India's bridge victory: From MP village to Mumbai-Toronto pair

Success of youngsters at world championships in Italy reflects growing interest and talent across classes in the country

The World Youth Bridge Transnational Championships in Salsomaggiore, Italy, which concluded on Sunday, saw a couple of innovations. First, there was a new age-category — Under-31. Second and more interestingly, the World Bridge Federation decided to allow transnational pairs to participate. This was a nod of recognition to the way things have changed during the pandemic, with people from all over the world playing online.

Tournament bridge has two formats. It can be played as “pairs” with each partnership fighting it out with every other partnership. Or it’s played as a team game, where two pairs form a team of four.