Taiwan clinches bridge title

Press, 9 December 1976, Page 6

Taiwan clinches bridge title

I PA Auckland, One round still remains In | the Far East open bridge chain-1 pionship, but Taiwan had the j title won beyond any shadow of doubt when play ended in Auckland yesterday afternoon. By this time the Taiwan score was 134.99. two and a half matches ahead of the nearest rival, Australia. So the worldclass players could relax in the certain knowledge that they had their first Far East title since 1971 and would join the representatives of five other nations in the 1977 contest for the world inter-zone championships and the Bermuda Bowl. I This event will be played in. Manila just before the twentyfirst tournament of the Far East • Bridge Federation. Quite apart from the undisputed prowess of its bridge players, notably Patrick Huang, who partnered C. H. Kuo to victory in the Far East pairs 10 days ago. there is national significance for Taiwan in its bridge team. Its soccer players may find in- j creasing difficulty in entering i International competition be- ' cause of political pressures, but 1 world bridge has managed to preserve the lower key. Unless new pressures arise, Taiwan’s bridge team will have I I the unchallengeable right to | contest the Bermuda Bowl by • virtue of the excellence displayed against 11 other teams in Auckland over the past 10 davs. No womens matches were played yesterday afternoon, but two contests of the final round last night became a miniature tournament of special significance. Japan, leader by 1.4 points over New Zealand, played Aus-

, trails title-holders for the past I three years, but certain to be I no better this time when third J no matter what happened. Simultaneously Now Zealand ! plaved the Philippines, just * shade more than four points behind on the ladder. The top platings thus depended on the scores of both matches in a contest not expected to end until after midnight. In the following results victory points are in parenthesis. OPEN TEAMS Round 19—. Thailand 54. Singaport 49 (4.61-3.39); Hong Kong 70, Philippines 52 (6.08-1.92;; New Zealand 60, Indonesia 6U i 5.20-2.80); Japan 87. Pakistan 41 ; (841); Australia 67. India 44 (7.14i 0.86); Taiwan 97. Malaysia 46. [ Round 20.—India 68, New Zealand 37 18-0); Australia 60 Hong Kong 50 <5.20-2.80); Taiwan 75, Japan 44 (8-0); Pakistan 86, Thailand 28 (8-0): Indonesia 77, Malaysia 49 (7.42-0.58); Pakistan 86, Thailand 28 <B-0). Rankings after 20 rounds: Taiwan 134.99 1; Australia. 114.78, 12; India. 113.29. 3: Pakistan, 197.06. 4; Japan. 88.77. 5; Indo- | nesia. 84.38. 6; New Zealand, 177.39. 7; Hong Kong, 71.99. 8; 'Thailand, 64.82. 9; Philippine:, : 58.82 10; Singapore. 27.51, 11: Malaysia. 21.64. 12. WOMEN'S TEAMS Round 17.—Japan 59. Philippines 20 (8-0); New Zealand 62. Thailand 26 (8-0): Australia 96, India 19 <B-01; Indonesia 43. Taiwan 29 (8-01; bye Straits Times (5). Rankings after 17 rounds: Japan, 87.14 I; New Zealand. 85.65. 2; Philippines. 81.47. 3. Australia, 75.02, 4; Thailand, 72.76, 5: Straits Times, 70,78. 6; Indonesia, 66.37 . 7; Taiwan. 59.29. 8; India, 30.57. 10.