View source for Bermuda Bowl

{{Short description|Biennial contract bridge world championship}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
The '''Bermuda Bowl''' is a biennial [[contract bridge]] world championship for national {{gcb|teams}}. It is contested every odd-numbered year under the auspices of the [[World Bridge Federation]] (WBF), alongside the [[Venice Cup]] (women), the [[Senior Bowl (bridge)|d'Orsi Senior Bowl]] and the [[Wuhan Cup]] (mixed). Entries formally represent WBF [[#zonal|zones]] as well as nations, so it is also known as the '''World Zonal Open Team Championship'''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/default.asp |title=World Championships |publisher=World Bridge Federation |access-date=2011-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121154520/http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/default.asp |archive-date=21 November 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=info2011>[[#40th|40th World Teams]]; "Information".</ref> It is the oldest event that confers the title of world champion in bridge, and was first contested in 1950. The Bermuda Bowl trophy is awarded to the winning team, and is named for the site of the inaugural tournament, the Atlantic archipelago of [[Bermuda]].<!-- permanent copy? two year loan? -->

The term ''Bermuda Bowl'' is sometimes used for the entire two-week event, comprising the four zonal teams and one or more concurrent lesser tournaments.

[[Marrakech]], Morocco hosted the latest contest in August–September 2023, where Switzerland won the title.<ref name=wbf2023>{{cite web | title=The WBF Championships | website=World Bridge Federation | date=2023-09-08 | url=http://championships.worldbridge.org/marrakech2023 | access-date=2023-09-08}}</ref>

{{TOC right|limit=2}}

==Structure==

See a description of the identical [[Senior Bowl (bridge)#Structure|"Senior Bowl" structure]] or a detailed account of the 2011 event ([[#2011 Veldhoven, Netherlands|below]]).

==Inauguration and evolution==

Organized principally by Norman Bach, an accountant and bridge player from Bermuda who played for Britain,<ref>Bach won the Gold Cup for Great Britain in 1938 and was playing captain of the British team in the European Championships in 1938 and 1939. See [[The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge]], 6th edition, page 605.</ref> the Bermuda Bowl was the first world championship event held after World War II,<ref>{{OEB|6|605}}</ref> and started as a competition between the US, Europe and Britain in 1950.

The first event was won by the US. After this, the Bermuda Bowl became a yearly challenge match between the US and the European champions. The format evolved progressively, with more teams and the addition of events for women and seniors. Key milestones were:

:'''1950:''' The first open team event in Bermuda between the USA, Europe and Britain who played round-robin for raw scores or "total points".
:'''1951:''' The next several contests were head-on matches between representatives of the [[American Contract Bridge League]] (North America) and the [[European Bridge League]].
:'''1958:''' The tournament permanently included the champions of South America.
:'''1961:''' Eligibility was expanded to include the defending champions.
:'''1966:''' The tournament expanded to five teams, with the addition of a representative from Asia.
:'''1971:''' The field was expanded to include Australia.
:'''1974:''' The World Bridge Federation inaugurated the [[Venice Cup]] for women's teams, contested four times on no fixed schedule before 1985.
:'''1979:''' The defending champions were no longer eligible on that basis alone.
:'''1981:''' Europe was awarded two places in the tournament. There would be nine teams if every WBF zone sent a champion team.
:'''1983:''' North America joined Europe with double representation, and the host country was automatically included too, so the potential size of the field increased by two. European and North American champions would have two places in the four-team semifinal round. European and North American runners up would contend with champions of the other zones and the host country for two other semifinal slots.
:'''1985:''' The Bermuda Bowl for open teams and Venice Cup for women would be contested side-by-side in tournaments with the same structure, and in a venue outside Europe and North America (maintained until 2001).

==Predecessors==
[[File:Austrian team 72 KB.jpg|thumb|right| The 1937 world champion Austria open team. From left: Karl Schneider, Hans Jellinek, Edouard Frischauer, [[Paul Stern]] (Capt.), [[Josephine Culbertson]] (US), [[Walter Herbert (conductor)|Walter Herbert]], [[Helen Sobel]] (US), and Karl von Blöhdorn.]]

[[Austria]] won the 1937 International Bridge League (IBL) championships for both open and women's national teams. They are commonly considered the first world championships for national teams, and the first world championship tournaments of any kind, because teams from the United States entered both flights, two open teams and one women's.

The IBL was a predecessor of both the [[European Bridge League]] (est. 1947) and the WBF (est. 1958), although there was a competing international organization in the 1930s. The IBL organized annual championships<!-- called "international championships" by Morehead? CHECK THIS --> for (open) national teams beginning in 1932 and for women beginning in 1935. Prior to 1937, Austria won three of five in the open category and both in the women category. All of the sites were in Europe and the [[European Bridge League]] considers the 1930s series to be the first eight European Teams Championships.
{| class="wikitable" 
|+ International championships under IBL auspices
!rowspan=2|Year ||rowspan=2| Site ||colspan=2|Open || colspan=2|Women
|-
!Rank||Team||Rank||Team
|- 
 |1932
 |[[Scheveningen]], Netherlands
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center|1|| {{flagicon|Austria}} '''Austria'''
 |
 |
|- 
 |1933
 |London, England
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center|1|| {{flagicon|Austria}} '''Austria'''
 |
 |
|- 
 |1934
 |[[Vienna]], Austria
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center|1|| {{flagicon|Hungary}} '''Hungary'''
 |
 |
|- 
 |1935
 |[[Brussels]], Belgium
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center| 1|| {{flagicon|France}} '''France'''
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center| 1|| {{flagicon|Austria}} '''Austria'''
|- 
 |1936
 |[[Stockholm]], Sweden
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center| 1|| {{flagicon|Austria}} '''Austria'''
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center| 1|| {{flagicon|Austria}} '''Austria'''
|- 
 |rowspan=4 valign="Top"|1937<ref name=y1937>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=74 6th European Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1937. EBL.</ref><ref name=nyt1987/>
 |rowspan=4 valign="Top"|[[Budapest]], Hungary
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center| 1|| {{flagicon|Austria}} '''Austria''' <br><small><!--names according to Truscott 1987. Our caption at [[Paul Stern]] gives Karl von Blöhdorn and Edouard Frischauer. The WBF database abbreviates some.-->Karl von Bluhdorn, Edward Frischauer, [[Walter Herbert (conductor)|Walter Herbert]], Hans Jellinek, Udo von Meissl, Karl Schneider; {{gcb|npc}} [[Paul Stern]]</small>
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center| 1|| {{flagicon|Austria}} '''Austria'''
|- 
 |bgcolor="silver" align=center| 2|| {{flagicon|USA}} '''Culbertson''' <br><small>[[Ely Culbertson]], [[Josephine Culbertson]], [[Helen Sobel]], Charles Vogelhofer</small>
 || ||
|-
  |rowspan=2 style="background:#c96;" align=center| 3||{{flagicon|USA}} Minneapolis|| ||
|-
 ||{{flagicon|HUN}} Hungary || ||
|- 
 |1938
 |[[Oslo]], Norway
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center| 1|| {{flagicon|Hungary}} '''Hungary'''
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center| 1|| {{flagicon|Denmark}} '''Denmark'''
|- 
 |1939
 |[[The Hague]], Netherlands
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center| 1|| {{flagicon|Sweden}} '''Sweden'''
 |bgcolor="gold" align=center| 1|| {{flagicon|France}} '''France'''
|}

In the 1937 (6–20 June) open tournament there were 19 teams from 18 countries: the USA had two teams, one led by [[Ely Culbertson]] which came second.<ref name=nyt1987>
{{cite news
|author=[[Alan Truscott]]
|title=BRIDGE: A Viennese Victory
|date=21 June 1987
|work=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/21/style/bridge-a-viennese-victory.html
|access-date=21 October 2014
}}</ref><!--Truscott says "Exactly 50 years ago", same as thirteen years later regarding the first Bermuda Bowl. Again I wonder whether "exactly" means calendar year, month, weekday, etc--><!--See also what I have written at European Teams Championships-->

In the knockout stage, Culbertson beat Norway and Hungary before losing to Austria. USA Minneapolis lost to Austria in the semifinal.(Morehead)

[[World War II]] practically destroyed the IBL and its nascent world championship tournament series.

With Austria the leading nation at the card table, the 1938 [[Anschluss]] of Germany and Austria was a great disruption. The leading bridge theorist and mentor [[Paul Stern]] was an outspoken opponent of [[Nazism]]; he fled to London and later became a British subject. That same year, at least [[Rixi Markus|Rixi Scharfstein (Markus)]] from the Ladies emigrated to Britain; from the Open team at least Karl von Bluhdorn to Paris, Edward Frischauer and Walter Herbert to the United States, eventually California.<ref>Also from the Open team, Hans Jellinek was deported from Norway in 1940 and died in a concentration camp; Karl Schneider remained a leading player in Austria and Europe, which he represented in the 1954 Bermuda Bowl. There is no entry for Udo von Meissl in the Encyclopedia.<!--1st ed.; Bluhdorn was dropped before the 4th ed.-->
<br>''[[The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge]]'', ed. 1 (1964): biographical entries Bluhdorn, Frischauer, Herbert, Jellinek, Markus, Schneider, Stern; biographical omission (von) Meissl.</ref>

The International Bridge League organized two more European championships (making eight annual tournaments for national open teams, 1932–1939)<ref>{{OEB|6|206}}</ref> but no more tournaments or official matches involving any team from outside Europe.
<!--suggestions for SECTIONS THAT SHOULD PRECEDE the Results blurbs and tables
 Open teams world championships before WWII
 List of all BB winners only (because the annual account is now so spacious
 National and Zonal representation (complete and globalize the first note, covering not only North America but Europe and Great Britain at least
 Structure (perhaps current structure with some historical development in the annual account
 Notable performances player/team/nation/zone
 the Trophy (and any replicas
-->
{{anchor|1950s–1970s}}

==1950s==

===1950 [[Hamilton, Bermuda]]===
<!--The WBF currently lists site "Bermuda, Bermuda"
 ref name=y1950
--><!--Hamilton is the capital city. Wikipedia does not cover any town or parish named Bermuda.-->

The first rendition, held at the Castle Harbor Hotel 13 to 16 November, featured three teams who played round-robin for raw scores or "total points". The USA team won both of its matches, by 4,720 points over Europe (also referred to as Sweden-Iceland featuring two pairs from Sweden and one from Iceland) and 3,660 points over Great Britain; Europe defeated Great Britain by 1,940 points.<ref name=truscott2000 /><ref name="OEB1679">{{OEB|1|679}}
<!--Did "USA" represent the ACBL? Did US and GB represent the post-war Atlantic or Bermuda perspective on the world? P.S. Bridge Europe was founded by Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, and France, iirc.--></ref><!--The team from 'Europe' has also been documented as "Sweden-Iceland' including in the first edition of the OEB--><!--The tournament was sponsored by the ACBL, EBL and BBL-->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=50px |1950<ref name=y1950>[http://www.worldbridge.org/TeamChampRP.aspx?qmenudetid=189 1st World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1950. WBF.</ref>||width=50px|3||  style="background:gold; width:50px;" |1||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[John R. Crawford|John Crawford]], [[Charles Goren]], [[George Rapée]], [[Howard Schenken]], [[Sidney Silodor]], [[Sam Stayman]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;" |2||align=left|{{flagicon|Sweden}}&nbsp;{{flagicon|Iceland}} '''Europe'''<br><small>[[Gunnar Guðmundsson]] (ISL), [[Putte Kock|Rudolf Kock]] (SWE), [[Nils-Olof Lilliehöök]] (SWE), [[Einar Þorfinnsson]] (ISL), [[Einar Werner]] (SWE) (c), [[Jan Wohlin]] (SWE)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3||align=left|{{flagicon|Great Britain}} '''Great Britain'''<br><small>[[Leslie Dodds]], [[Nico Gardener]], [[Maurice Harrison-Gray]] (c), [[Kenneth Konstam]], [[Joel Tarlo]], [[Louis Tarlo]]</small>
|}

