The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players

In this episode of The Setting Trick, I sit down with ACBL’s Stephanie Threlkeld and Shaneka Cunningham, the two stars of the ACBL's social media team. We get into how their skits are made with a tripod and an eye for humor. Amainzgly, the ACBL YouTube channel has passed 100,000 subscribers.We also talk about BridgeBattle, the game that gets new players going in under a minute, rebuilding collegiate bridge after COVID, and why public events at NABCs struggle to draw a crowd. Stephanie and Shaneka share how they became friends, their master points and what they want viewers to do next.__________________________________________________Key Highlights🎬 Made with a tripod: Every skit is filmed by the two of them, jumping on social media trends and keeping them bridge themed.📈 Awareness, not conversion: The videos keep bridge in front of people, so it is there when someone is ready to learn.🃏 BridgeBattle: No bidding, high card wins, first to seven tricks, with jewels for tricks, in four levels up to mini bridge.🎓 College bridge rebuilt: COVID took away the clubs' social side; Stephanie has brought it back to close to 50 schools.🤝 Failure is not fatal: Bronia Jenkins gives the team freedom to try things, which has helped make the hit videos happen.The complete list of ACBL Shorts can be found here. Links to mentioned videos included in time stamps below:__________________________________________________Resources & Next Steps🃏 Play BridgeBattle online or order the box game📺 ACBL on YouTube📸 ACBL on Instagram🎧 Subscribe to The Setting Trick on Apple Podcasts__________________________________________________YouTube Chapter Timestamps00:00 Cold open, cat video00:46 Meet Stephanie and Shaneka01:33 The box video02:43 Filming with a tripod03:29 100,000 subscribers, big in India04:54 Awareness, not conversion05:56 The cow kick and the chicken07:43 How the videos started09:42 Making trends bridge themed12:26 Introducing BridgeBattle14:00 How a BridgeBattle hand works15:02 Jewels and the box set17:31 The four levels19:25 Class zero and the daily duel20:48 Growing the social channels23:12 Which platforms work24:06 Bronia Jenkins and freedom to fail25:32 Who is the better player28:09 How Shaneka joined the ACBL31:48 Master points and playing level35:36 Working the NABCs37:28 Rebuilding collegiate bridge40:11 The youth NABC42:15 An alumni cup on RealBridge45:11 A day at the ACBL46:21 The truck and the trust fall48:12 How they became friends51:08 What viewers can do52:50 When they will play next54:43 Thank yous

In this episode of The Setting Trick, I sit down with Emma Kolesnik, who just won the Mixed Teams at the 2026 World Bridge Series in Katowice, Poland. She partnered her husband Adam Grossack, and their teammates were prior Mixed champions Sabine Auken and Roy Welland. Emma takes me through their quarterfinal win, decided by a single imp, including a seven imp time penalty. The final was a marquee matchup against Adam's brother Zach.We talk about pressure at the table, paying college students to learn bridge, and how the game turned her younger brother Finn Kolesnik into a close friend. We also get into playing with your spouse, family trips built around the European championships and why her family gave up cooperative games.__________________________________________________Key Highlights⏱ One IMP, After a Penalty: Seven minutes over cost seven imps, so a win by eight became a win by one.🧠 Bridge is Grinding: Adam has helped Emma work hard on every deal.🎓 Paid to Learn Bridge: With Mitch Dunitz, she paid college friends to come to four lessons.👫 How Finn Came Around: He refused to play until he learned Emma was being paid to go to the youth NABCs.🎲 Ticket to Ride: The team name came from a board game, and her family learned cooperative games only start blame games.