Ep. 112: Emma Kolesnik on Winning the World Mixed Teams

<p>In this episode of <i><em>The Setting Trick</em></i>, I sit down with <b><strong>Emma Kolesnik</strong></b>, who just won the <b><strong>Mixed Teams at the 2026 World Bridge Series</strong></b> in Katowice, Poland. She partnered her husband <b><strong>Adam Grossack</strong></b>, and their teammates were prior Mixed champions Sabine Auken and Roy Welland. Emma takes me through their quarterfinal win, decided by a single imp, including a <b><strong>seven imp time penalty</strong></b>. The final was a marquee matchup against Adam's brother Zach.</p><p>We talk about <b><strong>pressure at the table</strong></b>, paying college students to learn bridge, and how the game turned her younger brother <b><strong>Finn Kolesnik</strong></b> into a close friend. We also get into playing with your spouse, family trips built around the European championships and why her family gave up cooperative games.</p><p>__________________________________________________</p><b><strong>Key Highlights</strong></b><p><br /></p><p>⏱ <b><strong>One IMP, After a Penalty</strong></b>: Seven minutes over cost seven imps, so a win by eight became a win by <b><strong>one</strong></b>.</p><p>🧠 <b><strong>Bridge is Grinding</strong></b>: Adam has helped Emma work hard on every deal.</p><p>🎓 <b><strong>Paid to Learn Bridge</strong></b>: With <b><strong>Mitch Dunitz</strong></b>, she paid college friends to come to four lessons.</p><p>👫 <b><strong>How Finn Came Around</strong></b>: He refused to play until he learned Emma was being paid to go to the youth NABCs.</p><p>🎲 <b><strong>Ticket to Ride</strong></b>: The team name came from a board game, and her family learned cooperative games only start blame games.</p><p>__________________________________________________</p><b><strong>Resources &amp; Next Steps</strong></b><p>🏆 <a href="https://db.worldbridge.org/Repository/tourn/katowice.26/microsite/results.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">2026 World Bridge Series results</a></p><p>📸 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thesettingtrick/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">The Setting Trick on Instagram</a></p><p>🎧 <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-setting-trick-conversations-with-world-class/id1345780835" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Subscribe to The Setting Trick on Apple Podcasts</a></p><p>__________________________________________________</p><b><strong>Chapter Timestamps</strong></b><p>00:00 Cold open</p><p>00:52 Welcoming Emma Kolesnik</p><p>01:47 A quarterf