The stage is set for the highly anticipated bridge competition at the upcoming 19th Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. The event is scheduled to take place from September 27 to October 6 at the Hangzhou Qi-yuan (Zhili) Chess Hall.
Bridge made its debut in the Asian Games in Jakarta 2018, and India made a remarkable impression by clinching three medals, including a historic gold. The competition promises to be intense this time around as well, with teams from across the continent vying for top honors
India is sending an 18-player contingent to compete in the bridge event at the Asian Games. They aim to secure three gold medals across the Opens (Men’s Team), Ladies (Women’s Team), and Mixed Team categories.
In the Opens category, India's medal hopes are pinned on Rajeshwar Tiwari, currently ranked 71st in the world and third in Asia. Additionally, the pair of Rajeev and Himani Khandelwal, ranked 86th globally and fifth in Asia, add to India's strong prospects of securing medals.
India's Pranab Vardhan and Shibnath Sarkar secured the country's first gold medal in bridge at the Asian Games. The men’s team and mixed team also contributed to the medal tally with bronze in the Jakarta Asian Games in 2018.
Indian Bridge team for Asian Games 2023
Open: Sumit Mukherjee, Rajeshwar Tiwari, Sandeep Thakral, Jaggy Shivdasani, Ajay Khare, Raju Tolani
Women: Alka Kshirsagar, Bharti Dey, Vidya Patel, Kalpana Gurjar, Asha Sharma, Puja Batra
Mixed: Marianne Karmarkar, Sandeep Karmarkar, Himani Khandelwal, Rajeev Khandelwal, Kiran Nadar, B Satyanarayana
Asian Games 2023 Bridge: Schedule
The bridge competition at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou 2023 will take place from September 27 to October 6 at the Hangzhou Qi-yuan (Zhili) Chess Hall.
The schedule includes various sessions divided into men's team, women's team, and mixed team events. These sessions consist of round-robin matches, with each team participating in multiple matches to determine their standings. Here are the details for the same:
September 27
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 1-1; 6:30 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 1-3; 11:00 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 1-3; 1:30 PM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 1-4; 4:00 PM onwards
September 28
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 1-5; 6:30 AM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 1-6, Women's Team Round Robin 1-4; 11:00 AM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 1-7, Women's Team Round Robin 1-5; 1:30 PM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 1-8; 4:00 PM onwards
September 29
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 1-9; 6:30 AM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 1-10, Women's Team Round Robin 1-6; 11:00 AM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 1-11, Women's Team Round Robin 1-7; 1:30 PM onwards
September 30
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 2-1; 6:30 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 2-2; 11:00 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 2-3; 1:30 PM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 2-4; 4:00 PM onwards
October 1
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 2-5; 6:30 AM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 2-6, Women's Team Round Robin 2-4; 11:00 AM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 2-7, Women's Team Round Robin 2-5; 1:30 PM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 2-8; 4:00 PM onwards
October 2
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 2-9; 6:30 AM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 2-10, Women's Team Round Robin 2-6; 11:00 AM onwards
Men's Team, Mixed Team Round Robin 2-11, Women's Team Round Robin 2-7; 1:30 PM onwards
October 3
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 1 of Semi-Final; 6:30 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 2 of Semi-Final; 11:20 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 3 of Semi-Final; 2:10 PM onwards
October 4
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 4 of Semi-Final; 6:30 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 5 of Semi-Final; 11:20 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 6 of Semi-Final; 2:10 PM onwards
October 5
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 1 of Final; 6:30 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 2 of Final; 11:20 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 3 of Final; 2:10 PM onwards
October 6
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 4 of Final; 6:30 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 5 of Final; 11:20 AM onwards
Men's Team, Women's Team, Mixed Team: Session 6 of Final; 2:10 PM onwards
Asian Games 2023: Bridge Rules
In the game, there are two main phases: bidding and play.
During the bidding phase, the partnerships determine who will take on the role of the declarer and how many tricks they need to win. This will be based on their chosen trump suit or the option to play without trumps.
In the subsequent phase, both teams will aim to secure as many wins as possible in the actual gameplay.
Where to watch Bridge at the Asian Games 2023?
The Asian Games 2023 Bridge competitions can be streamed live through the Sony Liv website and app. Additionally, viewers can watch the live telecast of the tournament on the Sony Sports Network TV channels.