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The Netherlands – Waiting for the European Championships in Dublin, a very interesting practice match was played between The Netherlands and Israel (April 20-22, 2012). Holland won the Bermuda Bowl in Veldhoven last year, where at the same time and place Israel grabbed the WC Transnationals. The practice match was held on the premises of the Onstein Castle owned by Dutch super sponsor Hans Melchers. The Netherlands fielded Brink-Drijver, Muller-De Wijs and Verhees-Van Prooijen. Israel was represented by Fisher-Schwarz, Birman-Padon and Ilan and Ophir Herbst. After three days of pay Israeli took a clear victory: 598 to 457.
Wales – Scotland won the Lady Milne Trophy. The 2012 edition of Lady Milne Trophy was held on 13-15 April at the Metropole Hotel in Wales. The winning team was: Sheila Adamson & Anne Symons, Liz McGowan & Sam Punch, Fiona McQuaker & Yvonne Wiseman and Brian Short (not playing captain). Final Ranking: Scotland 104, Wales 96, Ireland 71, England 69, N Ireland 65, WBU 38. This Trophy, now the equivalent of the Camrose Trophy for Women, has a long history and it was first presented in 1934 by a certain Lady Milne.
Argentina – National Trials for Lille (World Mind Sports Games)- The final stages of the Argentine Open and Women National Trials took place from 14 to 15 of April 2012. In Open category the winners are: Carlos Pellegrini, Héctor Camberos, Luis Palazzo, Walter Fornasari, Pablo Lambardi and Juan Carlos Ventin. In Women category the winners are: Gloria Iribarren, Analía Smalinsky, Irene Elkin and Silvia Boldt.
Uruguay – Italian stars Norberto Bocchi and Agustin Madala will take part at the Fourth South American Transnational Bridge Festival held at the Radisson Hotel in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay, from May 26 to June 3, 2012. The Festival comprises pairs and open team, women team, mixed team tournaments. All tournaments are transnational. Bocchi will partner with Gabriel Chagas from Brazil; Madala will partner with Diego Brenner. Madala and Brenner are a good pair: They already won the Brazilian Championship 2011.
Italy – Italian Seniors National Trials for Lille (World Mind Sports Games)- The final stages of the Italian Seniors National Trials took place from 12 to 15 of April 2012. In the final Spezia Bridge (Leonardo Marino, Gian Pietro Battistoni, Eugenio Bertolucci, Giampietro Bettinetti, Michele Ferrara e Giuseppe Massaroli) defeated Amici Bridge Abruzzo (Verino Caldarelli, Candeloro Caporaletti, Tiziano Di Febo, Guido Bruno Micheli, Bruno Randazzo, Carlo Totaro). The winner team will represent Italy at the 2nd World Mind Sports Games in Lille (France) 9th to 23rd August 2012.
France – French Women National Trials. The French Women National Trials took place last weekend (7th-8th of April 2012): team Cronier will represent France in the next European Championships in Dublin. Bénédicte Cronier and her teammates beat Sophie Dauvergne’s team 155-133. The winning team features the current European and World Champions Bénédicte Cronier, Sylvie Willard, Catherine d’Ovidio, Joanna Neve, and Vanessa Rees (World Champion 2005). Sophie Dauvergne‘s team will play for France in the Mind Sports Games (ex Olympics) in Lille: Sophie Dauvergne, Elisabeth Hugon, Véronique Bessis (current European and World Champion),Carole Puillet, Rokia Poizat, andCatherine Vives.
Ireland – Last week the Belfast Telegraph published a nice interview to Sandie Millership, chairman of the Northern Irish Bridge Union. Greece, which was meant to host the 2012 European Championships, withdrew due to the financial crisis. EBL then asked Ireland to organize them. They will take place in the West City Hotel in Dublin. Millership says that EBL choose Ireland because of the 1991 Championships, that took place in Killarney and were successful. With a laugh, Millership concludes by saying: if you need memory and practice to play bridge, you need organization skills and money to organize the Championships. [read article >>]
Poland – The prestigious 2012 TOP ForumBridge.pl tournament was held April 29-31, 2012 in Przypki near Warsaw, Poland. The event in fact was devided between two tournaments: the third edition of the TOP Individual and the first edition of the TOP Pairs. The TOP Individual consisted of 68 players, with Andrei Arlovich from Belarus as the clear winner. In the TOP IMP Pairs 22 pairs participated. The field was outplayed by the winners, Włodzimierz Starkowski & Stanisław Gołębiowski from Poland.
Brazil – Brazilian Trials have been completed. In Open category the winner is Ernesto D’Orsi team with Mauricio Figueiredo, João Paulo Campos, Miguel Villas Boas, Marcelo de Lima. In Women category the winner is the team Pain: Leda Dulce Forte Pain, Isabella Vargas de Andrade, Paula David, Sylvia de Almeida Rego Figueira de Mello.
The Netherlands – Hans Kreijns, a former world champion bridge, passed away at the age of 83 in The Hague, The Netherlands. Kreijns was the best known player of his home country The Netherlands. Together with the legendary Bob Slavenburg in 1966 Kreijns won the World Pairs Olympiad of Amsterdam. Until his death Kreijns was on top of the Dutch Master Point rankings. Besides Slavenburg, Kreijns’ bridge partners form an impressive shortlist: Berry Westra, Jan Westerhof and Hans Vergoed. With the latter he won a bronze medal at the World Bridge Olympiad of Valkenburg, 1980.
Spain – From 23 to 25 March was played the 53th Spanish Pairs Championships. The winners are Federico Goded and Herve Vincent (Open pairs), Nuria Romaguera and Toni Quinziano (Women pairs), Maica Fdez Elguero and Manuel de la Maza (Mixed pairs), ilar Glez. Hontoria y Enrique García Oteyza (Seniors Pairs).
Denmark – The Danish Junior Championships 2011/2012 were held in Odense, the birthplace of the world famous fairy-tale writer and poet, Hans Christian Andersen. New champions are Signe Buus Thomsen (playing captain), Rasmus Rask Jepsen, Maria Dam Mortensen and Matias Rohrberg.
Italy – Giovanni Donati and Giacomo Percario won Italian Under 26 Championship. Second place for Gabriele Zanasi and Eugenio Mistretta, third for Flavia Lanzuisi and Margherita Chavarria. In Under 26 Women category gold went to pair Giorgia Botta- Michela Salvato.
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This article will be updated: April, 2012