__________________________________________________Resources & Next Steps🏆 2026 World Bridge Series results📸 The Setting Trick on Instagram🎧 Subscribe to The Setting Trick on Apple Podcasts__________________________________________________Chapter Timestamps00:00 Cold open00:52 Welcoming Emma Kolesnik01:47 A quarterfinal won by one imp03:39 The seven imp time penalty05:21 Checking scores on the tablet07:18 Facing Klukowski and Zmuda09:03 Pressure, and the grind10:30 Seven spades doubled11:44 The last board, two notrump15:11 Bridesmaids who don't play15:53 Paying students to learn19:25 Did she cry? Finn's Soloway21:32 A final against Zach Grossack22:45 A comedy of errors25:09 Rooting in the semifinal26:56 Six years apart, bridge friends28:31 Why Finn finally played30:50 Adam asks Finn's permission33:20 Playing with your spouse36:14 Turning down a pro offer38:23 Tablets, screens, the ACBL41:56 Roy, Sabine and golf43:06 Watching the Bermuda Bowl48:09 Watching family on ViewGraph49:57 Tromsø and family trips52:56 How many countries55:50 Museums on bridge trips57:22 Why Ticket to Ride60:56 No more cooperative games63:10 Nationals with her dad65:36 A yoga retreat instead68:16 Boards that stick with you73:01 The round of 16 ruff76:06 When she plays next

In this episode of The Setting Trick, I sit down with Alessandro Calmanovici, the founder of Bridge Tricks, a site that became a big part of my own bridge learning. His name rang a bell the first time I found it. He appears in Double Dummy, the film I made at the 2012 World Junior Championships, winning imps on each of the last four boards to scrape into the knockout.We dig into suit combinations and how a solver changes the way you think, the Survivor streaks that have players like Giovanni Donati obsessed, and the Bidding Architect that turns your own system into flashcards. Alessandro built all of it around a full time job and a new baby. We also get into why he thinks the game needs a better public image.__________________________________________________Key Highlights🎬 Finding Himself in Double Dummy: Alessandro watched the film years later, recognised the event, and realised the player on screen was him.🧠 Fifty Suit Combinations in a Row: Giovanni Donati ran a Survivor streak of fifty and spent an hour on the last one.📐 Commit to the Plan Before They Play: 54% against 51.7% on a disputed combination, and why the plan you settle on first wins.🤖 Built With AI, Starting From Nothing: His wife mentioned a tool at work. Turned down for help, he wrote the solver himself a year later.♣️ As Popular as Chess: Juniors are close to extinct in Italy and the Swiss scene is thinner still. He wants to change the game's image.__________________________________________________Resources & Next Steps🃏 Bridge Tricks, Alessandro's platform📝 Bridge Tricks on BridgeWinners📘 Peak, on deliberate practice🎯 Cuebids, the bidding practice app🎧 Subscribe to The Setting Trick on Apple Podcasts__________________________________________________Chapter Timestamps03:00 Bridge With Ballers and athletes04:30 Hooking beginners with BridgeMaster06:00 Pisa, a classmate's first ten hands07:30 Taicang, the last four boards12:00 Suit combinations, the feedback loop13:30 Survivor streaks, fifty in a row16:30 Reading par in seconds19:30 Launching the site, built with AI21:00 Bridge Lab and Bidding Architect22:30 Daily users, Fred Gitelman's message24:00 Why a solver beats an encyclopaedia25:30 Leonardo Cima says it is wrong27:19 A possible Cuebids collaboration31:49 Learning bridge at twelve, Cagliari34:49 Why the Italian scene shrinks37:49 Bridge as popular as chess39:19 Building the solver after a refusal43:49 Simon de Wijs, its best advocate46:49 Flashcards for your bidding system49:49 Being copied, and AI for small builders52:49 A bridge class in Zurich54:19 The dinners, not the squeezes57:19 How Double Dummy got made61:49 The cup and the daily combination66:19 Survivor, Rush, where to start69:19 Paying students, chasing Chess.com

In this episode of The Setting Trick, I sit down with Nabil Edgtton, one of the best bridge players in the world, and AJ Antonios, a professional poker player who learned bridge from scratch then won the 2020 Gold Coast Open Teams three months later. Longtime friends from poker, Nabil and AJ were living together, when Nabil finally convinced AJ to learn bridge. What followed was three hours of study every morning, five days a week. AJ describes a teacher with enormous knowledge and no patience. Nabil describes a student he expected to remember everything first time. When they won their first club game, after about a fortnight, opponents refused to believe AJ had just started!They both love to razz each other, starting from the story of how they first met. Nabil stacked AJ three times in a small poker game, then told him he was too good for these stakes. AJ explains why he rates bridge among the most skill based games he has played, and why its community beats every other he has been part of. Then there is the golf bet, which began with a claim that Nabil could clear the fence at a driving range and ended with a $220,000 wager, an acupuncture session and a punctured lung. AJ closes on Australian Survivor, where he finished third, and on the one minute that undid seven weeks.