Zia Mahmood has never been the most punctual man — but I wonder whether he’ll ever be late for a bridge tournament again? He and his partner Jan Jansma were favourites to win the European Open Pairs in Ostend last week. In the final, they were neck-and-neck with the German player Sabine Auken and her partner (in life as well as bridge) Roy Welland. In the end, Auken-Welland won by just 0.9 per cent — or 3.35 IMPS (international match points). Only later did I find out that Zia had been fined 4 IMPS for turning up a few minutes late that morning.
When I rang to commiserate, he said he’d been buying cough medicine, but was delighted for Auken and Welland. So am I: it’s the first time a woman has won the European Open Pairs.
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