Story by Marco (BBO: bhoko)

Hello, my name is Marco. I come from Tondano, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

I did not start playing bridge as a child, even though it was already popular in my area, including in my own family. One of my relatives, Frangky Karwur, is a professional bridge player, but I didn’t learn the game from him.

After graduating from high school, I moved to Jakarta to look for a job, but the company I was supposed to join had serious problems, so I did not end up working there. I stayed with my older brother. Since I was not working, my brother suggested that I go to university instead. He said he could help arrange it, but there was one condition. I had to learn bridge and join the university’s bridge program. At Gunadarma University, this would cover my tuition until graduation.

So I started learning bridge through BBO. My brother told me to study the opening bids and responses, memorize them, and practice by playing online. It wasn’t easy at first. I struggled and was sometimes underestimated by other players, but I kept going. At the same time, I was also preparing for the university entrance exam, studying math and English.

I passed the test and was accepted. As a student at Gunadarma University, I trained regularly and participated in several inter-university tournaments. At that time, I mostly just took part and gained experience. I did not have a regular partner, and since I mostly played on BBO, I felt I was not as strong as the other players. However, I kept my spirit and continued improving.

After two years, I played in a Dora Club championship. I competed in the mixed pairs event with a partner named Effi Wibowo, and we finished second in the junior category. That was my first offline result, and still my best one.

Since then, most of my success has come online, with several second and third place finishes in recent years.

I’m still learning, but I’m grateful for how far bridge has taken me.