In honour of her late husband, Avi Kanetkar, Lalita and her family have kindly offered prize money for Novice and Restricted players in Sydney’s biggest annual bridge event, the Spring Nationals, for the next five years.
“Avi was very passionate about bridge.” Lalita says. “By doing something in his memory, we can show our love for him and his love for the game.”
Winners of the Novice and Restricted Butler Swiss Pairs events will receive $300 per pair, and runners up will receive $200 per pair.
From 2025–2029, the events will be named:
- Avi Kanetkar Butler Swiss Pairs – Novice
- Avi Kanetkar Butler Swiss Pairs – Restricted
Both of these events will be played on 23-24 October at this year’s Spring Nationals (18-26 October).
Spring Nationals ’25 caters for new players
The Butler Swiss format rewards consistency and good methods, ideal for building confidence among players in the early stages of their development.
There are several other events for Novice and Restricted players on the other days, offering fair play and the chance to further their match skills.
For the first time in the congress’ history, a Mini Monday event is being held for players new to congresses to help demystify the congress experience.
It features a talk, 27 boards of matches, lunch and expert review of play – all for $30 a head.
In memory of a passionate player
Avi was a giant of the bridge game, winning over 50 national events, and the 2010 and 2013 Asia Pacific Seniors Teams events. He was also a finalist in several Seniors World Championships and was set to represent the Australian Seniors team at the Asia Pacific and World Championships this year.
Lalita says Avi always encouraged people to learn and play bridge.
“He often said: ‘It’s a bidder’s game, keep bidding’. He never interfered when I was learning to play. He only asked what I had learned on the day,” Lalita says.
“He would have liked to see more and more players coming in.”
Avi sadly passed in March this year.
The Kanetkar family is also sponsoring engravings on the back of gold medals given to each member of the Australian Seniors team.
Bridge NSW kindly thanks Lalita and the Kanetkar family for honouring Avi’s legacy and supporting emerging players and the NSW bridge community
How to enter Spring Nationals events
- Enter the Spring Nationals via MyABF: https://www.myabf.com.au/events/congress/view/2592
- Who should enter: Players of all levels. This year’s schedule features plenty of options for Novice and Restricted players
- Tip: Register early. Numbers are capped and fields fill quickly.
We look forward to seeing Novice and Restricted players battle it out for cash prizes in the Avi Kanetkar Butler Swiss Pairs events!
