CCI Marks National Push With Inauguration Of First-Ever All India Bridge Tournament In Mumbai

Mumbai: The Cricket Club of India (CCI) marked a significant milestone in the country’s bridge landscape with the inauguration of its first-ever pan India-level bridge tournament on December 19. Conducted on a Swiss Pair basis under the aegis of the Bridge Federation of India, the event underlines CCI’s renewed push to strengthen its presence on the national bridge scene. The inauguration ceremony was attended by key members of the tournament committee, including Hema Deora, Ashwin Mehta and other members, who formally flagged off the three-day competition.

The tournament has attracted an impressive field from across the country, with around 80 pairs and trios registering for the event and close to 180 players taking part. The scale of participation reflects the growing interest in competitive bridge and the confidence players have shown in CCI’s maiden national-level initiative. Adding to the tournament’s appeal is a total prize pool of ₹8 lakh, making it one of the more lucrative bridge events on the domestic calendar.

Spread over three days starting Friday, December 19, the tournament follows a well-structured competitive format. After the completion of the second day’s play, participants will be divided into two groups based on their cumulative performance. The winning pair in Group 1 will take home ₹1 lakh, while the top pair in Group 2 will receive ₹65,000. In addition to the main prizes, special awards have been instituted for the Best Ladies Pair, Best Mixed Pair and Best CCI Pair, further encouraging wide participation across categories.

The tournament committee is headed by Ashwin Mehta, with Hema Deora, Feroza Chothia and Nishesh Mehta playing key supporting roles in ensuring the smooth conduct of the event. The operational side of the competition is being overseen by chief tournament director Sanjay Chakraborty, assisted by Satish Kumar, Daxindas and Rajeev Deo. Technical management has been entrusted to S Iyengar and his team, while the dealing responsibilities are being handled by Chetan Raval.

To enhance transparency and spectator engagement, the matches are being broadcast live with the expertise of Meenal Thakur and Pramod Samant, who are managing the BBO-VU Graph coverage. The integration of live telecast technology adds a modern touch to the tournament and allows bridge enthusiasts beyond the venue to follow the action closely.

Based on the experience and response to this inaugural edition, CCI has expressed its intention to make the pan India-level bridge tournament an annual feature. The successful inauguration on December 19 has set the tone for what the organisers hope will become a regular and prestigious fixture on the Indian bridge calendar.