The World Open Pairs Championship is one of the competitions held as part of the World Bridge Series Championships. This Pairs competition was initiated in 1962 and is held every four years. It is open to pairs from all over the world, without any quota restrictions being applied. In its present form the competition lasts 8 days. The World Open Pairs Championship is widely regarded as the most prestigious pairs competition in all of bridge.

Results

World meets commonly run for 15 days on a schedule whose details vary.

In 2006 the Open Pairs played Saturday to Saturday, the 8th to 15th days of the meet, with five qualifying, five semifinal, and five final sessions. At the start of qualifying, 32 teams remained in the knockout stage of the marquee teams competition for the Rosenblum Cup

Rosenblum Cup

Rosenblum Cup is Open Teams event held every four years as part of the World Bridge Championships. The event was added to the world championships in New Orleans in 1978 to commemorate Julius Rosenblum, who served as president of the World Bridge Federation until 1976...

. During qualifying sessions for the pairs, the Rosenblum teams were reduced from 32 to 8. There were some provisions for late entry to the pairs by players knocked out of the teams at a late stage. There were 392 pairs in the qualifier, 193 in the semifinal, and 72 in the final.
United States pairs have won four of 13 tournaments, Brazil two, Poland two, and five other nations one each. Marcelo Branco of Brazil is the only two-time champion.
| rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|1962

Cannes, France


> | > | The WBF currently lists only the winners and runners up, neither third place nor the size of the field.
|3.> | colspan=5|> | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|1966

Amsterdam, Netherlands 


> | > |
|3.> | colspan=5|> | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|1970

Stockholm, Sweden


> | > |
|3.> | colspan=5|> | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|1974

Las Palmas, Spain


> | > | > | colspan=5|> | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|1978

New Orleans, USA


> | > | > | colspan=5| After 1980 it was determined that the world championships in even years would continue to be played in Europe and North America. > | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|1982

Biarritz, France


> | > | > | colspan=5|> | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|1986

Miami Beach, USA


> | > | > | colspan=5|> | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|1990

Geneva, Switzerland


> | > | > | colspan=5|> | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|1994

Albuquerque, USA


> | > | > | colspan=5|> | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|1998

Lille, France


> | > | > | colspan=5|> | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|2002

Montreal, Canada


> | > | > | colspan=5|> | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|2006

