AK Sinha and Kingshuk Bhattacharya Dominate Opening Day of Prestigious Bridge Tournament
The All-India Sir Padampat Singhania Invitational Pairs Bridge Tournament kicked off with intense competition at the Cawnpore Club Cantt in Kanpur on Friday. After six grueling rounds, the duo of AK Sinha from Lucknow and Kingshuk Bhattacharya from West Bengal emerged as the clear leaders, amassing an impressive 84.36 Victory Points (VPs) to sit comfortably at the top of the standings.
Top Performers and Shifting Leaderboard
Sinha and Bhattacharya solidified their dominance in the fifth round, posting the highest single-round total of 75.35 VPs. Hot on their heels, the West Bengal pair of Soumdeep Ghosh and Arya Chakraborty secured second place with 76.63 VPs. This duo had held the runner-up spot since the fourth round and maintained their consistency throughout the day.
Another West Bengal team, Prosenjit Manna and Prasun Kumar Mukhopadhyaya, experienced a rollercoaster performance. After leading in an earlier round, they slipped to fourth place following the fifth round. However, demonstrating remarkable resilience and improved coordination, they fought back to claim third place with 76.60 VPs.
Notable Comebacks and Defending Champion's Position
The tournament witnessed several dramatic shifts. The pair of Sourendra Coomer Dutt and Swapan Some, also from West Bengal, delivered a standout performance to jump from sixth place after Round 4 to third with 65.08 VPs. Unfortunately, they could not sustain this momentum and slipped to fourth place in the sixth round, finishing with 74.58 VPs.
Avijit Sarkar and Mukund Jaganathan made a strong comeback to secure fifth place, showcasing the unpredictable nature of the competition. Meanwhile, the defending champion, Gopi Nath Manna, partnering this time with Pijush Baroi, found himself in eighth place with 67.99 VPs, indicating a challenging start to his title defense.
Other Participants and Tournament Inauguration
Further down the leaderboard, the women's pair from Rabidpura village in Madhya Pradesh, Vidyapati Patel and Kalpana Gurjar, were placed 21st with 51.49 VPs. The local Kanpur duo of IP Jain and Mukul Arren finished 23rd with 45.54 VPs, while the women's team of Divya and Sanjul Shukla ended the day in last place (26th) with 22.96 VPs.
The tournament was inaugurated earlier in the morning by chief guest Ajay Kumar Saraogi, Deputy Managing Director of JK Cement Ltd. The ceremony was attended by distinguished guests including:
- Prasad Keni, President of the Bridge Federation of India (BFI)
- Anil Kumar Agarwal, Chairman of the Kailashpati Singhania Sports Foundation
- Jitendra Awasthi, Organising Secretary
- VK Sharma, Tournament Director
- Sukhvindar Singh, Sports Head of JK Cement
The opening day set the stage for an exciting continuation of the tournament, with leaders AK Sinha and Kingshuk Bhattacharya aiming to maintain their advantage against a competitive field.
