The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players – Détails, épisodes et analyse

I'm thrilled to welcome Antonio Palma from Portugal to the show today. Antonio has had an incredible run of second-place finishes in recent years, including the Rosenblum, European Mixed Championships, Soloway Knockouts, and Spingold. Last year, he broke through by winning the pairs in Madeira, leading Sjoert Brink to call him the best matchpoint player in the world, and then claiming the Club de Compiastre trophy at the South American Championships. But the real celebration came recently when he finally won the Reisinger at the Fall NABC, ending that streak of seven consecutive finals losses. It was a relief, Antonio says.

In our conversation, Antonio opens up about what those years of finishing second felt like, the moment he realized he'd won the Reisinger (he wasn't even playing the final set!), and his journey from professional poker player to bridge champion. We discuss how poker shaped his approach to pressure moments and reading cards, why defense is his favorite part of the game, his challenges with tilting at the table, and the soon to be legendary hand where he took 23 minutes to defend two hearts and made Bobby Levin want to quit bridge. This was a particularly enjoyable conversation with one of bridge's rising stars.

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🏆 Breaking the Curse: After seven consecutive finals losses, Antonio finally won the Reisinger and describes the overwhelming relief of no longer wondering if he was good enough to win the big one.

🍺 Watching from the Bar: Antonio didn't play the final set. Instead, he watched from the bar with Johan Upmark, drinking beer, watching football and hoping!

🃏 From Poker Pro to Bridge Champion: Antonio was previously a professional. He explains how those skills help him read cards, handle pressure, and control emotions during critical moments in bridge.

🛡️ Defense is Everything: Antonio reveals that defense is his favorite part of bridge, and miscommunication on defense is what tilts him the most, especially when signals get crossed.

😤 The Tilt is Real: Multiple teammates confirm that Antonio tilts easily at the table. He admits it's his South European blood and shares the story of a complex diamond lead that went wrong and cost them a critical board.

⏱️ The 23-Minute Defense: Antonio took 23 minutes to defend two hearts, eventually finding the only winning line. Bobby Levin responded in the chat saying he wanted to quit bridge, and Antonio's team still lost the match by forty-six IMPs.

🤝 Nystrom as Mentor: Antonio credits Fredrik Nystrom as his best teammate and mentor who takes every question seriously, helps him improve, and understands when he needs space after tilting.

🥈 European Mixed Silver Medal: Playing with Andrea Nilsson, Simon Holt, and Maya Lo Björk Heed, Antonio made it to the European Mixed Championships final in 2023, losing by just five IMPs.

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In this episode, John McAllister sits down with Julie Marina Sigsgaard and Ella Rosthøj, two young Danish players whose friendship, partnership, and love of bridge have taken them from neighborhood kids to representing Denmark on the world stage. Despite only playing bridge for a handful of years, their dedication and countless hours at the table have already earned them national titles, international medals, and unforgettable experiences around the world.

Ella and Julie share how they grew from casual juniors to key members of Denmark's women's team, the story of their dramatic run at the Champions Cup, what it's like balancing bridge with school and gap years, and why having boyfriends who also play bridge is essential! With warmth and humor, they also open up about temper at the table, tears after tough losses, and the joy of winning B finals (again and again).

Key Highlights:

• 🌟 From Neighbors to Teammates: How growing up just 200 meters apart led to a lifelong friendship and eventual bridge partnership.

• 🏆 Venice Cup Debut: Their first appearance on Denmark's women's national team — finishing 5th in qualification and nearly upsetting China.

• 🎉 Champions Cup Drama: The heartbreak of an 88–88 tie decided on a technicality — and why they're determined to come back stronger.

• ❤️ Bridge & Boyfriends: Both partners found love through the game and share how bridge shapes their relationships.

• 😂 Badminton Battles & Bloopers: From live-streamed badminton matches against the Bilde brothers to funny tournament moments.

• 📸 Building Junior Bridge DK: How their Instagram page is helping grow the game — and how they're planning to secure a Pepsi Max sponsorship.