__________________________________________________Key Highlights🃏 Three Months to a National Title: AJ learned bridge from zero, won the 2020 Gold Coast Open Teams, then stopped playing.🔑 Teaching From the Student's Side: Nabil is blunt about his own coaching. You have to explain a game from the learner's side, not your own.🧠 A Flexible Mind Beats One Foundation: AJ credits Magic, poker, Yu Gi Oh and a Lebanese game called Tarneeb for giving each new idea somewhere to sit.🎰 Stacked Three Times, Then Recruited: Nabil took AJ's money three times at a poker table, then told him he belonged in bigger games.⛳ The Bet That Went Over the Fence: A claim about clearing a 350 metre fence became a $220,000 bet that Nabil could reach a three handicap.🏝 Survivor Tests You at Your Worst: AJ finished third after 47 days in Samoa, lost 15 kilos, and stopped eating to kill a rumour.Resources & Next Steps🃏 Nabil Edgtton's ABF player profile🏆 The 2020 Gold Coast Open Teams honour board📰 Liam Milne's match report on the Gold Coast final🎙 Episode 26, our earlier Nabil interview🏝 AJ on Australian Survivor🃏 Grand Archive, AJ's next worlds📚 Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool📸 The Setting Trick on Instagram🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

In this episode of The Setting Trick, I sit down with Tim Verbeek, professional bridge player and Chairman of the Dutch Athletes Committee, for a wide-ranging conversation about competitive bridge in the Netherlands and beyond. We open by reminiscing about a dinner in Lyon at the 2017 Transnational World Championships, where he helped pull me out of my post-elimination funk. From there we get into the remarkable depth of Dutch bridge talent, and the origin story of Tim's partnership with Danny Molenaar, which started when they were 12 and 13 years old and has now spanned 28 years.We also dig into one of the most uncomfortable topics in competitive bridge: cheating. Tim walks through real cases, from the Lotan Fisher scandal to an online incident during COVID to a player at the Dutch Bridge Federation who duplicated a key to access hand records. He explains how he developed an eye for suspicious patterns, and why the standard of evidence required to convict in bridge is so much higher than for doping in other sports. We close on the emotional toll of losing, raising a four-year-old daughter while traveling the circuit, and the surprising lack of a definitive beginner's guide to the game.__________________________________________________Key Highlights🇳🇱 The Golden Era of Dutch Bridge: Why the Netherlands keeps producing world-class pairs every five to ten years, and Tim's bet that the Dutch will be world champions again within the decade.🏆 From Fill-ins to Full-Time Teammates: How Tim and Danny Molenaar went from last-minute fill-ins at a US National to permanent members of Patty Cayne's team, thanks to an Israeli pair's bad manners.🔍 Catching Cheaters in the Bridge World: From Fisher and Schwartz to an online player who sent strategy messages to the wrong group chat, how Tim developed his instinct for spotting cheating.⚖️ Bridge vs. Doping: Athletes get banned for trace substances, while bridge players suspected of cheating often walk free because federations demand an impossibly high standard of proof.💔 The Emotional Weight of Losing: My tearful near-miss at the Lyon Transnationals, Tim's moment of self-doubt in Belgium, and how even top professionals lose far more often than they win.👶 Life as a Bridge Pro and a Father: Two-week tournaments away from his four-year-old daughter Rosa, and coming home to find that "everything in our life is done by Mommy."📚 The Missing Beginner's Guide to Bridge: Berry Westra's untranslated book, apps like Tricky Bridge, and why the game still lacks a simple learning path for new players.__________________________________________________Resources & Next Steps🎴 Learn more about the Dutch Bridge Federation (Nederlandse Bridge Bond)📱 Try Tricky Bridge, the bridge learning app by Scott Hoffer📖 The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bridge, recommended for beginners🏅 Follow the Dutch Athletes Committee and their Olympic qualification work🎧 Subscribe to The Setting Trick on Apple Podcasts

