The World Junior Teams Championship is a bridge competition for zonal teams of players up to about 25 years old.[a][b][c]
Zonal signifies both organization by the World Bridge Federation (WBF) and qualification in eight WBF zones; for example (2006, 2008), six teams qualify from 'Europe' defined by European Bridge League membership. Zones may require national representation; for example, the six European teams must represent six member nations of the EBL.
The oldest event, sometimes called the Junior Teams without qualification, dates from 1987 with some changes in definition. Today that is the "open" u-26 tournament (Juniors) in contrast to the u-26 for women (Girls), the open u-21 (Youngsters) and the open u-16 (Kids). It has been held every two years, odd-number years to 2005 and even years from 2006. Competitors vie for the Ortiz-Patiño Trophy, formerly presented by WBF President Emeritus Jaime Ortiz-Patiño (1930–2013) who conceived the idea while serving as WBF President in 1985. The even-year tournaments officially constitute the World Youth Teams Championships for so-called juniors, girls, and youngsters. The entries are national teams, representing countries affiliated with the WBF via membership in the eight geographical "zonal organizations". Moreover, they must qualify within their zones, usually by high standing in a zonal championship tournament that is limited to one team per member nation.
The 2008 junior teams championships were part of the inaugural World Mind Sports Games in Beijing, China. Denmark won its second gold medal, beating Poland in the final, while Norway won the bronze. The 1st Games also included under-28[a] and under-21 team championships won by Norway and France. Under-21 and u-26 are part of the WBF youth program (namely, two of the three World Youth Teams Championships) but u-28 is not.[b]
In 2010 Israel defeated France in the Juniors final while China won the bronze medal. The event was part of the newly christened World Bridge Series that also included World Young Ladies Teams and under-21 World Youngsters Teams, both won by Poland.[1]
In 2011, at the 2nd World Youth Congress, "Ned Juniors" comprising four players from the Netherlands won the main teams event, a six-day tournament with 27 entries. Ned Juniors won the full-day 56-deal final by 131 to 60 IMPs against "Arg Uru" from Argentina and Uruguay. Meanwhile, "Ned Rum", with one Dutch pair and one transnational pair from Romania and the United States, won third place against "France".[2][d]
Arg Uru led the preliminary round-robin from which eight teams advanced to full-day knockout matches, and its second-place finish matched that by Argentina in 1989, the best finish for any youth players from outside Europe and North America.[3]
The Youth Congress in odd-number years is transnational: pairs and teams comprising players from different bridge nations are eligible to enter. Transnational teams finished second and third in the main event, but 23 of 27 entries have team names which imply nationality. Medal ceremonies raise the national flag and play the national anthem is the gold medal winner is national in composition.
Scope
The Junior Teams event (or tournament in a narrow sense) officially became part of the plural "World Youth Teams Championships" when a tournament for under-21 players was initiated. Beginning 2009, teams events were added to the WBF youth program for odd-number years, contested immediately prior to the older events for pairs in the newly christened "World Youth Congress".
Odd-year teams events are distinct from the older series of teams championships (now biennial in even years) and even-year pairs events are distinct from the older series of pairs championships (now biennial in odd years). Some conditions differ.
This article covers all "world championships" for youth teams while World Junior Pairs Championship covers all "world championships" for youth pairs or individuals.
Location
The Youth Teams series has moved around the world, with only one of the last 10 renditions in Europe. Meanwhile, all eight renditions (to 30 August 2011) now counted in the Youth Pairs series have been in Europe.[4]
The distinct Youth Congress has been held 2009 in Turkey and 2011 in Croatia.
Results
The World Youth Teams Championships now comprise three concurrent events or flights: the original Juniors, the Youngsters from 2004, and the Girls from 2010. The latter are sometimes called "Schools" and "Young Ladies", as they were christened in Europe before adoption at the world level.[citation needed]
The Juniors format has evolved. Currently all three flights determine three medalists. They end with a knockout stage and a playoff between losing semifinalists; that is, two concluding matches determine first and third places.[citation needed]
Juniors
The Netherlands won the inaugural world championship for junior teams in 1987 and won the Bermuda Bowl in 1993 with three of the recent junior players: De Boer, Leufkens, and Westra. No other junior teams champions have so quickly won the Bermuda Bowl.
Sweden Ida Grönkvist, Mikael Gronkvist, Simon Hult, Mikael Rimstedt, Ola Rimstedt, Adam Stokka, Martin Loefgren (npc), Tom Gards (coach)
2.
