The 2001 World Bridge Championships, comprising the Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup, Seniors Bowl and Transnational Open Teams competitions, took place in Paris, France, from October 21 to November 3. The Bermuda Bowl is the symbol of world supremacy at bridge. It is awarded to the winner of the open teams competition between the representatives of the WBF geographical zones. Since its inauguration in 1950, the competition has been played 35 times. The United States of America were victorious 16 times, while their European rival, Italy, prevailed 13 times. The other titles were won by France (twice), Great Britain, Brazil, Iceland and The Netherlands. The Venice Cup is awarded to the winner of the zonal competition for women players. It was established in 1974 and since then only four countries have won it. The United States of America leads the race with 8 titles, while Europe follows with four successes achieved by Great Britain (twice), Germany (twice) and The Netherlands. The Seniors Bowl is a new competition for senior players (55 years of age or older). Representative teams from all zones are invited to participate. The first winners were the United States of America. The World Transnational Open Teams Championship came into being in 1997 in Hammamet, Tunisia. It is contested by teams nominated by the NBOs without nationality or other restrictions. The first winners were the team led by Leandro Burgay of Italy, while in the second edition the title went to the USA team captained by Rose Meltzer. In Paris, the winning team consisted of American and Brazilian players and was captained by Malcolm Brachman. For detailed information on past events, see the World Championships section or the sites of the particular events. |
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