RealBridge & BAMSA: Teacher and Coach Conference - Directory of speakers

Paul is originally from New Zealand, but he has lived in Sydney since 1981. As a competitor he has won more than 50 national open titles, including 6 international pairs titles. He has won bronze in the world pairs and the Cavendish Pairs, twice won the Cavendish teams, and semi-final in the Bermuda Bowl. He is still very involved in bridge, but he stopped competing in 2007.

He is a full-time bridge teacher/writer and owner of the Grand Slam Bridge Centre. His books have sold more than 550,000 copies and he writes a weekly column in the Australian.

Paul has a passion for teaching beginners and his classes are popular. His last class in Double Bay had 138 students and since June 2020 he and Nevena Djurovic have taught more than 2,000 people online, and most of them are still playing.

bridgelounge.online/books

www.grandslambooks.com/index.html

Dermot O’Brien is the Chief Executive of the Contract Bridge Association of Ireland (CBAI), the regulatory body in the Republic of Ireland.

He retired early from a career in financial services, and performed several voluntary roles for the CBAI before taking up his current position. He has also taught bridge at a variety of levels.

Aside from bridge, his interests include all kinds of music, sports, and travel.

https://www.cbai.ie/

https://www.cbai.ie/learn-to-play-and-teach/#become-teacher

Kelvin is the President of the Singapore Contract Bridge Association. He has been active in Zonal and International bridge for more than a decade, as a player, non-playing captain and coach. At the 18th World Youth Bridge Championship, held in Veldhoven,  2023, the Under 26 teams took a silver medal.

Samantha Punch is Professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Stirling. As a bridge player representing Scotland since 2008, she is developing the sociology of mindsport as a new field of research and teaching. She leads the international project, Bridge: A MindSport for All (https://bridgemindsport.org). BAMSA research explores bridge and social interactions, emotions, motivations, training and development, bridge promotion, gender, youth and schools.

BAMSA website

Benedetta was born in Livorno, in1947, resident in Milan. Classical studies, architect, registered with the Journalists' association. Teacher 25 in middle school. Sailing instructor. Worked on production turnkey books. Author of Geography and Technology school books. Currently is a federal instructor and referee for the FIGB.

I am a passionate bridge player, and experienced teacher. With over 10 years of experience in playing and teaching bridge, I have helped countless students improve their game and achieve their goals. As a player, I have achieved numerous accolades, including winning at local levels. I have a deep understanding of the game, including advanced techniques and strategies, and I'm always eager to share my knowledge with others. As a teacher, I strive to create a welcoming and engaging learning environment for all of my students. 

I am the current England U16 Squad Leader and a former U21/U26 Coach and England junior international. Over 20 years working with the squads, I have coached almost 200 players to have played internationally, many of whom have won medals at Euro/World level.

I also developed the English national junior award scheme and curriculum for youth players.

Patty Tucker is from Atlanta, Georgia.  Having learned to play bridge at age eleven, Patty has extensive experience in playing and teaching bridge.  

Elected to the ACBL Hall of Fame in 2019,

Patty is a Grand Life Master, American Bridge Teacher Association Master Teacher and ACBL Best Practices Accredited Teacher/Trainer. 

She has been recognized by ACBL for her work with youth bridge and as a volunteer at the local and national level. She was named the ACBL Honorary Member in 2016 and the ACBL Goodwill Member of the Year in 2011.  

Her love for the game of bridge and the people she meets is apparent as she teaches this fascinating game.

Garry Yee is a GP living in Singapore. He is also a bridge teacher. This talk describes his route to gaining accreditation. How long it took, and why he believes that accreditation is important. 

In some countries without a formal accreditation program, it is possible and practical to seek accrediation from larger bridge federations.