Triple Crown of Bridge

The triple crown of bridge is a career achievement in duplicate bridge, namely winning the three marquee Open world championships conducted by the World Bridge Federation. The Bermuda Bowl is now contested by national teams in odd-number years. The Olympiad Open Teams, contested by national teams in Olympic years, has been incorporated in the World Mind Sports Games (WMSG). The Olympiad Open Pairs, now World Open Pairs Championship, is contested in non-Olympic even-number years.

The Bermuda Bowl was inaugurated in 1950, eight years before the World Bridge Federation was established with the general purpose to conduct world championships at bridge. There were 23 renditions to 1977, when it became biennial. The Teams and Pairs "Olympiads", as they were both called when inaugurated by the WBF in 1960 and 1962, have always been quadrennial. Pierre Jaïs and Roger Trézel of France won both of the inaugural Olympiads; thus, as 1956 Bermuda Bowl champions, they achieved the triple crown on the earliest possible occasion.

Ten players have accomplished the feat, although two of them (Fantoni and Nunes) were convicted of cheating in 2016 and banned for life from playing with each other. Bold highlights the year each player completed the triple crown.

These ten players have all achieved the triple crown playing together, in five partnerships. That need not be so. Indeed, the World Open Pairs is not restricted to entries by two players who are from the same bridge nation, although most entries are from one nation, as are most established partnerships.

Marcelo Branco alone first achieved the triple crown personally before he and one partner achieved it playing together—one year earlier.

No one has achieved this triple crown in three years, which is possible from any even-number year to the next. Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes first achieved it in the four-year span, in 2002 and 2004–2005. In 2006, as defending champions in the quadrennial World Open Pairs Championship, a win would have secured "Fantunes" a consecutive triple crown. They finished third, the closest for any pair to defend its Pairs title.

...
Wikipedia