Panaji (Goa), June 22 (IANS) Host nation India launched a powerful competitive campaign on the opening day of the 5th Bonus Asia Cup Bridge Championships 2026, solidifying top-three positions across multiple premier divisions at the Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon in Panaji on Monday.

In the Men’s Teams Championship, the premier domestic line-up, India A, emerged as a top-tier title contender, locking down the third-place slot on the leaderboard with 55.85 Victory Points (VPs). The host squad sits within striking distance of regional pacesetters China, who commands the field with 64.09 VPs, and Hong Kong China A, holding second with 56.21 VPs.

The day’s primary highlight unfolded in the Seniors Teams Championship, where India A unleashed a clinical, high-precision performance to anchor themselves firmly in third place, shadowing the tournament frontrunners after a gruelling opening segment.

Simultaneously, a resilient India Mixed squad successfully engineered a major leaderboard recovery, overriding early structural setbacks to fight their way back into the top flight and reclaim the fifth-position baseline.

The first full day of qualification rounds drew a definitive competitive line across the continental field, establishing the apex leaders for each championship division. The current tournament pacesetters topping the group tables are China in the Men’s Teams, Japan in the Seniors division, Indonesia in the Women’s category, and China A in the Mixed Teams field.

Recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and supported by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the week-long marquee tournament features nearly 300 elite players across 46 powerhouse teams from 16 nations, including Australia, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.

The high-intensity qualification rounds continue daily from 09:30 am to 07:10 pm until June 25, functioning as a mathematical filter to determine the top four semi-finalists. The knockout elimination series and the individual Pairs Qualifying Series will take over on Friday, June 26, leading to the Grand Team and Pairs Finals and the closing prize distribution ceremony on Saturday, June 27.

Current Cumulative Standings Highlights:

• Men’s Teams Leaderboard: #1 China (64.09 VPs) | #2 Hong Kong China A (56.21 VPs) | #3 India A (55.85 VPs) | #10 India B (36.61 VPs)

• Seniors Championship Leaderboard : #1 Japan | #2 China | #3 India A

• Women’s Championship Apex : #1 Indonesia (44.52 VPs) | #2 China (43.47 VPs)

• Mixed Teams Leaderboard : #1 China A | #5 India Mixed

–IANS

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