Resources & Next Steps:

• 📲 Follow Ella & Julie's journey on Junior Bridge DK Instagram

• 📰 Learn more about the Venice Cup and international women's bridge events

• 🎥 Watch the documentary Double Dummy featuring the USA junior team (with familiar faces from their opponents!)

• 🎤 Catch up on past episodes featuring Christina Lund Madsen and other Danish stars

• 🎧 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.

Episode Breakdown:

0:00 Start

6:33 Representing Denmark at the Venice Cup

7:36 Facing China in the knockout rounds

17:05 Champions Cup run and the controversial ending

21:38 Growing Junior Bridge DK Instagram and chasing sponsorships

23:16 Life as juniors, gap years, and constant bridge practice

31:18 Traveling the world for tournaments (Memphis, Iceland, Prague, Cyprus)

44:17 Denmark's Bermuda Bowl run and watching at Fox & Hounds bar

57:02 Fun stories: badminton matches and team camaraderie

1:08:22 Balancing relationships, studies, and bridge ambitions

1:22:39 Christina as a mentor and "guardian angel" for Danish juniors

1:26:29 Reflections on their journey and what's next

What happens when a car rental mishap, a spur-of-the-moment bridge partnership, and a life-changing move from Iceland to Florida collide? You get Svenni Eiriksson,  a bridge player whose story is equal parts hilarious, heartfelt, and deeply human. John McAllister sits down with his former partner and friend to relive the many twists, laughs, and breakthroughs of Svenni's journey from Icelandic tournaments to an NABC win in the U.S.

More than just a fun loving, lover of laughing, Svenni impressed John, as his partner by pulling off a trump coup without breaking a sweat. Svenni shares how bridge shaped his life, his move, and his community.

• 🎉 A Bridge Friendship for the Ages – John and Svenni met at the Icelandic Bridge Festival and went on to win their first NABC title as partners.

• 🚗 The Infamous Car Rental Saga – A botched pickup turned Icelandic comedy of errors that somehow involved loaning one's wife's car to a virtual stranger.

• 🏆 From 9 VPs to Victory – After a disastrous start in the Soloway, their comeback led to a dramatic NABC win at the Mitchell BAM.

• 🇮🇸 Leaving Iceland for Bridge – Svenni moved to Florida for a directing job and ended up becoming a full-time pro player, thanks in part to the Cappelletti' hospitality.

• 🤝 More Than Just Cards – From laughter to late-night dinners, Svenni reminds us that the best parts of bridge are often the people.

• 🧠 Visualization and Technique – Why Trump Coups come easy to Svenni, and how different minds see bridge differently.

• 🥶 Hot Springs and Spiked Tires – John and Svenni share Iceland travel stories, winter driving, and sausage shelf life.

• 🏀 From OKC Fan to Life Philosopher – What NBA playoffs, bingo taunts, and emotional regulation all say about life at the table and beyond.

• 📘 Book Mentioned: 30 Minutes to Precision by C.C. Wei

• 🎧 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.
  
  

Adam Wildavsky is recognized as a Grand Life Master by the American Contract Bridge League. He has represented the United States finishing as high as third in the Bermuda Bowl and won the Reisinger Board a Match teams partnering Doug Doub with whom he had not even planned on initially playing the event. 

In addition to my conversation with Adam we have bridge superstar Zia Mahmood discussing a bidding problem shared with me from my friend Anindra Sarkar.

Zach Grossack can play. He could do so as a fifteen year old star of Double Dummy

Now as a twenty year old, he is developing into one of the world's best. He and older brother Adam Grossack form one of the top young partnerships in the world. In this wide ranging conversation, Zach is both insightful and playful, much like he is at the table.

Here are some highlights:

9:18 - Get Zach's thoughts on Danish starlet Christina Lund Madsen, including playing with her when she almost called the director on him.

15:38 - How Zach feels like he missed the golden age of professional bridge.

20:33 - On what Zach is doing to help bring new players into the game including starting a bridge club at Tufts, and how it takes so much time before one can even say that they "suck" at bridge.

29:35 - Adam Grossack might like it here where Zach refers to himself as a, "professional projector."

30:18 - How Zach and his brother Zach recovered from almost not qualifying for the finals of the NAPs to winning in Philadelphia in March, including Adam and Zach's partnership rule on Adam tanking and what it's like to play with your brother.

