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Poland
once more and Germany at last!
 Jan
Moszynski & Jaroslaw
Cieslak continued the fantastic record of the Polish
players in the Open Championship, winning the 2001 European
Pairs Championship by a comfortable margin.
Jan, 39, works in computers. His father competed
in Sorrento in the Senior Pairs. Jarowslaw 37, is a father
of three and a school teacher in history. They had a poor
second session in the semifinal, but an excellent third session
was just enough to qualify.
Italian pairs took silver and bronze, Leandro
Burgay & Carlo Mariani finishing ahead of Dano De Falco
and Guido Ferraro.
 There
was a tremendous finish in the Senior Final. England's Keith
Stanley & Derek Rue and Germany's Hans
Humburg & Goran Mattsson
broke clear of the field and swapped places several
times. With only four boards to play the English pair led
by only four points and a strong finish by the German's saw
them come through to capture the Gold Medals. In the two previous
Championships they had gone into the last session as leaders
only to fall away, so this was a very sweet victory indeed.
Third place went to Roald Ramer & Jan Bomhof of the Netherlands.
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The 2001 European Pairs Championships took
place in Sorrento, Italy from 19 to 24 March. They comprised the
11th European Open Pairs, the 6th European Senior Pairs and the
inaugural European 'Bridge for All' tournament.
Sorrento is one of the most beautiful and well-known
places in the world. From its privileged location participants and
accompanying guests had the chance to visit the enchanting Sorrentina
Peninsula, the Amalfi Coast, Positano, Capri, old Naples and the
excavations at Pompeii.
The Championships were held at the Sorrento Palace
Hotel which was also the main hotel. Rates had been arranged
which were truly exceptional for the quality of the hotel. The Sorrento
Palace Hotel is one of the most beautiful hotels in Sorrento;
luxurious and comfortable, it overlooks the bay and one can admire
the amazing view of Vesuvius directly opposite.
The Sorrento Palace Hotel contains the modern
and well-equipped Congress Centre where the Championships take place.
Those staying in the hotel simply had to take the lift down to the
play area. Accommodation and play areas in the same hotel is ideal
for convenience and to make the most of one's time. Of course Sorrento
offers a wide choice of hotels of different standards.
In Sorrento the first experiment was made in 'Bridge
for All' with a competition for all those bridge players who
were not interested in participating in the championships but who
nevertheless wished to enjoy something lighter and for pleasure.
The 'Bridge for All' tournaments took place only in the evening
so the participants could easily combine bridge, site seeing and
recreation.
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