The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players

John welcomes back his first-ever guest, Gavin Wolpert, a seven-time NABC winner, including the 2021 Soloway Knockout and the 2005 Blue Ribbon Pairs with his wife, Jenny, and a two-time bronze medal winner in Open World Championships. Gavin is one of the internet's favorite Bridge teachers, using interactive problems to allow students to make mistakes and learn from them, emphasizing practice as an essential component in becoming a better bridge player, and implementing technology to provide opportunities for targeted practice. Gavin shares his thoughts on the need for more structured and accessible bridge programs for kids and families at national tournaments. He discusses the importance of enticing kids to play bridge and creating a fun environment for them, and that bridge can help kids develop respect for older people and learn how to interact with them better.  

Today, my guest is in-demand tournament player, winner of one of Bridge’s crown jewels, the 2022 Vanderbilt, club owner, multiple club owner, and Junior Bridge mentor extraordinaire, Aaron Silverstein. Aaron played in the first ever Junior World Championships in 1987, and his daughter, Avery, playing on a team that he mentored, won a silver medal in the 2023 Junior World Championships. See just how much has changed when it comes to Junior Bridge.  Getting Aaron’s perspective as a club owner was really insightful for me, and I think you’ll be surprised at who Aaron wants to partner when he plays in one of his own club games.  Finally, Aaron is very candid about what it’s like to have his main tournament partner win a mixed world championship without him, and playing in tournaments at the highest level, and I think provides some great insight into how to think about your own partnership and teammates.  

My guest is Simon de Wijs from the Netherlands. Simon has a great bridge resume. He has won the Bermuda Bowl, the Olympiad, the mixed World Championship, and multiple European championships. He is a mainstay on the Dutch national team, always one of the favorites in open competition. At the recent Louisville NABC, Simon showed up with his twin 19-year-old daughters, who are budding experts. Find out how his relationship with them has changed since they got the bridge bug (by the way they made the Dutch mixed team for the upcoming European championships). Recently at the NABCs, Simon has been playing on the Goodman team. They are one of the hottest teams in the world, having made it to the semifinals of the last two Vanderbilts and the last Soloway.   

Today my guest is Brian Platnick. He’s a world champion (1991 World Junior Teams and 2010 Rosenblum Cup) with six NABC+ titles, including two Spingold wins (2010, 2017) and a victory in the Blue Ribbon Pairs (2012). Brian is a perfect example of what inspires this podcast: the opportunity to have longer-form conversations with fascinating bridge players. The genesis for this episode was getting eliminated from the United States Bridge Championships, by Brian’s team, for the second year in a row. I had too much fun talking with Brian and wasn’t focused enough on winning! If you've ever wondered if you're a world-class player, Brian has a formula for deciding (Hint, I’m not.) He also speaks candidly about where he sees himself amongst some of the best in the game.  We talk about EDGAR (Everyone Deserves a Game Above Reproach), the anti-cheating software that he and Franco Baseggio have created that is now in use, testing an incredible number of online deals. Anyone who likes hearing me laugh will greatly enjoy this episode. Brian kept cracking me up!

Today, we're debuting a new format called Event Review, where my partner and I get together and discuss some of the most amusing incidents and some of the best and worst plays from a recent event. It's going to be shorter than my typical long-form interview and also, hopefully, just kind of fun.  I'm speaking with my partner for the District 6 Grand National Teams Qualifying sessions, Sophia Baldysz, a champion player from Poland with many medals in world events, and also my teammate from the 2023 NABC+ Mixed Swiss.

Episode 73: Rise and Fly! Lamont Jones and The Gist of Bid Whist   Normally, this is a Bridge podcast, but today my guest is Bid Whist evangelist Lamont Jones. Lamont recently published the book called The Gist of Bid Whist culminating a project he began in earnest in 2012. He's on a mission to share his love for Bid Whist with a wider audience. If you've ever been curious about Bid Whist, as I have been recently, Lamont and I go through a lot of the differences as well as the similarities between Bid Whist and Bridge. One of the things we don't have in Bridge is trash talk, and that seems to be a huge part of the Bid Whist culture. Whether it's trash-talking about taking your opponents to Boston or telling them to rise and fly, I definitely think Bid Whist has Bridge beat when it comes to talking smack. I could not believe when I read in The Gist of Bid Whist that none other than Bob Hamman said, "Bid Whist is more complex than Bridge." My question to you as a listener, is that a good thing? Overall I've just found Lamont to be a super positive, delightful person, and I'll hope you enjoy engaging with him as I did.  

John shares his experience of being hired to play bridge professionally for the first time. He talks about meeting and playing with a new partner and the challenges they faced. He also discusses the pressure and self-consciousness he felt as a bridge pro and how he overcame it to improve his performance and gain confidence.

