Panaji: When someone points out that bridge is nothing more than sitting at home, reading a book, and argue it’s not a sport due to lack of physical activity, Prasad Keni has a ready answer.“Bridge is a category ‘A’ or priority sport as per the list drawn up by the Sports Authority of India (SAI),” Keni, president of the Bridge Federation of India, told TOI. “It was included at the Asian Games (2018, 2022) where India won medals. Bridge is recognised by the International Olympic Committee and it’s a sport played by millions of people across the world in competitions and at social events.”Bridge, and its status as sport rather than a simple card game, is the subject of discussion at the ongoing 5th Asia Cup Bridge Championship, held for the second time in Goa. The first was in 2018 when India won a medal for the first time. Since then, with Asian Games medals in its kitty, the sport has found legitimacy but is largely known as one for older people.With only a handful of elite schools recognising bridge as extracurricular activity, the sport has struggled to attract youngsters.“We need to convince the parents first, and that’s our biggest challenge in introducing more people to the game,” said BFI vice president Keshav P Mathur. “We want to pick players from a young age. But since it’s a card game, the parents’ mentality is different.”It wasn’t always like this.Bridge was a popular pastime among Indian youth in the sixties and seventies but lost ground with the advent of television. Internet made it even worse, while social media is now everyone’s favourite pastime. The inclusion of bridge at the Asian Games – and India’s medal-winning performances – brought the game into focus but numbers haven’t grown, as expected, by leaps and bounds.BFI has data of about 12,000 registered players. An equal number, possibly even more, could be playing the sport on their own. If you add up, it’s nowhere close to the 80,000 registered in France and other powerhouses. No wonder, the federation is now on a mission to increase the numbers and ensure “at least a million play the game, not much for a nation of 1.4 billion people.”“Bridge is a well administered and competitive game, improving on a yearly basis. Every international championship throws up something new. The popularity is increasing. There was a time, possibly 15-20 years ago when the sport was on the decline, but now the signs are healthy,” said Keni.Bridge has its benefits. Some studies have suggested the mind sport can help fight illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. “It’s one of the few games where a computer cannot beat the human. Even in chess, the computer can outdo the human. Playing bridge strengthens the mind,” said Keni.What about children, its new target audience?“In today’s world, the pressure on the child and the parent is tremendous,” said Keni. “A parent is happy when the child is playing chess, but the same parent may remain concerned about bridge, wondering if they will get addicted to cards, and then gamble. It’s a misconception. The sport plays a great role in developing a child’s personality. Studies have suggested that cognitive demands of bridge are directly related to observed improvements in children’s mathematical confidence, decision-making, and ability to cope with setbacks.”
