The 2026 Contra Cup once again gathered a strong international field in Bucharest, confirming the tournament\u2019s growing importance on the European bridge calendar. Held at Hotel Caro and included in the World Bridge Federation World Tour, the event attracted 52 teams and many internationally known players for five days of high-level competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The main teams event began with a demanding 12-round Swiss qualifier. ALINEO \u2013 featuring Philippe Marill, Gabriele Zanasi, Giuseppe Di Franco, Alon Birman and Dror Padon \u2013 finished first with 160.21 VP, narrowly ahead of the VINCI team led by Claudio Vinci, Alfredo Versace, Gianluca Donati, Walter Percario and Jean-Christophe Hugony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SPS Construction, represented by Piotr Glaser, Adam Narkiewicz, Tomasz Buras and Bartosz Marcinowski, completed the top three ahead of CHELOPECH, Israel Blue, DAVIDOFF, LIVIA and ZIP, who claimed the final qualifying place for the knockout stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the elimination matches began, however, ZIP found its best form at exactly the right moment. The team \u2013 including Zoran Zipovski, Vedran Radisic, Marinovsky and Popa \u2013 first edged ALINEO by 45\u201342 in a closely contested quarterfinal before defeating DAVIDOFF 65\u201346 in the semifinals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other side of the bracket, SPS Construction advanced to the final after victories against LIVIA and VINCI. The Polish side entered the final as slight favorite after its consistently strong performance throughout the week, but ZIP delivered its strongest match of the tournament to secure a convincing 78\u201361 victory and lift the 2025 Contra Cup trophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
VINCI claimed third place after defeating DAVIDOFF 44\u201326.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The festival also featured the traditional Caro Cup pairs event, where Calin Stirbu and Gheorghe Serpoi won the A Final with 63.10%, ahead of Anton Negoescu \u2013 Horia Georgescu and Alon Birman \u2013 Dror Padon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the many notable participants were world-class players such as Norberto Bocchi, Alfredo Versace, Gabriele Zanasi and Philippe Marill, underlining the increasingly international character of the Bucharest festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With excellent organization, strong online coverage and a friendly atmosphere throughout the week, the Contra Cup continues to establish itself as one of the leading bridge events in Central and Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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