Story by Sathi Moses (BBO: sathimoses)

I first took up bridge out of curiosity—wondering why my husband was so keen on the game. Apart from a single session of Whist, I had never played bridge until I enrolled in an eight-week beginner’s course taught by the illustrious Nigel Rosendorff back in 1978 or 1979.

By then, I was a single mother, and I was eager to master this fascinating game at every opportunity. I read many bridge books and was fortunate to find experienced partners who generously shared their knowledge and helped me develop my skills.

I also introduced my son to this brilliant game and was a proud mother when, as a partnership, we won a nightly club session and the coveted monthly trophy at a well-regarded bridge club in Perth, Western Australia—outplaying many far more experienced players. My son was just eight years old at the time!

I must mention another interesting chapter in my bridge journey from the early 1980s. Although my husband and I had separated before I took up bridge, we became amicable partners at the table not long after I began playing competitively. We were both deeply passionate about the game—he was an experienced player who preferred a complex Match Point Precision system with his regular partner, while I had learned bridge through Acol and had a working knowledge of both basic Precision and Standard American.

One weekend, we decided to enter a Day-Long Two-Session Congress event together. We managed just one practice session before the tournament—and funnily enough, when we played Acol, I found his bidding wasn’t quite up to scratch! So we struck a compromise and agreed to play basic Precision on the day of the event. To our great surprise and delight, we won First Prize! It was our very first tournament together, and the victory brought immense joy to us both.

We went on to win a few more events, usually playing in the same team but with different partners of our own choosing. Sadly, our time playing together came to an end when my husband passed away suddenly in 1982 from a malignant brain tumor. Bridge remained his passion until the very end.

I tend to babble, but I must share that later in life, after my son had relocated to Melbourne to complete his Chemical Engineering degree and secured a good job, he played a key role in helping me achieve my Grand Master ranking. He accompanied me as my bridge partner to a National Championship in Canberra—the only way I could obtain the final 2.75 gold points I needed. That event took place just before the turn of the century, which had been my goal. As it turned out, we earned nearly 15 gold points on that trip. It remains one of the most joyful times in my life.

Between 1982 and 1989, I was fortunate to win several interstate trips to participate in the Nationals. One memorable achievement during that period was receiving a beautiful golden clock from Paris for securing third place in declarer play in the Epsom World Wide Simultaneous Bridge Competition.

After taking a voluntary redundancy from my government job in 1989, I gave up bridge entirely for six years to focus on furthering my education. I returned to TAFE and university to earn an Associate Diploma and a second degree in Accounting. My original degree from India was a Bachelor of Arts in History, so I was pleased to add these qualifications to my résumé.

When I returned to bridge in 1995, many things had changed—including the introduction of bidding boxes. I rekindled some old partnerships, and my local club encouraged me to start teaching new players and overseeing supervised play. I also began directing club sessions during this time. Perhaps the pinnacle of my bridge journey came in 2005, when our Seniors Team from Western Australia earned the silver medal for finishing second in the Nationals held in Sydney.

Sadly, in 2012 I had to give up bridge again due to vision loss in one eye and difficulty driving. I took a complete break for 12 years. Then, in December 2024, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a prognosis of just three months to live. My son moved me to Melbourne so I could spend my remaining days with him and my four wonderful grandchildren.

Over the past six months, I have undergone a full course of chemotherapy and feel truly blessed for each day I am still alive. During this time, I returned to playing casual bridge on BBO (Bridge Base Online), which has helped me pass the time and ease my mind. I play for hours each day with random partners—and occasionally, when he has a spare moment, my very busy son joins me online for a hand or two. I’m so grateful that he still enjoys bridge and remembers how to play, even after so many years away from the game.

I hope my story serves as an inspiration to aspiring bridge players everywhere. Give it a go—you won’t regret it.

Happy Days!

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