How did you get started in Bridge? At what age? Who do you learn from?
I first got in contact with bridge in my early teenage years, when my brother came back from studying a year in France, where bridge is much more popular than in Germany.
While my interest was immediately peaked, it was not until my last year at high school, that I was formerly introduced to it. Apparently unique among top bridge players, I actually learned the game through a course together with my mother. I immediately urged her to join the little bridge club in our home town, where she continued to play for the next 35 years until her death.
What do (did) you do professionally?
I am a roof plumber when I don’t travel the world (mainly Australia, USA, Germany)
Who is your partner and for how long? Longest Partnership?
Phil Markey – we first started playing together in the mid 1990s for 3-4 years, briefly had a failed attempt in the early 2000s, and have now played regularly since 2017
If you had a choice who would you like to play with? Australia and Internationally – living or dead.
Tim Seres, Benito Garozzo, Zia Mahmood
In your playing career, what is the bridge success that has the most meaning for you?
Making the 2025 Bermuda Bowl open team – favourite tournament was the Yeh Brother Cup in 2018 in Beijing
And your worst moment in bridge?
I hate every loss, so it’s hard to pick one. Probably a 30% session with a compent partner in the finals of the South Australian Pairs Championship 25 or so yars ago.
What do you do between sessions to put you in the best frame of mind for the following sessions?
Go into the sun, meditate and not look at scores
Do you have a favourite and least favourite convention?
It’s more like favourite system: “Outback Acol”, if I have to pick, probably the 9-13(14) 1NT opening in 1st/2nd combined with the “Bruce Redouble” (automatic redouble by opener when partner has passed 1NT, with a willingness to play with 9 opposite 8 HCPs)
I first wanted to say Gerber, however there are some ok uses for it. Then I thought Gambling 3NT, which just puts the contract into the wrong hand and makes defending very easy. I remember a hand 20 years ago where Phil Markey opened 1D, and we ended up in 3NT making 13 tricks in the minors when his singleton heart king scored trick 1. At the other table a well known expert opened 3NT Gambling, only to see the opponents cash 13 tricks in the majors.
Would your prefer to have more system or less?
In a casual partnership I believe in little system. I actually played 15 weeks in a South Australian State Championship with a junior player with hardly any conventions (not even Blackwood), and we won the title easily and never bid a bad slam.
On the other hand, in a serious partnership, and to play in international events, I believe that having agreements for all situations and understanding what partner is likely to have is a major benefit, and in my opinion a reason why Australia has not done better at major events.
Look at the success of Hans-Hung, Coutts-Milne, and Whibley-Edgtton at the US Nationals, etc. They have very good partnership agreements. But this only works if you put the time in to know it inside out, so that you don’t have accidents in the heat of the battle.
What do you to do to improve your game?
– Work on improving our system (Outback Acol)
– Review every hand that Phil and I play together outside of National Championships and the critical ones from major events
– Bid hands on the “CueBids” app
– Regularly work with Nick Jacob (my/our coach) on especially declarer play, reviewing key hands from National Championships, and discuss possible system improvements
– Play against the robots on BBO and review if my expert opponent made a contract that I failed in
– Read some bridge books (only sparingly)
Favourite bridge book?
It’s hard to limit this to one. I’ll name three of my favourite authors:
Victor Mollo and the Menangerie Books
David Bird and the Abbot Books
Hugh Kelsey’s ‘Killing and More Killing Defence’ as well as his match simulations
What interests or hobbies do you have besides bridge?
I love to travel, the outdoors, hiking and spending time with friends all over the world.
I do a lot of personal growth and meditation
What is the number one thing that bridge has done for you as a person and for your life?
It has helped me to be more focussed and relaxed, and it has brought me to a lot of beautiful places on this earth.
Bridge results and awards
About 20+ National Championships
Representing Germany at Junior level
Representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games, the Asia Pacific Championships, and the Yeh Brother Cup
Winning the 2024 Australian Open Playoff and qualifying fot the Asia Pacific Championship in China and the Bermuda Bowl in Denmark in 2025
National Titles
About 20+, while winning both the NOT in Canberra and the Gold Coast Congress has so far eluded me.
State Representation
About 8-10 times, winning 4 Gold and 2 Silver medals
National / International Representation
Representing Germany at Junior level
Representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games, the Asia Pacific Championships, and the Yeh Brother Cup
Winning the 2024 Australian Open Playoff and qualifying fot the Asia Pacific Championship in China and the Bermuda Bowl in Denmark in 2025
