netherlands).