Singapore Ryan Chan, Peter Haw, Yu Chen Liu, Jazlene Ong, Ming Yang Zhou, Xin Chen Zhu, Yisheng Kelvin Ong (npc), Choon Chou Loo (coach)
3.
Netherlands Veri Kiljan, Guy Mendes De Leon, Michel Schols, Thibo Sprinkhuizen, Luc Tijssen, Ricardo Westerbeek, Agnes Snellers (npc), Wubbo De Boer (coach)
* Crozet in 1987, Pejacsevich–Rizzo in 1989, and C. Carmichael–Wiegand in 1999 did not play enough boards in order to qualify for second place[citation needed]
** Kühn–Pioch in 1993 and F. Di Bello–S. Di Bello in 1999 did not play enough boards in order to qualify for the title of World Champion[citation needed]
China Yijing Cai, Bo Fu, Chengke Hu, Xinyi Li, Xinyi Ni, Yang Yang
2.
Poland Zofia Baldysz, Hanna Ciunczyk, Joanna Kokot, Dominika Ocylok, Joanna Zalewska, Anna Zareba
3.
France Sarah Combescure, Marie-Valentine Coupel, Beryl Dufrene, Emeline Jounin, Anais Leleu, Mathilde Thuillez
Kids
Koç University, host of the 2014 championships, sponsored an invitational tournament for "National Kids Teams" of players born 1999 and later (age 15 and under, roughly). Seven invitations were accepted: five from Europe including host Turkey, India from Asia & the Middle East, and China from Asia Pacific.
The Kids played round-robin in three days with a four-team knockout, semifinals and finals, completed during the 5- and 6-day round-robin stages of the official events. France and Poland virtually tied the round robin (a margin less than 1/2 VP) and won the semifinals before Poland won the trophy over 42 deals. China beat Sweden in the third-place match. Meanwhile, India won a two-day, three-team contest for fifth place.[20]
Poland, France, India, China and the host were represented in all four tournaments.[20]
China 3 Tie Chen, Zanchao Cui, Xihong Dai, Sicheng Liu, Yiping Lu, Zichen Wang
2.
France Romain Bloch, Aurele Gallard, Leo Rombaut, Thibaut Zobel
3.
USA Michael Hu, Harrison Anders Luba, Rory Xiao, Michael Xu, Jonathan Yue, Arthur Zhou
Youth Congress
The World Youth Congress is a distinct meet in odd years with transnational entries permitted in all teams and pairs events. It was inaugurated 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey; reiterated 2011 in Opatija, Croatia. The 2013 rendition in Atlanta, United States, is termed the "3rd World Youth Open Bridge Championships" as of August 2014.
40 teams entered the main event at the 1st World Youth Congress in 2009. At least two-thirds of the team names, and more among the strong performers, suggest a single nationality. "Japan Czech" won the final against "Italy Red" while "USA 1" won third place against "Netherlands Red". Evidently 8 teams advanced from preliminary play to knockout matches and there were no playoffs to distinguish any of the quarterfinal losers, 5th to 8th places.[23]
(Some of the main events for teams at WBF meets are scheduled so that preliminary and quarterfinal losers are eligible to enter a secondary event that begins during the main event semifinals. For others only preliminary losers are available to enter the first stage of another event. For example, the 2nd World Youth Congress in 2011, the secondary BAM teams event was a consolation tournament initially among preliminary losers, the 9th to 27th place teams in the main prelim. Quarterfinal losers in the main event joined the consolation on its second day.[3])
27 teams entered at the 2nd Congress in 2011, all but four having team names that suggest a single nationality.[3]
The World Youth Congress (to conclude 29 August 2011) will include "world championships" for teams, pairs, and individuals, each with Juniors and Youngsters flights if the number of u-21 entries is sufficient. There will also be secondary contests with alternative forms of scoring, board-a-match teams and IMP pairs(*).
Some of these events may officially continue "world championships" for junior players contested before 2009: miscellaneous ones, not those now held in even-number years: biennial (zonal) World Youth Teams Championships and quadrennial World Bridge Games.
For the World Bridge Games, among 96 junior pairs in the final and 30 in the consolation, the WBF lists 124 co-national pairs, one England–Wales (because the Olympic movement recognizes Great Britain teams?), and one Argentina–Chile (why?).[1]
The 2011 events for teams and pairs will be transnational in that entries may comprise players from different countries and open in that there is no preliminary qualification at zonal level.
