• Format

 The Championships comprise the following medal events:

    • Mixed, Open, Women and Seniors Teams
    • Mixed, Open, Women and Seniors Pairs

The Championships also include side events - daily Open Pairs and several Open Teams competitions.

The Mixed Teams will be played in one stage as a three-day Swiss. All other medal events will be played with a two-day qualifying stage followed by a final stage (preceded by a semifinal in the Open Pairs only).

The finals of the Mixed and Open Pairs will each be played over two days. The finals of the Women and Seniors Pairs will each be played during one day.

There will be no “B-Finals” (nor a “semifinal B” in the Open Pairs) in any of the events. Instead, players not qualifying for the next stage are invited to play free of charge in one of the side events on the following day.

The final stage of the Open Teams will be played as a knockout over two days, starting with the round of 16. The final stage of the Women and Seniors Teams will be played as a knockout during one day, starting with the semifinal.

The above formats for the final stages assume similar number of entries as at previous Open Championships, and the organizers reserve the right to alter the format, if necessary to ensure a fair and enjoyable event. The total duration, start and finishing dates of each event will however not change.

For more information, you can contact ostend2013@europeanbridge.org.

 • Programme

 • Conditions of Contest

• General Conditions of Contest
• Supplementary Conditions of Contest
• Review Procedure

 • Entries - Registration

AEntries to the medal events should be submitted electronically via the EBL Website (not by email) latest two days prior to the starting date of the respective event. Later entries will be accepted only if technically convenient.

Entries to the side events are to be made at the registration desk at the venue prior to the start of the respective event.

Bridge players from all WBF zones are entitled to participate in the Championships provided they are members in good standing of a National Bridge Organization (NBO).

To be eligible for participation in the 2013 European Open Championships a player must comply with the EBL Rules & Regulations and the EBL Eligibility Code under the control of the EBL Credentials Committee.

Entries received will be automatically forwarded to the NBO of each proposed player, and are subject to their NBO’s approval. Cancelations for reasons of force majeur shall be made at the earliest opportunity and the entry fee will be refunded. “No Shows” without valid reasons are subject to sanctions at the discretion of the EBL. Withdrawals of accepted entries are subject to the same deadline.

For Open, Women and Seniors Teams the players must only register for one event. No player may be registered in two teams. Women and Senior players can register for both the Open Pairs and thw Women/Senior Pairs, since they can try qualifying in the former while still retaining the option to enter the latter.

 • Entry Fees

Entry fees

for the medal events are to be paid preferably by bank transfer, latest two days prior to the start of an event, to

If such transfer is not possible payment can be made at the venue, in cash (Euros) or by Credit Card, prior to the start of the respective event. This also applies for all payments of entry fees to the side events.

Event Entry fees

The entry fee to a Medal event covers its complete duration. In case of elimination at the end of two days each pair or team can play a side event on the third day for free. An entry thus guarantees a minimum of 3 days of play.

• A 25% discount on the entry fees will be granted to junior players (born in 1988 or later)
• A 15% discount on the entry fees will be granted to the members of the RBBF and the NBB.

Please note that these two discounts are non-cumulative. No RBBF or NBB discounts will apply to the side events.