Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jun 4: The Gouri Rao Memorial National Women’s Pairs Bridge Championship, organised by the Karavali Bridge Association under the aegis of the Bridge Federation of India (BFI) and the Karnataka State Bridge Association, witnessed keen competition as the qualifying stage concluded on Thursday at the 4th Mavericks Summer National Bridge Championships.

A total of 46 replicated boards were played in the qualification round. Following the completion of the session, the top 18 pairs secured berths in the final, which will be contested on Friday over 51 boards.

At the conclusion of the qualifying stage, Monica Jajoo and Jesal Dabriwala emerged as the leading pair with 43.00 victory points (VP), followed by Bharati Dey and Gopika Tandan on 40.00 VP, and Usha Kabra and Meenal Thakur on 37.00 VP.

The championship carries significant importance on the national bridge calendar as players earn valuable national ranking points, which contribute towards national rankings and future selection considerations for Indian national teams and training.