EPISODE 44: Ola and Mikael Rimstedt
The Rimstedt family of Sweden is among the strongest bridge-playing families of all-time. Twins Mikael and Ola are the youngest players ever to win the World Pairs, and their sister Cecilia won the 2019 Venice Cup, sadly with their sister Sandra no longer on the team after having emigrated to the US. Today we have the pleasure of speaking to Mikael and Ola. In addition to being my friends and I’ve even been lucky enough to have them on my team on occasion.
Episode Highlights:
7:35- Mikael and Ola almost didn’t play in the world pairs they ended up winning
13:17- How Mikael got angry at Ola on a board where their side got a complete top late in the finals of the World Pairs
20:12- Making the Swedish Open team
34:42- Rimstedt brothers better than the Grossack brothers???
38:48- Why they split and came back together
46:12- Their dad previously played for Sweden
1:04:28- How Ola and Mikael got into bridge
1:12:08- Dating status
Episode Transcript:
JOHN MCALLISTER: I have got – I mean, besides Zach Grossack and Adam Grossack, probably the second-best pair of brothers as bridge partners in the world here today. The twins, Mikael and Ola.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Hello, there.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Hey, guys.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Hi.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Thanks for joining me. What do you think about that introduction?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Well, I –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Very flattering. Very flattering.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yeah, very flattering, yeah. I don’t really know how to comment on that introduction. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: To be included in the same category as the Grossacks is pretty special company, right?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Nothing that I would write up on my resume, but I’ll take it. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Where are you – you guys – I understand that you live in Stockholm. Are you living in the same apartment, or what?
OLA RIMSTEDT: We were living together for five years, but since about two months back, we do not live in the same apartment anymore. But we live pretty close to each other.
JOHN MCALLISTER: And what was thinking behind the splitting up?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: It’s always been in our heads that we have to find our own flat. We were living together before, but finding our own flat is like the beginning of a new life. So, it was just a matter of time.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Are you each living on your own?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I am now living on my own, and it’s fantastic. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Got it.
OLA RIMSTEDT: I would say it was not that big of a deal before the pandemic, but when you are spending every single second with your brother, with your bridge partner, with your family – I mean, you see, you can get annoyed on some occasions. But right now, when we live separately, it’s just much better for all kinds of reasons.
[0:01:57.6]
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, who got the better place?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I mean, I would say Ola gets a better place right now because he was the one buying a new apartment. I still live in the old one. We lived together for five years. I’ve lived here for seven years, and I still enjoy it, but I’m going to find my own place sooner or later.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Oh, so you’re living in the apartment where you guys were living, Mikael?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yup, that’s right.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Got it. So, you bought an apartment, Ola?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yeah, that’s kind of what you do. I wouldn’t say it’s the normal thing in Sweden, but it’s like an investment on my own. So, it was always the plan instead of renting a place.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Well, that’s great, man. You’re a homeowner.
OLA RIMSTEDT: [Laughter] Exactly. I was – I’m very happy I came to this part of life. It’s a new chapter.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I mean, to find a place to rent in Stockholm is so hard. I’m subscribed on a list of finding an apartment to rent, and it’s some of 20 years in queue.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Wow.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: So, it’s hard if you don’t have the contact for someone who’s renting an apartment, or if you don’t have enough money to buy, which is super expensive in Stockholm compared to many places. Maybe not compared to New York, but you see what I mean.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, does that mean Ola’s managing his money better than you are?
OLA RIMSTEDT: [Laughter] I would say we have different priorities when it comes to spending money. [Laughter] It’s not a good enough [inaudible].
JOHN MCALLISTER: What are your priorities, Mikael, with the money? All this money you’re making from playing bridge.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I mean, right now, I will say I have much trouble [inaudible] saving it. I mean, one day, I might find somebody I want to share my life with, and then I want to have maybe a nicer place. I mean, when Ola moved out, it didn’t take many days before I bought a car, for example, [inaudible]. I mean, yeah, we have our priorities. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: How much golf are you guys playing right now?
OLA RIMSTEDT: We’re playing – I would say this summer, we played up to sixty rounds, maybe? Maybe a little bit more than that. It was because we didn’t get to travel anywhere, so besides playing internet bridge, we have been playing golf almost – I wouldn’t say every day, but up to four or five times a week, during the summer period. And the summer period in Sweden is four, five months, maybe.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah, it’s about to reach its end. It’s getting quite cold here in Sweden. But, we’re still trying to squeeze in a few rounds before the season is over.
JOHN MCALLISTER: And even though you guys aren’t living together, are you still playing golf together most of the time?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Most of the time, we are playing golf together. Almost every time, I would say.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, you guys are good friends.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yeah, absolutely. We do most of the things together, so it comes on a natural basis.
JOHN MCALLISTER: And how far apart are your apartments?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: My walk is about 15 minutes.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Mmm.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: So, yeah.