===1951 [[Naples]], Italy===
<!--The specific point (from memory, not from name=intro) needs support: representing NA and Europe, not essentially national teams-->

Held 11 to 17 November, the match was between representatives of the [[American Contract Bridge League]] (North America) and the [[European Bridge League]] consisting of 320 [[Board (bridge)|boards]] using the [[Bridge scoring#International Match Points|15-point International Match Point (IMP)]] scaling table for the first time. The USA team won by 116 IMPs.<ref>{{cite journal  |author = Julius Rosenblum |editor = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| year = 1951| title = The 1951 International Team-of-Four Championship | journal = The Bridge World| volume = 23| issue = 3| pages = 2–9| location = New York}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=50px|1951<ref name=y1951>[http://www.worldbridge.org/TeamChampRP.aspx?qmenudetid=190 2nd World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1951, WBF.</ref>||width=50px|2||  style="background:gold; width:50px;"|1||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[B. Jay Becker]], [[John R. Crawford|John Crawford]], [[George Rapée]], [[Howard Schenken]], [[Sam Stayman]], [[Julius Rosenblum]] (npc)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2||align=left|{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Paolo Baroni]], [[Eugenio Chiaradia]], [[Pietro Forquet]], Mario Franco, [[Augusto Ricci]], [[Guglielmo Siniscalco]], [[Carl'Alberto Perroux]] (npc)</small>
|}

===1953 New York City, USA===

The United States team won its third consecutive championship by 8,260 points.<ref name=OEB1679/> Crawford, Rapée, Schenken, and Stayman were also members of the previous two winning teams. The 256 boards were played against Sweden at the Sherry-Netherlands Hotel in New York, 5 to 10 January 1953.<ref>{{cite journal  |author = Theodore Lightner |editor = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| year = 1953| title = Some Hands from the World's Championships | journal = The Bridge World| volume = 24| issue = 4| page = 2| location = New York}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=50px|1953<ref name=y1953>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=191 3rd World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1953. WBF.</ref> ||width=50px|2||  style="background:gold; width:50px;"|1||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[B. Jay Becker]], [[John R. Crawford|John Crawford]], [[Theodore Lightner]], [[George Rapée]], [[Howard Schenken]], [[Sam Stayman]], [[Joseph Cohan]] (npc)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2||align=left|{{flagicon|Sweden}} '''Sweden'''<br><small>[[Gunnar Anulf]], [[Putte Kock|Rudolf Kock]], [[Robert Larsen (American football)|Robert Larsen]], [[Nils-Olof Lilliehöök]], [[Einar Werner]] (c), [[Jan Wohlin]]</small>
|}

===1954 [[Monte Carlo]], Monaco===

France won the 1953 European championship with a six-man national team and the right to represent Europe in the Bermuda Bowl to be held 9–14 January 1954.<ref name = TBW2505>{{cite journal  | author = Alphonse Moyse Jr. |editor = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| year = 1954| title = The 1953 World Championships | journal = The Bridge World| volume = 25| issue = 5| pages = 2| location = New York}}</ref> Jean Besse of Switzerland and Karl Schneider of Austria replaced one of the French pairs; the team is also referred to as France.<ref name=OEB1679/> Schneider had been a member of the 1937 world champion Austrian team.<ref>[http://www.worldbridge.org/people/Teamroster.asp?qteamid=2823 Team Members: France] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403044250/http://www.worldbridge.org/people/Teamroster.asp?qteamid=2823 |date=3 April 2012 }}, 14th European Team Championships, 1953. WBF.</ref><ref>{{WBFpeople |13759 |Karl SCHNEIDER}}</ref> The USA team had won the right to represent that country by winning the [[American Contract Bridge League|ACBL]] summer nationals held in St. Louis in August 1953; the five members of that team invited Lew Mathe to round out the team to six first-timers for the Bermuda Bowl event.<ref name= TBW2505/>

The USA defeated Europe by 49 IMPs representing 4,400 points.<ref name= TBW2505/>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=50|1954<ref name=y1954>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=192 4th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1954. WBF.</ref> ||align=center width=50|2||  style="background:gold; width:50px;"|1||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[Clifford Bishop]], [[Milton Ellenby]], [[Lew Mathe]], [[Don Oakie]], [[William Rosen]], [[Douglas Steen]], [[Benjamin Johnson (bridge)|Benjamin Johnson]] (npc)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2||align=left|{{flagicon|France}} {{flagicon|Austria}} {{flagicon|Switzerland}} '''Europe'''<br><small>[[Jacques Amouraben]] (FRA), [[René Bacherich]] (FRA), [[Jean Besse]] (SUI), [[Pierre Ghestem]] (FRA), [[Marcel Kornblum]] (FRA), [[Karl Schneider (bridge)|Karl Schneider]] (AUT)</small>
|}

===1955 New York City, USA===

The 1955 event was held 9–14 January at the Hotel Beekman, New York.<ref name = TBW2605>{{cite journal  | author = Alphonse Moyse Jr. |editor = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| year = 1955| title = The 1955 World Championship | journal = The Bridge World| volume = 26| issue = 5| page = 2| location = New York}}</ref> The British team had defeated 13 others to win the European title in 1954 in Montreux, Switzerland. The American team had won the 1954 ACBL summer nationals in Washington, D.C.; that team of five was augmented by Alvin Roth.<ref name = TBW2605/>

Great Britain won by a margin of 5,420 points.<ref name = TBW2605/>
<!--The WBF currently calls the 1954 and 1955 teams "France" and "Great Britain".
 ref name=y1954 ref name=y1955
 More often it's wikipedia that attributes national representation. I doubt many listings although there is a sense in which every current WBF database entry is "official".-->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=50|1955<ref name=y1955>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=193 5th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1955. WBF.</ref>||align=center width=50|2|| style="background:gold; width:50px;"|1||align=left|{{flagicon|Great Britain}} '''Great Britain'''<br><small>[[Leslie Dodds]], [[Kenneth Konstam]], [[Adam Meredith]], [[Jordanis Pavlides]], [[Terence Reese]], [[Boris Schapiro]], Reginald Corwen (npc)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[Clifford Bishop]], [[Milton Ellenby]], [[Lew Mathe]], [[John Moran (bridge)|John Moran]], [[William Rosen]], [[Alvin Roth (bridge)|Alvin Roth]], [[Peter Leventritt]] (npc)</small>
|}

===1956 Paris, France===

France made it two in a row for Europe. Bacherich and Ghestem were veterans from 1954.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=50|1956<ref name=y1956>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=194 6th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1956. WBF.</ref>||align=center width=50|2||  style="background:gold; width:50px;"|1||align=left|{{flagicon|France}} '''France'''<br><small>[[René Bacherich]], [[Pierre Ghestem]], [[Pierre Jaïs]], [[Robert Lattès]], [[Bertrand Romanet]], [[Roger Trézel]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[Myron Field]], [[Charles Goren]], [[Lee Hazen]], [[Richard Kahn (contract bridge)|Richard Kahn]], [[Charles J. Solomon|Charles Solomon]], [[Sam Stayman]]</small>
|}

===1957 New York City, USA===

Italy's [[Blue Team (bridge)|Blue Team]] won its first of ten consecutive Bermuda Bowls. Chiaradia, Forquet, Siniscalco, and captain [[Carl'Alberto Perroux]] were veterans from the 1951 team. Avarelli, Belladona, D'Alelio, and Forquet played in every one.<ref name=todate />

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=50|1957<ref name=y1957>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=195 7th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1957. WBF.</ref>||align=center width=50|2||  style="background:gold; width:50px;"|1||align=left|{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Walter Avarelli]], [[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Eugenio Chiaradia]], [[Massimo D'Alelio]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Guglielmo Siniscalco]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[Charles Goren]], [[Boris Koytchou]], [[Peter Leventritt]], [[Harold Ogust]], [[William Seamon]], [[Helen Sobel Smith|Helen Sobel]]</small>
|}

===1958 [[Como]], Italy===

For 1958 the Bermuda Bowl tournament permanently included the champion of South America, whose federation and annual tournament were then ten years old. In the next several years, expansion covered other geographic zones and the defending champion.
<!--round-robin format? total IMPs?-->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=50|1958<ref name=y1958>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=196 8th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1958. WBF.</ref>||align=center width=50|3||  style="background:gold; width:50px;"|1||align=left|{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Walter Avarelli]], [[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Eugenio Chiaradia]], [[Massimo D'Alelio]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Guglielmo Siniscalco]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[B. Jay Becker]], [[John R. Crawford|John Crawford]], [[George Rapée]], [[Alvin Roth (bridge)|Alvin Roth]], [[Sidney Silodor]], [[Tobias Stone]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3||align=left|{{flagicon|Argentina}} '''Argentina'''<br><small>[[Alberto Blousson]], [[Carlos Cabanne]], [[Ricardo Calvente]], Alejandro Castro, [[Marcelo Lerner]]</small>
|}

===1959 New York City, USA===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=50|1959<ref name=y1959>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=197 9th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1959. WBF.</ref>||align=center width=50|3||  style="background:gold; width:50px;"|1||align=left|{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Walter Avarelli]], [[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Eugenio Chiaradia]], [[Massimo D'Alelio]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Guglielmo Siniscalco]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[Harry Fishbein]] (USA), [[Sam Fry Jr.]] (USA), [[Leonard Harmon]] (USA), [[Lee Hazen]] (USA), [[Sidney Lazard]] (USA), [[Ivar Stakgold]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3||align=left|{{flagicon|Argentina}} '''Argentina'''<br><small>[[Alberto Berisso]], [[Ricardo Calvente]], Alejandro Castro, [[Carlos Dibar]], [[Arturo Jaques]], [[Egisto Rocchi]]</small>
|}

==1960s==

There was no Bermuda Bowl in 1960, 1964 or 1968 to avoid conflict with the [[World Team Olympiad]].

