[skjaeran]

The Brazilian federation has launched a website for this years Bermuda Bowl.

The participants are listed, as far as they are known. There's a surprise regarding the European entries. The top five from last years European Team Championships in Pau are all there, but in place of 6th placed Netherlands, 8th placed Iceland is listed. If that's correct, Netherlands and Denmark both have declined to participate!

[Gerben42]

I think this is a mistake by the organisers, as I cannot imagine the Netherlands (still the 3rd largest bridge federation behind ACBL and FFB) declining to participate.

[MFA]

Surely a mistake.
Denmark wouldn't decline to participate either.

Sad memories of the last match in Pau watching our teammates in vuegraph getting killed by Norway to drop us to 7th, when a blitz the other way would actually have meant gold for us.

[skjaeran]

I think it's a mistake too, Denmark declining would be a surprise, Netherlands a sensation.

[mike777]

Thank you for posting this thread.


Who gets an invite to play in the Bermuda Bowl for 2009?

[orlam]

mike777, on Jan 21 2009, 08:35 PM, said:

Thank you for posting this thread.


Who gets an invite to play in the Bermuda Bowl for 2009?

Me, but i declined, didn't have a partner available.

[skjaeran]

mike777, on Jan 22 2009, 02:35 AM, said:

Thank you for posting this thread.


Who gets an invite to play in the Bermuda Bowl for 2009?

Each Zonal Federation of the WBF gets a number of teams in the Bermuda Bowl according to size (number of players). Europe have 6 teams, ACBL 3 and so on, 22 teams in all.

Except for the ACBL, the teams qualify through their Zonal Team Championships. The EBL arrange the European Team Championships the year prior to the Bermuda Bowl. Most Zones have theirs the same year as the BB, as far as I know.

USA have two of the ACBL spots. Their teams qualify thorough the International Team Trials. Normally they qualify one team a year in advance and the second the same year as the BB. I don't know how the third ACBL team is picked. For some time it's always been a Canadian team, but I think Mexico and Bermuda(?) also belong to ACBL and could compete with Canada for a spot in the BB.

[JanM]

mike777, on Jan 21 2009, 08:35 PM, said:

Thank you for posting this thread.


Who gets an invite to play in the Bermuda Bowl for 2009?

The teams qualifying from the Zones will be as follows:

Zone 1 - 6 Teams
Zone 2 - 3 Teams
Zone 3 - 3 Teams
Zone 4 - 2 Teams
Zone 5 - 1 Teams
Zone 6 - 3 Teams
Zone 7 - 2 Teams
Zone 8 - 2 Teams

If any Zone does not fill its quota the first berth will be offered to Zone 1, the second one to Zone 6

Zone 1 is Europe
Zone 2 is North America, and although it says "3 teams" in fact that's 2 from the US and 1 from Canada or Mexico.
Zone 3 is South America
Zone 4 is Asia & Middle East
Zone 5 is Central America
Zone 6 is Pacific Asia
Zone 7 is South Pacific
Zone 8 is Africa

[mike777]

Confusing....

I repeat who got an invite to the Bermuda Bowl 2009?

Orlam says he did and declined..who else? I wait to see why he declined.

Other posts say many other declined?

[JanM]

mike777, on Jan 22 2009, 01:44 AM, said:

Confusing....

I repeat who got an invite to the Bermuda Bowl?

Orlam says he did and declined..who else?

I don't think I understand your question. The Zonal Authority for each Zone gets to decide how its representatives are chosen (except in our Zone, where the ZA is restricted by the rule that there have to be 2 US teams and one team from either Mexico or Canada). The EBL, as I understand it, uses the European Championships in even numbered years to select its teams. The countries that finished in the the top 6 in the Europeans in 2008 are entitled to send teams to the 2009 Bermuda Bowl. ACBL has authorized USBF to choose the 2 US teams - they will be selected by a Team Trials to be held in June of 2009. I'm afraid I'm not so familiar with the selection procedures in other Zones, but I think that most of them also have some sort of Trials or Zonal Championship to select the countries that will be entitled to send teams.

I believe Orlam was joking

[JanM]

skaeran, on Jan 22 2009, 01:13 AM, said:

USA have two of the ACBL spots. Their teams qualify thorough the International Team Trials. Normally they qualify one team a year in advance and the second the same year as the BB. I don't know how the third ACBL team is picked. For some time it's always been a Canadian team, but I think Mexico and Bermuda(?) also belong to ACBL and could compete with Canada for a spot in the BB.

Actually, Bermuda has "moved" to the Central American Zone in order to improve its chances of qualifying for the BB. It is in the somewhat strange position of being a member of ACBL but not in WBF Zone 1.

The second team is selected by a playoff between teams from Mexico and Canada. I believe that Canada has won that playoff every time it has been held. In some years, Mexico has not participated and then the Canadian team is the third North American representative. The Canadian team is chosen at the CNTC.

The US qualifies two teams from one Trials in a year like this one where the previous year was an Olympiad year. For the BB, we qualify one team a year in advance in Rosenblum years. For the VC and SB, we qualify 2 teams in each odd numbered year.

[skjaeran]

The Brazilian website is now corrected, Iceland has been replaced with the Netherlands.

[blackshoe]

skaeran, on Jan 29 2009, 07:26 AM, said:

Iceland has been replaced with the Netherlands.

Now that's a pretty good trick.

[dicklont]

We payed enough for their Banks anyway.

[Gerben42]

My best guess for the Dutch team would be:

Brink - Drijver
Muller - de Wijs
Bakkeren - Bertens