JOHN MCALLISTER: OK, so how about winning the World Pairs?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: It’s obviously the highlight of our career, and it was also like – I don’t know, as an expression, but like a rocket start of our career.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yeah, it was like the big beginning of our career because after that, we got a couple of offers going to different places, like different tournaments in the U.S. and even China, so it was really something that put us on the bridge map. It was a great kick in our asses.
JOHN MCALLISTER: How old were you guys when you won?
OLA RIMSTEDT: This was 2018. We were born in ’95, so like, three years ago?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Inaudible]
JOHN MCALLISTER: And did you think it was possible? Did you – did it occur to you, before the tournament maybe, that we could win the World Pairs? When did the possibility of actually winning that event –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I mean, it’s quite a funny story because when we were kicked out of team events, we were both saying no, we don’t want to play this pair event because it’s just too much of a stretch [inaudible]. We don’t really want to play it. But in the end, we woke up that morning and looked at said, “What are we going to do here in Orlando for five days?” I was playing a mixed [inaudible] team, and I think Ola was also playing the mixed. And we finished and like, “Yeah, we should just play pairs and see how it goes.” And we were not allowed into the event at first because it was too late to register. [Laughter] But then, we were consulting with the director, who sent us to some registration desk. And they said, “Yeah, if we have any spots left for people not showing up, like a table that does not have to a pair that’s available, you’re free to go.” So, we were just waiting for someone to assign us a table. So, it was an exciting story to start with.
But I wouldn’t say we were expecting to win the tournament, obviously, because we were still not one of these big, big stars compared to many other pairs like Levin-Weinstein, Meckstroth-Rodwell that were in the event. But when we reached from the semifinals to the finals, which I felt like we were favorite to reach – but then, it just felt like we’re going to do as good as possible\le. But we were leading after every session in the finals, and that was when we had a flow. We felt like we might actually do this, like we might create a history or a miracle. So, I would say in the finals – third, second session – we realized we might have a good shot at it.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Not to sound cocky, but we were basically not taking it 100% seriously in the beginning when we started the qualifications of the pairs, two-day qualification. Then it was two days of semifinals in the pairs and obviously, we were playing quite decent bridge – good enough to qualify to the next stage – but we weren’t – like, in our minds, it was not that we were going to win this. This is not the biggest thing that we could ever do. But when we reached the finals, we were like, OK, this is quite a big event and if we really do good in this, it’s actually going to mean something. So, we did take it quite seriously when we started the first day of the finals. Not to sound cocky, but that is basically our mindset. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: I mean, just think of it. The pairs that have played in it, like Mikael was saying – Meckstroth-Rodwell. You guys just beat out Joe and Brad, Levin-Weinstein. I mean –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: It’s quite a big field, I know. It’s definitely something to remember forever.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah. Yeah, that’s a great event. You said, Mikael, that it put stress on the partnership. Will you elaborate on that?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah, the thing is, when you’re playing team events, you don’t really have to spend too much thinking about over trick because the only thing you are thinking about is how to beat the contract, and you might give away one over trick here and there, just to try to beat the contract. But when you’re playing pairs, you just have to focus on every single card. And also, the bidding, you have to play kind of a different game, even if it’s still the same. But you’re thinking a little different. But mostly, the card play, you just have to have so much focus. Even when you have absolutely nothing in your hand, you still have to do anything you can to get partner the right signal just to keep the tricks down as much as possible.
I mean, for example, if it goes like one notrump, pass, three notrump and a dummy’s worth 1400 points, I’m just going to lean back and stay relaxed, in a team event. But in a matchpoint event, I would just – yeah, it’s different.
OLA RIMSTEDT: It’s different when you have to optimize your bridge so much, and you have to do it for [inaudible] – we were expecting to play the whole event in six days. And playing a pairs event in six days, that tears up your partnership a little bit because it requires so much focus, and the fact that you are only playing with your partner for six days, it consumes a lot of energy. So, we were preparing for the worst, and we were probably not speaking to each other at the end of the event, but I guess we’re still speaking for a good reason. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Were you – do either of you remember being hard on each other about a particular board during the actual event?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Definitely. I don’t remember a specific board, but this was when it was the second to last round.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Of the final.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Of the finals. And we were leading like, throughout the whole finals. And we did not have a pretty good last session, but we had kind of a good lead. And on the last board of the second-to-last round, Ola did something that didn’t satisfy me. So, I was actually really hard on him. Like, yeah. I was not nice, you know? [Laughter] I was so mad because, I mean, this is the world championship. We are leading, and we are not doing so well in the last session. We just had to keep something, like, average because we were leading so big. But we had a pretty good last [inaudible], so that’s when I kept my calm a little bit. But before that, I was furious, almost.
OLA RIMSTEDT: And the thing that happened on this board was that I did open a preemptive opening bid, which got the double to my left pass pass. And I sat there like, this is not good, because I didn’t have an appropriate opening bid. So, I redoubled for SOS for my own opening preemptive suit. [Laughter] Because I had 5-4-4-0 shake. So, just around to either of my four-card suits. And I found a good fit, and we made the double contract. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: This is on the board where Mikael got mad at you?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yep. He was furious. We got complete 100%, but please don’t make any stupid things up. Just play your natural bridge because consistency is key.