===1961 [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina===

The Blue Team won its fourth Bermuda Bowl, with Benito Garozzo now in the same lineup. This began a new string of annual world championships for Italy, after ranking only sixth in the inaugural [[World Team Olympiad]], won by France.<ref name=olympiad>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampionships.asp?qmenuid=21 World Team Olympiad] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727024313/http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampionships.asp?qmenuid=21 |date=27 July 2011 }} (to Date table). WBF.</ref>

At the same time, the Bermuda Bowl tournament expanded to include the defending champions. Throughout the 1960s that would mean Italy plus one from the rest of Europe. Italy would use the European Team Championships to give some international experience to new players or new partnerships.<!--Belladonna played on all three 1960s EBL champions 1965/67/69. Garozzo played 1969 only. Their Blue partners Avarelli and Forquet did not play on any of those three winners. In 1962 Italy finished second with D'Alelio–PabisTicci and Belladonna from the Blue.--><ref>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampionships.asp?qmenuid=4 European Team Championships (to Date table)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927130021/http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampionships.asp?qmenuid=4 |date=27 September 2011 }}. European Bridge League. Retrieved 2011-08-19.<br>Select "Venue" city name, then "Open series" team name, to see a list of team members. Unfortunately the listings cover only first and second place Open teams before 1979.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1961<ref name=y1961>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=198 10th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1961. WBF.</ref>
 ||4||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Walter Avarelli]], [[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Eugenio Chiaradia]], [[Massimo D'Alelio]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Benito Garozzo]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[John Gerber (bridge)|John Gerber]] (USA), [[Paul Hodge]] (USA), [[Norman Kay (bridge)|Norman Kay]] (USA), [[Peter Leventritt]] (USA), [[Howard Schenken]] (USA), [[Sidney Silodor]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|France}} '''France'''<br><small>[[René Bacherich]], [[Claude Deruy]], [[Pierre Ghestem]], [[José Le Dentu]], [[Roger Trézel]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Argentina}} '''Argentina''' finished fourth.<ref name=y1961 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1962 New York City, USA===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1962<ref name=y1962>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=199 11th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1962. WBF.</ref>
 ||4||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Walter Avarelli]], [[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Eugenio Chiaradia]], [[Massimo D'Alelio]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Benito Garozzo]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}}&nbsp;{{flagicon|Canada}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[Charles Coon (bridge)|Charles Coon]] (USA), [[Mervin Key]] (USA), [[Lew Mathe]] (USA), [[Eric Murray (bridge)|Eric Murray]] (CAN), [[G. Robert Nail]] (USA), Ron Von der Porten (USA), [[John Gerber (bridge)|John Gerber]], npc (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Great Britain}} '''Great Britain'''<br><small>[[Nico Gardener]], [[Kenneth Konstam]], [[Tony Priday]], [[Claude Rodrigue]], [[Albert Rose (bridge)|Albert Rose]], [[Alan Truscott]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Argentina}} '''Argentina''' finished fourth.<ref name=y1962 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1963 [[Saint-Vincent, Italy]]===

Italy won again. This was the last for "Professor" Eugenio Chiaradia and the only one of the ten in a row that Walter Avarelli missed.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1963<ref name=y1963>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=200 12th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1963. WBF.</ref>
 ||4||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Eugenio Chiaradia]], [[Massimo D'Alelio]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Benito Garozzo]], [[Camillo Pabis Ticci]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[James Jacoby]] (USA), [[Robert F. Jordan|Robert Jordan]] (USA), [[Peter Leventritt]] (USA), [[G. Robert Nail]] (USA), [[Arthur G. Robinson|Arthur Robinson]] (USA), [[Howard Schenken]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|France}} '''France'''<br><small>[[René Bacherich]], [[Gérard Desrousseaux]], [[Pierre Ghestem]], [[Jacques Stetten]], [[Georges Théron]], [[Léon Tintner]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Argentina}} '''Argentina''' finished fourth.<ref name=y1963 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1965 [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina===
Playing at home, Argentina represented South America for the sixth time and finally defeated one of the Europeans or Americans, namely Great Britain.

This was the fifth consecutive world championship for the Blue Team, as it had won the second Olympiad in 1964. Italy would continue to win annually with the identical lineup through 1969, plus a successful comeback in 1972.<ref name=olympiad />

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1965<ref name=y1965>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=201 13th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1965. WBF.</ref>
 ||4||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Walter Avarelli]], [[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Massimo D'Alelio]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Benito Garozzo]], [[Camillo Pabis Ticci]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[B. Jay Becker]] (USA), [[Ivan Erdos]] (USA), [[Dorothy Hayden Truscott|Dorothy Hayden]] (USA), [[Peter Leventritt]] (USA), [[Kelsey Petterson]] (USA), [[Howard Schenken]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Argentina}} '''Argentina'''<br><small>[[Luis Attaguile]], [[Alberto Berisso]], [[Carlos Cabanne]], [[Marcelo Lerner]], [[Egisto Rocchi]], [[Agustín Santamarina]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Great Britain}} '''Great Britain''' finished fourth.<ref name=y1965 /> The event was marred by a cheating scandal involving the British pair [[Terence Reese]] and [[Boris Schapiro]], known as the "[[Terence Reese#The Buenos Aires affair|Buenos Aires affair"]].

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1966 [[Saint-Vincent, Italy]]===

The tournament expanded to five with Asia, represented by Thailand. Venezuela took Argentina's usual place and won another third for South America. Canadians Sami Kehela and Eric Murray joined four US Americans for North America.
<!--This Venezuela team, three-time winner, the only break in Argentina/Brazil domination-->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1966<ref name=y1966>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=202 14th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1966. WBF.</ref>
 ||5||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Walter Avarelli]], [[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Massimo D'Alelio]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Benito Garozzo]], [[Camillo Pabis Ticci]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}}&nbsp;{{flagicon|Canada}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[Phillip Feldesman]] (USA), [[Bob Hamman]] (USA), [[Sami Kehela]] (CAN), [[Lew Mathe]] (USA), [[Eric Murray (bridge)|Eric Murray]] (CAN), [[Ira Rubin]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Venezuela}} '''Venezuela'''<br><small>[[Roberto Benaim]], [[David Berah]], [[Mario Onorati]], [[Roger Rossignol]], [[Renato Straziota]], [[Francis Vernon (bridge)|Francis Vernon]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Netherlands}} '''Netherlands''' finished fourth and Thailand fifth.<ref name=y1966 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1967 [[Miami Beach, Florida|Miami Beach]], USA===
<!--viva italia-->
Thailand and Venezuela returned to the field. More than forty years later, 1966/1967 remain their best national performances.<!--NEED one general reference that covers national performance comparisons, one that covers personal comparisons, that are based on simple analysis of the data.-->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1967<ref name=y1967>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=203 15th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1967. WBF.</ref>
 ||5||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Walter Avarelli]], [[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Massimo D'Alelio]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Benito Garozzo]], [[Camillo Pabis Ticci]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}}&nbsp;{{flagicon|Canada}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[Edgar Kaplan]] (USA), [[Norman Kay (bridge)|Norman Kay]] (USA), [[Sami Kehela]] (CAN), [[Eric Murray (bridge)|Eric Murray]] (CAN), [[Bill Root (bridge)|Bill Root]] (USA), [[Alvin Roth (bridge)|Alvin Roth]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|France}} '''France'''<br><small>[[Jean-Michel Boulenger]], [[Jacques Parienté]], [[Jean-Marc Roudinesco]], [[Jacques Stetten]], [[Henri Szwarc]], [[Léon Tintner]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Thailand}} '''Thailand''' finished fourth and Venezuela fifth.<ref name=y1967 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1969 [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil===

Taiwan appeared on the world bridge scene with a shocking second-place performance, represented by six players using the [[Precision Club]] [[bidding system]] recently invented by [[C. C. Wei]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}
<!--best to date for Asia? outside NA and Europe?-->

The [[Blue Team (bridge)|Blue Team of Italy]] retired after winning its tenth consecutive Bermuda Bowl (from 1957) and ninth consecutive annual world championship in open teams (from 1961).

The United States team included two members of the professional [[Dallas Aces]], Eisenberg–Goldman and two young players who would be Aces, Hamman and Kantar.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1969<ref name=y1969>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=204 16th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1969. WBF.</ref>
 ||5||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Walter Avarelli]], [[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Massimo D'Alelio]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Benito Garozzo]], [[Camillo Pabis Ticci]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Taiwan}} '''Taiwan'''<br><small>Frank Huang, [[Patrick Huang]], [[Shen Chun-shan|C. S. Shen]], [[K. W. Shen]] (THA), [[Kovit Suchartkul]] (THA), [[Min-Fang Tai]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[Billy Eisenberg]] (USA), [[Bobby Goldman]] (USA), [[Bob Hamman]] (USA), [[Edwin Kantar]] (USA), [[Sidney Lazard]] (USA), [[George Rapée]] (USA)</small>
|}

{{flagicon|France}} '''France''' finished fourth and Brazil fifth.<ref name=y1969 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

==1970s==

===1970 [[Stockholm]], Sweden===

The Aces won the 17th Bermuda Bowl, the first for a United States or North America team since they won the first four. Taiwan finished second again, with only five players and only two veterans from 1969. Norway and Brazil also finished ahead of Italy, the defending champion bridge nation represented by a wholly new team.<ref name=todate>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampionships.asp?qmenuid=20 World Team Championships] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615133957/http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampionships.asp?qmenuid=20 |date=15 June 2006 }} (To Date table). WBF.</ref><ref name=y1969 /><ref name=y1970 />

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1970<ref name=y1970>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=205 17th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1970. WBF.</ref>
 ||5||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[Billy Eisenberg]] (USA), [[Bobby Goldman]] (USA), [[Bob Hamman]] (USA), [[James Jacoby]] (USA), [[Michael Lawrence (bridge)|Mike Lawrence]] (USA), [[Bobby Wolff]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Taiwan}} '''Taiwan'''<br><small>[[Conrad Cheng]], [[Elmer Hsiao]], [[Patrick Huang]], [[Harry Lin]], [[Min-Fang Tai]], [[David Yp Mao]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Norway}} '''Norway'''<br><small>[[Erik Høie]], [[Tore Jensen]], [[Knut Koppang]], [[Bjørn Larsen]], [[Louis André Strøm]], [[Willy Varnås]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Brazil}} '''Brazil''' finished fourth and the new Italy fifth.<ref name=y1970 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1971 [[Taipei]], Taiwan=== <!-- Chinese Taipei is inappropriate 1971; what about Taiwan; ROC; etc? -->

The Aces won as defending champions while the field expanded to include Australia.<!--change in format? zone name?-->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1971<ref name=y1971>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=206 18th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1971. WBF.</ref>
 ||6||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''Aces'''<br><small>[[Billy Eisenberg]] (USA), [[Bobby Goldman]] (USA), [[Bob Hamman]] (USA), James Jacoby (USA), [[Michael Lawrence (bridge)|Mike Lawrence]] (USA), [[Bobby Wolff]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|France}} '''France'''<br><small>[[Jean-Michel Boulenger]], [[Pierre Jaïs]], [[Jean-Marc Roudinesco]], [[Jean-Louis Stoppa]], [[Henri Szwarc]], [[Roger Trézel]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Australia}} '''Australia'''<br><small>[[Jim Borin]], [[Norma Borin]], [[Richard Cummings (bridge)|Richard Cummings]], [[Denis Howard (bridge)|Denis Howard]], [[Tim Seres]], [[Roelof Smilde]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Taiwan}} '''Taiwan''' finished fourth at home, one year after finishing second.<ref name=y1971 />
<!--personnel for Taiwan?--><!--Should this article identify one "nation" variously as Republic of China, Taiwan, and Chinese Taipei?-->

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1973 [[Guarujá]], Brazil===

The Blue Team had successfully completed a comeback by winning the 1972 Olympiad with its 1964–69 lineup.<ref name=olympiad /> Three then retired permanently but its three greatest players continued to play for Italy (Belladonna, Forquet, and Garozzo), and to win.

