China and the 44th World Team Championships

The 44th World Team Championships for 2019

By Alex J. Coyne

Bridge players are booking their trips to Wuhan, China for the 44th World Team Championships 2019 – and we thought it would be a great time for a stop-over to find out more about the event’s essential information, more about bridge played in China and just what the game (and its players) are all about.

The World Team Championships and everything you should know ahead of the event, including Vugraph links, entrance info and our own up to date Great Bridge Links page especially for the event.

Looking for the 43rd Instead?

If you’re looking for information on the 43rd World Team Championships for 2017 (held every 2 years) that was held in Lyon, the World Bridge Federation link with all the essential info, photographs and previous archive info for events going even further back is available here. You might also enjoy Great Bridge Link’s 2017 Jump Page as well

Follow on Great Bridge Links

Whether you’re playing in the Championships or just want to keep an eye on the game, we’ve set up our annual Jump page for the tournament where you can find quick links to essential tournament information as it happens, including the BBO Vugraph and BridgeScanner Results Coverage.

The 44th World Team Championships 2019

The 44th World Team Championships which includes the Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup, d’Orsi Senior Trophy, Mixed Teams(and of course, the Transnational event) will be taking place between the 14th of September to the 28th – and this year’s event takes place in Wuhan, China. Here’s the event’s registration link.

The official venue is the Wuhan International Expo Center. If you’re looking for more information about what to do around the center, you can find details about nearby hotels (and some other things like restaurants) through this link on Hotels.com for Wuhan.

Attractions in Wuhan are plenty if you have the time: Some suggestions for where to go and what to do can be found at this link for the Top 10 Attractions in Wuhan, China (China.org.cn).

The Weather in Wuhan

It’s always recommended to check the weather report first! Here’s the link to Accuweather’s weather forecast for Wuhan.

Lost? Here’s the FAQ

From the World Bridge Federation, you can find the official FAQ for the World Team Championships on their website. Just in case, here’s a run through of some of the most important things you should know ahead of the event.

No phones or electronic devices (and yes, this includes smart-anything-devices) are allowed in the playing rooms, whether by players or spectators – and it’s recommended that people leave their mobile devices locked up safely in their hotel rooms for the duration of the game.

Information on hand-gathering and randomization – as well as what’s called “the championship’s secret” – is available at this part of the FAQ.

Entry fees for the 44th Championship are € 1,350 for the Transnational event, and € 4, 000 for everything else – the Bemuda Bowl, the Venice Cup, the d’Orsi Seniors Trophy and Mixed Teams. More information on how to pay the registration fees and which accounts to pay it to can be found at this part of the FAQ. Note that only USD or Euro-currency payments are accepted, and the FAQ also mentions “it’s unlikely that credit card facilities will be available in Wuhan”, so prepare for this ahead.

Information on the official Anti-Doping Policy – and how to apply for Therapeutic Use Exemptions – can be found here.

On BBO

For kibitzers, here’s the link through to the official Vugraph on BBO where you can watch the events.

Bridge in China: From Xiaoping to Wei

Deng Xiaoping is largely credited with bringing the game of bridge to China: During the time of China’s Cultural Revolution, many card games were considered prohibited – but this changed with an application to Xiaoping, which began an entirely new phase for cards.

Some resources say that Xiaoping learned to play bridge in France before this.

In 1981, Xiaoping received the Charles Goren Award, accepted on his behalf by Katherine Wei-Sender (NY Times).

After stepping away from politics, he remained the Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Bridge Association from 1990 until his death in 1997 at the age of 92. He reportedly remained an active bridge player until the end.

We can also thank Charles C. Wei for a lot of today’s bridge scene, of course, noted for his contributions to the Precision Club bidding system (Wei, Truscott)..

His widow, Katherine Wei-Sender, has been married to Henry Sender since 1992. She’s also a member of the ACBL Hall of Fame and certainly one of the international bridge greats.

What’s done for promotion in bridge today? Among other initiatives, one article in Xinhuanet.com (2017) reports that the CCBA has set up several bridge courses in colleges to inspire more players to pick up the game. 

Federation Links

The Chinese Contract Bridge Association (website not in English) was founded in 1980 with the help of Deng Xiaoping, and has remained the main representing organization for bridge in China since.

Handy links within their website, if you’re looking to find their…

Most translation apps (including Google Translate) can help you to find pretty much everything you need on the site.

Their World Bridge Federation listing is here.

You can also find handy links and further information at the Asia Pacific Bridge Federation website, which was founded in 1957 (originally as the Far East Bridge Federation) to promote the game.