Teams comprise university student players from one nation, not one university.(2010 conditions[26])
Europe 1993 to 2001 (worldwide in 2000 and 2001)[27][28]
1992 Antwerp World University Chess Championship, Lode Lambeets attended and initiated the same for bridge (2002)
1993 Antwerp, EBL President Paul Magerman
1994 DEN (2002)
1995
1996 NED (2008)
1997 NED
1998 DEN
1999 NED
Hagen of Denmark 2002 "He began in Palermo in 1997 and missed only the 1999 edition when he preferred to take part in the Junior World Championships being held in Florida at the same time." (2002)
Bridge Olympiades (11th Olympiad)
1st World University Teams Bridge Cup (conditions):[30] "Players must be students of a recognized University, between 17 and 28 years of age. Each country may enter one representative team."
organized by FISU and the Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation (CTUSF); supervised and assisted by other Chinese Taipei bodies; conducted under WBF technical rules
round-robin teams-of-four; as many as two teams per nation, six players per team
citizens born 1982—1992 (up to 28 during calendar 2010)
current student registered in degree program or completed degree program preceding year
"For the purpose of opening and closing ceremonies, the participating delegations are requested to bring with them 2 national/regional flags (96 x 144cm) as duly registered with FISU."
14 entries; Poland, France, Israel
Poland in a runaway (11-1-1, average 21.3+ VP!); by IMPs the three Poland pairs ranked 1-2, 3-4 and 15-16 among all 73 participating players
USA B fourth but slaughtered by Poland, France, Israel (18 total; average 21 in other matches; 8-4-1)
^ abNow "under-26" (u-26, U26) means that players must be under 26 at the end of the calendar year. So they may celebrate their 25th birthdays during the year; Junior competition during calendar 2011 is restricted to players born 1986 and later. Most world championship tournaments are played during summer and fall seasons; more than half but not all players are eligible to compete once after their 25th birthdays. The European Bridge League demarcations are u-26 (junior) and u-21 (youngster). It appears that the WBF plans to use the same restrictions universally after the first World Bridge Games (2008).
^ abFor three years WBF has called the under-28 bridge tournaments at the first Games exceptional, and said that the quadrennial Games would henceforth feature the u-26 and u-21 categories that are now standard in bridge. According to a July 2011 announcement, however, the World Youth Teams will not be part of the 2nd Games (August 2012). Rather, the Mind Sports Games will again feature u-28 teams and the now-three flights of World Youth Teams will be held July/August in Cuba. Youth Bridge Schedule Changes. Central America & Caribbean Bridge Federation. Quoting the ACBL Daily Bulletin, Summer 2012 NABC. Confirmed 2011-10-04.
^This article covers all of the Teams events in the World Bridge Federation youth program, including experimental or obsolete events for age-limited teams, which are not now part of WBF Youth Bridge. See World Junior Pairs Championship for Pairs and Individuals events
^(Board 1, Session 3) Here is the information online for every single deal, available by linking down via the "Results (linked schedule)". Bidding and play are not available for this match or event.
^ abcdefg'USA 1' and 'USA 2' were the first and second qualifying teams from the US. Except in the World Mind Sports Games (2008), the United States has been represented by two national teams in the Juniors flight from 1991 and in all renditions of the Youngsters flight. They have been designated '1' and '2' except 'red' and 'blue' in the first two Youngsters. See World Youth Team Championships and its subpages.
References
^These 2010 events were the inaugural youth team championship for women and the fourth biennial rendition for under-21 teams (now won by Poland, Israel, France, and Poland). World Youth Team Championships to DateArchived 2011-10-27 at the Wayback Machine (2010). World Bridge Federation. Confirmed 2011-07-11. This WBF table heads the columns 'Juniors', 'Youngsters', and 'Girls'.
^Results (F=final), ... —it really is the final scoreboard for this event, not the 9th European Champions' Cup ...
^ abcdResultsArchived 2012-04-15 at the Wayback Machine (contemporary coverage), 2nd World Youth Bridge Congress, 2011. WBF. (At the moment, hours after the conclusion, today's "Final" is incorrectly linked to yesterday's semifinal results.) Perhaps by next week the results should be available at the main WBF site, alongside 2009, as well as the top page for contemporary coverage.
^ResultsArchived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (contemporary coverage), 3rd World Youth Open Bridge Championships, 2013. WBF. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