The second-place Aces were defending champions with one personnel change.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1973<ref name=y1973>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=207 19th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1973. WBF.</ref>
 ||5||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Benito Bianchi]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Giuseppe Garabello]], [[Benito Garozzo]], [[Vito Pittalà]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''Aces'''<br><small>[[Mark Blumenthal]] (USA), [[Bobby Goldman]] (USA), [[Bob Hamman]] (USA), [[James Jacoby]] (USA), [[Michael Lawrence (bridge)|Mike Lawrence]] (USA), [[Bobby Wolff]] (USA</small>)
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Brazil}} '''Brazil'''<br><small>[[Pedro Paulo Assumpção]], [[Marcelo Branco]], [[Pedro Paulo Branco]], [[Gabriel Chagas]], [[Gabino Cintra]], [[Christiano Fonseca]]</small>
|}

'''North America''' finished fourth, represented by a team of six men from the US.<ref name=y1973 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1974 [[Venice]], Italy===

Italy defended its championship at home.<ref name=todate /> <!--Venice or Italy or the WBF?-->The World Bridge Federation inaugurated its [[Venice Cup]] for "Women Teams", which increased in size and frequency to match the biennial Bermuda Bowl tournament for "Open Teams" in 1985. No woman had played for a Bermuda Bowl winner; only two had finished second.{{efn|Two women had been Bermuda Bowl runners-up, [[Helen Sobel]] playing with no fixed partner in 1957 and [[Dorothy Hayden]] playing with [[B. Jay Becker]] in 1965, whose American teams were both defeated by Italy in the final. The foursome comprising Sobel with Charles Vogelhofer and [[Josephine Culbertson]] with her husband Ely, one of two teams representing North America, had been defeated by Austria in the 1937 final.}} Meanwhile, the quadrennial Olympiad ran two tournaments, open and women, side by side from its start in 1960.
<!--winning a place via pairs trials?--><!--NEED more data for overview covering at least third/fourth place and up to date.--><!--Except 1978 the Venice Cup conflicts with the Bermuda Bowl. Women tend to play on Open teams only from second- or third-tier bridge nations that do not have more than one national team.--><!--Truscott played on US teams that won the first two Venice Cups in 1974 and 1976. And the 6th Olympiad in 1980.-->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1974<ref name=y1974>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=208 20th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1974. WBF.</ref>
 ||6||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Benito Bianchi]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Benito Garozzo]] ([[Dano De Falco]], [[Arturo Franco]])*</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}}&nbsp;{{flagicon|Canada}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[Mark Blumenthal]] (USA), [[Bobby Goldman]] (USA), [[Bob Hamman]] (USA), [[Sami Kehela]] (CAN), [[Eric Murray (bridge)|Eric Murray]] (CAN), [[Bobby Wolff]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Brazil}} '''Brazil'''<br><small>[[Pedro Paulo Assumpção]], [[Marcelo Branco]], [[Pedro Paulo Branco]], [[Gabriel Chagas]], [[Gabino Cintra]], [[Christiano Fonseca]]</small>
|}
:<small><nowiki>*</nowiki> De Falco and Franco did not play enough boards to qualify for the title of World Champion.</small>{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

{{flagicon|Indonesia}} '''Indonesia''' finished fourth.<ref name=y1974 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1975 [[Southampton Parish, Bermuda|Southampton]], Bermuda===

For the 25th anniversary of the inaugural tournament, the 21st returned to Bermuda, as the 34th tournament would do for the 50th anniversary. Italy won its thirteenth Bermuda Bowl, its third in a row, and its last before 2005. Pietro Forquet missed this one, leaving Giorgio Belladonna alone with 13 Bowls.<ref name=todate />

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1975<ref name=y1975>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=209 21st World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1975. WBF.</ref>
 ||5||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Gianfranco Facchini]], [[Arturo Franco]], [[Benito Garozzo]], [[Vito Pittalà]], [[Sergio Zucchelli]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[Billy Eisenberg]] (USA), [[Bob Hamman]] (USA), [[Edwin Kantar]] (USA), [[Paul Soloway]] (USA), [[John Swanson (bridge)|John Swanson]] (USA), [[Bobby Wolff]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|France}} '''France'''<br><small>[[Jean-Michel Boulenger]], [[Michel Lebel]], [[François Leenhardt]], [[Christian Mari]], [[Henri Szwarc]], [[Edmond Vial]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Indonesia}} '''Indonesia''' finished fourth, Brazil fifth.<ref name=y1975 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1976 [[Monte Carlo]], Monaco===

The 22nd was the only Bermuda Bowl contested during a [[World Team Olympiad]] year.<!--an experiment that failed?--> The two Open tournaments were played back to back during three weeks in May, with Italy beaten first by the United States and then by Brazil in the finals.<ref name=y1976 /><ref name=olympiad1976>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=242 Results & Participants], 5th World Team Olympiad, 1976. WBF.</ref>

Israel finished third as the second representative of Europe.<!--see [[European Bridge League#Members]] for explanation of geographic scope-->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1976<ref name=y1976>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=210 22nd World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1976. WBF.</ref>
 ||6||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[Billy Eisenberg]] (USA), [[Fred Hamilton (bridge)|Fred Hamilton]] (USA), Erik Paulsen (USA), [[Hugh Ross (bridge)|Hugh Ross]](USA), [[Ira Rubin]] (USA), [[Paul Soloway]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Pietro Forquet]], [[Arturo Franco]], [[Benito Garozzo]], [[Vito Pittalà]], [[Antonio Vivaldi]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Israel}} '''Israel'''<br><small>[[Julian Frydrich]], [[Michael Hochzeit]], [[Sam Lev]], [[Yeshayahu Levit]], [[Pinhas Romik]], [[Eliakim Shaufel]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Brazil}} '''Brazil''' finished fourth with the same lineup that placed third in 1973 and 1974.<ref name=y1976 /> With one personnel change they won the Open Olympiad tournament that immediately following this exceptional Bermuda Bowl.<ref name=olympiad1976 /> It remains the only year with two world champion teams in the open category.

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1977 [[Manila]], Philippines===

Both teams "North America" and "Defending Champions" comprised six men from the US. The six defending champion ''players'' divided two and four, as the Aces with defending players Eisenberg and Soloway regrouped as "North America".<ref name=y1975 /><ref name=y1977 /> <!--For 1976, Eisenberg and Soloway may have been added to a four-man team that defeated the Aces.-->(Under double representation for the United States beginning in 1991, the two USA teams must face each other if both advance to the semifinal.){{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1977<ref name=y1977>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=211 23rd World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1977. WBF.</ref>
 ||6||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[Billy Eisenberg]] (USA), [[Edwin Kantar]] (USA), [[Bob Hamman]] (USA), [[Paul Soloway]] (USA), [[John Swanson (bridge)|John Swanson]] (USA), [[Bobby Wolff]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''Defending Champions'''<br><small>[[Fred Hamilton (bridge)|Fred Hamilton]] (USA), [[Mike Passell]] (USA), Erik Paulsen (USA), [[Hugh Ross (bridge)|Hugh Ross]] (USA), [[Ira Rubin]] (USA), [[Ron Von der Porten]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Sweden}} '''Sweden'''<br><small>[[Anders Brunzell]], [[Sven-Olov Flodqvist]], [[Hans Göthe]], [[Jörgen Lindqvist]], [[Anders Morath]], [[Per Olof Sundelin]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Argentina}} '''Argentina''' finished fourth.<ref name=y1977 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1979 [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil===

The 24th Bermuda Bowl was the first to be decided by a margin that is commonly scored on a single deal, merely 5 [[Glossary of contract bridge terms#IMP|IMPs]]. Malcolm Brachman's professional team of US Americans defeated Italy by that much.<!--and Belladonna–Garozzo suffered a crucial late disaster.-->

The defending champion team was not invited after 1977, so the tournament again matched one team from each WBF geographic zone that chose to participate. The number of teams remained at six because "Central America & the Caribbean" sent a team for the first time, three players from Panama and three from Venezuela with a Guadeloupe captain.<!--Ecuador?, Colombia and Venezuela were eligible to compete in CAC.--> Brachman from North America and national teams from Italy, Australia, Taiwan, and host Brazil represented the other four zones.<ref name=y1979 />

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
|width=60|1979<ref name=y1979>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=212 24th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1979. WBF.</ref>
 ||6||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''North America'''<br><small>[[Malcolm Brachman]] (USA), [[Billy Eisenberg]] (USA), [[Bobby Goldman]] (USA), [[Edwin Kantar]] (USA), [[Mike Passell]] (USA), [[Paul Soloway]] (USA)</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Dano De Falco]], [[Arturo Franco]], [[Benito Garozzo]], [[Lorenzo Lauria]], [[Vito Pittalà]]</small>
|- 
||||| style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Australia}} '''Australia'''<br><small>[[Jim Borin]], [[Norma Borin]], [[Richard Cummings (bridge)|Richard Cummings]], [[Andrew Reiner]], [[Bobby Richman]], [[Tim Seres]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Taiwan}} '''Taiwan''' finished fourth.<ref name=y1979 />
<!--Is the WBF database reliable regarding "Taiwan" and "Chinese Taipei"? Is it simply a matter of fact that we should follow?-->

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

{{anchor|1980s–2000s}}

==1980s==

The Bermuda Bowl made several changes around 1980. The defending champion team was dropped in 1979. For 1981 Europe was awarded two places in the tournament, the first expansion beyond zonal champions (plus the world champion, 1961 to 1977). There would be nine teams if every WBF zone sent a champion.<!--But CAC did not participate, and Africa did not participate until much later. Pakistan did represent Asia & Middle East.--> For 1983, European and North American champions would have two places in the 4-team semifinal round. European and North American runners up would contend with champions of the other zones and the host country for two other semifinal slots.<!--as many as 11 teams, but always 10 because none from Africa (Egypt being Middle East).--> (Europe and North America had won all the Bermuda Bowls. Outsiders had finished second in 1969–70 and 1981.) Beginning in 1985, the Bermuda Bowl for open teams and Venice Cup for women would run side by side with the same structure in a venue outside Europe and North America (maintained until 2001).<ref>... OEB "Bermuda Bowl"? ... —</ref>

===1981 Port Chester, NY , USA===

Pakistan represented "Asia and the Middle East", a novelty, and finished second, a shock. This was the third silver medal for teams from outside Europe and North America, joining Taiwan 1969–70. "Pakistani preempts" were notable and team's best player [[Zia Mahmood]] was recognized as a great one.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

For the United States, led by Bud Reinhold—who played, but not enough to qualify personally as a world champion— Levin, Rodwell, and Meckstroth made their international debuts at 23 to 25 years old, Levin being the youngest winner on record.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

Europe was represented by both Poland and Great Britain, first and second in the 18-team open flight of the [[European Teams Championship (bridge)|European championships]].<ref name=euro1981>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=45 Results & Participants], 35th European Team Championships, 1981. [[European Bridge League]] ('''EBL''').</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|- 
 |width = 60|1981<ref name=y1981>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=213 25th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1981. WBF.</ref>
 ||7 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[Russ Arnold]], [[Bobby Levin]], [[Jeff Meckstroth]], [[Eric Rodwell]], [[John Solodar]] (Bud Reinhold)*</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Pakistan}} '''Pakistan'''<br><small>[[Nishat Abedi]], [[Nisar Ahmed (bridge)|Nisar Ahmed]], [[Munir Attaullah]], [[Jan-e-Alam Fazli]], [[Zia Mahmood]], [[Masood Saleem]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Poland}} '''Poland'''<br><small>[[Aleksander Jezioro]], [[Julian Klukowski]], [[Marek Kudła]], [[Krzysztof Martens]], [[Andrzej Milde]], [[Tomasz Przybora]]</small>
|}
:<small><nowiki>*</nowiki> Reinhold did not play enough boards to qualify for the title of World Champion.</small>{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

{{flagicon|Argentina}} '''Argentina''' finished fourth.<ref name=y1981 />
<!--We have listed a tie 3-4, Poland and Argentina: Gustavo Alujas, Luis Attaguile, Hector Camberos, Agustín Santamarina, Eduardo Scanavino, David Zanalda. WBF listings do not support any Bermuda ties at higher ranks than 5th-8th. If there was a tie we also need explanation, eg round-robin with two in a final playoff.-->

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1983 [[Stockholm]], Sweden===

Beginning in 1983, North America joined Europe with double representation, and the host country was automatically included too, so the potential size of the field increased by two.<!--from 9 to 11, iicc--> United States teams finished first and second in North America while France, Italy, and world host Sweden ranked 1, 2, and 7 among 24 teams in the open European championship.<ref name=euro1983>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=44 Results & Participants, 36th European Team Championships], 1983, EBL.</ref> Under the new structure, USA1 and France earned [[bye (sports)|byes]] to the Bermuda Bowl semifinal while USA2, Italy, and Sweden contended with the champions of other zones for two more semifinal slots. Five other zones were represented, ten teams in all.