In this episode, I sit down with Luc Bellicaud - a three-time Junior World Champion from France and the developer of Lia, the AI bridge robot at IntoBridge.Why is Luc the first French bridge player I’ve interviewed? Because last month, IntoBridge, launched a powerful new AI coaching tool, named after him. Coach Luc is designed to help beginner and intermediate players spot their bidding mistakes(!) in real time. And I wanted the scoop!Luc started building Lia as an intern, describing himself as "quite clueless." Through time he has created an excellent partner and opponent. We discuss how he built her from the ground up and how he fixes her mistakes.Having the coach named after you comes with pressure! Luc shares the controversy over Lia's full-deal access and why LLMs are still no match for hand-coded bridge logic.Luc dates a bridge player who represents France internationally - and amusingly, she works for rival company Funbridge! Together they run a free weekly beginners club in Lille, fuelled by…FREE PIZZA!Away from the table, Luc runs France's biggest YouTube bridge channel. He also refuses to fly unless he must in order to represent his country.10:20 PMKey Highlights:🤖 Building Lia from Scratch: Starting with zero experience, Luc built Lia into a top bridge robot opponent and partner.🎓 Coach Luc Goes Live: A brand-new AI feature giving real-time bidding feedback, now in beta.🃏 Full Deal Access: Lia sees the full deal during card play - not to cheat, but for speed and better user experience.🎥 YouTube & Bidding Systems: Luc runs France's biggest bridge YouTube channel and invented his own bidding system as a joke.Resources and Next Steps:🤖 Try Coach Luc on IntoBridge - Play a game and see if Coach Luc has any notes on your bidding.▶️ Watch Luc's French Bridge YouTube Channel for weekly bridge content and lessons.🎬 Watch the documentary Double Dummy featuring the USA junior team - with some familiar faces from Luc's opponents.🎧 More Stories Like This - Subscribe to The Setting Trick wherever you listen to podcasts for more deep dives into the world of bridge.📱 Follow @thesettingtrick - Stay connected on Instagram for episode drops, tournament pics, and more.YouTube Chapter Timestamps:0:00 Introduction – Luc Bellicaud1:53 Coach Luc: The AI Bidding Coach on IntoBridge7:06 Learning Bridge: Beginners, Teachers & The Lille Club14:07 Bridge Companies, FunBridge Fallout & AI Controversy23:21 Building Lia: Coding, Bidding Logic & Design Choices36:06 The Story Behind Lia’s Name39:22 Bridge Life: Travel, Tournaments & Playing with His Girlfriend49:47 Bridge Systems, Partners & Competitive Play58:39 The Bermuda Bowl Final in Lyon1:04:04 Double Dummy Documentary & Youth Championships1:13:00 Luc’s YouTube Channel & Closing

In this episode, I sit down with Adam Parrish, a two-time winner of the American Bridge Teachers Book of the Year Award, host of the Leveling Up podcast, and author of six bridge books. Adam spent all of 2025 on a self-improvement project, dedicating an entire year to getting better at bridge while documenting every step publicly. We dive into what that year actually looked like, from tracking hours of study instead of chasing results, to working with top coaches like Joyjit Sensarma and learning key lessons from players like Steve Weinstein, Bobby Levin, and Gavin Wolpert. Did he actually level up? We also dig into some boards from the team trials, the art of listening as a podcaster, and why Adam believes you cannot improve in isolation. He shares stories about his longtime partner Greg Humphreys, how their NABC Fast Pairs win unfolded in Reno, and his experience playing the USA Team Trials on LoveBridge. Plus, we explore his journey from learning bridge from his maternal grandmother to writing a bridge novel, and what it takes to truly level up at this humbling, wonderful game.   Key Highlights: 📋 The Leveling Up Project: Adam spent all of 2025 publicly documenting his year-long mission to improve at bridge, tracking hours of study and process rather than just chasing results. 