Goa to hold Asia Cup Bridge Championship

Around 350 bridge players from 16 countries across the Asia-Oceania region will compete for top honours at the 5th Asia Cup Bridge Championship, to be held here from June 21 to 27.

Bridge Federation of India (BFI) President Prasad Keni said Goa would be hosting the quadrennial event for the second time, having previously staged it in 2018.

BFI Secretary Debasish Ray said participating nations include Australia, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Hong Kong China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and hosts India.

Ray said Pakistan had expressed interest in participating but did not submit its entry.

The championship will feature Team and Pairs events in the men’s, women’s, seniors and mixed categories. India has fielded ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams in all categories. Expressing confidence in the host contingent, Ray, who is also captain of the Indian men’s team, said the squads comprise several accomplished players and medal winners.

India has won 20 medals in the previous four editions of the championship, including eight gold, five silver and seven bronze medals.

The Indian contingent includes Asian Games medallists and seasoned campaigners such as Sumit Mukherjee, Rajeshwar Tiwari, Sayantan Kushari, Anil Padhye, Sukomal Das and Sagnik Roy.

The women’s team features Monica Jajoo, Pooja Batra and Himani Khandelwal, while veteran international Kiran Nadar will spearhead India’s challenge in the Mixed Pairs category.