USA2 and Italy won the preliminary stage; USA1 and Italy won semifinal matches to meet in the final, the international [[swan song]] for Giorgio Belladonna and for the legendary Belladonna–Garozzo partnership.<ref>{{WBFpeople |1112 |Giorgio BELLADONNA}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|- 
 |width = 60|1983<ref name=y1983>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=214 26th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1983. WBF.</ref>
 ||10 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 1'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Mike Becker|Michael Becker]], [[Bob Hamman]], [[Ron Rubin (bridge)|Ron Rubin]], [[Alan Sontag]], [[Peter Weichsel]], [[Bobby Wolff]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Giorgio Belladonna]], [[Dano De Falco]], [[Arturo Franco]], [[Benito Garozzo]], [[Lorenzo Lauria]], [[Carlo Mosca]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|France}} '''France'''<br><small>[[Michel Corn]], [[Philippe Cronier]], [[Michel Lebel]], [[Hervé Mouiel]], [[Philippe Soulet]], [[Henri Szwarc]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 2'''{{efn|name=usa|1=
Annual rankings published by the WBF show double representation for the US in 1983 and from 1991 to date. Select "Venue" links at [http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampionships.asp?qmenuid=20 "World Team Championships to Date"]. Confirmed 2011-08-17.
<br/>• Sometimes before 1983, there was one "North America" team representing the [[American Contract Bridge League]] rather than any national team representing USA, Canada, Mexico, or Bermuda.
}}
finished fourth.<ref name=y1983/>

The size of the field increased by three, not two, because "Asia and the Middle East" (debut 1981) and "Central America and the Caribbean" (debut 1979) were both represented, by Pakistan and a transnational squad including four men from [[Jamaica]].<ref name=y1983 /> Only Africa among the eight modern geographic zones was not yet represented.<!--The 1984 Encyclopedia, 4th ed., seems to say that the contemporary Zone 8 was "everybody else". Egypt, Morocco, and the Southern Africa Federation, created by recent merger of South Africa with a Central Africa Federation.-->

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1985 [[São Paulo]], Brazil===

Beginning in 1985 the Bermuda Bowl and the Venice Cup for women have been side-by-side tournaments with the same structure. From 1985 to 2000 they were always sited outside Europe and North America.

For three cycles, 1985 to 1989, one team each from the United States and Canada represented North America. All three US teams were based on the San Francisco-area team anchored by [[Chip Martel]]–[[Lew Stansby]] and Peter Pender–Hugh Ross. They won the annual US [[Grand National Teams]] in 1982-83-85-87 (with another pair in '82, with Mike Lawrence in '87).<!--How far did GNT 83-85-87 advance this team toward BB 85-87-89? Semifinal?--><!--6-man teams with Martel–Stansby and Ross also won in 1993-96-2003 and San Francisco has won one more in 2009, with Martel. Martel-Stansby and others have finished second 2000-01-06.-->

Austria and Israel finished 1–2 among 21 open teams in Europe and placed 2–3 behind USA in São Paulo.<ref name=euro1985>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=43 Results & Participants], 37th European Team Championships, 1985. EBL.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|- 
 |width = 60|1985<ref name=y1985>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=215 27th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1985. WBF.</ref>
 ||10 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[Bob Hamman]], [[Chip Martel]], [[Peter Pender]], [[Hugh Ross (bridge)|Hugh Ross]], [[Lew Stansby]], [[Bobby Wolff]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Austria}} '''Austria'''<br><small>Heinrich Berger, Kurt Feichtinger, Jan Fucik, Wolfgang Meinl, Karl Rohan, Franz Terraneo</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Israel}} '''Israel'''<br><small>[[David Birman]], [[Sam Lev]], [[Eliakim Shaufel]], [[Shalom Zeligman]], [[Julian Frydrich]]*, [[Michael Hochzeit]]*</small><ref>[http://www.worldbridge.org/TeamChampMembers.aspx?qteamid=3459&qmenudetid=215 27th World Team Championships: Results & Participants] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517152610/http://www.worldbridge.org/TeamChampMembers.aspx?qteamid=3459&qmenudetid=215 |date=17 May 2014 }}, 1985. WBF.</ref>
|}
:<small><nowiki>*</nowiki> Frydrich and Hochzeit did not play enough boards to qualify for third place.</small>{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

{{flagicon|Brazil}} '''Brazil''' finished fourth.<ref name=y1985 />

Infrequent entries Canada, New Zealand, and India finished 8–9–10, having qualified in the familiar places of "USA 2", Australia, and Pakistan.

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1987 [[Ocho Ríos]], Jamaica===

The "San Francisco" GNT with world veterans Hamman–Wolff defended successfully.<!--Lawrence for Pender, health reasons?--> Great Britain and Sweden reversed their European finish.<ref name=euro1987>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=42 Results & Participants], 38th European Team Championships, 1987. EBL.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|- 
 |width = 60|1987<ref name=y1987>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=216 28th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1987. WBF.</ref>
 ||10 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[Bob Hamman]], [[Michael Lawrence (bridge)|Mike Lawrence]], [[Chip Martel]], [[Hugh Ross (bridge)|Hugh Ross]], [[Lew Stansby]], [[Bobby Wolff]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Great Britain}} '''Great Britain'''<br><small>[[John Armstrong (bridge)|John Armstrong]], [[Raymond Brock]], [[Jeremy Flint]], [[Tony Forrester]], [[Graham Kirby]], [[Robert Sheehan]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Sweden}} '''Sweden'''<br><small>[[Björn Fallenius]], [[Sven-Olov Flodqvist]], [[Hans Göthe]], [[Tommy Gullberg]], [[Magnus Lindkvist]], [[Per Olof Sundelin]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Chinese Taipei}} '''Chinese Taipei''' finished fourth.<ref name=y1987 />
<!--its best since the glory days?-->

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1989 [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], Australia===

Brazil won its first Bermuda Bowl, defeating a team of three "San Francisco" pairs in the final.<!--6-man GNT?-->
<!--how many veterans from the Olympiad champs?-->
<!--how many strong performances from outside Zones 1 and 2?-->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|- 
 |width = 60|1989<ref name=y1989>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=217 29th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1989. WBF.</ref>
 ||10 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Brazil}} '''Brazil'''<br><small>[[Marcelo Branco]], [[Pedro Paulo Branco]], [[Carlos Camacho]], [[Gabriel Chagas]], [[Ricardo Janz]], [[Roberto Mello]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA'''<br><small>[[Michael Lawrence (bridge)|Mike Lawrence]], [[Chip Martel]], [[Peter Pender]], [[Hugh Ross (bridge)|Hugh Ross]], [[Lew Stansby]], [[Kit Woolsey]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Poland}} '''Poland'''<br><small>[[Cezary Balicki]], [[Julian Klukowski]], [[Krzysztof Martens]], [[Krzysztof Moszczyński]], [[Marek Szymanowski]], [[Adam Żmudziński]]</small>
|}
{{flagicon|Australia}} '''Australia''' finished fourth at home.<ref name=y1989 />
<!--its best finish?-->
Egypt and Colombia represented Asia–Middle East and Central America–Caribbean. Poland and France, the best of 25 teams in Europe, finished only 3rd and 6th.<!--worst showing?-->

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

==1990s==

===1991 [[Yokohama]], Japan===

Iceland won the Bermuda Bowl after finishing fourth in Europe, the last to qualify from Zone 1. Europe's fourth, third, and second place teams won all three medals while European champion Great Britain finished 5th to 8th in the world.<ref name=euro1991>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=40 Results & Participants], 40th European Team Championships, 1991. EBL.</ref>
<!--Iceland's first high finish?-->

The tournament expanded from 10 teams with a 4-team knockout conclusion to 16 teams with an 8-team KO, without any playoffs to distinguish the four quarterfinal losers. Defending champion Brazil finished fourth, Argentina 5th to 8th. The two USA teams also finished 5th to 8th.
<!--Venezuela and Suriname, two CAC? or three South America? Today the South America confederation covers 10 including Col, Ven but not Guy, Sur who are among 20 in CAC-->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|- 
 |width = 60|1991<ref name=y1991>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=218 30th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1991. WBF.</ref>
 ||16 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Iceland}} '''Iceland'''<br><small>[[Guðmundur Páll Arnarson]], [[Örn Arnþórsson]], [[Jón Baldursson]], [[Guðlaugur Jóhannsson]], [[Þorlákur Jónsson]], [[Aðalsteinn Jörgensen]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Poland}} '''Poland'''<br><small>[[Cezary Balicki]], [[Piotr Gawryś]], [[Krzysztof Lasocki]], [[Krzysztof Martens]], [[Marek Szymanowski]], [[Adam Żmudziński]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Sweden}} '''Sweden'''<br><small>[[Sven-Åke Bjerregård]], [[Björn Fallenius]], [[Tommy Gullberg]], [[Anders Morath]], [[Mats Nilsland]], [[Per Olof Sundelin]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Brazil}} '''Brazil''' finished fourth with the same lineup that won in 1989. With expansion from 10 to 16 teams, a third entry was awarded to North America, and the American Contract Bridge League settled on two United States teams, who both finished 5th to 8th.<ref name=y1991 /> (The two US teams are determined under the auspices of the United States Bridge Federation. The other team from Zone 2 is determined by a playoff of other national teams, if necessary.){{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}
<!--For 2011 Mexico did not challenge Canada. Bermuda has previously moved to Central America & Caribbean.-->

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1993 [[Santiago, Chile]]===

Netherlands won its first Bermuda Bowl. Netherlands and Norway were fourth and third in Europe, as finalists Iceland and Poland had been two years earlier.<ref name=euro1993>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=39 Results & Participants], 41st European Team Championships, 1993. EBL.</ref>
<!--WBF shows ranks 5-6-7-8 rather than the usual 5th to 8th-->

De Boer, Leufkens, and Westra had played on the Netherlands [[World Junior Teams Championship#Results|1987 world champion junior team]]. Helgemo of Norway played on the contemporary junior team and thus won two silver medals in 1993.<!--ref that #Results table-->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|- 
 |width = 60|1993<ref name=y1993>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=219 31st World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1993. WBF.</ref>
 ||16 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Netherlands}} '''Netherlands'''<br><small>Wubbo de Boer, Piet Jansen, [[Enri Leufkens]], [[Bauke Muller]], [[Jan Westerhof]], [[Berry Westra]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Norway}} '''Norway'''<br><small>[[Terje Aa]], [[Glenn Grøtheim]], [[Geir Helgemo]], [[Tor Helness]], [[Arild Rasmussen]], [[Jon Sveindal]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Brazil}} '''Brazil'''<br><small>[[Marcelo Amaral]], [[José Barbosa]], [[Pedro Paulo Branco]], [[Carlos Camacho]], [[Gabriel Chagas]], [[Roberto Mello]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 2'''{{efn|name=usa}} finished fourth.<ref name=y1993 />
<!--including RODWELL without MECKSTROTH-->
South Africa represented Africa for the first time. Mexico won the third slot from North America.<!--unique?--> Host Chile finished last, as Japan and Jamaica had done.

