Kolkata, Dec 4 (LatestNewsX) – The S D Associates, led by Vijay R. Phatarfekar, R. Sridharan, Anand Keshav Sakharam Samant, Praksh G. Hegde, Subir Majumdar and Sujit Kumar Bhattacharjee, claimed the Seniors Team title (60 + years) at the 67th Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship in Kolkata on Thursday.
They comfortably outplayed COGITO, finishing 60‑43 International Match Points (IMPs) ahead in the final, held at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town.
In the semis, S D Associates beat the favoured Team Hemant Jalan 71.5‑50 IMPs, while COGITO edged Easy Bridge 98‑62 IMPs.
During the seniors final, the Associates surged early, posting 37 IMPs to COGITO’s 17 in the first segment. COGITO held a tight advantage in the next two segments, scoring 16 and 10 against the Associates’ 15 and 8, but the early margin proved too big to recover.
The Open Team contests for the Ashok Ruia Gold and Silver Cups kick off on December 5, with 29 top teams from across the country vying for the Gold Cup glory.
The inaugural Winter National Championship took place in 1959 in Bombay, featuring the Ruia Trophy and Holkar Open Pairs. The Ruia Trophy—viewed as a hallmark of bridge superiority in India—originated in memory of the late Shri Ram Niwas Ruia and has been awarded to the winning four‑person team since that year. Winners and runners‑up earn a spot in the national selection trials. Renamed the Ruia Gold Trophy in 2005, the event now awards two team trophies, the Ruia Gold and Ruia Silver, in parallel competitions.
bsk/
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
