PANAJI
According to Indian coaches Vinay Desai and Anal Shah, bridge is a serious mind sport and by playing this sport one’s mind becomes sharper.
“General public think bridge is just a cards game and cards is associated with gambling. So most older parents think that if their child learns bridge at a young age, he will not excel in studies and will start gambling. But, that’s not true. Now, parents have started realizing that this game is good for everything including studies since it develops mental sharpness. The mind becomes sharper by playing this game. It’s a harmless pastime. You gain a lot from this sport - power of logic increases, building up of partnerships increases,” Anal Shah, coach of the Indian team at the 5th Asia Cup Bridge Championship which is currently being held at Taj Cidade Goa told The Goan.
Anal further went on add, “This game can be compared with chess since both are mind games. But, in chess you can see your opponent’s pieces, you have complete information about your opponent. If you are a good player, you know what moves he is going to do next, you can plan your counter but in bridge you can't see your partner's cards nor your opponent’s cards. You have to first construct the cards based on certain incomplete data given to you and then try to beat them. So, it’s a different mind-level game. It is serious mind sport and mind sport cannot be gambling.”
India enters the tournament as defending champions in multiple categories. At the previous Asia Cup, the Indian contingent secured seniors team gold, while the star duo of Puja Batra and Asha Sharma captured the women’s pairs gold medal.
“We are expecting at least 3-4 medals from this tournament in the team event. The tournament gives you a platform at the Asian level and places India on the map of bridge, “ said Vinay Desai, another coach of the Indian contingent.
But bridge which has been part of 2018 and 2023 Asian Games will not be included at the 2026 Asian Games to be held in Japan.
India has won a total of 4 medals in bridge at the Asian Games (1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze).
“There may not be bridge at the 2026 Asian games in Japan which is unfortunate. Japan Olympic Association is not encouraging the sport. In fact, Japan has sent 4 teams over here at this championship, “ Desai said.
“At the Asian level, China is very good in all the four categories. Indonesian women's team who are runners-up at the world-level are also doing good. These are the outstanding teams in Asia. Besides them, Hongkong China and Chinese Taipei are also good,” Desai said.
Desai further added, “At the world level, India is very good in open categories. Unfortunately, we have not been able to break into the top-8. But the women’s and mixed team is not up to the mark. At the Asian level we are very good. But, at the world level, we need a lot of catching up to do. The world standard is very high.”
Both the coaches Vinay Desai and Anal Shah appreciated Government of India’s role and support in promoting the sport in India, but feels still more awareness need to be done.
Shah said, “It takes 2-4 years to grasp the game and in order to do real mastery, it will take at least 10 years. If you start at junior level, by the time you are in your late twenties, you are at the world level. It’s a never-ending learning process, even for grandmasters.”
