Home Page

Jens AUKEN

 Nato a Copenaghen il 15 aprile del 1949 da un parto gemellare in una famiglia con 6 figli, laureato in legge, consigliere della WBF, sposato in seconde nozze con Sabine una delle più forti giocatrici tedesche di tutti i tempi, Jens Auken è stato un World Life Master ed uno dei migliori giocatori danesi.

 Jens, che ha avuto due figli da Sabine e altri due dalla terza moglie, la psicologa Anna Kristine, in gioventù è anche stato un campione di basket rappresentando una trentina di volte la nazionale danese.

 Medaglia di bronzo alle Olimpiadi di Rodi del 1996, terzo ai Mondiali a Coppie Miste del 1998 a Lille e secondo in quelli di Montreal del 2002 in tandem con la moglie, capitano e giocatore della squadra seconda classificata al Forbo International Team del 2001, secondo agli Europei a Squadre di Mentone nel 1993, terzo nel 1996 in quelli a Squadre Miste di Montecarlo che ha poi vinto nel 2000 a Bellaria in tandem con Sabine.

 Jens che ha anche riportato tre piazzamenti nel CAP Gemini (1993, 95, 2002) giocando ogni volta con un partner diverso, ha vinto tre volte la Nordic Cup e può vantare anche 35 titoli nazionali che ne hanno fatto per molti anni il miglior giocatore danese per master point conquistati.

 Passato nella Categoria Seniores ha vinto gli Europei a squadre del 2004 conquistando il titolo di World Senior Master.

 Grande esperto delle leggi del bridge, Jens è stato anche consulente legale della Federazione Danese ed è stato  Vice Presidente EBL e per oltre un ventennio membro del Comitato Esecutivo della WBF.

 É scomparso il 18 gennaio 2014 dopo una lunga lotta con una rara malattia polmonare e il 12 ottobre dello stesso anno gli è stato assegnato postumo il WBF Gold Pin.

Jens Auken of Denmark, a top bridge player and leading administrator of the game, passed away after a long illness, on 18 January 2014. He was yet to celebrate his 65th birthday.

Jens was one of the six children of doctors Gunnar and Kirsten Auken. His older brother Svend was a prominent member and eventual leader of the Danish Socialist party, while his sister Margrete who is also a priest, is still serving on the European Parliament. Jens opted to attend the Law School of the University of Copenhagen and he received a ‘Master of Laws’ degree in 1979.

As a lawyer, Jens Auken became a partner in Bech-Bruun, one of Denmark’s top law firms, and was considered a leading specialist in expropriation and neighbour disputes relating to major construction projects. He was also an advisor on general legal matters for municipalities, public enterprises and the legal framework for harbors.

Auken liked sports and as a teenager he was among the top of Denmark’s young basketball players. Later on, he became an avid bridge player and represented his country on more than 400 occasions! He won gold medals at the European Mixed Teams 2000 and the European Senior Teams 2004; silver at the European Teams 1993 and European Mixed Teams 1990 and 1994; bronze at the World Team Olympiad 1984 and 1996, World Mixed Pairs 1998 and 2002, Generali Masters Individual 2004, World Senior Teams 2005, European Mixed Teams 1996 and 2003, etc. He was also the winner of over 40 national titles in Denmark.

Jens Auken was also interested in bridge administration and served on various positions internationally. He was first elected to the European Bridge League (EBL) Executive Committee in 1987 and was re‐elected continuously until his death, serving as Vice President (2003‐07) and Hon. Secretary (2010-12). As a European delegate, he was a member of the World Bridge Federation (WBF) Executive Council (1993-2012), during which he served as Vice President (1995-2006).

As a bridge administrator, Jens’ area of interest was on Systems, Statutes, Laws, Regulations and Ethics, and he served many times on Appeals Committees in various championships. Ultimately, he represented the world of bridge in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) where he argued successfully on the differences between physical and mental sports, and negotiated the thorny issue of pre‐tournament testing in mind sports.

Jens Auken is survived by four sons; the two oldest are with his German born bridge colleague and World Champion Sabine Auken, while the youngest with psychologist Anne Kristine Auken.

The October 12, 2014 the Executive Council awarded him posthumously with the WBF Gold Pin .