JOHN MCALLISTER: What was your main – your five-card suit?
OLA RIMSTEDT: It was diamonds, so I opened a weak [inaudible] diamonds.
JOHN MCALLISTER: And did you have both majors?
OLA RIMSTEDT: I did have clubs in the major, so 5-4-4-0 shake.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So it went redouble. Mikael bid, what?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I bid three clubs because I realized he would never do such a thing with both my majors. So, I gambled three clubs with my five-card suit, and it doubled.
JOHN MCALLISTER: You – because if you thought he had both majors, he might bid two hearts?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I mean, if he had both majors, he would get an even bigger [inaudible] from me. [Laughter] I mean, I was ready to raise my voice.
OLA RIMSTEDT: He knows that I’m crazy, but there is a level of crazy, and I wouldn’t do it with 4-4 in the majors and five diamonds. [Laughter] So, all is good, there should be clubs on the side.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Wow, wow.
OLA RIMSTEDT: So, you can [inaudible]. At least he trusted me a little bit. Not completely, but –
JOHN MCALLISTER: Who were you playing against?
OLA RIMSTEDT: I don’t remember, exactly. Do you remember?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I actually don’t remember. Yeah, there were a couple of pairs we hadn’t seen before. There were some Chinese pairs, I remember.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, when you cussed him out, did you cuss him out in Swedish, or English? Or did you just keep –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: It’s rare I’m screaming at him in English.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Wow. And what did you say, Ola, in response to Mikael chewing you out like this?
OLA RIMSTEDT: I –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: He was just agreeing with me.
OLA RIMSTEDT: I was agreeing with him, obviously, because I wasn’t that – I mean, I was certainly not convinced that this is the right way to play bridge when we are at this stage in the event. So, he was obviously right, but I was smiling, obviously. I just created a 100% board for us. [Laughter]
[0:16:38.2]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Whose team were you guys are in the Rosenbloom?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: We were playing with Dan Zagorin, Peter Bertheau. I don’t remember if we had a third –
OLA RIMSTEDT: No, we played four-rounded.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah.
JOHN MCALLISTER: that ended earlier than you were hoping.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah, I think we won the first two rounds, and then we were in the – not the quarter finals, but before that.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Well, we got through the round robin to get to the knockouts, and then we were knocked out almost immediately.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Oh, yeah. Maybe even – yeah. It was too early for us, let’s put it that way. [Laughter]
OLA RIMSTEDT: That’s for sure.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah. I mean, if I were Dan Zagorin, I would be pretty psyched to have that team playing in the event. Wanting more.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I remember who we lost to. We lost to this team that was playing with Zatorski and [Rowan Pashlon].
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yeah, Ken –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: What is Ken called?
OLA RIMSTEDT: [Inaudible]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah, yeah.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: But, that happens.
JOHN MCALLISTER: That reminds me – I pulled up this – I don’t know who told me about this, but I guess when Mikael played with Piotr and [Medira] –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Oh, Ola played with Piotr.
JOHN MCALLISTER: [Laughter] It says, “Rim job.” [Laughter]
[0:18:13.7]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yep, that’s correct.
JOHN MCALLISTER: [Inaudible]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yep.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I don’t know who told me about that, but I looked it up before, and I found it. So, I’ll include that in the show notes. So, that was Ola? That wasn’t Mikael?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: No, that was Ola, and the reason is that the operator was asking, “What’s your names?” And Peter found this perfect opportunity – it’s like, “I’m Bertheau,” and he spelled it, and he also wrote, “Rim Job.” [Laughter] And we looked at the View Gram after the match, and it said “Bertheau playing with Rim Job.” [Laughter] The operator wasn’t that good in English, so he or she didn’t understand.
JOHN MCALLISTER: [Laughter] How many people – how many times have people commented to you on that after – since, Ola?
OLA RIMSTEDT: We were having a pretty good time after that for a couple of hours. [Laughter] Yeah, obviously, we got a couple of messages asking, “What is this? Why is this happening? How did the operator go through with this?” For obvious reasons, there was a language barrier, and a bit more than that.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Is Simon Ekenberg playing bridge? I haven’t seen him playing in any of these events.
OLA RIMSTEDT: He is not playing bridge on a regular basis anymore. He is – he became a dad not too long ago, so his main focus is on his family, and I think studies right now.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Huh.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: And he doesn’t really have a regular partner, either. So, kind of difficult.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Holtie’s playing with –
OLA RIMSTEDT: With Peter Bertheau.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: And Gunnar Hubbard.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah, that’s who I was thinking.
OLA RIMSTEDT: For this Swedish Open Team, he plays together with Peter Bertheau.
[0:20:15.8]
JOHN MCALLISTER: How did you guys get selected for the Swedish Open Team this time?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: We don’t have team trials, but we have kind of like a pairs – not completely trials. It’s called an observation tournament, so they are like, seeing how we behave against top opposition. And the captain has full power to select.
