More bridge youngsters likely in Hadi Cup 2016

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Greater emphasis will be laid in engaging young players from the educational institutions, besides roping in the stalwarts, in the upcoming fifth edition of the Hadi Cup Bridge Tournament to be staged later this year. 

Instituted by Khurshid Hadi, Chairman, Mind Sports Association of Pakistan (MSAP), and a former President of the Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF), in the memory of his illustrious father, the tournament is set to be organized by the Karachi Bridge Associates (KBA) in the last quarter of the year. 

Interestingly Khurshid Hadi himself, in the company of his regular partner, Kamal Shoaib, had withstood all the challengers to emerge triumphant in the fourth edition of the Hadi Cup Bridge Pairs Championship 2015 which was held at the Aslam Bridge Hall, housed in the National Stadium, Karachi, last year. 

The two veterans of Pakistan bridge, however, had opted to forego their winning purse and donated it to the KBA, who hosted the two-day event, contested by a total of 28 pairs. The total prize money in the event was Rupees one lac and there were a total of 10 prizes on offer, with four for the winners of each session and the top six position holders in the final points table. 

Many of the leading players of the country, particularly those based in Karachi, which has been the hub of bridge activities for a number of years, had featured in the all the previous editions of the Hadi Cup, having become a regular annual event in the national bridge calendar. 

The KBA as well as the Hadi family have now shown the eagerness to attract greater number of young players, particularly students who have been taking bridge classes at their respective educational institutions, because making occasional presence in the various competitions held from time to time. 

Although the format and dates of the 5th Hadi Cup 2016 have not been finalized yet, the organizers are assessing the possibilities of making the tournament a team event instead of a pairs content, and it will announced well in advance to allow adequate time for registration to facilitate greater participation in it.

Pakistan Bridge Federation rewards victorious outfits

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF) has rewarded the seniors and the women team of the country for having triumphed in their respective events of the 18th Asia and Middle East Bridge Championships 2015 held in Amman, Jordan, earlier this year.

In fact it turned out be quite a memorable reunion of Pakistan�s bridge stalwarts and the sumptuous dinner served in the lush green lawn on a most pleasant evening brought smiles on every face attending the event. 

Cheques of Rupees three lacs each were presented to the captains of both the winning teams during a dinner reception hosted in their honour by Mohammad Nawab Yousuf Talpur, President, PBF, at his DHA residence in Karachi on August 17. 

Pakistan�s seniors outfit comprised of Azhar Hamid, Iftikhar Baqai, Mirza Shauq Hussain, Zakir Mahmood, Masood Mazhar and Kamran Ibrahim, while the national women team featured Rubina Agha, Zeenat Azwer, Qudsia Dossa, Roshan Bokhari, Rubina Hai and Fatima Reza. 

By virtue of winning the zonal trophies, both the teams have also qualified for the World Bridge Championships, due to be staged in Chennai, India later this year. They will be taking part in the 8th d�Orsi Seniors Trophy and the 20th Venice Cup to be held alongwith the 42nd Bermuda Bowl and the 10th Transnational Teams Championships from September 26 to October 15.

The cheques were collected by Kamran Ibrahim and Roshan Bokhari, who captained the seniors and women outfits respectively. 

Speaking on the occasion, the PBF President hailed the performance of the seniors and women teams in the zonal event, expressing the hope that their feat will be helpful in boosting bridge in Pakistan. 

Nawab Yousuf Talpur talked about the federation�s plans to initiate a programme aimed at promoting the sport from the grassroots level in order to it to the masses. 

�Our current and former players have done an exceedingly good job over the years. But we need to look to the future and we have to expand the base. We need a broader pool of players in order to produce high quality players on a regular basis,� he remarked. 

Gulzar Bilal, Secretary, PBF, added that they already have finalized a plan to mobilize the youngsters and they look forward to implementing it in the very near future. 

�We are at it and we would be launching the programme for youth shortly. We do have talented and passionate youngsters playing bridge in the country which augurs well for the future,� he reckoned. 

The ceremony was attended among others by Mazhar Jafri, Khurshid Hadi and Tariq Raheed Khan, all of whom having headed the PBF in the past. The other prominent bridge players present on the occasion included Abdul Rahman Allana, Shahin Iqbal, Ghalib Bandesha, Maj (retd) Masood Zaidi, Rashid-ul-Ghazi, Hasan Askari, Dr Minhaj Kidwai and Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi.