Teams are near the halfway point of the qualifying stages of the three big events – Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup and Senior Bowl – and it may be time for some of the perennial contenders to shift into a higher gear.

A case in point is the Nick Nickell team (USA 2) in the Bermuda Bowl. Even after a big win against Canada in the ninth match on Tuesday, the 2005 Bermuda Bowl silver medallists were still six places away from the eighth and last qualifying spot. Even further back was Sweden, one of several strong European teams in Shanghai.

Leading the way in the Bermuda Bowl was USA 1, 15 victory points clear of Poland. Norway is close behind, as are Australia and the Netherlands.

In the Venice Cup, USA 1 extended its VP lead to 30 over Denmark with three more victories. The Americans have yet to lose a match.

In the Senior Bowl, Italy replaced USA 1 at the top with three impressive wins over Sweden, Thailand and Australia. USA 1 took two of three matches, but the wins were by a total of 4 IMPs as the Americans slipped to third behind second-place Canada.