Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace, is holding the 2023 European Open. From June 3^rd to June 17^th, the “Parc des expositions” will be packed with bridge addicts from far and wide. The EBL is putting together the biggest bridge tournament in Europe. As a transnational tournament, people from all over the continent are allowed to participate.

The perks of Open tournament

An Open tournament is the perfect way to improve fast. Everyone is allowed to participate, thus, the level depends on the number and quality of the contestants.  The chances of being confronted by tough opposition helps lower ranked players progress. Eight competitions have been scheduled to fill these two weeks of play. Starting slowly, the festival kicks off with team-sized tournaments. Mixed and Senior teams start their competitions on June 3^rd. In fact, the first week will be serving as a warm-up for what is about to follow. Mixed pairs start their competition June 5^th and Senior pairs one day later. The major tournaments are taking place during the second week. As figureheads of the event, Open team and pair competitions are planned to end the championships, when the place is full of spectators. The Open team tournament and the Ladies team tournament start on June 10^th, three days before the Open pairs begins.

A different mood

For those who prefer a more casual competition, the French bridge federation has also planned tournaments and various activities. Starting with youth competitions on the first weekend, BBO and the FFB have also put together a competition taking place over the first weekend. Players can register to the U-31 E-Trophy via their Bridge Base Online account. On Monday June 5^th, bridge players will have the opportunity to participate in a travelling café tournament. While playing bridge, you must travel around the city’s cafés to play your next move. A nice initiative that gathers tourism and competitive bridge play. For French-speaking players, additional tournaments are on the program during the first week.

The rules of the tournament depend on the number of registrations each one gets. Competitions with lower participation will play the qualifying stage as a Round Robin, meaning everyone plays each other and the teams with the most points advance to the next stage. Conversely, competitions with a high number of participants will have to play the qualifying stage in Swiss style. After two to three days of qualifying stages comes the knock-out phase. A very dangerous zone where players must stay focused until the end. The organization expects 15000 people from all over the world to participate in ruthless bridge games. In Istanbul ‒ the 2019 edition, the EBL welcomed nationalities from every continent!

Booming tourism

Strasbourg is dressing itself quite nicely for its newcomers. While visiting, people will see how beautiful the “petite France” district is. A walk through the medieval architecture of the neighborhood feels like traveling through time and space. But first and foremost, the main reason for tourism in the region is the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg. Known for its imposing gothic architecture, the cathedral has been the hallmark of the city since the 15^th century. 66 meters above the ground, an observatory floor opens to the public during the weekdays offering a beautiful view of the region.