Teams heavy with local players have been making a strong showing at the Bermuda Bridge Regional, which is taking place this week at the Fairmont Southampton hotel.

Nearly 250 visitors have come from overseas to play in the Regional, including American Contract Bridge League president Sharon Fairchild.

They are joined by roughly 150 Bermuda-based players at the prestigious Bridge event.

And those local players have been notching up successes in the opening games.

In the Charity Pairs, held on Saturday evening, David Cordon and Julia Lunn tied for first place in Flight B of the event and Mona Marie Gambrill and Julia Beach came second in Flight C. In the section for those with less than 100 masterpoints, Annalies Scheland and Ann Proctor came out on top.

The Sunday Swiss Teams event saw even greater Bermudian success with the team of Alan Douglas, Ian Harvey (former Bermuda resident), David Pereira and Barry Rahman gaining the same winning score as the team of Roman Smolski, Vera Petty and Jade and Karen Barrett from Vancouver.

Flight B was hotly contested with Bermudian John Hoskins ? playing with former resident Stephan Juliusburger and two other overseas players ? beating by just one point the all Bermudian team of Gertie Barker, Jane Smith, Mona Marie Gambrill and Magda Farag.

In third position were Bermudians Bea Williams, Betty Outerbridge and Felicity Lines, playing with Peggy Maguire of Nashville, Tennessee.

Two players who have only recently completed lessons which were held at the Bermuda Bridge Club ? under the tutelage of Judy Russell ? also made a splash on the weekend in the Sunday 99er pairs.

In the afternoon Ray McDaid and Miiodrag Novakovic came second with 61 percent and then in the evening they topped that by coming first with a 70 percent game.

The tournament continues until Saturday.