JOHN MCALLISTER: And how does that person become the captain?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: He has been – he was first a coach for a few years and then, he became the captain. And I think that’s been for, like, at least double-digit years. I don’t know how many.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, did you guys kiss his ass?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Laughter] Definitely not. But I do remember the first time we were selected, he was not the captain. He was the coach. And that was because, I feel, the captain kept picking the same team without giving anybody else a chance to play in the open team. So, after me, Ola, and actually Simon were putting on some results playing as a team, in Monaco, in Moscow, I was trying to tell him, “When are you trying to give some other people a chance? What kind of results do we have to prove to show ourselves against these top Swedish pairs? How much do you see them practice except going to this big match in the European and World Tournaments?” I mean, that was the truth, so that’s when he created an opposition tournament. And me and Ola got selected quite immediately. It was quite a surprise to us, but it was nice, and a good opportunity.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, you had to – when you first got named to the team, you were actually petitioning the captain to consider you?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I sent an email that he maybe should try to consider some other pairs, or give other pairs a chance. Because see, the captain has full power, and I think the captain were kind of a coward when picking a team at this point. So, that’s when I sent an email saying you should try to give some other pairs a chance.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, why does this captain have all this power? Like, how does he get – in the U.S., I don’t think we would – it’s different. In the U.S., we have sponsors, you know? So –
OLA RIMSTEDT: It’s different because in most other countries, you have trials and in that particular trials, you form your own team. Like, in Sweden, I think we have a better team chemistry in most partnerships and most individuals comparing to other countries. So, we can basically play together with anybody, and we don’t have to form our own teams. So, the captain is always choosing the best partnership that has been proving themselves the best in a certain period.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Also, I feel like it’s a good advantage – well, not an advantage, but I like having the best team representing your country. And you will probably never see that in the U.S. because it’s always a sponsor playing in the team.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I mean, I would have loved to see the best. It will be so hard for me to say who’s the best three pairs in America because you have so many good pro-pairs. But you will never see pro-pairs building their own team, except once I remember, when Gavin [Cremeyack], Kevin – yeah. They were not doing that in the regular partnership, but they were four pros playing together. That’s what I remember.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah, yeah.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: But other than that, it’s always like, two teams from U.S. with sponsors in the team.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah, because it’s probably surprising for you guys not to see McAllister on those U.S. teams.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Laughter] Yeah, still waiting to have this opportunity to paly against this team.
OLA RIMSTEDT: I saw you bought a new Tesla. Congratulations, by the way.
JOHN MCALLISTER: No, that was – so, that was on my Instagram. I actually didn’t, but my friend’s son took over his – he stole his mom’s phone, and so he was going on her Instagram and posting. And so, it was really funny because he’s like, 10 years old, and he’s posting these ridiculous stories and videos. And I was staying at their house recently and I said, “Can I give you my phone? I want to give you my phone and have you post on my Instagram.” And so, I did, and he was really excited about the Tesla. But it’s actually not new, and – I don’t know. The whole thing kind of backfired. I feel like it was sort of – like, I was having to explain. Anyway, it didn’t have the effect that I wanted. [Laughter]
OLA RIMSTEDT: I promised myself one day – when that day I get as much money as John McAllister, I’m going to buy myself a Tesla. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Well, I don’t know, this is a rental I’m living in, so you’ve got a home.
OLA RIMSTEDT: [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Mikael has a car. What kind of car did you get, Mikael?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: A BMW.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Ohh, wow. So, you’re driving everybody – how many people can you fit in there?
[0:25:25.6]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Four. Or five – yeah, four plus me, so five.
JOHN MCALLISTER: With golf clubs?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah, I have a big trunk. So, four golf clubs. Four golf bags.
JOHN MCALLISTER: What do you guys do when you play golf? How do you format it?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Most of the time we play together with Adam Stolk and Simon Holt, so it’s usually the four of us. And we have a membership that consists of maybe 20 different golf courses around Stockholm. So, we like to play a variety of golf courses. It’s not always the same one, so we go around. And sometimes, we even play courses where we pay the green fee to play because we like to play different ones every time. Pretty much what we do, and pretty much everyone takes turns to drive to golf course, except me because I don’t have a car, and the others do. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: And so, what do you do for betting? Do you team up, like throw balls, or how do you decide who’s playing with who?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: It kind of depends who you’re playing with, but that does not happen when we play with Holt and Stolk because the handicap is so different. Not for me and Ola – we’re about the same. But for Holt and Stolk, I mean, I guess we can create some betting going on, but we just don’t think to do that. But it happens quite often when you play with other people, or when I play with other people.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, what do you do between the two of you, like is it competitive? Who has the lowest score, or –
OLA RIMSTEDT: Sometimes, we challenge each other who has the lower handicap at a certain period, but we don’t have any bet, or anything between us. It’s something like to show off to others, who has the better handicap. And right now, and most of the time this summer, it’s been me.
