2008 USBF Junior Trials in Las Vegas

[JanM]

The ECATS site, which publishes all the WBF information, says:

 

The World Junior Team Championship

for the Ortiz-Patiño Trophy

 

This Championship is for players aged under 26 (born in 1982 or later). The teams for this event will qualify through their own Zonal Championships.

 

The World Junior Team Championship

for the Damiani Cup.

 

This Championship is for players aged under 21 (born in 1987 or later). The teams for this event will also qualify through their own Zonal Championships.

 

I'm fairly confident that is correct, and I would find it absolutely amazing if when a player's zone chose to hold its Trials had any effect on the player's eligibility.

[jvage]

I think both Harald and Jan are correct, but they approach from different angles. World Youth Championships are restricted to U21 and U26. Almost all other youth events (not counting University Championships for U28), including European and other Zonal Championships are U20 and U25.

 

John

[skjaeran]

That's strange, since article 4.5 in the WBF General Conditions of Contest say:

As a general rule, players competing in Junior events shall be aged 25 years or younger on 01 January of the year in which the competition is to take place. In the case of special events (e.g. for younger players or University events), the Supplementary Conditions of Contest shall detail the age requirements.

OK, they put in "as a general rule", which possibly would allow a change. I'm surprised if they've changed from what's been a strict rule for 20 years.

[JanM]

That's strange, since article 4.5 in the WBF General Conditions of Contest say:

As a general rule, players competing in Junior events shall be aged 25 years or younger on 01 January of the year in which the competition is to take place. In the case of special events (e.g. for younger players or University events), the Supplementary Conditions of Contest shall detail the age requirements.

OK, they put in "as a general rule", which possibly would allow a change. I'm surprised if they've changed from what's been a strict rule for 20 years.

I don't actually think that's inconsistent with the rule that players in the Patino Cup (U26) have to have been born in 1982 or later. I believe that a person born in 1982 would have become 25 on his or her birthday in 2007 and would therefore be 25 on January 1 of 2008.

[skjaeran]

That's strange, since article 4.5 in the WBF General Conditions of Contest say:

As a general rule, players competing in Junior events shall be aged 25 years or younger on 01 January of the year in which the competition is to take place. In the case of special events (e.g. for younger players or University events), the Supplementary Conditions of Contest shall detail the age requirements.

OK, they put in "as a general rule", which possibly would allow a change. I'm surprised if they've changed from what's been a strict rule for 20 years.

I don't actually think that's inconsistent with the rule that players in the Patino Cup (U26) have to have been born in 1982 or later. I believe that a person born in 1982 would have become 25 on his or her birthday in 2007 and would therefore be 25 on January 1 of 2008.

Yeah, you're right - I misread.

 

There's a change in the GCC from how it used to be. I see this GCC was implemented in May 2005, which means this change took place prior to the last World Youth Teams Championships.

[PeterGill]

I have just become the Secretary of thw WBF Youth Bridge Committee,

so one would think that I might know.....

 

Jan is correct and Harald's earlier posts were incorrect.

 

The age limits are very simple:

 

U28 = born 1/1/80 or later

U26 = born 1/1/82 or later

U21 = born 1/1/87 or later

 

The history is:

 

In 1987 the World Junior Teams was for under 25 year olds.

 

In 1989 the Wortld Junior Teams was held in Nottingham England. One particular English chap whom I won't name - not Robin Hood :) - lobbied the WBF to allow European teams to field palyers up to one year older than the rest of the field, because their Zonal selection event (like North America's) was held a year

earlier and they should be allowed to field the same players who qualified.

He was succcesful in his lobbying.

 

From 1989 to 1999, the World Junior Teams thus had two age limits. The Zones which won every year (Europe and North America) were allowed to field players one year older than the rest of the field were. This had various consequences, e.g. this contributed (in part) to the disqualification of one of the semi-finalists in 1999 in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Soon after Fort Lauderdale, some Zone 6 and Zone 7 people (whose qualifying events were held in the same year as the World Junior Teams Championship, making their teams a year younger than Europe and North America) lobbied for all (or no) countries to obtain the extra year of age, in the interest of an equal playing field. Thier lobbying was successful. The relevant emails are available on request.

 

So Harald was describing the situation as it was in the 1990s. By simply checking the online Regulations of the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006 World Junior Championships, one can confirm that Harald's idea has not been the case for many years. Harald, being from Europe where nothing changed, did not need to know that the disadvantage placed on 5 of the 7 Zones had been removed and that world junior bridge this century has been a level playing field.

 

Peter Gill

Australia

 

like Jan, speaking in an unofficial capacity