66 Alex Kolesnik: Bridge Dad +
The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players
Release Date: 12/12/2023
Ep. 82 Richard Zeckhauser: Making Better Decisions in the Card Game Bridge
The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players
Today on The Setting Trick, we’re thrilled to welcome Richard Zeckhauser, a towering figure whose expertise spans both economics and competitive bridge. A professor at Harvard Kennedy School, Richard has spent decades exploring the complexities of decision-making, risk, and strategic behavior. His groundbreaking work has shaped the fields of economics and public policy, offering insights into how we assess uncertainty in everything from health to finance. But his talents extend beyond the classroom—he’s also a highly accomplished bridge player, with two North American Bridge...
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Episode 81: Owen Lien Does It All In Bridge
The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players
John McAllister chats with 35-year-old Owen Lien of Oak Park MI about Junior Bridge, directing on BBO, playing professionally and reaching highs and lows in national events. Owen has won two limited NABC events: The 10K Swiss in 2016 and the 0–5000 Mini Spingold in 2009. He was second in those same events in 2014 and 2007. A Platinum Life Master with over 18,000 masterpoints – 10,000 of them gold and 2100 platinum – Owen is a hardworking player who loves the game and still plays for fun at the club.
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Ep 80 Matthew Granovetter: Bridge Mystic
The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players
Matthew Granovetter is a six-time NABC champion. He also won a world championship, the Mixed Pairs, in 2006. He is a popular author and teacher, along with his wife, Pamela. They are best known for their theories on bidding via their system GUS (Granovetter Unified System) and their books on defensive play. Matthew is Hasidic (a branch of Orthodox Judaism); his spirituality is woven throughout his life and bridge – the two are inseparable. His latest book on Method Bridge is his proudest contribution to the game.
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Episode 79: Boss Ladies of Bridge – Ladawna Parham and Bronia Jenkins
The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players
Just before the Toronto NABC, John sat down with Ladawna Parham, executive director of the ACBL Educational Foundation, and Bronia Jenkins, executive director of the ACBL. Jenkins, “one year in,” still has the energy and vision she started with, if not more. Parham, who took the position in November, has had to start from the ground up, with no bridge experience (although she did do her own research prior to getting the job). She is amazed at the depth and vitality of the bridge world. Listen to how these two women are working together within their organizations to engage and empower those...
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Ep. 78 - Gavin Wolpert is committed to making you the best bridge player you can be!
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...
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Ep. 77 - You Want Aaron “Silversetin” to Be Your Bridge Mentor
The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players
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...
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Ep. 76: Simon de Wijs – Bridge's Vault Keeps all Secrets
The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players
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...
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Ep. 75 - Brian Platnick - Can Tell You if You're a World Class Bridge Player
The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players
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...
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Ep 74: Event Review with Sophia Baldysz
The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players
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.
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Ep 73 Rise and Fly! Lamont Jones and The Gist of Bid Whist
The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players
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...
info_outlineAlex 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.