On Saturday the 23th of April the official PCU International University Bridge Trophy tournament started. It was a full day of bridge with 60 boards scheduled (5 rounds of 12 boards). For a long time, it looked like the 2 Belgian teams would qualify for the final on Sunday. But after a big win against Nebrija University (Spain) in round 5, the Utrecht University (Netherlands) secured their spot in the final against the University of Antwerp (Belgium). KU Leuven (Belgium) eventually ended up third before RWTH Aachen University (Germany).
After this day filled with competition, all participants were able to enjoy a dinner in an restaurant in the city center. Afterwards all participants went for drinks together and enjoyed the Antwerp nightlife.
On Sunday the 24th of April, the final games (of 24 boards) took place to decide the final ranking. After a nail-biting final Utrecht University took the title, ahead of the University of Antwerp who finished in second place. Utrecht University is the fourth PCU Bridge Trophy Champion, following in the footsteps of the University of Leipzig (Germany, 2019), University of Montpellier (France, 2020, online) and the University of Liège (Belgium, 2021). In the game for third place RWTH Aachen University managed to win the bronze medal, beating KU Leuven.
All teams received an Honouring Certificate from PCU Bridge Trophy president Dr. Koenraad Keignaert during the Honouring & Closing Ceremony. Cup and medals were awarded to the top-3 teams. The tournament ended in good vibes with a standing lunch.
After a weekend filled with bridge, fair play and international friendship, all participants returned home. The next PCU Bridge Trophy will take place form 14-16 April 2023.
In total, almost 80 bridge players representing 31 universities in 18 countries participated to one of the PCU Bridge Tropy events 2022.
Full results of all games of the PCU Bridge Trophy 2022 are available here.