CHENNAI: After months in the wilderness, bridge in India is making a fresh beginning. Players were active during the lockdown playing online and tournaments were held. But those were not recognised by the national governing body. The National Masters from November 5-19 will be the first online event to be held under the banner of the Bridge Federation of India (BFI).
There will be camera surveillance and after I-League football qualifiers and the domestic golf tour, it will be the third national-level event in India post lockdown.
Boosted by three medals including a gold at the 2018 Asian Games — where bridge was played for the first time — the game's rising popularity in India was halted by the pandemic. The summer nationals, inter-state championship and an annual international event had to be cancelled. The National Masters marks a restart, with the winter nationals lined up next.
The National Masters will see players participate from their respective cities. There will be Masters points on offer, which determine a player's status, and a small prize purse of Rs 1.3 lakh. To ensure there is no foul play, BFI has made it mandatory for all 20 pairs to use a platform called 'Real Bridge'. Each player will be under the surveillance of two cameras. If the system is found to be satisfactory, BFI will consider awarding national ranking points from this event.
"National ranking points will be awarded in winter nationals. For the National Masters, we want to see how it goes. If everything is satisfactory, there will be ranking points. Nonetheless, players will get Masters points based on performance in this tournament. It will be 50 per cent because it's an online event. This means that if 10 points are awarded in a normal tournament, in the National Masters it will be 5," said BFI secretary Anand Samant.
The official said there will be more teams for the winter nationals, which will also be an online event. It is expected to take place early next month. These tournaments are important because Indian teams for various competitions are chosen on the basis of how players perform in these.
Sports Code compliance
Like some other federations, the BFI has recognition from the sports ministry till December 31. It has to become fully compliant with the National Sports Development Code by that time. The secretary said they have been given six months and will hold a general body meeting in January to make necessary amendments to its constitution.