JOHN MCALLISTER: You know, that’s surprising because I feel like Mikael is much more sort of bragging about his golf on Instagram, like he had four birdies, and Sunnydale with Zia. And I’m actually surprised that Ola – not even are you in the same class as Mikael, but that you actually have a lower handicap because the social media –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Laughter] You don’t realize how close it is. I’m 3.1, and Ola is like, the same. I don’t know.
JOHN MCALLISTER: He said he was lower.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: He WAS lower, exactly. At times, he WAS lower. He IS not lower.
[0:27:57.6]
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yesterday, we played a round, and after yesterday, I was 3.1, but I didn’t do perfect yesterday, so I got up to 3.2. [Laughter]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: But I played well, so now I’m down to 3.1. So, I am better, actually. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: I’ll tell you – so we – I belong to a club here in Charlottesville called Farmington Country Club, and we just got a new pro – director of golf, I guess, is his title. And I met him the other day, and we were talking. I’m like, “Yeah, I’m playing really well.” And he’s like, “What’s your handicap?” And it was the lowest that it’s been, and it was 1.9. And I said – I really wanted to say 2, because you know, I thought it was kind of nerdy to say 1.9. [Laughter] But then, when it came out, I’m like, “1.9.”
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Laughter] 1.9 is like 1, right?
JOHN MCALLISTER: Ahhh – I mean, no. It’s definitely – I’m a rounder-up guy. But I think 1.9’s the lowest I’ve ever been.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: We’re looking to have some bets on the golf course when we come to the States. I’m so excited they opened up the States now in November.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it looks like that’s going to – I mean, fingers crossed. It looks like Austin’s going to happen, and people are going to be able to come.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I don’t know how much I’ve been looking forward coming to the Nationals. I mean, it’s just insane.
OLA RIMSTEDT: I think – speaking of golf handicap, it’s all about the consistency. I don’t think the lower, the better. I think it’s all about the consistency. And I mean, obviously, you are not that low if you are not consistent. Most of the time, I mean sure, you can have ten good rounds in a row, but I’d rather have the same handicap for 50 rounds in a row.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I just want mine to get lower. I don’t care about consistency. I just want it lower.
OLA RIMSTEDT: [Laughter] It’s so easy if you don’t register all the diagrams. I mean, that’s how I see it. There are those who –
JOHN MCALLISTER: That’s part of vanity handicap, and I have had one of those over the years, but I’ve gotten better. I turn in all my scores now.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yeah, the same.
[0:30:16.3]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Sometimes, they’re painful to turn in, like a bad score. You know, you shoot like, 85. It’s just like –
OLA RIMSTEDT: [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: You have to count this stuff and then turn it in. But I just like to do it as soon as possible and then, I’m done with it.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah, exactly.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Totally, I agree with you.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Do you have a team for Austin?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah, we have a team. So, just before the pandemic, we had these new team members, so we started playing with them. But when the pandemic come – we only played one tournament. It was a regional just before the pandemic. But that is the only time – we played some online nationals. So, it’s going to be Joyce Hill playing with Kevin Dwyer and Shan Huang. So, we’re five-handed.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I think maybe Shan was the person who told me about Rim Job. That’s a sweet team. I mean, Shan was a guest. I just interviewed him recently. Not that you guys would have listened to it, but I interviewed him. And then, I played with Kevin. I played a couple of tournaments with Kevin. So, you guys are taking over for J-Law and KB?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: That’s very much –
JOHN MCALLISTER: Those are big shoes to fill.
OLA RIMSTEDT: I don’t think so. [Laughter] We’re ready to take on the challenge. It’s going to be a fun team. We’re looking forward to it. We had a great time playing the regional with this team before. We haven’t played with this exact team, but we played with Joyce and Kevin before – not Shan at that particular regional. But we’re looking forward to it, and I really hope Texas is going to be a thing.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah, I do, too.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: So, you’re playing in Austin?
JOHN MCALLISTER: I don’t have any plans. I’ve managed my money poorly, so I don’t have the ability to hire Peter Fredin and guys like that these days. So, I was dating a bridge player, and we’re probably going to play an event together, but I don’t know. I’m fishing, if…
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: We still don’t know if it’s going to happen.
JOHN MCALLISTER: It’s a bad answer. Well, I mean, I don’t know. We were potentially going to get a mixed team for the – we were going to play the Reisinger, and then get a mixed team. I play the Reisinger with a mixed team because there’s the Mixed Swiss that starts the next day.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Sure, that’s a good plan.
[0:32:46.8]
JOHN MCALLISTER: But, I mean, last – we were going to play with Jovie and Sasha, and when I talked to them, Jovie’s not sure that she can get in. But I guess now, maybe it’s different, so.
OLA RIMSTEDT: We are all crossing our fingers.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah, yeah. You guys are going to play the Soloway and the Reisinger?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I don’t think we’ll play the Reisinger. We’ll probably play the Swiss.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Mmm.
