Seven players went into the final month within just 5 points of the lead. In the end, it was the players who began the month at the bottom of that group of seven, who leapfrogged the field to claim first place. And, who could say that it was not a well-deserved victory for India’s Venkatesh Ramaratnam, who won the December competition with his THIRD perfect 80/80 of the year.
2025 Champion: Venkatesh Ramaratnam
The winner of the 2025 annual title produced perfect 80/80 scores to win the monthly competitions in February, July and December. Based in Bengaluru, India, Venkatesh took early retirement from the IT industry. He began playing 30+ years ago, and represented India in the World Junior Championships in the late 90s. He has subsequently won numerous national titles, and he has performed numerous roles including coach, commentator, director and administrator.
The leader after the November competition, Australia’s Alexander Cook, a previous winner of our annual competition, did not add to his total in December, but he would have needed a perfect set to stay ahead of Venkatesh. His 2-point lead going into December, was just enough to keep him ahead of the chasing pack.
2025 Silver Medalist: Alexander Cook
Alexander has been playing competitive bridge for more than 20 years. He is a versatile bidder, playing four systems with four partners - Standard American, 2-over-1, a strong club variant based on the original Polish Club; and Standard Modern Precision. He is a perennial contender in the Australian Bridge Magazine bidding forum, and he is also a former winner of our annual competition.
2025 Co-Bronze Medalist: Dave Williams
Dave Williams, from Llangollen, Wales, has been the most consistent bidder in this competition, having previously finished first, second, third and fourth in the annual rankings. Dave trained as a mathematician and recently retired from his role as a Youth Information and Advice Worker. Dave says, “I love to binge watch box sets and used to have a bridge library of over 650 books but, after a sort out, it is now down to about 330, mostly advanced ones, quizzes, first editions and several by a certain English author.” Clearly a man with excellent taste 😊
2025 Co-Bronze Medalist: Brian Spears
Brian Spears, is a retired pharmacist from West Sussex, England. “I am an avid reader of all things bridge, who loves nothing more than talking bridge with a good friend who was a leading light in computer bridge programming, especially as it’s always over a beer!” says Brian. “No notable achievements, but a desire to continue to learn burns brightly. It’s always a monthly joy to read the expert analysis of the bidding panel hands!”
Two Brits, Dave Williams and Brian Spears, both added a crucial point or two to their total in the final month to claim a place on the podium. They finish just a single point ahead of the three-way tie for fifth place. Our congratulations to the seven players who battled it out for the title right to the end.
Right behind that leading group, two Americans, Todd Holes and Paul Dubois, hold onto their places in the Top 10. A score of 79/80 in December allows Nao Tabata from France to claim the final Top 10 place in the 2025 competition.
You need a nine-score tally of 640 (71.5/80 average) to make the first page of the leader-board (Top 25). A remarkable 39 players have totals of 630 or more, averaging at least 70/80 for their best nine scores. What an outstanding level of bidding from so many competition entrants.
Reflecting the truly international nature of this competition, Venkatesh adds India to the list of countries who have produced an annual champion, joining Singapore, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. Remarkably, we are still waiting for our first annual champion from North America, although this year there were three Americans in the Top 10.
The annual score is the total of the best 9 monthly scores over the year.
