The first European Open Pairs Championship was held in Cannes , France , in 1976, but the tournament was established as a biennial competition in 1985. It went on as such until 2001 when it was discontinued as a separate event. As from 2003, the competition has been incorporated in the European Open Champiosnhips .

It is remarkable that during the years that the competition existed as a separate event (usually organized every odd-numbered year at the end of March), the winners have always been either French or Polish, with the former winning the series 6-5! Paul Chemla of France collected the gold medal three times – each one with a different partner.