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1995 Beijing, China===

This was the first win for [[Nick Nickell]]'s professional team ("Nickell" in North American tournaments). <!--Nickell, Hamman, and Meckstroth–Rodwell would play together through 2010; Nickell continues with Meckwell.-->

Canada made its best showing by far and South Africa finished fifth while the European and US champions did not reach the quarterfinal.<!--Italy's first European championship since 1979 with Belladonna–Garozzo, the first of seven consecuttive. Lauria the only veteran from that team. The worst showing by a Euro-champ?--><ref name=euro1995>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=38 Results & Participants], 42nd European Team Championships, 1995. EBL.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|- 
 |width = 60|1995<ref name=y1995>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=220 32nd World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1995. WBF.</ref>
 ||16 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 2'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Richard Freeman (bridge)|Richard Freeman]], [[Bob Hamman]], [[Jeff Meckstroth]], [[Nick Nickell]], [[Eric Rodwell]], [[Bobby Wolff]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Canada}} '''Canada'''<br><small>[[Boris Baran]], [[Fred Gitelman]], [[Eric Kokish]], [[George Mittelman]], [[Mark Molson]], [[Joey Silver]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|France}} '''France'''<br><small>[[Paul Chemla]], [[Philippe Cronier]], [[Michel Lebel]], [[Michel Perron]], [[Robert Reiplinger]], [[Philippe Soulet]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Sweden}} '''Sweden''' finished fourth.<ref name=y1995 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===1997 [[Hammamet, Tunisia]]===

France won its second Bermuda Bowl<!--veterans of how many Olympiad wins?--> as the fifth and last qualifier from Europe following another Bermuda Bowl tournament expansion.<!--Another expansion after three 16s. What do we know about it? 5 for Europe.--><ref name=euro1997>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=37 Results & Participants], 43rd European Team Championships, 1997. EBL.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|- 
 |width = 60|1997<ref name=y1997>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=221 33rd World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 1997. WBF.</ref><ref name=news1997>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Tunisia.97/hammamet.htm 1997 World Bridge Championships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412024530/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Tunisia.97/hammamet.htm |date=12 April 2012 }} contemporary coverage, 1997. WBF.</ref>
 ||18 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|France}} '''France'''<br><small>[[Paul Chemla]], [[Alain Lévy (bridge)|Alain Lévy]], [[Christian Mari]], [[Hervé Mouiel]], [[Franck Multon]], [[Michel Perron]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 2'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Richard Freeman (bridge)|Richard Freeman]], [[Bob Hamman]], [[Jeff Meckstroth]], [[Nick Nickell]], [[Eric Rodwell]], [[Bobby Wolff]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Norway}} '''Norway'''<br><small>[[Terje Aa]], [[Boye Brogeland]], [[Glenn Grøtheim]], [[Geir Helgemo]], [[Tor Helness]], Erik Sælensminde</small>
|}

{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 1'''{{efn|name=usa}} finished fourth.<ref name=y1997 />

Host Tunisia finished last and South Africa second-last.

==2000s==

===2000 [[Southampton Parish, Bermuda|Southampton]], Bermuda===

The Bermuda Bowl cycle continued as usual in 1998/1999 but the concluding tournament was in January 2000, marking the 50th anniversary of the inaugural contest in [[Hamilton, Bermuda|Hamilton]].{{efn|
Alan Truscott wrote "exactly half a century" without specifying exactly to the calendar year, month, weekday, or date.
<br>Beside the expansion, "Britain" had been succeeded by England, Scotland, and Wales as three of about forty bridge nations in "Europe".{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}
}}
In contrast to that three-way competition among teams representing America, Britain, and Europe, there were now eight geographic zones from which twenty teams qualified in numbers influenced by past bridge population and performance.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}<ref name=truscott2000>
{{cite news
|author=[[Alan Truscott]]
|title=BRIDGE: Bermuda Bowl Play Begins For World Team Supremacy
|date=8 January 2000
|work=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/21/style/bridge-a-viennese-victory.html
|access-date=17 August 2008
}}</ref>
:'''Europe''': Italy, Sweden, Norway, Bulgaria, France, Poland <small>—ranks 1 to 6 in the European championship</small><ref name=euro1999>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=36 Results & Participants], 44th European Team Championships, 1999. EBL.</ref>
:'''North America''': Canada, USA 1, USA 2{{efn|name=usa}}
:'''South America''': Argentina, Brazil
:'''Asia & Middle East''': Pakistan
:'''Central America & Caribbean''': Guadeloupe and Bermuda as the host country<!--(?) NEED DATE Bermuda move to CAC for World Teams qualification.-->
:'''Pacific Asia''': China, Taiwan, Indonesia
:'''South Pacific''': Australia, New Zealand
:'''Africa''': South Africa

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
!Year||width=20|Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2000<ref name=y2000>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=222 34th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 2000. WBF.</ref><ref name=news2000>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Bermuda.00/default.htm Orbis World Bridge Championships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516034028/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Bermuda.00/default.htm |date=16 May 2012 }} contemporary coverage, 2000. WBF.</ref>
<small>(1999 cycle)</small>
 ||20 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 1'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Richard Freeman (bridge)|Richard Freeman]], [[Bob Hamman]], [[Jeff Meckstroth]], [[Nick Nickell]], [[Eric Rodwell]], [[Paul Soloway]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Brazil}} '''Brazil'''<br><small>[[Marcelo Branco]], [[João Paulo Campos]], [[Gabriel Chagas]], [[Ricardo Janz]], [[Roberto Mello]], [[Miguel Villasboas]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 2'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Chip Martel]], [[Lew Stansby]], [[Zia Mahmood]], [[Michael Rosenberg]], [[Neil Silverman]], [[Jeff Wolfson]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Norway}} '''Norway''' finished fourth.<ref name=y2000 />

Europe's six teams all finished in the top ten but only Norway reached the semifinal. Bermuda finished last, the fifth time for six hosts since 1989.<!--Canada only 19th between Guadeloupe and Bermuda-->

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===2001 Paris, France===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2001<ref name=y2001>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=223 35th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 2001. WBF.</ref><ref name=news2001>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Paris.01/Paris.htm World Bridge Championships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516033947/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Paris.01/Paris.htm |date=16 May 2012 }} contemporary coverage, 2001. WBF.</ref>
 ||18 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 2'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Kyle Larsen]], [[Chip Martel]], [[Rose Meltzer]], [[Alan Sontag]], [[Lew Stansby]], [[Peter Weichsel]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Norway}} '''Norway'''<br><small>[[Terje Aa]], [[Boye Brogeland]], [[Glenn Grøtheim]], [[Geir Helgemo]], [[Tor Helness]], [[Erik Sælensminde]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Poland}} '''Poland'''<br><small>[[Cezary Balicki]], [[Michał Kwiecień]], [[Marcin Leśniewski]], [[Krzysztof Martens]], [[Jacek Pszczoła]], [[Adam Żmudziński]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy''' finished fourth.<ref name=y2001 />
<!--USA 1 defending champion fifth, maybe worth details-->
<!--Italy fourth, its best in four tries as Euro-champ!--><!--Russia and Israel 4-5 in Europe only 10-11 in BB, very low. India and Indonesia reached the quarterfinals.-->

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===2003 [[Monte Carlo]], Monaco===

Expansion to 22 teams. Perennial European champions Italy returned to the top ranks of the Bermuda Bowl competition, but lost to USA 1 in the finals.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2003<ref name=y2003>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=345 36th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 2003. WBF.</ref><ref name=news2003>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Montecarlo.03/Monaco.htm World Bridge Championships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202075653/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Montecarlo.03/Monaco.htm |date=2 December 2011 }} contemporary coverage, 2003. WBF.</ref>
 ||22 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 1'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Richard Freeman (bridge)|Richard Freeman]], [[Bob Hamman]], [[Jeff Meckstroth]], [[Nick Nickell]], [[Eric Rodwell]], [[Paul Soloway]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Norberto Bocchi]], [[Giorgio Duboin]], [[Fulvio Fantoni]]{{ref|a}}, [[Lorenzo Lauria]], [[Claudio Nunes]]{{ref|a}}, [[Alfredo Versace]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 2'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Doug Doub]], [[Steve Landen]], [[Pratap Rajadhyaksha]], [[Adam Wildavsky]] ([[Dan Morse (bridge)|Dan Morse]], [[Bobby Wolff]])*</small>
|}
:<small><nowiki>*</nowiki> Morse and Wolff did not play enough boards to qualify for third place.</small>{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

{{flagicon|Norway}} '''Norway''' finished fourth.<ref name=y2003 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===2005 [[Estoril]], Portugal===

Italy's 14th Bermuda Bowl win was its first since 1975.<ref name=todate />

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2005<ref name=y2005>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=369 37th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 2005. WBF.</ref><ref name=news2005>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Estoril.05/Estoril.htm World Team Championships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202075933/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/estoril.05/estoril.htm |date=2 December 2011 }} contemporary coverage, 2005. WBF.</ref>
 ||22 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Italy}} '''Italy'''<br><small>[[Norberto Bocchi]], [[Giorgio Duboin]], [[Fulvio Fantoni]]{{ref|a}}, [[Lorenzo Lauria]], [[Claudio Nunes]]{{ref|a}}, [[Alfredo Versace]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 1'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Richard Freeman (bridge)|Richard Freeman]], [[Bob Hamman]], [[Jeff Meckstroth]], [[Nick Nickell]], [[Eric Rodwell]], [[Paul Soloway]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 2'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Fred Gitelman]], [[Eric Greco]], [[Geoff Hampson]], [[Russ Ekeblad]], [[Brad Moss]], [[Ron Rubin (bridge)|Ron Rubin]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|Sweden}} '''Sweden''' finished fourth.<ref name=y2005 />

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

{{note|a}}[[Fulvio Fantoni]] and [[Claudio Nunes]] of the Italian teams were later found cheating, and are currently barred from play by multiple bridge associations.

===2007 [[Shanghai]], China===

The 38th Bermuda Bowl saw Norway win its first title, after two second, one third, and two fourth from 1993. Helgemo–Helness and Glenn Grøtheim were members of all six teams.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2007<ref name=y2007>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=419 38th World Team Championships: Results & Participants], 2007. WBF.</ref><ref name=news2007>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Shanghai.07/Shanghai.htm 38th World Team Championships] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202075957/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/shanghai.07/shanghai.htm |date=2 December 2011 }} contemporary coverage, 2007. WBF.</ref>
 ||22 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|Norway}} '''Norway'''<br><small>[[Boye Brogeland]], [[Glenn Grøtheim]], [[Geir Helgemo]], [[Tor Helness]], [[Erik Sælensminde]], [[Ulf Håkon Tundal]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 1'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Steve Garner]], [[George Jacobs (bridge)|George Jacobs]], [[Ralph Katz]], [[Zia Mahmood]], [[Michael Rosenberg]], [[Howard Weinstein]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|Netherlands}} '''Netherlands'''<br><small>[[Ton Bakkeren]], [[Huub Bertens]], [[Sjoert Brink]], [[Bas Drijver]], [[Simon de Wijs]], [[Bauke Muller]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|South Africa}} '''South Africa''' finished fourth.<ref name=y2007 /><!--how many for Africa? maybe a first?-->
Its advance to the quarterfinal was a surprise<!--how many for Africa? maybe a first?-->
and there it knocked out the defending champion and advance favourite Italy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Shanghai.07/Bulletin/Bul1501.htm|title=38th World Team Championships: Daily Bulletin No. 15|publisher=WBF official website|access-date=18 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015172508/http://worldbridge.org/tourn/Shanghai.07/Bulletin/bul1501.htm|archive-date=15 October 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

