The elimination round for the selection of the Indian Mixed team is just over. Our hearty congratulations to the pairs who have qualified to the finals. While the finals are yet to take place, there are a few thoughts that have been going on in my mind that are probably best shared before the finals and the euphoria surrounding the selected team.
So here they are for whatever they are worth.
Missing In Action
The first thought which actually struck me was the absence of Sandeep and Marianne Karmarkar, one of the strongest pairs to have represented the country in the mixed teams championships. I had a word with Marianne in that respect. A lot of us would be aware that the couple has been on a fairly long international holiday after Sandeep's retirement from HPCL. She informed me that at the time they planned their vacation, they were aware that they would not be able to participate in the selection trials. While we respect their decision, I personally did miss their presence at this event.
Welcome Back
While we missed them, we heartily welcome the return of Puja Batra to the bridge table. She had been on a sabbatical for a long time and her absence was sorely felt!
The Elimination Round
The next observation that is noteworthy is that, apart from the 8th placed qualifier, all the others were in the top 8 performers of this elimination round.
The pair of Soham Sarkar and Subashree Basu deserve due congratulations for topping the eliminations. They finished 3.75 VPs ahead of the second placed pair of Biswajit Poddar and Aditi Jhaveri. Aditi has not been a regular participant in open events. We hope that this performance spurs her to play open events more regularly. The complete results of the elimination round can be seen here
One feature that struck me about this elimination round was the number of penalties that were applied. Half the pairs attracted some sort of penalty or the other. Some of these pairs appear to have either attracted more than one penalty or a severe penalty. Attracting penalties, for any reasons whatsoever, is avoidable.
Controversy
A small controversy was caused by allowing Somesh and Vasanti to play in the eliminations in spite of their not having registered with each other and having submitted their convention card. This is merely a small speculation as to what may have happened. Essentially, Monica Jajoo had registered with both Sumit and Joy while Vasanti had registered with Binod.
Given that Sumit didn't qualify and Binod did, both Vasanti and Somesh were left stranded without partners. The authorities, in their wisdom, may have deemed it fit to let them play. I have no particular views about whether this ought to have been allowed or not. I guess, they had one more option to choose from given that the cost of transporting them too and fro, as well as accommodating them was already incurred.
Scoring Issue
While writing this article, the score on a board was posted on a bridge group which I am reproducing here
You can see that on the board alongside, one pair ended up -3 in 3NT redoubled. That they got punished for it is natural, but the impact of this board on the other tables was particularly cruel.
I don't know what can be done to prevent this huge an impact in cases like this.
But clearly something needs to be done to prevent unnecessary lotteries like this.
I hope that the authorities can and will take notice of the same. This may result in an unfortunate selection.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, we wish all the finalists the very best and may the best 3 pairs get selected.
Disclaimer : All opinions are entirely those of the author and are no reflection of the views of the BridgeFromHome Team.