The surrounding hills and the beckoning waters of the Atlantic Ocean formed the backdrop for yesterday's opening ceremony as play got under way in the eighth World Youth Team Championships. After a speech of welcome by the President of the Brazilian Bridge Federation, Ernesto d'Orsi, the Championships were formally opened by Panos Gerontopoulos, Chairman of the World Bridge Federation Youth Committee.

The growing strength of Zone 6 has been confirmed by the performance of Thailand who recorded two maximums yesterday to race to the top of the table. They are pursued by two of the favourites, Israel and The Netherlands, and the leaders will have a chance to show the seriousness of their challenge today, as they face both those teams, along with fourth placed USA I. If they are still at the top of the tree after what promise to be tough day, we will know that the leaders are real contenders for the title.