OLA RIMSTEDT: We will see when we get there. I don’t think we have completely decided what we’re going to do, but normally, Joyce plays DA [inaudible] Swiss. But we’ll see what we do.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I love playing the Reisinger. I think that’s such a great event.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I agree. I love that event. I love [inaudible] match.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I mean, yeah. I don’t know. Hopefully – we’ll see. I’ve got some irons in the fire. My goal – I definitely want to win a World Championship, you know? I’m not giving up on bridge but right now, I just don’t have the funds to hire teams, so. Being a little more fiscally conservative.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Time is money.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I mean, and – I don’t know. I’m really not doing that much to get more money. [Laughter] So.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Start investing. You need somebody to invest your money and make them work.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I mean, I have people that invest – I mean, anyway. Yeah. What I probably need is, I need a more lucrative – I need a better job to make more money, because right now, I’ve been working on the film. We recut the film. We just finished it like, yesterday. The new version is 50 minutes. I’ve been working on that for nine years.
[0:34:49.0]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Oh, so I have high expectations.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I mean, I hope you’ll watch it. I don’t think you guys are even – I don’t think we even see you in this version. We saw – you were in the previous version, but I don’t think you’re even on screen.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Inaudible] first time for everything.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I mean, honestly, I wish – so, this film, we covered the World Youth Team Championships, which took place in 2012, and you guys were on the Swedish team. And if I could go back in time, I would for sure have – I mean, we would have spent time with you guys. Not at the table. We spent a lot of time filming at the table. We didn’t really get to know the people who were playing in the tournaments so well. So, there’s you guys, there’s the Israeli girls, [Klukowski] –
OLA RIMSTEDT: Don’t forget the Grossacks. We are just second on the list. They are first on the list. Don’t forget.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Well, we did spend some time with the Grossacks. I mean, that’s one of the saving graces of the film is the Grossacks because there’s a lot of drama between –
OLA RIMSTEDT: You give them way too much credit, man. [Laughter]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I do remember [inaudible]. When we won the World Championship, I get the message from ‘Sack, who I think left for something else. He was not playing in mixes because he was not there. He said – I think if I remember correctly, he said, “Congratulations for winning MY World Championship.” [Laughter] This guy is not a joke, OK? He may be a joke, but –
OLA RIMSTEDT: If we’re going to ask you, John, do you think we have a partnership contest with the Grossacks?
JOHN MCALLISTER: What do you mean partnership contest? I mean, they don’t even play together right now.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Well, a contest in whoever does the best.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Between the two of you?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Mm-hmm.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Oh, I remember when we played together in Iceland, I played with Adam, and you guys were our teammates. Adam said that Zach would be jealous that he was getting to play with you guys. So, I mean, honestly, Mikael said it well. I don’t really think that they’re – they’re not really punching at your weight right now. I mean, you guys won the World Pairs. You’ve won the Juniors. You know, what’s –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I’m waiting for them to represent U.S.A. and then, we might discuss.
JOHN MCALLISTER: [Laughter] Well, I think they made it – didn’t they make it into the top 8 in trials?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: No, they did not even make it to the top 12, if I remember correct.
OLA RIMSTEDT: They did.
[0:39:22.4]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: They did? OK.
JOHN MCALLISTER: They made the top 12, but I guess they didn’t make the top 8.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: That’s right.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Huh.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Well, everybody came out of that tournament –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: They did not have particularly good teammates like Zia, Michael Rosenburg. [Laughter] I mean, no big names in that team, anyway.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Zach was playing with Kevin, right? Kevin Rosenburg?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Mmm. Yeah, Kevin’s fun to play with. I enjoy playing with him.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: He’s a nice person. I like playing, very nice.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Somebody asked me if I had a billion dollars the other day, how my life would be different. And the first thing I said was, “Well, I’d have a regular bridge partnership. Kevin Rosenburg would be my bridge partner.” First thing I said. Then I was like, “Well, I would probably own a couple of houses.” But yeah, that was literally the first thing I said. [Laughter]
OLA RIMSTEDT: You and Kevin have been doing great in those tournaments you play.
JOHN MCALLISTER: We’ve had some success. WE did well in the USBF, one of the USBFs and then, we were leading the Reisinger, actually, at the half of Day Two, the last time the Reisinger was played, and we didn’t even qualify for the final.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Oh, my god. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: I’ve never qualified for the finals. Mikael, have you ever qualified for the finals of the Reisinger?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yes. Ola has, but I have not.
JOHN MCALLISTER: [Laughter]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: We’re just the other junior partners, so that was quite a long time ago.
[0:41:00.1]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Why did you guys stop playing together?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I think that we made some perspective of our bridge. So, we figured we might have to go separate ways to take the next step in our bridge level. So, I started to play with Michael Grandquist, and Ola started to play with [Johann Sexton]. And we did play on the same team, and Ola joined it great. And they were building this very complicated relay system, but me and Michael tried to just holding it off ball on the fairway. And, yeah, we did very well. We had some good success in the Junior Championships. Then, Michael was going to play with our sister in the Juniors, so I played them two championships with Eda Grandquist, and we also did great. But then, when me and Ola kept playing together, actually, in the big Swedish Championships, like open team and premier league, we kind of realized we were doing pretty well together. We were discussing bridge, and we were thinking bridge the same way. We realized our partners didn’t really have the same goal as we had, which is when we realized maybe we should take another shot and start to play together. So, yeah. It was three years of not playing together, which was probably very necessary for our bridge career.
