How did you get started in bridge? At what age? Who from?
Bridge has been in my family for a couple of generations. My Dad (Dave) made BBO accounts for myself and my younger sister when it first came out, I was around 7 or 8 I think. I had absolutely NO interest.
I actually learnt the game towards the end of 2009 when I was 12. My Dad was playing a weekend congress team event and I decided to tag along out of boredom. When I saw the game actually being played it looked very interesting, so I asked Dad to teach me!
What do (did) you do professionally?
I am a professional bridge player and teacher.
Who is your partner and for how long? Longest partnership?
Rob Fruewirth. We started playing together around mid-2020 in online Reynolds KO matches. Our first face-to-face game was last year!
My longest partnership was with Matt Smith. We played together on the U26 team from 2017 up until the start of 2020.
If you had a choice who would you like to play with? Australia and Internationally- living or dead?
It would have been amazing to have a game with Tim Seres. A game with my Grandma would have been incredible too. I never got to meet her, but she’s the reason I get to play this incredible game.
In your playing career, what is the bridge success that has the most meaning for you?
Winning the 2022 Australian Open Playoff. It was and always will be such a special win for me. Those who were there can attest to how overcome with emotion I was.
And your worst moment in bridge?
Losing the 2020 NOT Semi finals by 1 imp.
What do you do between sessions to put you in the best frame of mind for the following session?
I always do my best to stay present. It’s important to not overwork your brain in between sessions but at the same time you don’t want to lose your competitive edge or focus. It’s a delicate balance. But it all starts with being present and aware.
Do you have a favourite and least favourite convention?
Favourite convention at the moment is 2D Flannery.
Would you prefer to have more system or less?
It depends on the partner! More system is generally better but you obviously need to account for system forgets. Lots of niche/specific agreements are bad. You want to have firm universal ‘rules’ so that if an uncharted bidding problem comes up, both players can solve it by reverting back to those universal/meta agreements.
What do you do to improve your game?
Because Bridge is my job it’s always on my mind which definitely helps. For me, improvement comes from playing with and against good players and then discussing the hands at length.
Favourite bridge book?
Right through the Pack by Robert Darvas and Norman de Villiers Hart
It’s not an instructional book by any means but the hands are fantastic and the vignettes for each card are very entertaining. I always go back to this one when I just want to pick up a bridge book.
What interests or hobbies do you have besides bridge?
I am an avid gamer. Absolutely love video games. I also watch a lot of TV and films. Read a fair bit too.
What is the number one thing that bridge has done for you as a person and for your life?
I have met some of my closest friends through bridge and have fortunately seen a lot of the world because of it.
Bridge Results and Awards
Silver medal in U26 World Pairs (with Matt Smith) in 2019
Bronze medal in U26 World Triathlon (best overall performance in pairs, teams and individual) in 2019
2019 Joan Gerard Youth award.
Silver medal in U31 World Pairs (with Andrew Spooner) in 2022
National Titles
In the Youth I’ve won all the titles a number of times.
Open
VCC: 2017, 2018 and 2022
ANOT Swiss Pairs: 2018
Australian Open Playoff: 2022
State Representation
Represented Victoria in the Youth: 2011-2013, 2015-2018, 2020-2021
Represent Victoria in the Open: 2019
International Representation
U21 team
2011 – Asia Pacific Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 1st
2012 – World Youth Championships in Taicang, China – Lost in Quarterfinals
U26 team
2014 – Asia Cup in Ningbo, China – 6th
2014 – World Youth Championships in Istanbul, Turkey – 10th
2015 – Asia Pacific Championships in Bangkok, Thailand – 3rd
2015 – World Youth Open Championships in Opatija, Croatia – Lost in Semifinals
2016 – World Youth Championships in Salsomaggiore, Italy – 9th
2017 – Asia Pacific Championships in Seoul, South Korea – 5th
2018 – World Youth Championships in Wujiang, China – 10th
2019 – Asia Pacific Championships in Bangkok, Thailand – 5th
2019 – World Youth Open Championships in Opatija, Croatia – Lost in Semifinals
Open team
2023 – Asia Pacific Championships in Hong Kong
2023 – Bermuda Bowl in Marrakech, Morocco
