Michael Byrne has made the long trek from the North of England to make another appearance in the Lederer.
In 2022 Michael and Kieran played in the Lederer shortly before they went on to represent England in the Bermuda Bowl where they reached the quarter finals. They are hoping to end the Lederer differently to the Bermuda Bowl in two ways – they want to win and they want to finish with the same number if teammates they began with!
I’m Ollie Burgess bridge player, not the footballer, and I started playing bridge at the age of 11 (I’m now a few years off 40) and have played serious bridge since the age of 15 when I played for the England juniors.
I did an English degree then studied law and worked at several legal firms. In covid times, I took my life by the scruff of the neck. Did I want to be a mediocre lawyer or follow my dreams and do bridge full time. So I moved to London and with support from the community I find myself doing the job I love as a bridge pro. The past couple of years have been a bit of a rollercoaster with trips to America, Poland and most recently Iceland. I also teach bridge face to face and on line and feel strongly that bridge should be a game for people of all abilities.
I clearly remember the ‘Learn Bridge with the Lederers’ books from my youth so I feel privileged now to be playing in this prestigious event and grateful to all who have supported me on the way.
Kieran Dyke is a professional bridge player from Australia and has lived in England for the last decade.
His bridge results include national championship wins – a bunch in Australia, a few in England and one in New Zealand. He won a bronze medal in the European Teams in 2015 and reached the quarter-finals of the Bermuda Bowl in 2022, losing to the eventual winners.
He lives in Oxfordshire with his wife and two cats. He listens to a lot of 1970s progressive rock and wishes that he was able to play boardgames more often.
Ben Handley-Pritchard (aka BHP) last played the Lederer in 2001 representing England Juniors where he famously won the Best Played Hand award. He now lives in Croatia with his wife but recently rejoined the English bridge scene, representing the Open Team at the 2022 and 2024 European Championships. Ben is widely considered the best Barbu player of all time.
Maggie Knottenbelt was taught to play bridge at age 11 by her bridge playing parents. She played many all-night rubber bridge sessions while studying Physics at Oxford university. These turned out to be excellent practice for the all-nighters she later pulled in her career as a management consultant. While bringing up her 2 sons she retrained as a psychotherapist and worked at St Thomas’s Hospital for several years. Just before Covid she found her way to Andrew Robson and her bridge passion was re-ignited. She became an American National Champion at her first US Nationals in Austin in 2021 and won a bronze medal at the World Open Transnationals in Marrakesh in 2023. In 2024 she has been selected to represent England in the Open, Mixed and Women’s categories in various events. 2024 will be a busy year as she is also moving to Milan with her husband and intending to check out the Italian bridge scene.
Lederer Trophy 