This article is not about the recent Crowdstrike glitch which affected the Microsoft Windows operating system.
This article is about bridge, or rather the non happening of bridge i.e. the cancellation of the Fenesta (windows) Ladies Ranking tournament to be held in January, 2025. The news appeared in a laconic message in a WhatsApp group.
Given that women are almost inconspicuous in such WhatsApp groups, it didn't seem to attract much response.
However, the cancellation of one of the very sponsored events in the country dedicated to ladies should evoke cause for concern among the bridge playing polity.
I am attempting to lay down the facts as I see them before me along with some thoughts on the issue (all my own work). Any factual errors are at my doorstep. Opinions will always abound. I am sharing mine after the facts
Facts
- The dates for the Fenesta event, 30-31 January were fixed by BFI along with the sponsor on the basis that Willingdon Sports Club (WSC) would not be holding it's annual Swiss Pair event, which it normally does around the 26th of January
- WSC subsequently changed its mind and decided to have one more edition of the extremely popular and well organized event in 2025 as well. BFI allotted the dates 26-28 January to this event.
- The sponsors of the Fenesta event were afraid that this would cannibalize the participation in their event, since it was so close to the Willingdon event. They were also aggrieved that the new event was inserted without taking them into confidence.
- An alternate date (on the following weekend) was offered to Fenesta for the event, but it was not suitable to the sponsors.
- Under these circumstances, they felt they had no option but to cancel the tournament.
I attempted to ask various people about the goings on and the following facts emerged
- The number of people and venues who are keen on hosting bridge events has mushroomed to the point where quite a few events are clashing with each other. A recent case in point was the West Bengal State Championship clashing with the Goa Bridge Festival. You may like to remember that one event is in the home state of the secretary, BFI, while the other is in the home state of the President, BFI.
This resulted in a cannibalizing of both events. While a number of top pairs from Bengal couldn't make it to Goa (There was not a single seriously top ranked pair in Goa), a number of Bengali stalwarts were seen playing with sponsors in Goa. Clearly the choice was between getting to represent the state and make money.
- The Willingdon Club event has been held on or around these dates for so many years that it has been a fixture. As a matter of fact, apart from officials, nobody was even aware that it was not being planned to be held. So, if they changed their mind and wanted to hold on to those dates, it would have been difficult to refuse them, notwithstanding a perceived clash of events.
- It appears to have been decided that women players would have had to make a choice between playing a hugely popular tournament and a ranking point event if they couldn't handle both.
Reactions from Ladies
We reached out to a few top women players. Here are some of the reactions (without naming names)
- It is impractical to expect ladies participating in the Willingdon event to fly to Delhi and play the next day. Especially ladies not resident in Mumbai.
- Ladies seems to be a low priority with BFI.... and then they wonder how we fare so poorly!
- I don't see the what the fuss was about. While I am sad that the Fenesta event is canceled, were it held, I would have dropped Willingdon in favor of Fenesta
- I am not affected since I don't have a partner for ladies events. But had I had one, I would have felt bummed about it.
- It's not right that she keeps cancelling her tournaments. I wonder why? Once she commits she should keep to it regardless.
Some Perspective
- The first sore point is the re-introduction of the WSC event without informing the sponsors of the Fenesta event. Given that those dates were agreed to on the surmise that there would be no competing events, perhaps that courtesy should have been extended.
- While women can certainly choose between WSC and Fenesta, and serious contenders would have opted for Fenesta, ladies feel that they would have lost out on WSC which is a better platform to improve their bridge.
- There is a case being made that ladies should also be able to develop the stamina to handle long events and seriously contenders should actually play both.
In all fairness, I would have to say that while this is true, the sequence of events should then have been Fenesta followed by WSC rather than the other way around.
You would want to be fresh for a ranking points event.
