Born in Karachi and educated in London, Zia Mahmood remains one of the colourful characters in world bridge, despite moving out to the senior section since 2013 after being part of the formidable USA team for over two decades.
The achievements of the 69-year-old are what legends are made of but the most singular accomplishment of this Grand Life Master, with both the World Bridge Federation and the North American Contract Bridge League, is the stellar display he came up with to take Pakistan to the final of the Bermuda Bowl at Port Chester, USA, in 1981.
After that he moved to America both in an attempt to improve upon his game and play professional bridge right through the year. A great conversationalist who can reel out anecdotes relating to the game continuously, Zia is now in Chennai for the World championships.
While talking to The Hindu on Friday night, after he and USA1 had made sure of the top spot in the round-robin phase, Zia was candid: “I would have loved to be 20 years younger now, but one should admit that the game in the senior section is quite nice and friendly compared to the Bermuda Bowl where the competition is very tough.”
Having been an avid lover of card play, Zia was a late starter in bridge. “I took to the game rather late, maybe when I was only 22 or 23 years old and that too since I thought it would help me to get into the company of beautiful women. But what has been a bonus is that here I am still playing the game at the highest possible level as bridge is the only sport which allows a player to retain his quality and exhibit his sharp skills even as one grows older.”
Cheating factorA Chartered Accountant by profession, Zia said it was terrible reading about how cheating had been part of the game over several years now. “True, the past few months have been terrible. But still I think it is good for the game as such exposures do help cleanse bridge and turn things bright for the future in the long run. We always knew that there were cheaters in the game, but not in such large numbers. Maybe, I would have won more if they were not around.”
The legend, who is also a six-handicap golfer, felt that Indian bridge would be able to go a long way if the approach of the powers-that-be underwent a complete change. “I can very well say that India has got a talented bunch of players, having seen them in action over the years. But I am afraid that Indian bridge as of now is quite outdated. It is a sport which requires constant exposure and one can sharpen his skills by playing with or against better players on a regular basis. But as I understand, the Indian players lack exposure and this is what has been detrimental for the country’s progress.”
Asked on what his message was to the younger players, Zia said that there were two things which he always insisted.
“You should play bridge to love it always asking to yourself, how good can I be? Previously it was said that sky was the limit but as we now have footprints in the moon, there is no limit as such for any player who remains devoted to the game and takes every training session and tournament seriously.”