Verona, Italy


> | > | > | colspan=5|> | rowspan=3 bgcolor="beige" valign="Top"|2010

Philadelphia, USA


> | > | >

Year, Site	Entries		Medalists
	1.	Pierre Jaïs Pierre Jaïs Pierre Jaïs was a famous French bridge player. A World Bridge Federation Grand Master, he was the winner of World Team Olympiad in Turin 1960, Bermuda Bowl in Paris 1956, and World Open Pairs Championship in Cannes 1962. He is one of only 10 players who collected the Triple Crown of Bridge...	Roger Trézel Roger Trezel Roger Trézel was a famous French bridge player. A World Bridge Federation Grand Master, he was the winner of World Team Olympiad in Turin 1960, Bermuda Bowl in Paris 1956, and World Open Pairs Championship in Cannes 1962. He is one of only 10 players who collected the Triple Crown of Bridge...
2.	Terence Reese Terence Reese John Terence Reese was a British bridge player and writer, regarded as one of the finest of all time in both fields...	Boris Schapiro Boris Schapiro Boris Schapiro was a British international bridge player. He was a Grandmaster of the World Bridge Federation, and the only player to have won both the Bermuda Bowl and the World Senior Pairs championship...
René Bacherich	Pierre Ghestem Pierre Ghestem Pierre Ghestem was a French bridge and checkers player. In 1947 he became the world champion in checkers...
	1.	Hans Kreijns	Bob Slavenburg
2.	John Fisher	Jim Jacoby
B. Jay Becker	Dorothy Hayden Dorothy Hayden Truscott Dorothy Hayden Truscott was the top-ranked woman in bridge for many years and authored or co-authored books on the game.-Career:...
	1.	Fritz Babsch	Peter Manhardt
2.	Benito Garozzo Benito Garozzo Benito Garozzo is one of the most famous bridge players in the history of the game. He has won 13 world championship titles with the Italian Blue Team, playing with Pietro Forquet and later Giorgio Belladonna...	Federico Mayer
William Saulino	Italo Zanasi
For 1974 to 1998 the WBF currently lists at least three leaders (3 in 1974; 72 in 1998) without the size of the field. Some of those listings may enumerate the finalists.	1.	Bob Hamman Bob Hamman Robert David Hamman is an American professional bridge player, among the greatest players of all time....	Bobby Wolff Bobby Wolff Robert S. Wolff is an American bridge player and an original member of the Dallas Aces team, which was formed in 1968 to compete against the Italian Blue Team which was dominant at the time. The Aces were successful and won their first world championship in 1970...
2.	Adriano Abate	Leandro Burgay
3.	Federico De Paula	Italo Zanasi
	1.	Marcelo Branco Marcelo Branco Marcelo Branco is famous Brazilian bridge player. Among other successes, he was the winner of World Team Olympiad in Monte Carlo 1976, Bermuda Bowl in Perth 1989, and World Open pairs Championship in New Orleans 1978 and Geneva 1990. He is one of 10 players who collected the Triple Crown of Bridge...	Gabino Cintra
2.	Eric Kokish	Peter Nagy
3.	Roger Bates	John Mohan
	1.	Chip Martel	Lew Stansby
2.	Anton Maas	Max Rebattu
3.	Gabriel Chagas Gabriel Chagas Gabriel Pinheiro Chagas Filho is a famous Brazilian bridge player. He was the winner of World Team Olympiad in Monte Carlo 1976, Bermuda Bowl in Perth 1989, World Open Pairs Championship in Geneva 1990, as well as Transnational Teams in Paris 2001...	Roberto Mello
	1.	Jeff Meckstroth Jeff Meckstroth Jeffrey John Meckstroth is a multiple world champion in contract bridge, winning the Bermuda Bowl representing the U.S. five times. He is one of only ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge: the Bermuda Bowl, the World Open Pairs and the World Team Olympiad...	Eric Rodwell Eric Rodwell Eric Victor Rodwell is an American professional bridge player. He has won the Bermuda Bowl representing the U.S. five times and is one of ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge: the Bermuda Bowl, the World Open Pairs and the World Team Olympiad...
2.	Heinrich Berger	Wolfgang Meinl
3.	Steve Burgess	Paul Marston
	1.	Marcelo Branco Marcelo Branco Marcelo Branco is famous Brazilian bridge player. Among other successes, he was the winner of World Team Olympiad in Monte Carlo 1976, Bermuda Bowl in Perth 1989, and World Open pairs Championship in New Orleans 1978 and Geneva 1990. He is one of 10 players who collected the Triple Crown of Bridge...	Gabriel Chagas Gabriel Chagas Gabriel Pinheiro Chagas Filho is a famous Brazilian bridge player. He was the winner of World Team Olympiad in Monte Carlo 1976, Bermuda Bowl in Perth 1989, World Open Pairs Championship in Geneva 1990, as well as Transnational Teams in Paris 2001...
2.	Ralph Katz Ralph Katz Ralph Katz is an American bridge player.Domestically, he has won 20 North American Bridge Championships and twice the Open Team Trials. Internationally, he has many top finishes, highlighted by a win in the 2009 Bermuda Bowl...	Peter Nagy