===2009 [[São Paulo]], Brazil===

This was the fourth win for Nick Nickell's professional teams representing the United States (1995, 2000, 2003, 2009). Meckstroth–Rodwell and Bob Hamman were also members of all four teams.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2009<ref name=y2009>[http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/worldchampionships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=466 39th World Team Championships: Results & Participants]. WBF. Confirmed 2011-08-15.</ref><ref name=news2009>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/SaoPaulo.htm 39th World Team Championships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111221014112/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/SaoPaulo.htm |date=21 December 2011 }} contemporary coverage, 2009. WBF.</ref>
 ||22 ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.||{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 2'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Bob Hamman]], [[Zia Mahmood]], [[Jeff Meckstroth]], [[Eric Rodwell]], [[Nick Nickell]], [[Ralph Katz]]*</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.||{{flagicon|ITA}} '''Italy''' <br><small>[[Antonio Sementa]], [[Giorgio Duboin]], [[Fulvio Fantoni]]{{ref|a}}, [[Claudio Nunes]]{{ref|a}}, [[Lorenzo Lauria]], [[Alfredo Versace]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.||{{flagicon|BUL}} '''Bulgaria''' <br><small>[[Victor Aronov]], [[Diyan Danailov]], [[Kalin Karaivanov]], [[Georgi Karakolev]], [[Julian Stefanov]], [[Roumen Trendafilov]]</small>
|}
:<small><nowiki>*</nowiki> Katz was the replacement for Richard Freeman, who died after USA 2 qualified for the Bermuda Bowl.</small><ref>{{cite journal|date=November 2009| title = Dick Freeman: The Bridge World Interview| journal = The Bridge World| volume = 81| issue = 2| page = 26| location = Scarsdale, NY| publisher = Bridge World Magazine Inc| issn = 0006-9876}}</ref>

{{flagicon|China}} '''China''' "Long Zhu" finished fourth. Beside China and the American winners, the quarterfinalists were all six teams from Europe.<ref name=y2009 /> Bulgaria placed third after winning the first European Small Federations Trophy in 2007, for national teams representing no more than 500 players.<ref>[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampionships.asp?qmenuid=57 European Small Federations Trophy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927130013/http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampionships.asp?qmenuid=57 |date=27 September 2011 }}. European Bridge League. Retrieved 2011-07-06.</ref>

<!--whitespace--> <!--whitespace-->

==2010s==

===2011 [[Veldhoven]], Netherlands===

The 40th Bermuda Bowl tournament concluded Saturday, 29 October.<ref name=news2011 />

Italy had routed the USA champions 167–69 in a one-day match for the bronze medal while the host Netherlands faced USA 2 in a three-day final. The Dutch hosts led by 55 IMP after two days (96 deals) and scored very well in the first session on Saturday to lead by 83 and coast to victory.<!--300 248 needs confirmation -->
<!--According to some commentary, five USA and four NED players are youngsters (under 35?). All but Zagorin, Muller, Verhees. -->

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2011<ref name=news2011>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Veldhoven.htm 40th World Team Championships] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519094011/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Veldhoven.htm |date=19 May 2011 }} contemporary coverage, 2011. WBF. Retrieved 2011-07-10.</ref><ref name=y2011>[http://www.worldbridge.org/TeamChampRP.aspx?qmenudetid=513 40th World Team Championships: Results & Participants]. WBF. Retrieved 2011-12-01.</ref>
 ||22  ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.|| {{flagicon|NED}} '''Netherlands''' <br><small>[[Sjoert Brink]], [[Bas Drijver]], [[Bauke Muller]], [[Ricco van Prooijen]], [[Louk Verhees]], [[Simon de Wijs]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.|| {{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 2'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Kevin Bathurst]], [[Joe Grue]], John Hurd, [[Justin Lall]], [[Joel Wooldridge]], [[Daniel Zagorin]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.|| {{flagicon|ITA}} '''Italy''' <br><small>[[Norberto Bocchi]], [[Agustín Madala]], [[Giorgio Duboin]], [[Antonio Sementa]], [[Lorenzo Lauria]], [[Alfredo Versace]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 1'''{{efn|name=usa}} finished fourth. The losing quarterfinalists were Israel, Sweden, Iceland, and China.<ref name=y2011/>

Netherlands won the 2011 Bermuda Bowl by 300 to 255
{{gcb|IMP}} in three days play against USA 2,<ref name=final2011>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/knockoutphase.asp?qtournid=885&qphase=FF 40th Bermuda Bowl Knockout: Final] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225124252/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/knockoutphase.asp?qtournid=885&qphase=FF |date=25 December 2011 }}, 2011. WBF.</ref>
the second of two entries from the United States.{{efn|name=usa}}

{| class="wikitable" style="width:50%;"
|+Final match, IMP scores in eight segments
|-
! colspan=2| ||1||2||3||4||5||6||7||8 ||Total
|- align=center
 |align=left|'''USA 2''' ||0 ||44 ||43 ||21 ||16 ||32 ||33 ||26 ||40 || style="background:#eee;"| '''255'''
|- align=center
 |align=left|'''Netherlands''' ||1 ||31 ||35 ||63 ||54 ||37 ||23 ||47  ||&nbsp;9 || style="background:#eee;"| '''300'''
|- align=center
 | ||<small>{{gcb|carryover|Carry}}</small> || colspan="3" style="width:24%;"| day 1 || colspan="3" style="width:24%;"| day 2 || colspan="2" style="width:16%;"| day&nbsp;3 ||
|}

The final eight segments of 16 {{gcb|deal}}s each started with an insignificant one IMP {{gcb|carryover}} advantage for Dutch home team. The one IMP represented half the margin in their short match, a 25–23 win for Netherlands in round two.<ref>[http://www.worldbridge1.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/RoundTeams.asp?redirect=1&qtournid=881&qroundno=2 Open round-robin, round 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426045123/http://www.worldbridge1.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/RoundTeams.asp?redirect=1&qtournid=881&qroundno=2 |date=26 April 2012 }}.</ref>
With a strong third segment, Netherlands surged to a 130–108 lead after one day and then extended the difference to as much as 65 on day two ultimately finishing 55 IMPs ahead after six segments. After day three's seventh segment, the margin increased to 76 IMPs, nearly decisive with only 16 deals to play. The Americans rebounded in the last segment but the gains were "too small" as time ran out.<ref>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/BoardDetailsKO.asp?qmatchid=40231&qphase=FF Open final segment scorecard]{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. WBF.</ref>

;Preliminary
There were 22 national teams in the field, who represented the eight WBF zones as follows.<ref>
[[#40th|40th World Teams]], "Participants".
</ref>
The regular quota for Europe is six teams, seven at Veldhoven because the host country qualifies automatically.#
:'''Europe''': Italy, Poland, Israel, Iceland, Sweden, Netherlands, Bulgaria <small>—ranks 1 to 7 in the European championship</small><ref name=euro2010>
[http://www.eurobridge.org/competitions/european_championships/TeamChampRP.asp?qmenudetid=486 Results & Participants], 50th European Team Championships, 2010. [[European Bridge League]].</ref>
:'''North America''': Canada, USA 1, USA 2{{efn|name=usa}}
:'''South America''': Brazil, Chile
:'''Asia & Middle East''': India, Pakistan
:'''C. America & Carib.''': Guadeloupe
:'''Pacific Asia''': China, Japan, Singapore
:'''South Pacific''': Australia, New Zealand
:'''Africa''': Egypt, South Africa
The first stage was a full round-robin. Every team played 21 short matches of 16 deals, three daily, scheduled in advance.{{efn|
[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Documents/ScheduleOfPlay_BermudaBowl.pdf Schedule of Play / Bermuda Bowl]. 2011. WBF.
<br>Given the full round-robin structure, the particular schedule should make no difference in the outcome of the first stage.
}}
<!--If and when, the Main article should cover Round 21 or day seven in some detail. Also give some comparison across flights. See Bridge at the 1st World Mind Sports Games for example. -->
Italy, Netherlands, USA 2, and Israel earned the first four places comfortably, each almost a full match ahead of the next place. The US champions finished fifth by scoring 340.5 {{gcb|victorypoints|Victory Points}}, or 16.2 per match where a draw is worth 15.<!--Women and Seniors last qualifiers scored 352 and 345. --> Sweden, China, and Iceland qualified with fewer than 16 VP per match while Japan, New Zealand, and Australia made strong showings as the first three also-rans, ahead of two Europeans, Poland and Bulgaria.<ref>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/RoundTeams.asp?qtournid=881&qroundno=21 Open round-robin standings]{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref>
(All six Europeans had qualified for knockout play two years earlier.)<ref name=y2009/>

Italy, Netherlands, and USA 2 selected quarterfinal opponents China, Iceland, and Sweden leaving Israel to face USA 1. Italy and China, second and fourth in 2009, played the only close match, where Italy built a 5 IMP lead to 26 during the last segment. During the same segment Sweden trailed USA 2 by at least 30, Iceland trailed by almost 100, and Israel conceded to USA 1 without play.<ref>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/knockoutphase.asp?qtournid=885&qphase=QF Open quarterfinals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227200250/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/knockoutphase.asp?qtournid=885&qphase=QF |date=27 December 2011 }}. WBF.</ref><ref>[http://www.worldbridge1.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/BoardDetailsKO.asp?redirect=1&qmatchid=39669&qphase=QF Sweden–USA 2 final segment scorecard] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426044513/http://www.worldbridge1.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/BoardDetailsKO.asp?redirect=1&qmatchid=39669&qphase=QF |date=26 April 2012 }}. WBF.</ref>

Two US American entries in a Zonal Teams knockout always meet in one semifinal match, if they survive so long (and they never meet earlier).# In Veldhoven a strong fifth segment was almost decisive for USA 2, who extended a lead from 12 to 62 IMP with 16 deals to play, and won by 60. Meanwhile, Italy and Netherlands were nearly even at the end of every segment, the only time players know the score precisely. After five Netherlands led by 3+ IMP including 2+ carryover, having bettered Italy 155 to 154 on 80 deals. They "won" the final segment by 26 and the match by 199+ to 170.<ref>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/knockoutphase.asp?qtournid=885&qphase=SF Open semifinals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201120759/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/knockoutphase.asp?qtournid=885&qphase=SF |date=1 December 2011 }}.</ref>
In retrospect, two "slam swings" were decisive. On the 87th and 90th deals (#23, #29), Netherlands bid 6{{spades}} and 6{{hearts}} while Italy bid 4{{spades}} and 4{{hearts}}. All four declarers took the twelve tricks for slam, worth twice 13 IMP for the winners.
<ref>[http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Microsite/Results/BoardDetailsKO.asp?qmatchid=39081&qphase=SF Netherlands–Italy final segment scorecard]{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref>

While Netherlands and USA 2 played for the Bowl, Italy easily beat the US champions in 48 deals and earned the bronze medal, 167–69.<ref name=final2011/>

===2013 [[Bali]], Indonesia===

Italy won its 15th Bermuda Bowl with a 210–126 defeat of Monaco, represented by Pierre Zimmermann's immigrant professional team. Poland won the bronze medal by a fraction less than 5 IMPs.<ref>[http://www.worldbridge.org/repository/tourn/bali.13/microsite/bulletins/Bul_14.pdf World Bridge Bulletin, 2013 championships]</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2013 &nbsp;
 ||22  ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.|| {{flagicon|ITA}} '''Italy''' <br><small>[[Norberto Bocchi]], [[Agustín Madala]], [[Giorgio Duboin]], [[Antonio Sementa]], [[Lorenzo Lauria]], [[Alfredo Versace]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.|| {{flagicon|MON}} '''Monaco'''{{efn|name=usa}} <br><small>[[Fulvio Fantoni]]{{ref|a}}, [[Claudio Nunes]]{{ref|a}}, [[Geir Helgemo]], [[Tor Helness]], [[Franck Multon]], [[Pierre Zimmermann (bridge)|Pierre Zimmermann]]</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.|| {{flagicon|POL}} '''Poland''' <br><small>[[Cezary Balicki]], [[Krzysztof Buras]], [[Krzysztof Jassem]], [[Marcin Mazurkiewicz]], [[Grzegorz Narkiewicz]], [[Adam Żmudziński]]</small>
|}

{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA1''' finished fourth.{{efn|name=usa}}

===2015 Chennai, India===
The two-week tournament in [[Chennai]], India (formerly Madras), began on Sunday, 27 September, with one week of round-robin play through Saturday, 3 October.<ref name="42nd World Championships">{{cite web|title=42nd World Championships|url=http://www.worldbridge.org/TeamChampRP.aspx?qmenudetid=2047|website=World Bridge Federation|access-date=5 August 2016}}</ref>
During the preceding month, revelations of cheating by two of the leading pairs, at events including the 2014 European Team Championships, had led to withdrawal from the Bermuda Bowl by the Israel and Monaco teams that had placed first and second in that event. Germany had dropped from the 22-team field after one of its three pairs confessed "preemptively".<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/big-rich-cheaters-bridge-world-rocked-top-players-busted-375414 "Big, Rich Cheaters! Bridge World Rocked as Top Players Busted"]. John Walters. ''Newsweek''. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-27.</ref> On the last day before the first matches in Chennai, the World Bridge Federation had announced its withdrawal of credentials for one of three pairs on the Poland team, making that pair ineligible to play, however Poland were not forced to withdraw.<ref>[http://wbchampbulletin.org/communication-from-the-wbf-credentials-committee "Communication from the WBF Credentials Committee"]. World Bridge Champ Bulletin (wbchampbulletin.org). WBF. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-27.</ref> (Two pairs from each team participate in each segment.)

