KARACHI, Jan 27: Trials to select Pakistan men and women teams to participate in the Bridge Federation of Asia and Middle East championship will be held at the Aslam Memorial Hall from February 22 to 27, the Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF) announced on Saturday.

The 12-nation championship will commence at a local five star hotel from May 12.

“Eight open teams and as many women combinations will be taking part in the trials,” PBF secretary Tariq Rasheed Khan said.

“Winner of the men’s trials will be eligible to represent the country in all international competitions till May 2008,” he added.

Tariq maintained that winners of the trials will also represent Pakistan in Bermuda bowl while women will participate in Venice Cup, which will be held in China in November.

He said that two-day women trials will be contested on Swiss league system from February 20 with four teams from Karachi and one each from Lahore and Islamabad.

Men’s trials will start from February 23 and conclude on 27.

Besides four qualifiers from Sindh – Giants, Allana, Data Steel-I, Danny Cool – and one reigning champion Candyland, who are exempted from the trials, two teams from Lahore and one from Islamabad appear in the trials.

After round robin Swiss league, two top teams will advance to the final.

Semi-finals and the final will be played over 64 boards.

Meanwhile, Giants having services of Masud Saleem, Shahin Iqbal, Nawab Yousuf Talpur, Hasan Akhtar, Masud Mazhar and Hasan Jawad won the Sindh round of trials with 212 victory points (VPs).

Allana with World Life Master Jan-e-Alam Fazli, Abdur Rehman Allana, Sarfaraz Khan, Rashid Jaffer, Javed Ahmed and Tahir Masud finished second with 193 VPs.

Data Steel-I mustered 188 VPs to claim third position.

Danny Cool with Mazhar Ali Khan, Shoaib Khan, Raza Naqvi, A. K. Bhugri, Shahab Khan and Ghufran Ashraf in their fold was last qualifier with 186 VPs.—APP