OLA RIMSTEDT: I think it was great because as Mikael said, initially we had to see bridge from a different perspective. We’ve been taught bridge the same way we’ve been playing together for so many years, so we had to learn – I mean, what we did quite frequently in Sweden was we played with different partners, like in national pair tournaments so that we could learn from the better, more experienced players. That’s how we got up from when we were very young. So, we could do the same, building a partnership, and we can get that new experience. So, that was a good start for our careers. And the first thing me and Mikael did when we got back playing together, we played the World Junior Championship pairs tournament in Croatia, and we won it by quite a big margin. So, that was a pretty good boost. Feeling like, OK, this might work, still. We’re going to continue to see how it goes, and we did quite well after that.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I like what Mikael said about having the same goals. What do you think – Mikael, if you could articulate those goals, what do you think that they would be?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: This was just the last year, I think, in the high school. So then, we both got a contract to play in the U.S. and firstly, it was Ola playing with his former junior partner. But then, we were going to start playing together, I kind of replaced him. And yeah, we started to play in the U.S. together. So, I guess we have this goal of continuing to play in the U.S. and see where it goes. And we’ve just been doing better and better, obviously. I don’t really say we have specific goals. I mean, at this point, I don’t think we have the Swedish National Team in our minds.
[0:44:39.4]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Who was the first U.S. sponsor that you guys had?
OLA RIMSTEDT: The first time we played, it was Hansa. Hansa Narasimham.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: There was only one player [inaudible].
OLA RIMSTEDT: I think I played with her three tournaments in total, for the full cycle. Then, I played with Johann [Sexton], my former junior partner, for all those three tournaments. And one of those tournaments, Mikael played with Hansa, so we played four-hand. Oh, we actually played six-hand with two Finnish guys, also. Two great friends. But after that tournament, we started to play with our second client, which was –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Phyllis Fineman.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Phyllis Fineman. Then, we played with her, I think, for – was it three years?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Not that long, I think. But yes.
OLA RIMSTEDT: But yes, that was quite – many tournaments with a good team, and they’re a fun team, and we had a very good time. So, that was a good start of getting our foot in the bridge world.
JOHN MCALLISTER: How did you get the job with Hansa?
OLA RIMSTEDT: I think, actually, it was when I started to play quite a lot of bridge with a guy on VBO. He plays quite often with Jimmy King. His VBO name is “Bridge Cop.” His name is Jay Barronen, and he’s American, and plays quite a lot with Jimmy King. But he also said that he played with Hansa-Betton, and he asked if maybe we could come to be his teammates. So, that we did. That was the start. Not much more than that, but still, getting to know each other [inaudible]. We started to play quite a bit, and he invited us over to the U.S. That was a good start.
But the very first tournaments in the U.S. we played was we were quite lucky because we had a Swedish contact named [Jill Minstrom], who was the ex-wife of the [PO Sunderland]. She had a contact in the U.S. who sponsored Swedish junior teams for a couple of years to come over and play and represent a junior team in a full Nationals. And that happened for a couple of Nationals. That was also where our sisters played in the U.S. for the first time, so we did the exact same thing. So, that was a great opportunity for the Swedish junior players back then, to give us a chance to play in the Nationals and play against the best players in the world.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Was this person Swedish who – Jill’s contact?
[0:47:40.4]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: No.
JOHN MCALLISTER: What was her reason for doing – helping out Swedish juniors?
OLA RIMSTEDT: I actually don’t know exactly what the actual background is for doing this, so I don’t really know it is, but Jill did it for the Swedish Juniors, and I didn’t ask that many questions, I think. [Laughter] But it was quite a generous thing.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Did you ever get to meet this person?
OLA RIMSTEDT: No, we did not.
JOHN MCALLISTER: What was the tournament that you played – the first one?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I think the first one was actually for me and Michael, and that was in San Francisco, was it? I can’t really remember. I think so. 2012, if that rings a bell?
OLA RIMSTEDT: The first one?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I played –
OLA RIMSTEDT: No, the first one I played was in Seattle.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah, I was also in Seattle. That’s right. I think it was you and me, Michael [Edok]…or was it Daniel? I can’t remember. But, yeah.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yeah, Michael, and Daniel, and [inaudible], I think.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Right.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Have your parents ever represented Sweden on an international team?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah, our dad was actually considered the best player in Sweden for some time, but that was many years ago now. And then, he represented Sweden, we beat Fredin.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Really?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Wow, I didn’t realize that.
OLA RIMSTEDT: When Peter Fredin started to play bridge, his bridge teacher was our dad.
[0:49:18.4]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Huh.
