Day One has come and gone and the horses are out of the gates. Strategy wise, all of the teams want to have a good first day to build confidence but in reality Day One is all about the draws (for most teams). It is amazing the wide-span of talent in the field even at this level. There are the countries who are proven favorites and have already gone through a difficult qualifying process to arrive at the World Championships. And then there are those teams that are here because their zone needed a representative. Therefore, if your Day One draw is “soft” then you will most likely be near the top of the field. On the other hand, if you draw the well-seasoned teams…well you can figure out how your Day One will go.
USA II has gotten off to a fine start. Our goal for the day was 55 Victory Points and we achieved that goal. We are currently sixth in the field. At the end of the seven day round robin, eight teams will qualify to go into the KO stage of the Bermuda Bowl. Ultimately, our goal is to win the round robin because all sorts of strategic perks come with winning. However, qualifying for the KO stage is a very close second! Obviously if you don’t qualify, you can’t win the event!
As for the other USA teams: Unfortunately, in the Bermuda Bowl, USA I did not have a good day and are currently 18th. In the Venice Cup (Women) USA I is leading the field and USA II is sitting in tenth position. In order to qualify for the KO round, you have to be in the top 8. In the Senior Bowl, USA II is in second while USA I is in sixth place. To look at all of the standings and see the team rosters go to
http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Results.hA
To get up-to-date scores as the match unfolds, click on “Running Scores”. There are three columns for Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup and Senior Bowl.
For overall rankings, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Cross Table by Rank.” You can then click on the team name and view the rosters.
USA II plays Brazil, Morroco and Norway today. You can watch on BBO for matches one and three. For match two, click on the running scores and follow along!
Have a great day of bridge!
