International Mind Sports Association

Logo of the International Mind Sports Association

The International Mind Sports Association (IMSA) is an association of the world governing bodies for contract bridge, chess, draughts (checkers), go, and xianqi (Chinese chess), namely the World Bridge Federation (WBF), World Chess Federation (FIDE), World Draughts Federation (FMJD), International Go Federation (IGF), and World Xiangqi Federation (WXF). IMSA is a member of Sportaccord (formally the General Association of International Sports Federations) and was founded 19 April 2005 during the GAISF General Assembly. It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

World Mind Sports Games

The IMSA generally pursues common aims and interests of its constituent sports. Foremost it organizes the World Mind Sport Games whose first rendition was held in Beijing, China 3–18 October 2008, about two months after the Beijing Olympic Games. The second Games in 2012 would have been formally announced 17 November during the 2011 Mind Sports Festival in London, except that they failed to secure a venue by that time. However a venue was found in Lille in France and the second World Mind Sports Games was held from 9–23 August 2012.

Long term, it hopes to establish "World Mind Sports Games by analogy with Olympics, held in Olympic host cities shortly after Winter or Summer Games, using Olympic Games facilities and volunteers. The constituent World Bridge Federation incorporated several quadrennial world bridge championships in the World Mind Sport Games because it considers the WMSG a "stepping stone on the path of introducing a third kind of Olympic Games (after the Summer and the Winter Olympics)".[1]

SportAccord World Mind Games

IMSA inaugurated the SportAccord World Mind Games December 2011 in Beijing.[2] For all sports, the meet was invitational and the events were not world championships. Beside satisfaction of the participating players and federations, the main objectives were to achieve "a worldwide TV coverage, and a large participation to the online tournament linked to the event."[2]

The first four meets, 2011 to 2014, were all held in Beijing during December.

Bridge

There were six medal events at bridge, three each for men and women. IMSA invited 24 players, six each from four countries, to compete in three small tournaments as four national teams, twelve pairs, and 24 individuals. The women were from England (competing as "Great Britain"), France, China, and the United States ("USA"); the men from Netherlands, Norway, China, and the U.S.[3]

China and the United States (USA) have participated in every one of the 4-country men's and women's fields. The other participants have been members of the European Olympic Committee, including England in every women's field (under the name "Great Britain" in 2011 and 2012).[4][5][6]

Five players participated in all the first four meets: Shi Haojun of China men; Fiona Brown, Heather Dhondy, and Nevena Senior of England women; and Lynn Deas of USA women.

Men Women
2011 2012 2013 2014 2011 2012 2013 2014
x x x x  China x x x x host of the first 4 renditions
 England W W x x as Great Britain in 2011, 2012
 France V x
x  Israel x
x x  Monaco
B x  Netherlands  x
x  Norway
x  Poland
W  Sweden
x x x x  USA x x V x
not represented:
(W) (B)  Italy

Several reigning open and women teams world champion countries have participated, not always with the champion teams intact. (As usual, all players on the relevant open world champion teams were men.)

B - world champions, Bermuda Bowl 2011 (Italy won in 2013)
V - world champions, Venice Cup 2011, 2013
W - world champions, World Mind Sports Games 2008, 2012 (Italy won the open in 2008)

See also

References

  1. ↑ World Bridge Games. World Bridge Federation (worldbridge.org). Retrieved 2011-05-27. Archived December 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. 1 2 "Great Success of the 2011 SportAccord World Mind Games". IMSA (imsaworld.com). [December 2011]. Retrieved 2014-11-11. With complete list of medal winners.
      Unfortunately, IMSA publishes multiple articles about the inaugural meet under the dateline "June 21, 2011". The first Games were held during December, same as the 2nd to 4th Games of 2012 to 2014. Archived October 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ "Athletes List". 1st SportAccord World Mind Games: Beijing 2011 Official Website (worldmindgames2011.sportresult.com). Retrieved 2015-01-11.
  4. ↑ Daily Bulletin 2012, issue 8 (20 December 2012). 2012 SportAccord World Mind Games. International Mind Sports Association (IMSAworld.com). Retrieved 2015-01-11.
      Neither the opening nor final number of the Daily Bulletin includes a list of all players. This final number does all the bridge players in the report of the final day's play, pages 12–13. The same may be true of the final day's play in other sports. Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ "Athlete List". Beijing 2013 SportAccord World Mind Games (worldmindgames2013.sportresult.com). Retrieved 2015-01-11.
  6. ↑ "Athlete List". SportAccord World Mind Games Beijing 2014 (worldmindgames2014.sportresult.com). Retrieved 2015-01-11.
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