Claudio Nunes Explained

Claudio Nunes (born 23 March 1968) is an Italian professional bridge player.

He is a five-time world champion, a World Grand Master of the World Bridge Federation (WBF), and the WBF second-ranked player as of April 2011.^[1] He is one of 10 players who have won the Triple Crown of Bridge.

Nunes was born in Rome. His regular partner for many years is Fulvio Fantoni, the first-ranked World Grand Master (April 2011). Fantoni-Nunes are generally regarded as one of the top pairs worldwide. They play "Fantunes", for their surnames, an innovative bidding system characterised by natural but forcing one-level opening bids in all four suits. The pair was implicated in a cheating scandal in 2015 resulting in sanctions against them.

Emigration to Monaco

Starting in 2011, Fantoni and Nunes were full-time members of a team led and paid by the Swiss real-estate tycoon Pierre Zimmermann, under contract expiring 2016. From 2012 all six members would be citizens of Monaco and the team would represent Monaco internationally.^[2] The team finished third in the 2010 world championship, not yet full-time, and competed in the 2011 European Bridge League open championship (neither is a national teams event).

Cheating scandal

See main article: Fantoni and Nunes cheating scandal.

In September 2015, Fantoni and Nunes were publicly accused of cheating by orienting a played card to show a missing high honour (Ace, King, Queen) in the led suit at the European Bridge Championship in 2014.

• On March 19, 2016, the FIGB banned the pair for three years.
• On July 18, 2016, the European Bridge League (EBL) banned each from play for five years and as a partnership for life.^[3]
• On July 26, 2016, the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) expelled them from their league and stripped them of all related masterpoints, titles, ranks and privileges.^[4]

The players' appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport resulted in a judgment in their favor in January 2018.^[5]

Only the ACBL sanction remains in place; all others have been overturned or expired.

Major tournament wins

Awards

• Mott-Smith Trophy (1) 2004

Wins

• Bermuda Bowl (1) 2005 ^[6]
• World Transnational Open Teams Championship (1) 2007 ^[7]
• World Open Pairs Championship (1) 2002
• World Olympiad Teams Championship (2) 2004, 2008
• European Teams Championship for Open Teams: 2004, 2006, 2012
• European Champions' Cup for Open Teams: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009
• North American Bridge Championships (10)
  • Wernher Open Pairs (1) 2004 ^[8]
  • Blue Ribbon Pairs (1) 2006 ^[9]
  • Jacoby Open Swiss Teams (1) 2003 ^[10]
  • Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams (1) 2004 ^[11]
  • Reisinger (3) 2007, 2012, 2013 ^[12]
  • Roth Open Swiss Teams (1) 2005 ^[13]
  • Spingold (2) 2011, 2012 ^[14]

Runners-up

• Bermuda Bowl (3) 2003, 2009, 2013 ^[15]
• Cavendish Invitational Pairs (1) 2004 ^[16]
• Buffett Cup (2) 2010, 2012
• North American Bridge Championships (6)
  • Jacoby Open Swiss Teams (1) 2004 ^[17]
  • Vanderbilt (1) 2014 ^[18]
  • Reisinger (1) 2011 ^[19]
  • Spingold (3) 2006, 2010, 2014 ^[20]

Bridge accomplishments

Awards

• Mott-Smith Trophy (1) 2004

Wins

• Bermuda Bowl (1) 2005 ^[21]
• World Transnational Open Teams Championship (1) 2007 ^[22]
• World Open Pairs Championship (1) 2002
• World Olympiad Teams Championship (2) 2004, 2008
• North American Bridge Championships (10)
  • Wernher Open Pairs (1) 2004 ^[23]
  • Blue Ribbon Pairs (1) 2006 ^[24]
  • Jacoby Open Swiss Teams (1) 2003 ^[25]
  • Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams (1) 2004 ^[26]
  • Reisinger (3) 2007, 2012, 2013 ^[27]
  • Roth Open Swiss Teams (1) 2005 ^[28]
  • Spingold (2) 2011, 2012 ^[29]