The Bermuda Bowl was won by Poland, who defeated Sweden in the final by 308.5 IMPs to 293. The bronze medal went to USA2, who defeated England in the third-place match 252.3 to 243.<ref name="42nd World Championships"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2015 &nbsp;
 ||22  ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.|| {{POL}} <br><small>Piotr Gawrys, Krzysztof Jassem, [[Jacek Kalita]], Michal Klukowski, Marcin Mazurkiewicz, [[Michal Nowosadzki]], Piotr Walczak npc</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.|| {{SWE}} <br><small>Tommy Bergdahl, Fredrik Nyström, Johan Sylvan, Johan Upmark, Niklas Warne, Frederic Wrang, Jan Lagerman npc</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.|| {{USA}} 2<br><small>Vincent Demuy, Paul Fireman, John Hurd, John Kranyak, Gavin Wolpert, Joel Wooldridge, Shane Blanchard npc</small>
|}

{{flagicon|ENG}} '''England''' finished fourth.

===2017 Lyon, France===
<ref>[http://championships.worldbridge.org/lyonwt17/43rd-world-bridge-teams-championships-the-winners 43rd World Bridge Teams Championships: the Winners]</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2017 &nbsp;
 ||22  ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.|| {{USA}} 2 <br><small>[[Martin Fleisher]], [[Joe Grue]], [[Chip Martel]], [[Brad Moss]], [[Jacek Pszczoła]], [[Michael Rosenberg]], [[Jan Martel (bridge)|Jan Martel]] npc</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.|| {{FRA}} <br><small>[[Thomas Bessis]], [[Francois Combescure]], [[Cédric Lorenzini]], [[Jean-Christophe Quantin]], [[Jerome Rombaut]], [[Frederic Volcker]], [[Lionel Sebbane]] npc</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.|| {{BUL}} <br><small>[[Viktor Aronov]], [[Diana Damianova]], [[Georgi Karakolev]], [[Vladimir Mihov]], [[Ivan Nanev]], [[Julian Stefanov]], Viktor Aronov pc, Marta Nikolova coach</small>
|}
{{flagicon|NZL}} '''New Zealand''' finished fourth.

===2019 Wuhan, China===
<ref>[http://championships.worldbridge.org/wuhanwt19 44th World Team Championships]</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2019 &nbsp;
 ||24  ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.|| {{POL}} <br><small>[[Krzysztof Buras]], [[Bartosz Chmurski]], [[Jacek Kalita]], [[Grzegorz Narkiewicz]], [[Michal Nowosadzki]], [[Piotr Tuczynski]], [[Marek Pietrasek]] (npc), [[Marek Wojcicki]] (coach)</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.|| {{NED}} <br><small>[[Simon De Wijs]], [[Bob Drijver]], [[Bauke Muller]], [[Bart Nab]], [[Ricco van Prooijen]], [[Louk Verhees Jr.]], [[Anton Maas]] (npc), [[Ton Bakkeren]] (coach)</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.|| {{NOR}} <br><small>[[Terje Aa]], [[Boye Brogeland]], [[Nils Kare Kvangraven]], [[Espen Lindqvist]], [[Allan Livgard]], [[Ulf Haakon Tundal]], [[Christian Venneroed]] (npc), [[Sten Bjertnes]] (coach)</small>
|}
{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 1''' finished fourth.

==2020s==
===2022 Salsomaggiore, Italy===
Tournament scheduled for 2021 but held in 2022 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]<ref>{{cite web | title=The Bermuda Bowl 2022| website=World Bridge Federation | url=http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/wbf-championships/world-bridge-teams-championships/the-bermuda-bowl/#2022-salsomaggiore-italy | access-date=2022-04-19}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2022 &nbsp;
 ||24  ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.|| {{SWI}} <br><small>[[Sjoert Brink]], [[Bas Drijver]], [[Piotr Gawryś]], [[Michał Klukowski]], [[Fernando Piedra]], [[Pierre Zimmermann (bridge)|Pierre Zimmermann]], [[Krzysztof Martens]] (coach)</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.|| {{NED}} <br><small>[[Simon de Wijs]], [[Bauke Muller]], [[Berend van den Bos]], [[Joris van Lankveld]], [[Ricco van Prooijen]], [[Louk Verhees Jr]], [[Gert-Jan Ros]] (npc), [[Ton Bakkeren]] (coach)</small>
|- 
 |rowspan=2| 
 |rowspan=2|
 |rowspan=2 style="background:#c96;"|3.|| {{NOR}} <br><small>[[Terje Aa]], [[Christian Bakke]], [[Boye Brogeland]], [[Geir Helgemo]], [[Tor Helness]], [[Allan Livgård]], [[Tolle Stabell]] (npc), [[Sten Bjertnes]] (coach)</small>
|- 
 ||{{USA}} 1 <br><small>[[Eric Greco]], [[Geoff Hampson]], [[Ralph Katz]], [[Bobby Levin]], [[Nick Nickell]], [[Steve Weinstein]], [[Jill Levin]] (npc), [[Eric Kokish]] (coach)</small>
|}

===2023 Marrakech, Morocco===
<ref>[http://championships.worldbridge.org/marrakech2023 46th World Team Championships]</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Year||Entries||Rank||
|-
 |width=60|2023 &nbsp;
 ||24  ||  style="background:gold; width:30px;"|1.|| {{SWI}} <br><small>[[Sjoert Brink]], [[Bas Drijver]], [[Jacek Kalita]], [[Michał Klukowski]], [[Michal Nowosadzki]], [[Pierre Zimmermann (bridge)|Pierre Zimmermann]], Fernando Piedra (npc), Luis Lantaron (coach)</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:silver;"|2.|| {{NOR}} <br><small>[[Terje Aa]], [[Christian Bakke]], [[Boye Brogeland]], [[Tor Eivind Grude]], [[Geir Helgemo]], [[Allan Livgård]], Tolle Stabell (npc), Sten Bjertnes (coach)</small>
|- 
 ||| || style="background:#c96;"|3.|| {{ITA}} <br><small>[[Massimiliano di Franco]], [[Giovanni Donati]], [[Andrea Manno]], [[Giacomo Percario]], [[Antonio Sementa]], [[Alfredo Versace]], Alessandro Piana (npc)</small>
|}
{{flagicon|USA}} '''USA 2''' finished fourth.
{{anchor|zonal}}

==Medals (1950-2023)==
{{Medals table
 | caption        = 
 | flag_template  = 
 | event          = 
 | team           = 
 | gold_USA = 19| silver_USA = 21| bronze_USA = 6
 | gold_ITA = 15| silver_ITA = 6 | bronze_ITA = 2
 | gold_FRA = 2 | silver_FRA = 3 | bronze_FRA = 6
 | gold_POL = 2 | silver_POL = 1 | bronze_POL = 6
 | gold_NED = 2 | silver_NED = 2 | bronze_NED = 1
 | gold_NOR = 1 | silver_NOR = 3 | bronze_NOR = 4
 | gold_GBR = 1 | silver_GBR = 2 | bronze_GBR = 1
 | gold_BRA = 1 | silver_BRA = 1 | bronze_BRA = 3
 | gold_SWI = 2 | silver_SWI = 0 | bronze_SWI = 0
 | gold_CAN = 0 | silver_CAN = 5 | bronze_CAN = 0
 | gold_SWE = 0 | silver_SWE = 2 | bronze_SWE = 2
 | gold_TPE = 0 | silver_TPE = 2 | bronze_TPE = 0
 | gold_AUT = 0 | silver_AUT = 1 | bronze_AUT = 0
 | gold_MON = 0 | silver_MON = 1 | bronze_MON = 0
 | gold_PAK = 0 | silver_PAK = 1 | bronze_PAK = 0
 | gold_ARG = 0 | silver_ARG = 0 | bronze_ARG = 4
 | gold_AUS = 0 | silver_AUS = 0 | bronze_AUS = 2
 | gold_BUL = 0 | silver_BUL = 0 | bronze_BUL = 2
 | gold_ISR = 0 | silver_ISR = 0 | bronze_ISR = 2
 | gold_ISL = 1 | silver_ISL = 0 | bronze_ISL = 0
 | gold_VEN = 0 | silver_VEN = 0 | bronze_VEN = 1
}}

==Zones and nations==
:''See the [[Senior Bowl (bridge)#Zones and nations|version at "Senior Bowl"]].''

==See also==
* [[World Team Olympiad]]
* [[2021 World Bridge Team Championships]]

==Notes==
{{notelist |25em}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
;Citations
{{refbegin}}
*<span id=40th>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110519094011/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Veldhoven.htm 40th World Team Championships] contemporary website. 2011. WBF. Retrieved 2011-07-10.</span>
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal  |author = Alfred P. Sheinwold |author-link = Alfred Sheinwold |editor = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| editor-link = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| year = 1950| title = First International Team-of-Four Match
| journal = The Bridge World| volume = 22| issue = 3| pages = 7–29| location = New York}}
* {{cite journal  |author = Julius Rosenblum |author-link = Julius Rosenblum |editor = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| year = 1951| title = The 1951 International Team-of-Four Championship | journal = The Bridge World| volume = 23| issue = 3| pages = 2–9| location = New York}}
* {{cite journal  |author = Theodore Lightner |author-link = Theodore Lightner |editor = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| year = 1953| title = Some Hands from the World's Championships | journal = The Bridge World| volume = 24| issue = 4| pages = 2–10| location = New York}}
* {{cite journal  | author = Alphonse Moyse Jr. |editor = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| year = 1954| title = The 1953 World Championships | journal = The Bridge World| volume = 25| issue = 5| pages = 2–11| location = New York}}
* {{cite journal  |author = Terence Reese |author-link = Terence Reese|editor = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| year = 1955| title = The World Championship | journal = The Bridge World| volume = 26| issue = 4| pages = 22–24| location = New York}}
* {{cite journal  | author = Alphonse Moyse Jr. |editor = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| year = 1955| title = The 1955 World Championship | journal = The Bridge World| volume = 26| issue = 5| pages = 2–15| location = New York}}
* {{cite journal  | author = Alphonse Moyse Jr. |editor = Alphonse Moyse, Jr.| year = 1955| title = The 1955 World Championship, Part II | journal = The Bridge World| volume = 26| issue = 6| pages = 16–27| location = New York}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160820094956/http://www.worldbridge.org/world-team-championships.aspx?qmenuid=20 World Team Championships] at the World Bridge Federation. Confirmed 2010-11-07.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110519094011/http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/Veldhoven.11/Veldhoven.htm 40th World Team Championships]. 2011 tournament dedicated website. Retrieved 2011-05-26.

{{WPCBIndex}}

[[Category:Contract bridge world competitions]]

[[fr:Championnat du monde de bridge#Bermuda Bowl et Venice Cup]]