In two weeks, on June 21, the most important event of the year, not only of Polish, but also of world bridge, will begin in Poznan: 11th European Transnational Championship: European Open Championship. The competition at the green tables will last until July 5, with the participation of several thousand players from all over the world, including the brightest shining stars of our most beautiful of mental sports!
There will be something nice for everyone: 8 main tournaments (4 teams and pairs each) – participation in any of them is a guarantee of playing nearly two hundred hands against hundreds of rivals. The Open formula means that, without any playing qualification or gaining any limit of ranking points, EVERYONE who pays the entry fee can take part in this championship. It is worth emphasizing this over and over again: only in bridge can you compete with the world champion, and even beat him – at short range! It’s a bit like being able to shoot a penalty against Wojciech Szczesny or play a game against Iga Świątek….
The arena of the tournament will be the best playing hall in our country, located on the area of the Poznan International Fair, which is one of the partners of the championship. Comfortable, huge (with the area of a football field – on two levels in total), well soundproofed, illuminated and air-conditioned.
- Catering stands in the form of buffets (2 types of soups and 3 second courses) will be set up especially for the participants; points serving coffee and other drinks, as well as sandwiches or salads will also be open.
- Games will always start at 10:00 a.m. and end – depending on the competition and phase of the tournament – at 6:20 p.m. or 7:25 p.m.
- All players will be able to use public transportation free of charge (upon presentation of an ID).
- On the weekends of June 21 and 22, and June 28 and 29, accompanying tournaments will be held in the same building (Poznań Congress Center – PCC) – all those who do not have time (or… courage) to play in the main tournaments are welcome to attend.
- The championship will be accompanied by an exhibition of playing cards and bridge-themed postage stamps.
- During the first week of the ME, Poznan will also host the Malta Festival, – it is worth taking advantage of the rich offer of performances and concerts (details: https://malta-festival.pl/en/).
- Other cultural events during this time include: Poznań Rock Festival (June 27-29), the “Name Day” of the city’s patron saints Peter and Paul (June 29), the Edison Festival (July 4 and 5) and the Animator Festival (starting July 5).
- The EBL informs that entry fees for all tournaments organized as part of the European Transnational Championships in Poznań will also be payable by card in Polish zloty (PLN). No cash payments in PLN will be accepted. The amount of entry fees in PLN will be announced a few days before the event.
The European Championship is officially supported by the city authorities. However, this is not the only reason why there is no doubt that everything will be carried out “Poznań-style” – in a sense similar to “Swiss punctuality” or “German order”.
So be sure to reserve your time for the Brydż Adventure of a Lifetime in June/July 2025!
And an important organizational note:
In order to be eligible to participate in the BAM (mixed and open) or pairs (mixed, senior, open, and women’s) championships after dropping out of the associated team championships, you MUST register BEFORE the start of these competitions. No late registrations will be accepted unless they are useful to the organization of the competition (e.g. to fill a gap, but always at the lowest level, e.g. in the B semifinals, but never in the A semifinals). Details – in the Additional Terms and Conditions of the competition at http://db.eurobridge.org/Repository/documents/coc/SCoC/SCoCPoznan2025.pdf