🏆 NABC Fast Pairs Victory: The story behind winning the national Fast Pairs with partner Greg Humphreys in Reno, including the celebration dinner, the trophy photo scandal, and the near-repeat the following year derailed by COVID. 🎯 Learning from the Best: How working with coaches like Joyjit Sensarma, and picking the brains of Gavin Wolpert, Bobby Levin, and Steve Weinstein, transformed Adam's approach to system and decision-making at the table. 🖥️ LoveBridge Team Trials Deep Dive: Why Adam loves the USA Team Trials format on LoveBridge, how he uses VuGraph sessions for study, and who is more fun to share a room with Marty Fleisher or Kevin Bathurst at the event. 📚 Six Books and Counting: From a bridge novel to "When to Draw Trumps" and beyond, Adam explains what inspires each book, how student feedback shapes his writing, and why a simple request can turn into 350 pages. 🎭 The Art of the Interview: A candid conversation between two podcast hosts about preparation, listening, letting conversations breathe, and why going in without a rigid agenda produces the best results.   Resources & Next Steps: 🎧 Listen to Adam's podcast: Leveling Up with Adam Parrish. 📰 Explore Adam's monthly newsletter. 📖 Browse Adam's bridge books including When to Draw Trumps and his other titles. 💻 Check out the Love Bridge  and experience the online bridge platform Adam recommends for serious study. 🎴 Watch hands and study expert play using Bridge Winners, the website built by Greg. 🎧 More Stories Like This – Subscribe to The Setting Trick wherever you listen to podcasts for more deep dives into the world of bridge. 📱 Follow @thesettingtrick – Stay connected on Instagram and for episode drops, tournament pics, and more.   Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 1:05 Meet Adam Parrish and the Leveling Up podcast 4:06 What is the Leveling Up project and why he started it 6:57 Tracking process over results and working with a sports psychology coach 9:12 A tough year at the nationals with Greg Humphries 11:10 Why you cannot improve alone and the value of mentorship 13:26 Has Greg actually leveled up? Talking about his long-time partner 18:16 Live hand analysis from the USA Team Trials 25:00 What separates different levels of players on the same decision 27:13 The most consistent takeaway from a year of learning from the best 35:58 Learning bridge from his maternal grandmother 38:01 Finding duplicate bridge in high school and college 42:44 The NABC Fast Pairs win in Reno with Greg Humphries 46:41 Third place in the Platinum Pairs and the revoke karma story 50:47 Stories about Greg Humphries and what makes him special 58:30 Trying to wrangle Greg for the GNT and team commitments 1:00:00 Why the LoveBridge Team Trials format is exceptional 1:02:43 How Adam uses view graph sessions for serious bridge study 1:05:06 Editing Kit Woolsey's Matchpoints and the book's legacy 1:06:55 Writing six bridge books and what inspires each one 1:15:00 Tournament routines, preparation, and the importance of rest 1:18:53 Podcast preparation and the art of the interview 1:22:47 Plans for the World Championships in Poland and upcoming events 1:25:42 Final reflections and wrap-up  

In this episode, I sit down with Avery Silverstein, a 17-year-old bridge prodigy who has fallen hard for the game. Despite her young age, Avery has already earned two medals at the Junior World Championships and reached the round of 16 in the Vanderbilt as my partner. We discuss her journey from family bridge club kid to international competitor, including having her father, professional player Aaron Silverstein, as her primary mentor. Avery talks candidly about balancing her senior year of high school with competitive bridge, her training regimen, and how she manages the pressure of representing her country on the world stage. From our dramatic 62-IMP comeback victory against the seventh seed to her heartbreaking silver medal finish at the U16 World Championships, Avery shares the emotional highs and lows of being deeply invested in the game. We explore her multifaceted life, which includes being close to a black belt in mixed martial arts and playing on her school's rugby team. Avery also discusses the college admissions process, her 26 college applications, and the possibility of taking a gap year to focus on professional bridge. With warmth and maturity beyond her years, she reflects on mentorship, the importance of being a great teammate, and her mission to help grow the next generation of junior players.   