Runners-up

• Bermuda Bowl (3) 2003, 2009, 2013 ^[30]
• Cavendish Invitational Pairs (1) 2004 ^[31]
• Buffett Cup (2) 2010, 2012
• North American Bridge Championships (6)
  • Jacoby Open Swiss Teams (1) 2004 ^[32]
  • Vanderbilt (1) 2014 ^[33]
  • Reisinger (1) 2011 ^[34]
  • Spingold (3) 2006, 2010, 2014 ^[35]

External links

• • • Biography at Infobridge.it (Italian with crude English-language version)

Notes and References

1. http://www.worldbridge.org/departments/mps/classificationinfo.asp?qcat=O Open Classification
2. http://bridgetopics.com/news/2010/dec/helgeness-and-fantunes-immigrate-monaco "Helgeness and Fantunes Immigrate to Monaco"
3. Web site: European Bridge League Disciplinary Committee ruling regarding Fantoni and Nunes, July 2016 . 2016-07-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170110065917/http://www.eurobridge.org/Data/Sites/1/media/documents/2016.07.18FNDecisionoperative.pdf . 2017-01-10 . dead .
4. Report of the ACBL Ethical Oversight Committee . Daily Bulletin . . July 26, 2016 . 88 . 5 . 1.
5. http://www.eurobridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Fantonis-Nunes-CAS.pdf CAS 2016/A/4783 Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes v. European Bridge League (EBL)
6. http://www.worldbridge.org/world-team-championships.aspx World Team Championship Winners
7. http://www.worldbridge.org/transnational-open-teams.aspx World Transational Open Teams Winners
8. News: Wernher Open Pairs Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 4 . 2014-07-22 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021050535/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db5.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
9. News: Blue Ribbon Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 7 . 2013-12-03 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021164044/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db5.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
10. News: Jacoby Open Swiss Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 9 . 2014-03-29 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163816/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db9.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
11. News: Mitchell BAM Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 8 . 2013-12-01 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163618/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db3.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
12. News: Reisinger Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 6 . 2013-12-06 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163719/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db8.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
13. News: Roth Open Swiss Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 10 . 2014-07-26 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163446/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db9.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
14. News: Spingold Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 12 . 2014-07-21 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163711/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db4.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
15. http://www.worldbridge.org/world-team-championships.aspx World Team Championship Winners
16. http://www.worldbridge.org/world-team-championships.aspx World Team Championship Winners
17. News: Jacoby Open Swiss Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 9 . 2014-03-29 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163816/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db9.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
18. News: Vanderbilt Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 6 . 2014-03-24 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163636/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db4.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
19. News: Reisinger Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 6 . 2013-12-06 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163719/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db8.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
20. News: Spingold Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 12 . 2014-07-21 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163711/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db4.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
21. http://www.worldbridge.org/world-team-championships.aspx World Team Championship Winners
22. http://www.worldbridge.org/transnational-open-teams.aspx World Transnational Open Teams Winners
23. News: Wernher Open Pairs Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 4 . 2014-07-22 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021050535/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db5.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
24. News: Blue Ribbon Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 7 . 2013-12-03 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021164044/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db5.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
25. News: Jacoby Open Swiss Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 9 . 2014-03-29 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163816/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db9.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
26. News: Mitchell BAM Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 8 . 2013-12-01 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163618/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db3.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
27. News: Reisinger Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 6 . 2013-12-06 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163719/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db8.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
28. News: Roth Open Swiss Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 10 . 2014-07-26 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163446/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db9.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
29. News: Spingold Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 12 . 2014-07-21 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163711/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db4.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
30. http://www.worldbridge.org/world-team-championships.aspx World Team Championship Winners
31. http://www.worldbridge.org/world-team-championships.aspx World Team Championship Winners
32. News: Jacoby Open Swiss Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 9 . 2014-03-29 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163816/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db9.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
33. News: Vanderbilt Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 6 . 2014-03-24 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163636/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db4.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
34. News: Reisinger Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 6 . 2013-12-06 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163719/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db8.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .
35. News: Spingold Previous Winners . American Contract Bridge League . 12 . 2014-07-21 . 2014-11-03 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163711/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db4.pdf . 21 October 2014 . dmy .