There may only have been one round yesterday, but it turned out to be the most dramatic of the Championships so far. As the temperature rocketed even higher so did the scores!

Three teams reached the century mark on what the VuGraph team thought was a relatively quiet set of boards. Pride of place goes to Denmark, who's total of 136 is the highest of the Championships so far. They are beginning to show the form that took them to the top of the World in Hamilton last year.

The other centurions were Russia and The Netherlands. The overall situation is still far from clear.

While Norway and Italy are tied at the top of the table the peloton is not far behind. On the day when a Dutchman won a stage in the Tour de France it is appropriate that third place is held by the Netherlands.

The intensity of the competition is shown by the fact that only 8 Victory Points cover the teams occupying the next 6 places, Israel, Sweden, Iceland, Russia, Turkey and Denmark.

Today when three rounds are played for the first time, stamina may well prove to be just as important as skill.