Marḥba, Marrakesh: The 46th World Bridge Team Championships
By Alex J. Coyne ©Great Bridge Links July 2023
Marḥba is one of the right ways to say “hello” in Marrakesh, Morocco; while French Spanish, and English are also spoken in this part of the world, Moroccan Arabic is one of the most common languages you’ll experience here with an estimated 20 million speakers (source: Omniglot).
It’s an important for bridge players this year. Marrakesh (also spelled as Marrakech) is the location where the 46th World Bridge Championships will soon be taking place for 2023.
Previous hosts for World Bridge Championships have included Chennai (India, 2015), Lyon (France, 2017), Wuhan (China, 2019), and Salsomaggiore Terme (Italy, 2021).
The World Bridge Team Championships, renamed to this in 2010, is a series of bridge events played by the world’s best bridge teams for the game’s top trophies.
Countries can only ever send their best to the Championships: it’s like a much more sophisticated version of The Wizard (1989) or Mortal Kombat where the results will be remember for a long time after the games have been played.
Competition is at an incredible height during the World Bridge Championships, and it’s one of the most viewed bridge events of the whole year’s bridge calendar. If you make your way to play here, then your name may go into bridge history — for better or worse…
Join Alex J. Coyne and Great Bridge Links for an indepth look at the 46th World Bridge Team Championships taking place in late August 2023, and how the World Bridge Federation is bringing the game to a whole new level.
The World Bridge Federation: History
The World Bridge Federation (WBF) was founded in the year1958, envisioned by its founders as a future organization for the international promotion and betterment of bridge. Summarized by its motto, the Federation means to promote “Bridge for Peace” from the point of its initial creation to modern playing times.
Founding members chose the prominent investor Harold Vanderbilt as their first honorary member, while the French investor Baron Robert de Nexon was chosen as its first official President.
Baron Robert de Nexon would serve his term as WBF President from 1958 to 1964 and maintain a great deal of respect amongst bridge and business. He retired from the European Bridge League (EBL) in 1965, citing his health as the reason for his departure from the authoritative positions that he held within the game.
After de Nexon’s term as WBF President concluded, their next choice would be Charles J. Solomon from the USA (1958 to 1964), followed by Count Carl Bonde from Sweden (1968 to 1970).
From the beginning of 2023, experienced and expert bridgeur Jan Kamras from Sweden has served as the head of the World Bridge Federation.
Kamras has promised to embrace global bridge camaraderie, bringing his own experience as a modern bridge champion to the table for great stides to bring the game to new heights — and to a whole new generation of players.
One idea that has been so far credited to Kamras is the introduction of a World Bridge Tour, which is meant to expand the game’s overall reach into new tournaments played much like the famous PGA Tour for golf.
The world around bridge has changed, and it seems only a completely natural progression for bridge to evolve with it. The 46th World Bridge Championships is a remarkable time in bridge, just for everything the game and its players had to survive to bring everyone to this point.
Ready to see some of the world’s very best an most competitive teams playing bridge — or are you one of the exclusive players who will be making your way to Morocco for the duration of the tournament?
The 46th World Bridge Championships
The Essential Information: When and Where to Play
- The 46th World Bridge Championships
- Date: 20 August to 02 September, 2023
- Location: Marrakech, Morocco
Registration and the official Opening Ceremony takes place one day before the tournament’s start date, on the 19th August.
More information for registrants and players is available from the World Bridge Federation’s page for Marrakech 2023.
The 46th World Bridge Championships is organized in co-operation between the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Bridge and the World Bridge Federation.
According to Federation resources, the tournament wil be taking place at the Movenpick Mansour Eddahbi/Palais des Congrès: two connected five-star venues that create a certainly majestic atmosphere that’s worth of a world tournament.
Bridge in Marrakech, Morocco
About Marrakech
Marrakesh or Marrakech: technically both of these spellings are correct, though the term ‘Marrakech’ is used more often for most of the tournament resources that appear on this page — just in case you aren’t sure before visiting.
Marrakech is a must-visit destination under any circumstances: hosting a World Bridge Tournament is the one element that can only make the visit even better for bridgeurs who already have their eyes set on the calendar for the beginning of the games.
Restaurants and a selection of internationally famous, great street food contributes to why bridge in Marrakech may be one of the greatest experiences of your bridge career.
Players who want to be linguistically prepared for the tournament, may want to check out a couple of common phrases said in Morocco, or invest in a reliable text-and-voice translation app for getting around.
The Bridge Venue: Mövenpick Mansour Eddahbi/Palais des Congrès
The bridge venue for the prestigious world tournament has been announced as the combination five-star hotels Mövenpick Mansour Eddahbi/Palais des Congrès.
Located in what’s referred to as the Hivenage district, this five-star venue provides luxury accommodation and adds to the feeling of what a world bridge tournament is supposed to be.
According to online research, staying at this luxurious hotel will cost approximately USD300 per night, and it’s worth every single dollar that may go into the stay.
For the duration of the World Bridge Championships, everything you need (except a better hand) is available central to the venue.