Norway to meet U.S. II in finals

JAKARTA: Defending champions United States II and dark horse Norway took the lead after four sessions in the semifinals of Bermuda Bowl men's bridge team championship in Paris on Tuesday.

With two sessions remaining, U.S. II went 122-99 up on Poland, while Norway, which edged out Indonesia in the quarterfinals, led error-prone U.S. I 146-100.

Given the fact that the Americans have rarely missed a final, they have been granted two spots in the tournament.

In the Venice Cup women's event, host France moved within sight of the final as it built a commanding 166.5-83 lead over U.S. II. France qualified for the tournament only as a host, and their appointment only came after the World Bridge Federation decided to take the event away from Indonesia due to security concerns.

The other semifinal saw Germany take a slender 175-156 lead over Austria.

In the consolation World Transnational Open Tournament, Indonesia stood in 18th place after seven sessions. France topped the current standings with 141, followed by New Zealand and Israel. --JP