23rd HCL International Bridge Championship

Bridge is a strategy game that builds mental resilience, sharpens intellect, strengthens communication, and encourages the pursuit of victory with focus and discipline.

HCL has supported competitive bridge in India through the HCL International Bridge Championship since 2003. HCL describes the championship as the premier bridge tournament in the country and the biggest in terms of prize money and participation levels. This year’s prize purse is ₹2,85,00,000 (₹2.85 crore). Previous editions have witnessed participation from over 1,000 players representing 185 teams.

International teams with players from USA, Poland, Italy, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Israel, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, South Africa, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Croatia, Denmark, Romania, Japan, Thailand, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Bangladesh have participated in recent editions.

Programme: 2–11 October 2026. All times are Indian Standard Time (IST).

1. 2 October

   Mixed IMP Pairs elimination, sessions 1–5. Announcements at 10:00; play starts 10:15.

2. 3 October

   Mixed IMP Pairs elimination, sessions 6–10, from 10:00.

3. 4 October

   Mixed IMP Pairs Gold/Silver finals from 10:00; Strata from 10:15. Prize distribution at 19:15.

4. 5–6 October

   Gold/Silver team Swiss league, five rounds daily. First round starts 10:20 on 5 October and 10:00 on 6 October.

5. 7 October

   Team round of 16 from 10:00; Open MP Pairs elimination 1 from 10:30. ProAm draw: 20:15–20:45.

6. 8 October

   Team quarterfinals, Open MP Pairs elimination 2 and MP Pairs Strata.

7. 9 October

   Team semifinals, Open MP Pairs elimination 3 and IMP Pairs elimination.

8. 10 October

   Team finals at 09:00; Open MP Pairs finals at 09:30; IMP Pairs final at 10:00; playoffs and IMP Pairs Strata at 10:30. Prize ceremony: 18:30.

9. 11 October

   ProAm IMP Pairs and Board-A-Match Teams start 09:30. Prize distribution: 18:00.

• Mixed IMP Pairs: 3-day event. Elimination: 10 sessions of 10 boards over 2 days. Top 25 pairs plus 1 sponsored pair → Gold final; pairs 26–51 → Silver final. Final: Barometer Howell (26 pairs, 50 boards). Non-qualifiers may play Mixed IMP Strata.
• Team of Four Gold / Silver: Swiss league of 10 rounds × 10 boards over 2 days. Top 16 teams advance to knockouts (4 sessions × 14 boards). Third-place playoffs: three sessions of 14 boards.
• Open MP Pairs: 4 days with 3 eliminations (each 3 sessions × 18 boards). Top 26 pairs plus 2 sponsored pairs → Gold final; pairs 27–52 → Silver final. Gold final: 28 pairs, 54 boards (two sponsored pairs); Silver final: 26 pairs, 50 boards. Gold’s board count can change if sponsored pairs are absent. Remaining Elimination-3 qualifiers are seeded to the IMP Pairs final, subject to submitting the IMP Pairs entry by 20:30 IST on 9 October.
• IMP Pairs: 2-day event. Elimination: 3 sessions × 18 boards. Final: 2 sessions × 24 boards. Non-qualifiers eligible for IMP Pairs Strata.
• Board-A-Match Teams: One-day event — 24 rounds of 2 boards with barometer scoring in two sessions.
• ProAm IMP Pairs: One-day ProAm IMP Pairs event, maximum 36 pairs; final format subject to the organizers’ confirmation.

The tournament follows the WBF 2017 Laws of Duplicate Bridge. Supplemental Conditions of Contest (SCoC) are published on the official website.

• Gold is open to all.
• Silver permits no more than one National Master or higher-ranked player per team (the mentor). All other players must be below National Master. Teams found to have more than one such player will be scratched.
• Previous HCL Silver team finalists from 2013 onward count as National Masters for this rule, regardless of current master points.
• Foreign teams need committee permission to enter Silver; otherwise they play Gold only.
• Masterpoints assessed as of 25 September 2026, according to SCoC v2.0.
• In ProAm IMP Pairs, recognized experts may not be permitted to play as Amateurs at the Tournament Committee’s discretion.

Registration is online only and is complete only after payment via the gateway on the registration page.

As of 30 September 2026, entries for Team of Four Gold, Team of Four Silver, and Mixed IMP Pairs are closed.

• Teams qualifying for the Gold/Silver KO stage pay an additional ₹3,000 per team.
• 50% concession on entry fees for teams/pairs consisting of all under-30 players.

Tax deductions apply under Indian rules. International player payments use the applicable exchange rate. See the official prize table for every finishing position and special award. Prizes are credited to winners’ bank accounts within 20–30 days after the final day, subject to documents required by HCL accounts.

Confirm current rates and availability directly with the hotel before booking.

• Displaying properly completed convention cards at the table is compulsory. Blank convention cards are available at the venue.
• Lunch is provided at the venue. Tea/coffee and snacks are provided during scheduled tea breaks.
• Do not bring tea, coffee, cold drinks or lunch inside the playing arena.
• Players must take their seats as per the programme; failure to do so incurs a penalty.
• Tournament follows WBF 2017 Laws of Duplicate Bridge. The organizing committee may change schedule and format if necessary.

• T.C. Pant

  +91 9811094407

  tcpant@hotmail.com

• Sudhir Aggarwal

  +91 9810100361

  sgaggarwal@gmail.com

• Srinivasan Iyengar

  +91 9974164676

  cardpacker@gmail.com

• Download Brochure (PDF)
• Registration / Entries
• Official website — hcl-bridge.com
• Overview & Supplemental Conditions of Contest
• Full prize money table