38:38 - How you put into practice the age old rule about not talking about hands during the game.

48:15 - Learn about Zach's previous experience with podcasting.

51:37 - Double Dummy is going to be available through Tugg.com more likely May 11 for screenings, including Cinema-on-Demand.

59:53 - Zach's backup plans if being a bridge pro does not work out.

1:07:23 - Best win of Zach's career to date in his mind.

1:11:05 - Listen as Zach hatches his plan to keep me from ever becoming a Platinum Life Master.

1:19:32 - Zach's bridge hero, playing against him and with him.

Enjoy!

I first met Migry at the Phoenix NABC in the Fall of 2013. Shortly thereafter I received an email from Christina Lund Madsen asking if I wanted to hire her and Dennis Bilde for the 2014 World Mixed Teams Championship. My only concern became finding a female partner. Christina suggested Migry and thus a great friendship born.

Migry is no shrinking violet!  She has been a best friend, confidante, substitute mother, bridge partner and sounding board ever since we had lunch together on January 27th, 2014, her birthday, in New York City. We agreed to play the Mixed portion of the world championships together and after coming in 12th in the platinum pairs the entire 2014 World Bridge Series and cycle.

I have had some of my best results partnering Migry. She is a pleasure to play with and has a fantastic sense of humor. We love to laugh together. She continues to have great one liners, such as at the when I asked her about playing the Nickell team in the recent Vanderbilt. "We are not here to kibitz the opponents."

I have spent countless evenings at her New York City apartment talking about bridge and life with her and her equally delightful husband Pietro Campanile.

Our partnership almost never got off the ground because I had such difficulty understanding her on the phone initially. Migry did express concern about this for our listeners when I first asked her about doing the interview. One evening, over dinner, a waitress asked Migry what language she was speaking. Migry handled it with her typical grace and aplomb. 

Through our time playing together Migry has graciously introduced me to countless friends of hers throughout the bridge world who I am now lucky enough to call friends as well. I am grateful that at no point during the interview did she call me by my one time nickname, "Baby John," and consider this an excellent sign of my increasing maturity.

Bob Hamman requires no introduction in bridge circles. His name is synonymous with success at the games highest level. Find out what makes him such a dynamic personality away from the table in this rare conversation.

Gavin is a top professional bridge player who has represented both the United States and Canada in international competition. He is also the founder of bridgewinners.com a fantastic resource for learning the game. In our wide ranging discussion he talks about psychology at the table, including not underestimating your opponents, conserving energy, great plays and overcoming mistakes. How he changes his strategy when the situation dictates and how he generally plays to avoid making errors.

I really appreciate Gavin for sharing so generously of his time and being my first guest.

In this episode, John interviews Lynn Castoldi, fresh off two huge wins at the Spring NABC — the 10K Knockout Teams and the Women's Swiss Teams, the latter by a razor-thin margin of just 0.13 VPs. With her signature laugh, Lynn shares the stories behind her victories, her partnership with Ann Karin Fuglestad, and how she went from getting kicked out of bridge lessons at a senior center to becoming a national champion. Along the way, we hear about bridge cruises, recruiting Egyptian pros on BBO, and the stylish team scarves that helped tie it all together.

Whether she's playing with a world-class junior or her long-time partner the "Minister of Defense," Lynn brings enthusiasm, optimism, and a love of the game that's totally contagious.

🥇 Lynn won two events at the Spring NABC — including her first 10K title after finishing second the year before

🧣 Her Women's Swiss team wore matching scarves — her signature touch as team captain

🎲 She met her mixed partner Aly by chance on Bridge Base during COVID

💥 One highlight of the Women's Swiss: a gutsy 4♠ bid leading to a +1100 against a pro

🌎 Lynn played international events like Four Jacks in Dubai, repping the US

🧠 She's constantly learning — like practicing hand patterns and soaking up insights from partners like Greg Hinze and Christian Lahrmann

😂 Her signature laugh is well-known, and she isn't afraid to bring humor and lightness to even the most competitive tables

• 🎧 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.