‘Bridge needs a Vishy Anand,’ says national coach Vinay Desai as sport tries to attract youth

As India hosts the elite 5th Asia Cup Bridge Championship in Goa, national coach Vinay Desai warns that the card-based mind sport risks becoming a "grandpa's game" without a transcendent icon like chess maestro Viswanathan Anand to inspire youth

Mumbai: “Just like chess, Indian bridge needs a Viswanathan Anand to become popular among youth.” That is the unequivocal assessment of Vinay Desai, coach of the senior national team, about contract bridge, the sport introduced by the British in the country as a recreational sport at various clubs.

As a strong Indian squad gears up for the 5th Asia Cup Bridge Championship to be held in Goa from June 21 to 27, Desai is confident his team will perform well and expects them to win at least two medals. But underlying the recent success, bridge, unlike chess, has failed to attract younger people.

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India will be represented by a strong squad that includes, among others, 2018 Asian Games bronze medallists Sumit Mukherjee and Rajeshwar Tiwari, members of India’s Men’s Team at Jakarta. The contingent also features Asian Games bronze medallist Kiran Nadar, one of India’s most decorated bridge players, who will partner long-time teammate B. Satyanarayana in the Mixed Teams category.

Desai is expecting at least two medals in the Open and Senior Team categories, while fans will also be expecting strong performances in the other two categories as the Bridge Federation of India (BFI) hosts the country’s biggest international tournament in recent years.

While the national coach, a top player in his days who has won medals at the national and international stage, is satisfied with the country’s recent performances at the international stage, it is a matter of worry that contract bridge in India has turned into a Grandpa’s Game, with most of the top players in their 50s or 60s.

Desai agrees that the sport is struggling to attract fresh blood, as youngsters are not taking it up. Tournaments are played all over the country every weekend, but still, the indifference from youth is a major issue flagged even by the World Bridge Federation.

“See, chess had Viswanathan Anand, and then the whole lot followed with Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, and all those young guys. Bridge doesn’t have a Viswanathan Anand as of now. If we break the barrier and win or come in the semis or something in the major events, then it can take off. Slowly, slowly it is happening. The Indian bridge, I would say, the skill is improving. There are two reasons here: more foreign players are coming to the country to play, and corporate sponsors are supporting international tournaments and bringing in foreign players.

“So over the last 4-5 years, a lot of foreign players now come to India for leisure events in India. Now, when you compete against them, naturally, your skills are going to improve. So the Indian standard is slowly, slowly improving. But we still need one Vishwanathan Anand factor here to make a mark,” Desai told IANS in an exclusive interview.

A few years back, the sport got a big boost when the Olympic Council of Asia agreed to a proposal to include contract bridge in the Asian Games. It was part of the 2018 Games in Jakarta and the 2022 edition in Hangzhou. But in a big setback for the sport, bridge has not been included in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan.

The Indian bridge players made their mark in the 2018 edition with Pranab Bardhan and Shibhnath Sarkar winning gold in the Men’s Pair event while picking bronze medals in the Men’s Team and Mixed Team sections.

In 2022, the Indian men’s team, comprising Ajay Khare, Sumit Mukherjee, Jaggy Shivdasani, Sandeep Thakral, Rajeshwar Tiwari, and Raju Tolani, won a silver medal.

They are now hoping that the sport will be back on the roster for the next Asian Games, and the success of the upcoming Asia Cup will trigger interest in the game, something that contract bridge desperately needs in India.