N° 69 • January 2026

In 1997 I was commentating at the World Team Championships in Hammamet, Tunisia, with Billy Eisenberg and Eric Kokish. At one point during the round robin phase the scores of the top eight teams were displayed and Australia was in second place. When Eric asked if anyone knew why they were doing so well, I suggested to the audience that “perhaps its because they are the only team not coached by Eric Kokish.”

In Montreal in 2002 Barry Rigal was commentating with Eric. At one point he informed the audience, “With that result Italy’s lead goes up to 69, and that’s a very good position to be in.”

At Maastricht in 2000 the demand for VuGraph was so great that the Dutch organisers operated two huge theatres that were filled to capacity. However, there has been a gradual decline in the number of spectators, and at the recent World Team Championships in Herning, the WBF decided to dispense with a theatre style presentation, although when Denmark reached the final of the Bermuda Bowl an ad hoc theatre with coverage on BBO and commentary by David Burn was provided.

At the Fall Nationals in San Francisco, the ACBL covered the Reisinger with its Bridgecast Live ‒ a rotating cast of experts analyzing the deals as play was transmitted on the YouTube Bridgecast livestream show. Could this type of presentation become the norm in the future?

Number 69 – Monthly – January 2026 – Director of publication Olivier Comte – Publisher Éditions de Presse Spécialisée Le Bridgeur – 33 avenue Emile Zola, 92100 Boulogne Billancourt  – France – Executive Director Karine Meyer-Naudan – Editorial Committee Michel Bessis – Muriel Clément – Philippe Cronier – Mark Horton – Vincent Labbé – Norbert Lébely – Karine Meyer-Naudan – Assistant Editor-in Chief Vincent Labbé – Editorial Secretary Muriel Clément – Adverts Bridgerama+ Muriel Clément 01 42 96 25 50  – Subscriptions 01 42 96 25 50 – Art Director Isabelle Le Squer-Fontaine/Maya – mayatom@me.com – Translation Monika Kummel – Legal Deposit january 2026, N°7.680 – Joint Committee – 1118 K 85690 – ISSN 0184-8127.