Pune: 700 players to participate in Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championships to be held from December 8Â
Pune: 700 players to participate in Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championships to be held from December 8Â
Pune , December 6, 2024: Over 700 top Bridge players from all over India will be seen in action at the Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championships due to kick-off at the Balewadi Sports complex in Pune from Dec 8.
This, the 66th edition of the Winter Nationals, is being held in Pune after a gap of nearly 15 years. It is considered a Category A ranking point event for selection of players to represent India at various international bridge tournaments.
Organised by the Poona Region Bridge Association under the aegis of the Bridge Federation of India (BFI), and the Maharashtra Bridge Association (MBA) the 10-day long championships will start with the Amla Ruia Cup (women pairs), followed by the Phoenix Cup (Mixed Pairs) and the Ashok Ruia Senior Teams events.
The Ruia Gold Cup, the most significant event at these Winter Nationals, will begin on December 12, along with the Ruia Silver Cup. The other events include the Mall of the Millennium Cup (Match Point Pairs) Phoenix Market City Cup (IMP Pairs). The total prize money on offer in over Rs 10 lakh.
In a first, the Winter Nationals will also see the presentation of some special prizes: the Phoenix Lifetime Achievement Award of ₹ 50,000, Ashok Ruia Best player/Pair of the year Award of ₹ 25,000 and the Ashok Ruia Best Junior Player/ Pair of the year Award of over ₹ 25,000.
Top players like Asian Games medalists Jaggy Shivdasani, Sumit Mukherjee, Raju Tolani, Ajay Khare, winners of silver and gold medals at the just concluded world bridge games in Argentina including Arun Bapat, Binod Shaw, Sanjit Dey, Anil Padhye and Pune’s own internationals Kaustubh Bendre and Alka Kshirsagar are amongst top players participating in the various events.
In recent times, bridge has been gaining ground as a stimulating mind sport, and its inclusion in two successive Asian Games has led to its rising popularity in India with many youngsters also taking to the sport. The MBA has taken a lead in promoting a bridge education programme to train bridge teachers and enthuse younger players. The participation of three teenage pairs from Dhirubhai Ambani School in a recently concluded pairs event in Mumbai has been an encouraging sign.
Chief sponsor of the 2024 Winter Nationals is the Ruia family and Phoenix Market City.
Along with bridge lovers from the city, those helping to curate this mega event include Anand Samant (senior Vice President, BFI), Dr Deven Doshi (President MBA), Milind Bhadbhade (President PRBA), Dr Avinash Deshmukh (VP MBA), Shirish Karkarey (Organising Secretary), Hemant Pande (Secretary MBA), Dr Prasad Honap, Rajeev Deo, Sachin Kango, Anil Padhye, Satish Kulkarni, Alka Kshirsagar, Madhav Kshirsagar, Kaustubh Bendre, Niranjan Limaye, Aditi Sahasrabudhe, Manisha Jamenis, and Anjali Rahalkar.
