On the day when most everyone will be turning their clocks back by one hour, many of the teams with hopes of making the top eight in their brackets will be wishing they could go back even more.

Unfortunately for them, time machines are the stuff of fiction, and teams on the bubble with three matches to go will have to rely on good play, good luck or, more likely, a combination of the two.

In the Bermuda Bowl, the makeup of the quarterfinal bracket is wide open – at least half a dozen teams can still make the cut. Italy stayed on top, extending their lead, but runner-up Egypt suffered three losses and dropped to a tie for third with USA 2. China moved into the runner-up spot despite losing to Italy 12-48 (8-22).

In the Venice Cup, France solidified their hold on the top spot, followed by China, Germany and the two U.S. teams. France, seemingly unstoppable, had another big day, knocking off Brazil, Venezuela and USA1 in convincing fashion.

In the Seniors Bowl, USA1 emerged as the new leader after three big wins. Indonesia, the leader at the end of play on Thursday, won two of three matches, but a 19-50 defeat (8-22) by Israel cost them in the standings. USA1 features four of the players on the winning 2001 Bermuda Bowl team.

In the World Computer Bridge Championships, Jack (Netherlands) finished atop the round-robin standings and will face Wbridge5 (France) in the 64-board final. Jack has won the tournament three years in a row. In the 40-board round-robin against the other five teams, Jack amassed 111 Victory Points to 91 for Wbridge5. Q-Plus Bridge (Germany) was third with 83. Play begins at 9:30 a.m. in Room D2 in the convention centre.