chennai the 42nd edition of the world bridge team championships will start here from september 26 and will be held till october 10 at the itc grand chola according to the organizers the tournament held in india for the first time should give a much needed boost to this mindsport in the country the game is mindstimulating it demands strong strategic focus and decision making ability said kiran nadar an accomplished bridge player and a philanthropist kiran is among the countless minds to have played this sport with gusto and recalled an opportunity to watch the late egyptian movie star omar sharif a reputed bridge player from close quarters it was many years ago in london at the bridge club and he was playing with many famous personalities there i didnt interact much with him but he was a huge star and to watch him play was a great experience she said the world bridge organisers are hopeful of youngsters coming to watch their favourite players in action in the 15day long event we have the likes of eric rodwell zia mohammed mike lawrence and not to mention the legendary bob hamman featuring in this tournament those who are keen to take up this sport must watch them here it will definitely be a good learning experience for all noted nr kirubakaramoorthy president of bridge federation of india bfi 660 players from 35 nations will be vying for top honours in three main events bermuda bowl open event venice cup for women and d orsi cup for seniors 60 years and above kirubakaramoorthy also pointed out that efforts were being made to take the sport to schools we are already conducting weekly classes for about 40 children in kotturpuram high school and have plans to expand we also have places like salem where our efforts to introduce the sport have been highly successful he said asked if conducting an event will help to increase the profile of the sport giannarigo rona president world bridge federation wbf said bridge is a sport like any other sport cards are just an instrument to action