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21st HCL International Bridge Championship Returns to Showcase Elite Bridge Talent

Sep 12, 2024

Over 1000 players, 180 teams from 12 countries to compete for one of the world’s highest Bridge prize purses

 A new category added – “Mixed IMP Pairs’; teams will be made up of both male and female players.

 Key countries participating are the USA, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Russia, Israel, UAE, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India

September 12, 2024, New Delhi: The 21st HCL International Bridge Championship is set to take place from September 14 to 22, 2024, at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel in New Delhi. With a total prize purse of ₹27 million (USD 325,000), the tournament continues to hold its place as one of the most prestigious bridge championships in the world, boasting the largest prize pool in India and drawing participation from top players globally. This year, the prize money has been increased by an additional ₹1 million, reaffirming HCL’s commitment to promoting the game.

The nine-day event will see participation from over 1,000 bridge players from India and across the globe. Key participating countries include the USA, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Russia, Israel, UAE, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India. This year’s championship introduces an exciting new category – ‘Mixed IMP Pairs’ – designed to provide more dynamic competition for bridge players worldwide. In this category, teams will be made up of both male and female players.

The HCL International Bridge Championship was established in 2003 by Mrs. Kiran Nadar, one of the top Indian competitive bridge players, a gold medallist at the 5th Commonwealth Games, and a 2018 Asian Games Bridge medallist, to promote the sport in India. Speaking about the upcoming 21st HCL International Bridge Championship, Mrs. Kiran Nadar shared her excitement: “I warmly welcome all players joining us from around the world to compete in this prestigious tournament. The HCL International Bridge Championship is our flagship initiative in sports, and I have watched it grow year after year in terms of scale, participation, prestige, and competitiveness. The top teams from leading bridge nations such as the US, Israel, and Australia will join us here in the national capital, and I look forward to competing against them.”

The previous edition saw over 800 players, including 145 teams from countries such as the USA, Russia, Israel, Australia, and many others. This year is expected to attract even more talent with the introduction of the new Mixed IMP Pairs category.

Tournament Format and Structure:

1. 1. Team of Four Gold Event: Open to all. The qualifying round consists of a Swiss League of 10 rounds of 10 boards each to be played on the first two days. In each round of the Swiss league, one team plays 10 boards against another, with the North/South pairs playing against their opponent’s East/West pairs. The top 16 teams after the Swiss League will advance to the knockout stage. The knockout matches will be played over 4 sessions of 14 boards each. The playoff for 3rd place will be played over 3 sessions of 14 boards each. Winners will be awarded the ‘Naresh Tandan Trophy.’
2. 2. Team of Four Silver Event: Open to Indian bridge players (participation of foreign teams in this event is subject to clearance by the Technical Committee). The qualifying round consists of a Swiss League of 10 rounds of 10 boards each to be played on the first two days. The top 16 teams after the Swiss League will advance to the knockout stage. The knockout matches will be played over 4 sessions of 14 boards each. The playoff for 3rd place will be played over 4 sessions of 14 boards each. Winners will be awarded the ‘Mohini Tandan Trophy.’
3. 3. Open Match Point Pairs: Starting on the third day of the tournament and played over four days, this event will consist of three elimination rounds, with each round consisting of three sessions of 18 boards each. The top 26 pairs from the Elimination-3 round of MP Pairs, along with two sponsored pairs, will qualify for the MP Pairs Gold final, while pairs ranked 27-52 will play in the MP Pairs Silver final. The remaining Elimination-3 qualifiers will be seeded into the IMP Pairs final. The Open Pairs Final will be played over two sessions with the Barometer Howell movement (28 pairs, 54 boards). Winners will be awarded the ‘Neena Bonarji Trophy.’
4. 4. IMP Pairs: A two-day event with the elimination round consisting of three sessions of 18 boards each on the fifth day. The IMP Pairs final will be played over two sessions of 24 boards each. Non-qualifiers will be eligible to play in IMP Pairs Strata II.
5. 5. Mixed IMP Pairs: This newly introduced category adds excitement to the tournament. Each team will consist of one male and one female player.

In addition, the tournament will culminate with an exclusive Pro-Am Event on September 22, 2024. This event will allow amateur players to partner with professionals in a unique competition.

For the schedule and other details related to the 21st HCL International Bridge Championship, please visit https://www.hcl-bridge.com.

Note to the Editor: 

About HCL

Founded in 1976 as one of India’s original IT garage start-ups, HCL Group is a pioneer of modern computing with many firsts to its credit, including the introduction of the 8-bit microprocessor-based computer in 1978 well before its global peers. Today, the HCL Group has a presence across varied sectors that include technology, healthcare and talent management solutions and comprises three companies – HCL Infosystems, HCLTech and HCL Healthcare. The enterprise generates annual revenues of over US$13.4 billion with 219,000 employees operating across 60 countries. For further information, visit www.hcl.com

 For further information, please contact:

Alisha Bisherwal: Alisha.a@hcl.com (8447821231)

Shruti Saxena: shruti-saxena@hcl.com (9654356487)