Key Highlights: 🏆 Silver Medal Journey: Avery recounts her team's incredible comeback from being the bottom three or four teams after two days to reaching the final and earning silver at the U16 World Championships. 🎯 Epic Vanderbilt Comeback: The story of our partnership defeating the seventh seed in the Vanderbilt after being down 62 IMPs at halftime, including the dramatic final quarter where our opponents took a 10-minute break and we closed with three consecutive double-digit wins. 👨‍👧 Father-Daughter Mentorship: Avery discusses the unique dynamics of having Aaron Silverstein as both her dad and primary bridge mentor, including managing nepotism concerns, disagreeing with his advice 15-20% of the time, and how their system evolves differently from his professional partnerships. 📚 System Evolution: How Avery and her partner Jack Boge have built an 80-90 page system document by borrowing from top professionals, playing transfer club, constructive two-bids, and constantly refining their approach through weekly practice sessions.   Resources & Next Steps: 🎧 More Stories Like This – Subscribe to The Setting Trick wherever you listen to podcasts for more deep dives into the world of bridge. 📱 Follow @thesettingtrick – Stay connected on Instagram for episode drops, tournament pics, and more.   Chapter Timestamps:   0:00 Start 0:00 Introduction to Avery Silverstein 1:30 Growing up with professional bridge player parents 2:10 Becoming better than mom at bridge 3:10 Life at the family bridge club 4:20 What friends think about bridge 6:30 Previous podcast appearances and media coverage 7:20 Managing school absences for tournaments 8:10 The beautiful Madeira tournament experience 15:00 Partnership dynamics and playing with different people 24:00 Competing at World Junior Championships 35:00 The intense preparation and practice routine 45:00 Memorable hands and tournament moments 55:00 International bridge community and friendships 1:03:00 Norwegian competitor Nikolai Berg Evans 1:05:00 The pressure of must-win matches 1:06:00 Silver medal heartbreak and "chasing gold" 1:07:30 Weekend plans and upcoming tournaments 1:08:10 MMA training and competition record 1:09:00 Four gold medals and three silver medals in MMA 1:10:00 Looking ahead to St. Louis and future competitions

I was inspired to interview Maya Jonas-Silver because of this post she made on Bridge Winners bemoaning the lack of playing opportunities for her recent bridge initiates. After winning the 2023 20-50 Mini McKenney award Maya hasn't stopped, becoming a passionate advocate for bringing young adults into the game.She shares her journey from learning bridge at summer camp to teaching and directing at Honors Bridge Club in New York City. Her philosophy: bridge isn't intimidating and doesn't take years of study before you can play and enjoy it. Get beginners to the table quickly, and no feedback!We discuss the barriers facing young players, the mentors like Yoko Sobel who encouraged Maya and her husband Jack, and her vision for growing the game. Plus, playing with your spouse and balancing bridge with parenthood.Key Highlights:🎓 Teaching Bridge Fast: get beginners playing right away - bridge is simple enough to learn in an hour.🏆 From Beginner to Nationals: from kitchen table bridge to Nationals in GNT, with students playing only 6-18 months.💡 The Mentorship Gap: Yoko Sobel, Alan Davidson, and Drew Cavalier invested in her - young adults need that network.🎯 Making Bridge Accessible: free or low-cost beginner games, online modules, better pathways from lessons to duplicate.❤️ Playing with Your Partner: Maya and Jack on being bridge partners and life partners.🎲 Bridge vs. Board Games: bridge is simpler than games like Settlers of Catan.Resources & Next Steps:📱 FunBridge - Maya's favorite beginner app. 🎯 Cuebids - bid with your partner asynchronously.🏛️ Visit Maya at Honors Bridge Club in NYC (110 East 55th Street). 📱 Maya's instructions for teaching beginners.