KARACHI, May 9: The 14th Asia and Middle East Bridge Championship returns to Pakistan after well over two decades and gets into action at a local hotel from Saturday. The winner and runners up in open men team event will get a ticket for the Bermuda Bowl World Bridge Championship slated at Shangai, China, later this year while the top two women’s team earns the right to feature in Venice Cup.

The details of the biennial event were announced by President of Pakistan Bridge Federation, Rehana Saigol, at a media briefing on Wednesday.

Syria, she said, has expressed regret to compete in the event reducing the open men team contest to five countries – India, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. According to her, four teams are in the run for two places in women’s team event namely India, Jordan, Pakistan and Palestine.

She disclosed that the World Bridge Federation President Jose Damiani will grace the prize distribution on May 20.