Today’s guest is Denmark's Morten Bilde. In addition to being a world-class bridge player with a win and a second in the U.S. Vanderbilt, Morten left his day job in 2015 to focus on getting bridge in the schools in Denmark. Stay tuned to find out why Morten says that's the best job he's ever had, as well as what the challenges are in that undertaking. Morten and his wife, Dorte met through bridge and their son, Dennis, is a real bridge superstar. The three of them teamed up at the recent Icelandic Bridge Festival and won the team event for both the festival and the World Bridge Tour event, which preceded it. Those of you with children might be interested to learn how Morten approached teaching Dennis the game. If you've got a passion for introducing youth to bridge like I do, then Morten is your guy. He's happy to answer any of your questions, and he gives his email address towards the end of our conversation. Please enjoy my conversation with Morten Bilde.   

My guest today is Matthew Brown. Matt has been my partner for the last two North American Bridge Championships and for the upcoming March NABC in Louisville. Matt’s partnership with Michael Whibley on team New Zealand has pulled off some big time wins and upsets. Stay tuned to hear how they went from zero to being one of the best pairs in the world. As his partner, I’m happy to put down the dummy for Matt to play. As his teammate, I’m delighted for him to be playing a difficult contract. See if you can see why I think our temperaments are quite different.  

Ever wonder about the theme music that accompanies The Setting Trick and Double Dummy? Listen to this bonus episode, the first of John telling stories about the genesis of his bridge media. 

The Setting Trick Episode 68 Game On – The Card Game Bridge Needs More People Like Steve Raine John McAllister talks with Steve Raine, a bridge player, vlogger and gaming café owner who lives in Nottingham, England. His video blogs about attending bridge tournaments and subsequent board review have earned him fans across the globe. You’re going to want to stick around to hear the new end-of-show question as suggested by Steve’s partner at the Atlanta NABC, Adam Hickman, aka Gizzy. We’re planning on making it a staple of the show going forward. Listen to Steve’s surprising and inspiring answer. Hint: it wasn’t about himself!

The North American Bridge Championships are truly an experience that brings people together. Walt Shafer, who runs an eponymous, invitation-only game online, hosted a party for the participants at the Atlanta NABC. John, who plays in the game, attended and met Bonnie Gellas, who was there because her partner, Erez Hendelman, plays in the game. The two hit it off and now Bonnie, who is a bridge teacher, is a guest on the show.  Bonnie lives in NYC and is responsible for teaching bridge to hundreds of players.   

Alex Kolesnik: Bridge Dad + Move over, Soccer Moms, there’s a new game in town. Alex Kolesnik and his wife, Sharon Beynon, are California-based professors who play bridge. Somehow, they got both of their children interested in playing bridge too. Now ages 25 and 19, Emma and Finn are top-ranked players. Alex, a Platinum Life Master, describes his journey as a husband, professor, player and father, encouraging his kids in all their endeavors, maintaining balance and keeping perspective.   

The Setting Trick Episode 65: Nathan Gong – A Junior Ambassador for New Bridge Players Seattle-area teenager Nathan Gong has distinguished himself as an excellent bridge player at regionals, NABCs, and, this summer, his first World Youth Championships. He’s also getting noticed as a teacher, having started bridge clubs in middle and high school. With his family and the support of the bridge-playing community, Nathan has helped to teach and mentor a group of kids – and even get some of their parents to learn bridge.  

Amber Lin has already achieved a lifetime of success at age 26. A national champion and two-time world champion medalist (including gold in Morocco just a few weeks ago), Amber has found the time to develop as a bridge player, mentor and coach others, intern with the ACBL Educational Foundation, and work full-time as an energy consultant at Bain & Company. Listen to Amber’s amazing trajectory via the USBF Junior Training Program and the benefits of mentorship and learning together with friends.    

TST Episode 63: Katie Sullivan is not pumping the brakes   Katie Sullivan, as a second-year student at the University of Virginia, has infused her love of bridge with her college experience, starting an officially recognized student organization and recruiting other college kids into competitive bridge. Hear about her meteoric rise in the game and her plans for UVA world domination.  3:47 “Chalk it up” – how creative marketing got Katie needed contacts to create a bridge club. 10:50 Obtaining CIO status and how the club fair was a game-changer. 12:26 Trumpet players and bridge. Who knew? 17:09 Hoos Playing Bridge on Instagram. 18:50 Trying to teach the fundamentals, struggling with supplies. Creating slide presentations. 28:21 A shout-out to any UVA alumni who might want to help. Many students have branched out to playing sanctioned events at clubs. Katie is proud. 32:51 Katie, in her first year of college at Amherst, meets Michael Xu. 38:41 Recovering from a painful misbid by partner. 49:06 After success at the World Youth Teams Championships, Katie plans to get “seriously serious.” 53:40 Loving the postmortem. 1:05 Katie encourages all youth bridge players to plan on attending UVA when it’s time for college. Katie’s article on Bridge Winners about starting a bridge club at college. Hoos Playing Bridge on Instagram. Katie’s first BW post: a love letter. Katie in the New Orleans NABC Daily Bulletin. Like cards? Play bridge!  

