India U-16 Team Finishes Fourth at World Youth Bridge Championships
Sparks a Renaissance for Bridge in India on Semi-Finals entry
L to R; Viha Gahrotra, Ananya Mehta, Anshul Bhatt, Jashith Narang, Prakhar Bansal
Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy – August 2025:
The Indian Under-16 team delivered a historic performance at the 19th World Youth Bridge Championships in Salsomaggiore, Italy, qualifying for the semi-final stage and ultimately finishing fourth in the world. Competing against the finest junior players globally, the young Indians played over nine hours a day for seven consecutive days, demonstrating remarkable stamina, focus, and resilience.
The Indian U-16 contingent — Prakhar Bansal, Viha Gahrotra, Ananya Mehta, Jashith Narang, Adhiyaman Zodypache, and Agilan Zodypache — made the nation proud with their spirited run. Of these six, four players (Prakhar, Viha, Ananya, and Jashith) hail from Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS), Mumbai.
Abhimanyu Basu, Dean and CEO, DAIS, said, “We are immensely proud of Ananya, Jashith, Prakhar, and Viha for their stellar performance at the World Youth Bridge Championships 2025 in Italy, finishing 4th and representing both India and DAIS with distinction.”
Kaushik Mukherjee, whowas selected as the Coach of the Indian U-16 team by the Bridge Federation of India (BFI) in June 2025 for the upcoming event in July 2025 said, “At the World Youth Championships in Italy, Jashith, Ananya, Prakhar, and Viha showed incredible resilience. Playing nine hours a day for a full week, they fought through every board with courage and maturity well beyond their years. To finish just short of a medal against the strongest teams in the world is a testament to their spirit and determination.”
This rise can be traced back to Anshul Bhatt, who after winning three gold medals at the 2022 World Youth Bridge Championships, launched a Bridge BootCamp at DAIS and has since been running the school’s Bridge Club for the last two years. Basu said, “It is wonderful to see how Anshul’s passion for Bridge has inspired a thriving culture at DAIS, and this achievement is a true testament to our students’ talent, teamwork, and perseverance.”
Anshul’s achievements and leadership have been widely recognized — he has been honoured by global icons such as Bill Gates and Sachin Tendulkar, and he continues to inspire a new generation of Indian players through his initiative, BridgeBlitz. “Beyond his own achievements, Anshul’s encouragement and mentoring to fellow students has helped cultivate a spirit of collaboration and excellence. We’re proud to see this tradition gaining recognition both nationally and internationally,” said Sonali Bajaj, Deputy Head of Secondary School, DAIS.
Team Coach Mukherjee added, “What makes this achievement special is that it all began with a bootcamp that Anshul started in school, and today this young team has proven that Indian bridge has a future to be proud of.”
This near-podium finish of the Indian U-16 team follows their participation in the 2024 World Youth Transnationals in Poland, where the foundation for this journey was laid. Besides Anshul, Priya Ranjan Sinha has also coached the DAIS team for the past two years from 2023-2025 – highlighted the grit of the players: “Coaching this team since inception over the past two years has been a privilege and an honour. Anshul is the spark behind this journey which started with the Bootcamp in DAIS. He was instrumental in entrusting me with the task of teaching and coaching these talented youngsters – Jashith, Ananya, Prakhar and Viha. They committed themselves to long hours of practice, embraced the discipline of high-level play, and developed the maturity to handle the pressures of international competition and reaching the U16 Semi Finals is a landmark achievement. This team’s success demonstrates that India can reach the pinnacle of youth bridge, and this is only the beginning. Their performance showed that Indian schoolchildren can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.”
Gianarrigo Rona, Former President of the World Bridge Federation, praised the achievement: “I first saw Anshul as an 8-year-old in Lyon, France, when he won the Joan Gerard Award. Even then, he was precocious and special. After his three gold medals in 2022, I said his success could do for bridge what Anand’s success did for chess. The near-medal finish by this new brigade from DAIS validates that belief. I now predict that Anshul will not only revive Bridge in India, but inspire its growth around the world.”
About World Youth Bridge Championships
The World Youth Bridge Championships, organized by the World Bridge Federation (WBF), is the premier global competition for players under 26, drawing the most talented young minds in the game.
About BridgeBlitz
At the heart of this success lies BridgeBlitz, Anshul Bhatt’s initiative to reignite a culture of bridge in India. Through BridgeBlitz.com, Anshul and his team aim to make bridge accessible to youth, families, and schools, dismantling stigmas that label it as gambling, too complicated or played by old people.
“Despite its steep learning curve early on, once you pass that, Bridge becomes irresistible,” Anshul says. His approach emphasizes intuition, self-discovery, and fun, ensuring that more children find joy in the game. The BootCamps he organized have already introduced dozens of students to Bridge, many of whom continue to play recreationally and some competitively today.
DAIS team: L to R; Viha Gahrotra, Ananya Mehta, Anshul Bhatt, Jashith Narang, Prakhar Bansal
Prodigy Anshul Bhatt conducting Bridge BootCamp in DAIS