🎧 Subscribe · follow @thesettingtrick on Instagram.Chapter Timestamps:0:00 Start1:40 Mini McKenney win2:40 Teaching young adults; the program gap5:00 Maya's 10-week teaching structure6:20 GNT success: students reach Nationals8:20 Losing to the eventual GNT champions11:00 Learning bridge at summer camp14:00 Moving to New York15:00 Meeting Yoko Sobel; bar bridge in Brooklyn18:00 Directing at Honors Bridge Club19:00 Playing in the Mixed Trials21:00 Why GNT matters for young players23:00 Katie Sullivan and young success stories26:00 Playing with Omer in NAP28:00 Playing with James Holzhauer31:40 Bridge as a career; existential dread35:00 Summer camp and teaching philosophy36:40 Bridge as a victim of its own success38:30 Teaching: no trump, suited play, then bidding40:00 Document for teaching friends in one hour45:00 Teaching David Ger's friend48:20 Not giving too much feedback53:00 Teaching quantitative traders to bid54:20 Working and directing at Honors56:40 The Revenge Mitchell movement1:00:30 Rubber bridge at the Regency1:07:00 Making bridge free for young adults1:09:40 A compelling bridge film or series1:11:00 Favorite resources: FunBridge and Cubits1:16:20 Bridge fights and playing with your spouse1:19:30 Bridge and parenthood1:26:00 Getting hired to play vs. teaching1:28:00 Evolutionary biology at Harvard1:30:00 The evolution of cooperation and bridge strategy

In this episode, I sit down with Ethan Derman, a remarkable young talent who just got accepted early decision to the University of Virginia. Ethan shares his journey from playing baseball and water polo to becoming a junior world championship medalist in bridge. We dive into our dramatic Vanderbilt comeback against the heavily favored Rubenstein team featuring Zach Grossack, Michael Rosenberg, Joe Grue and Brad Moss, where we were down 62 IMPs at the half before pulling off one of the most satisfying wins I've ever experienced. Ethan also gets into his difficult decision to quit competitive baseball to focus on bridge.We explore how water polo taught him teamwork and mental toughness that translates directly to the bridge table. Ethan discusses his partnership with Avery Silverstein, training with legendary player Chip Martel, and invaluable coaching from Aaron Silverstein, Avery's dad. From winning silver and bronze medals at junior world championships to balancing college applications with tournament play, Ethan has a big future ahead. His summer plans include multiple European tournaments plus the nationals and world championships.Key Highlights:🎓 UVA Early Decision: the emotional moment of getting into his top choice, though he's not sure how involved he'll be with Hoos Playing Bridge, the UVA club.🏆 The Epic Vanderbilt Comeback: how Silversetin and the Destroyers rallied from down 62 IMPs at halftime to defeat the 8th overall seed.🥈 World Championship Medals: silver in the Under-16 and bronze in the Under-21 world championships, including dramatic qualification battles against the best junior teams in the world.⚾ Choosing Bridge Over Baseball: quitting competitive baseball despite being on track for college recruitment, and how falling in love with bridge made the choice clear.🤽 Water Polo's Impact: teamwork, handling pressure, and the goldfish mentality of forgetting the last board.👨🏫 Training with the Best: weekly sessions with Chip Martel, one of the winningest players in ACBL history, and constant mentorship from Aaron Silverstein.Resources & Next Steps:🎧 Subscribe to The Setting Trick wherever you listen to podcasts.📱 Follow @thesettingtrick on Instagram for episode drops, tournament pics, and more.Chapter Timestamps:0:00 Introduction and Welcome1:45 Getting Into UVA Early Decision5:41 Future Bridge Goals and Summer Training Plans8:36 Training with Chip Martell12:06 The Importance of Mentorship in Bridge15:17 First Meeting and Playing Together22:39 Starting Bridge and Playing with Paul Holmes26:46 Traveling Solo to Tournaments30:13 Family Background and Bridge Heritage32:58 College and Career Goals in Finance35:31 Balancing Bridge with Future Career37:17 Water Polo and Its Impact on Bridge42:38 Aaron Silverstein as Coach and Mentor43:17 The Epic Vanderbilt Comeback Against Grue-Moss50:10 Quitting Baseball to Focus on Bridge54:31 Under-16 World Championship Silver Medal01:01:04 Under-21 World Championship Bronze Medal01:07:45 The Importance of Aaron's Coaching01:12:32 Beating Team Rubenstein - Biggest Achievement01:14:04 Playing on Vugraph Against World-Class Players01:19:54 Summer Bridge Tour Plans in Europe01:22:27 Friends' Reactions to Bridge Career01:26:11 Wrap Up and Looking Ahead