The Setting Trick Episode 62: Patty Tucker, Youthful Enthusiast. Patty Tucker might be responsible for creating more new bridge players than anyone on the planet. From developing teaching materials and running a non-profit to her new endeavor - getting bridge to be part of the curriculum in schools - Patty channels her love of the game into energy to keep it alive. How bridge changed Patty’s life at age 11, finding her niche. The origin of Atlanta Junior Bridge, how the camps became the Youth NABC. The challenges of school systems and connecting with teachers. A teacher in Lebanon KY inspired Patty’s new endeavor, Jump Start Bridge, resulting in 40 kids learning bridge via an afterschool program. Patty’s amazement at the lack of knowledge of what bridge is; finding a way to spread the word via conferences, including the International Society for Technology and Education, which included tech giants like Microsoft and Google, reaching over 12,000 attendees and raising visibility. Patty keeps learning: What to do differently for future conferences. On feeling overwhelmed or “out of her element” with the enormity of the tasks of marketing her plan. Don’t tell Patty, “It can’t be done.” How bridge can connect people, creating lifelong friendships, even if you only see one another three times a year at NABCs. Kids deserve that too. Patty’s three wishes (OK, only two). How Patty learned to play bridge, and a story of a defining moment in her bridge life. Why John will never be Goodwill Member of the Year. Patty’s legacy. How not everyone is cut out to be a bridge teacher. Patty’s third wish. Patty’s pre-game ritual and advice.   Links: Atlanta Junior Bridge https://atlantajuniorbridge.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFmp595UdNs Jump Start Bridge https://atlantajuniorbridge.org/jumpstart/ The Power of Bridge in Schools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J8A-za2Wpc  

The Setting Trick Episode 61: Sartaj Hans Keeps Getting Better This week's guest is many-time Australian national champion Sartaj Hans. Originally from India, Sartaj has several high finishes in NABC events, including making the semifinal of the recent Spingold Knockout Teams in Chicago, where he played four-handed with partner Andy Hung and teammates Nabil Edgtton and Michael Whibley.  John had his first big knockout match win in the 2014 Spingold teaming with Sartaj to beat the then 7th- seeded Cayne team. Sartaj’s book, Battling the Best, won the 2107 IBPA Book of the Year award. He also won the declarer play of the year in 2019. On top of all that, he has a successful career and is married to fellow tournament bridge player Sophie Ashton; they have two young daughters. Sartaj discusses the psychology of bridge and how belief can make you a better player. The need for developing a way to categorize bridge mistakes because bridge problems have so much variance. Why postmortems are “rubbish.” Sartaj hits upon a hot-button issue: playing top-level events on computers. A couple of book recommendations from Sartaj. Sartaj’s belief that focusing too much on system in a casual partnership is not effective. In bridge, everyone has a chance to win.  Working on improving and how even experts have coaches and mentors. Finally, Sartaj philosophizes on enjoying the process.   Read Sartaj’s post on Bridge Winners about playing on tablets: https://bridgewinners.com/article/view/the-case-for-tablets/   Sartaj Hans’ book, Battling the Best: https://www.baronbarclay.com/battling-the-best/   Sartaj Hans wins Declarer Play of the Year: https://www.abf.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2020_IBPA_Declarer_Play_of_the_Year.pdf  

This week's episode of the Setting Trick podcast features Tom Hanlon, an accomplished bridge player with a remarkable track record in the game. One of his favorite bridge memories is winning the European Silver Medal in 2006, a significant achievement that highlights his skill and dedication. Tom has formed a strong partnership with Hugh McGann, a regular bridge partner who shares his passion for the game. Together, they have built a successful collaboration, leveraging their skills and strategic thinking to achieve notable results. Overall, Tom Hanlon's bridge journey is marked by his passion for the game and consistent pursuit of excellence continues to make him a respected figure in the bridge world.  During today's discussion, Tom talks about the global bridge discussions, where he exchanges ideas, shares insights, and collaborates with players worldwide. Also, Tom navigates the trials of decision-making and shares valuable insights into compelling gameplay. Tom shares his experiences to gain a deeper understanding of the strategic elements that drive success in the game. Moreover, Tom reflects on his favorite tournament experiences, reliving triumphs, challenges, and personal growth moments. Lastly, discover the power of friendship and partnership as Tom celebrates many years of collaboration with his trusted bridge companion.