• Format

This event is to be played online, using the RealBridge platform (RB), under the auspices of the European Bridge League ("the EBL"), starting on January 2025. The event is a transnational teams event. The event will be governed by the Laws of Duplicate Bridge 2017 as amended on 1st January 2024 (“the Laws”), the EBL General Conditions of Contest (“the GCoC”) and relevant Ancillary Documents as published on the EBL website, the Supplementary Conditions of Contest (“the SCoC”) and the separate regulations that will be communicated in letters to the teams. Unless otherwise stated or illogical in context, the definitions used in the GCoC apply also to these SCoC.  

The teams and categories 

• The championship is a Transnational event: players from all WBF zones are invited to play
• The format for the qualification is 3 rounds of 10 boards/day
• Participants will be able to win EBL Master Points and medals but also they will get the opportunity to gain international experience in the Bridge world.
• The winning team will be awarded with the Julian Klukowski Trophy and free entry fee for the next EBL Seniors live event.

All the teams who have entered play on all 8 days.

In week 1 they compete to determine the top 16 teams. The qualification will be played as 12 rounds Swiss, with three rounds per day. After Round 10, the Swiss assignments will be reset. That is, in Rounds 11-12 teams will be assigned to matches based on their total score, but they may play a team that they have already played in Rounds 1-9. A team will not have the same opponents in Round 12 as they had in Round 11.

In week 2 the top 16 teams compete in a knockout for Gold and Silver medal. The remaining teams, with drop-ins from the knockout, compete in a Swiss for the Bronze medal. 

KNOCKOUT PHASE 

ROUND OF 16 (3x10 boards)
The team placed 1st at the end of the Qualification Swiss has the right to choose their opponent among the teams placed 8th-16th. Then, the team placed 2nd will choose their opponent among the teams placed 8th-16th, etc. 

QUARTER-FINALS (3x10 boards)
Among the winners of the Round of 16 matches, the team which was highest placed in the Qualification Swiss will choose the opponent of the Quarter-final of all available teams, later the highest placed in the Qualification Swiss will choose, etc. 

SEMI-FINALS (3x10 boards)
Among the winners of the Quarter-Finals, the team which was highest placed in the Qualification Swiss will choose the opponent of the Semifinal. 

CARRY OVER
Carry over in R16, QF and SF matches is 0.1 imp for the team higher placed in Qualification Swiss. 

FINAL (3x10 boards)
There will be no Carry-Over. In case of tie at the end, it will be solved by 1-board Sudden Death.  

SWISS FOR THE 3RD PLACE

The Swiss for 3rd Place will be played as 12 rounds Swiss, with three rounds per day. There will be a carry over of 1/3 of the VPs from the Qualification Swiss. After Round 10, the Swiss assignments will be reset, as in the Qualification Swiss.

Losing teams of the Knock-out matches will join the Swiss for 3rd Place (according to the rank in the Qualification Swiss.)

• after round of 16 – to the 3rd-10th places with number of VP equal to the average of 3rd and 4th team at the end of the 3rd round; the positions and pairing of the matches will be based on the places in the Qualification Swiss; if less than 10 teams will play in the first round of the 3rd Place Swiss, then the pairings will be made with similar logic. 
• after quarterfinal – to the 9,7,5,3 places (according to the rank in the Qualification Swiss), with number of VP equal to the average of 3rd and 4th team after the end of the 6th round. 
• after semifinal – to the 5th and 3rd place (according to the rank in the Qualification Swiss) with number of VP equal to the average of 1st and 2nd at the end of the 9th round.

 • Provisional programme

Timetable (all in CET)

Match days: 27-30 January (qualification) and on 3-6 February 2025 (final stage) using the RealBridge platform. There will be 3 rounds per day, with the following starting times:

• 18.30 CET
• 20.00 CET
• 21.30 CET

 • Spectators/Kibitzers

No persons other than the active Players and TDs will be allowed in the playing area.

Delayed online kibitzing of all tables will be available, through https://kibitz.realbridge.online.

 • Conditions of Contest

For all other rules and regulations please see:

• General Conditions of Contest
• Supplementary Conditions of Contest
• Commitment Form

Attention is drawn to the Competitor's Commitment Form that must be signed by each participant (and substitutes, in case of need), unless they have already done so in another event.  Details and a copy of the form can be found in the links above. The forms should be sent to secretariat@europeanbridge.org.

 • Entries - Registration

Entries should be submitted electronically via the EBL Website (not by e-mail) at the latest by the 25th of January, 2025. Each captain must ensure that their e-mail address is provided and they should check it regularly for information or queries from the organizers.

Each team can consist of a captain and players belonging to one or more NBOs (i.e. the event is a transnational one). Each member must be in good standing with the NBO and will also be subject to the approval of the EBL Credentials Committee and be registered in the EBL database.

Each team is entitled to have up to 10 playing members. A team may change or add members up to 3 days before the commencement of play. All such changes are subject to the approval of the Credentials Committee. Except with the permission of the Seniors Committee,  any such substitute or added player must use one of the systems already filed in accordance with the SCoC.

The players must have been born no later than 31 Dec 1961. 

 • Entry Fees

The entry fee is unchanged with €250/team.

Entry Fees shall be paid by bank transfer to:

 • Systems

The EBL Systems Policy 2023 applies to this Event. The event is classified as a Category 3 event (no HUMs or Brown Sticker methods). Both members of a partnership must adopt the same methods in the auction and in their carding. The systems must be described on System (Convention) Cards and Supplementary Sheets in accordance with Section 11 of the GCoC and the Regulations for the Registration and Use of Systems, and submitted as described below. 

Systems have to be registered no later than 5 days before the event start. Captains should ensure that their e-mail address is provided and they should check it regularly so they are available for any queries that may arise concerning a system registered by their team. 

Note that VP penalties and other restrictions will be applied in accordance with the GCoC for late submission. Minor changes to systems (which may be clarifications, amendments, minor additions and/or cosmetic revisions) will be accepted up to 25th of January 2025. Revisions will be published on the website with the other systems, marked as REV1 or REV2 etc., thus giving captains the opportunity to compare them with the original submission. 

Each team will be provided with a link for uploading their system cards. After the team has entered, the captain will be sent instructions. For help with this, please contact support@realbridge.online.