I wonder if an open ranking points event would have been held this close to the WSC. - As far as any argument goes on the lines of "Ladies performance is abysmal anyway on the world stage. Why should priority be given to ladies events?", my answer would be "Isn't it our responsibility to work towards improving the standards in Indian ladies rather than giving them the short shrift in this manner?".
In Conclusion
There are some sad inferences that need to be drawn from whatever has happened above
- It must have been a difficult decision for BFI to make to make big events clash with each other. And the WSC event indubitably has a widespread appeal with the bridge playing populace.
- Nevertheless, it is very sad that BFI has lost a sponsor for a ladies event. It may well be extremely difficult to find another sponsor for such any event in the wake of these ongoing events.
- BFI does need to improve its handling of sponsors. When they commit to giving money to hosting an event, they do have some expectations with respect to dates and ensuring that they get enough participation. If the BFI believes that such fears are misplaced, then they should take the sponsor into confidence and allay such fears rather than present them with a fait accompli.
I do hope that the situation is retrieved somehow and this event does take place, either on the same dates or suitably revised dates so that everybody's requirements, including the participants(!) are catered to.
Disclaimer : All opinions are entirely those of the author and are no reflection of the views of the BridgeFromHome Team.
It is indeed sad that the event got cancelled. I am sure sponsors would have considered the option of holding the event in Mumbai on the said dates. I hope BFI recognizes the need and works to nurture women’s bridge which would be a multi year process. Or we will never escape the circular loop of lack of encouragement and the poor results. The event was one of few aimed only at women. I hope BFI is able to find alternate dates and make sure this event happens.
Dear Priya,
Thanks for writing in. It is my understanding that the option to conduct the event in Mumbai was offered to the sponsor after it conveyed their dismay and disapproval of what had transpired.
As you can see from Prasad’s response, the BFI intends to do its very best to make sure the event is conducted. We hope they succeed in their efforts.
I am surprised that you state that dates are clashing. 26th to 28th and then 30th/31st… 29th is a rest day available too.
Secondly, an open event and ladies event can’t really be conflicting. we are seeing a huge interest in Mixed event , that might have been a bit of an issue perhaps. however, the ladies event is drawing about 30 to 40 pairs of mainly budding partnerships, (and very few would be playing in WSC). this is THE event for relative beginners to win a national championship. I don’t even know what numbers sponsors expected !
I don’t see the hurry to cancel either . we might have given it a week at least to analyze the situation. unilaterally and hurriedly decided is what I felt. the relationship between sport, federation and sponsors is a delicate equation. knee jerk reaction is well within right, but I don’t agree that participation will be any less than Kolkata. we are a small community, we could have asked for direct feedback / entries from ladies players before deciding. cest la vie .
Dear Prasad,
At the outset, thanks for taking the trouble to respond to this article. It is refreshing to see the BFI president reach out to the community at large to explain the BFI’s point of view. In the previous regime, I was informed that the BFI is not obliged to respond to anybody writing in to it, hence perhaps my hesitation in reaching out to you directly. I will certainly do so in future.
Whether the events are conflicting or not is a point of view. My understanding is that the decidedly knee jerk reaction to cancel was because the sponsor felt that they were not taken into confidence while reinserting the WSC event given that they had wanted to take care that it doesn’t clash with the same. In short, the sponsors wishes, desires, fears etc. were blatantly ignored. Rather, they were presented with a fait accompli. Do enlighten us all if that is not the case.
I am sure that most of us agree with what you are saying. My limited point was that it would not have hurt if the sponsor were taken into confidence before the event was made public.
I also liked your assertion that as of now, the event does not stand cancelled, it is just that the sponsor has withdrawn sponsorship. I personally would hope that the event does take place, ideally with the same sponsor but, if not, then another sponsor.
While not in your tenure, the BFI has certainly not paid attention to sponsors and I can quote more than one example to make the point. I hope that under your stewardship, the BFI takes sponsors along with it to the best interests of bridge in the country.
Thanks once again for writing in.