Summary Teams from Pakistan, India, Dubai and Kuwait participated in the grand event.
LAHORE (APP): Showing excellent skills and superb mind technique, Indo Pak Team won the Blalijee International Bridge Championship here on Monday at Lahore Gymkhana Club.
Teams from India, Dubai and Kuwait and also the elite ones of Pakistan from Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other cities participated in the grand event.
While the first day and half of second day was earmarked for the Pairs Event, the Team Event Competition was spread over two and a half days, bringing honors and glory to the Indo Pak Team who were remarkable in application of bridge playing attributes like intelligence, quick thinking, stable temperament, decision power and cohesive team effort.
The winning team members Gulzar Ahmed Bilal, Farrukh Liaqat and Sapan Desai were dazzling and radiant, the star of the team, Subash Gupta an accomplished international, was lustrous and luminous in defining the team strategy which brought rich dividends and a comfortable dominance related victory.
The Indo Pak Team remained in command and control through superb and quality play winning all ten boards. Not once were they under threat of defeat and in the process even the best teams like Tehsin Ghee Wala ,Izzo IV ,Punters and Next Pharma were a casualty.
Once again Aijaz Ahmad of Yummy Milk Products and his sister Mrs Tahira Nasir have been superb hosts and in particular Tahira Nasir appears as the live wire in the whole process;the spirit of bridge promotion is there and also continuously oozing is the family hospitality with the result that Balijee Bridge is an integral part of the national bridge calendar,thus keeping the memory of a noble father late Sheikh Muhammad Iqbal (affectionately known as Balijee) alive.
As for the final days sessions, the overnight leaders Indo Pak remained on winning track and though they tried hard the Tehsin Gheewala Team had to be content with the runners up slot.
The Final Standings of top five winning teams
1. Indo – Pak: Gulzar Ahmed Bilal – Farrukh Liaquat – Subash Gupta – Sappan Desai 160.61%
2. Tehsin: Tehsin Gheewala – Rashidul Ghazi – Muhammad Hashmat – Imran Abedi – Fatima Raza 134.67%
3. Izzo IV: Jahangir Ahmed – Farooq Alvi – Mudessar Rahim – Qasim Rahim – Abida Ali 111.55%
4. Next Pharma : Ahsan Javed Qureshi – Nauman Khalid Butt – Zia Hyder Naqi – Mirza Shauq Hussain – Ghias A. Malik 110.81%
5. Punters: Tahir Abbas Mirza – Ali Abbas Mirza – Hamid Zaman – Fehmina Shauq – Mirza Asfandiyar Hussain – Mohsin Chandna 110.41%
At the conclusion of the Balijee Bridge Championship the prizes were distributed by Air Marshal Syed Shahid Zulfiqar Ali, Khawaja Imran Zubair, Convenor Card Room and Chairman, Lahore Gymkhana Kamran Lashari.