3.	Cezary Balicki Cezary Balicki Cezary Balicki is a Polish bridge player holding the title of World Grand Master. Balicki won the World Transnational Open Teams in 2000 and 2009, European Open Teams in 1989 and 1993 as well as the prestige London Sunday Times Invitational Pairs in 1994. His team finished second in the 2000 World...	Adam Żmudziński Adam Zmudzinski Adam Żmudziński is a Polish bridge player holding the title of World Grand Master. Żmudziński won the World Transnational Open Teams in 2000 and 2009, European Open Teams in 1989 and 1993 as well as the prestige London Sunday Times Invitational Pairs in 1994. His team finished second in the 2000...
	1.	Marcin Leśniewski	Marek Szymanowski
2.	Bob Hamman Bob Hamman Robert David Hamman is an American professional bridge player, among the greatest players of all time....	Michael Rosenberg Michael Rosenberg Michael Rosenberg is one of the top bridge players in the United States. He moved to Scotland as a child and returned to New York in 1990 where he lives with his wife Debbie, also a top player....
3.	Eric Kirchhoff	Anton Maas
	1.	Michał Kwiecień	Jacek Pszczoła
2.	David Berkowitz David Berkowitz (bridge player) David L. Berkowitz is an American professional bridge player.In 1998, he came as close as it is possible to come to a world championship without winning it. In the World Open Pairs, he and Larry Cohen led throughout the five-session final, only to be overtaken on the last two boards...	Larry N. Cohen Larry Cohen (bridge player) Larry Neil Cohen is an American bridge player and writer. He is the winner of 25 North American Bridge Championships including the Vanderbilt, two Spingolds, two Reisingers, three Life Master Pairs, and four Blue Ribbon Pairs as well as a two-time winner of the Cavendish Invitational Pairs.He...
3.	Peter Fredin	Magnus Lindkvist
327	1.	Fulvio Fantoni Fulvio Fantoni Fulvio Fantoni is an Italian international bridge player. He is a six-time world champion, a World Grand Master of the World Bridge Federation , and the WBF first-ranked player as of April 2011...	Claudio Nunes Claudio Nunes Claudio Nunes is an Italian bridge international. He is a five-time world champion, a World Grand Master of the World Bridge Federation , and the WBF second-ranked player as of April 2011...
2.	Zia Mahmood Zia Mahmood Zia Mahmood is a Pakistani professional bridge player. He is a World Bridge Federation and American Contract Bridge League Grand Life Master. He has a knack for bringing out the best in his partners and is regarded as one of the greatest players of the game...	Michael Rosenberg Michael Rosenberg Michael Rosenberg is one of the top bridge players in the United States. He moved to Scotland as a child and returned to New York in 1990 where he lives with his wife Debbie, also a top player....
3.	Diego Brenner	Gabriel Chagas Gabriel Chagas Gabriel Pinheiro Chagas Filho is a famous Brazilian bridge player. He was the winner of World Team Olympiad in Monte Carlo 1976, Bermuda Bowl in Perth 1989, World Open Pairs Championship in Geneva 1990, as well as Transnational Teams in Paris 2001...
392	1.	FU Zhong	ZHAO Jie
2.	Bobby Levin Bobby Levin Robert J. Levin is an American professional bridge player. He is best known as the youngest winner of the world championship for national teams, namely the 1981 Bermuda Bowl, and as five-time winner of the Cavendish Invitational with his regular partner Steve Weinstein...	Steve Weinstein
3.	Fulvio Fantoni Fulvio Fantoni Fulvio Fantoni is an Italian international bridge player. He is a six-time world champion, a World Grand Master of the World Bridge Federation , and the WBF first-ranked player as of April 2011...	Claudio Nunes Claudio Nunes Claudio Nunes is an Italian bridge international. He is a five-time world champion, a World Grand Master of the World Bridge Federation , and the WBF second-ranked player as of April 2011...
313	1.	Bobby Levin Bobby Levin Robert J. Levin is an American professional bridge player. He is best known as the youngest winner of the world championship for national teams, namely the 1981 Bermuda Bowl, and as five-time winner of the Cavendish Invitational with his regular partner Steve Weinstein...	Steve Weinstein
2.	Björn Fallenius	Peter Fredin
3.	Josef Piekarek	Alexander Smirnov

After 1980 it was determined that the Pairs and Teams Olympiads in alternating even years would continue to be played in Europe and North America. The Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup, side-by-side in odd years, would be played only outside Europe and North America.

External links

• World Open Pairs Championships to Date at the World Bridge Federation.