OLA RIMSTEDT: And they were having bridge courses at the high school where I went.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: So then, they started to play together both in the juniors, and then sometime in the national team. And they had great results.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Your dad playing with Peter?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yes.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, Peter and your dad are the same age?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: And our dad is a few years older.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Huh. But he doesn’t play in the seniors?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: He doesn’t really like to play that much bridge. He only plays the big events in Sweden. He likes his job. He likes having a normal life, if I can call it that. [Laughter]
OLA RIMSTEDT: He plays, like the Swedish Team Championship, the Swedish Premier League. Some other national tournaments in Sweden. He can play the Champions Cup if we qualify from that in Sweden and represent our bridge club in Sweden. But that’s about it. Apart from that, he’s having a normal 9-5 job, or 8-5 job, in Sweden.
JOHN MCALLISTER: And who does he play with?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Right now, he doesn’t have a regular partner. He had one for many years, but he died two years ago. So now, he’s not – doesn’t really have a regular partner. But in the big Swedish championships, he plays mostly with me and Ola in a three-way.
JOHN MCALLISTER: And who do you guys talk to about – when you have bridge – like when you have questions? Let’s say you guys have a disagreement, for example. Do you go to your dad?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: We did back in the days, but that wouldn’t even occur to us anymore.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Well, we can always ask for a second opinion, but it’s – the value of that second opinion is not as high as it used to be. But if we ask somebody for a second opinion about the disagreement that we have, it would probably be like, say, Frederik Nystrom, Peter Bertheau, Simon Holt, Marian – yeah, all the Swedish top players, basically.
[0:51:33.5]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Have you guys had a disagreement recently?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Recently – well, nothing that is that very major that we have to consult with others.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: When I do – I think I remember the most recent major disagreement was in a relay auction. I was asking for one specific [inaudible] with five spades, and it went pass-pass-pass. And we were claiming seven diamonds, and we played on a 4-2 fit in five spades. But that was quite a long –
OLA RIMSTEDT: I made five spades, so that was easy.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: But, yeah. I remember that board. But other than that, the only thing we ever had was like, someone don’t remember specific stuff in the system, or…yeah. I would say –
OLA RIMSTEDT: It’s very rare that we have a disagreement that we are not on the same page, or that we just can’t agree up on something. So –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: That is actually one of the reasons that I miss playing it live a lot. Because when you play online, people are not, like, truthfully fair and honest about looking at their system notes while they’re playing an event. So, I feel like we have quite a good side of playing live because we don’t have that many disagreements, even though – yeah. But yeah, it definitely helps.
JOHN MCALLISTER: How many pages are your system notes?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: How many is it? 160, something?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Mmm, not that much, but it’s close. Well, let’s say 140. It might even be less than that. We are not, like, looking to expand our notes much more. We’re more like simplifying and having the same principles everywhere. So, it’s not about having, like, something everywhere. It’s more like sticking to principles because the advantage of us playing together a little bit is that we, most of the time, agree what we’re doing, even if it’s not always in the actual system notes. We can always explain what’s going on in the bidding to our opponents and agree upon it. It certainly helps that we’ve been taught bridge the same way, and we think in bridge the same way, because most of the time, we are thinking bridge alike. Obviously, we have many agreements and all principles, and all the system is symmetric in this system. So, we don’t really have to have exact things everywhere. It helps.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I didn’t realize you guys played relays.
[0:54:22.4]
OLA RIMSTEDT: We have a couple of relays, but we try to play – we try to bid as natural as possible, in many cases. But there are some cases where we go from natural to relays, depending on how the bidding develops. So, it’s all – everything is thought – like it’s been looked after. Like, how are we going to proceed in this? And we are thinking how we are going forward in this particular auction, or where there is an auction looking almost the same way, in most cases. There are a couple of relays.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Like, when’s a situation where you have a relay?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: That would be after we open a one of diamond and – only if we are in the game forcing sequence. And if we open one double major, and again, forcing sequence. So, that’s usually it.
OLA RIMSTEDT: And also, when there’s some reverse auctions where we set the game force and then relay the shape and the strength of the reverse hand. We’re always trying to aim for a balanced hand to show the exact shape and [inaudible] points. Always trying to narrow down the point interval so that it’s not that wide. So, there’s always these kinds of principles in most cases in the system.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I don’t think I’ve really played against you guys.
OLA RIMSTEDT: I think we might have played against each other at some point but obviously, it’s been a very long time ago.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah, I mean, I remember watching you guys in Copenhagen at that tournament, just feeling like – I just remember being like, you guys were – I don’t know how to say this. Like…you just seem very confident in what you were doing. You had doubled the opponents in some hearts score, and there was complete confidence about what was going on. And I remember admiring how on the same page you seemed.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah, I think that we –
JOHN MCALLISTER: And I think of you guys as headhunters, too. I think of you guys as headhunters which, you know, if you’re good –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I wouldn’t say we’d miss an opportunity, but sure. We like to headhunt if we can. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: [Laughter] You guys won the teams in Pula. Did you guys get any numbers down there?
OLA RIMSTEDT: We got many numbers down there, I can tell you. [Laughter] It’s not like anybody’s getting away with something because we always manage whenever they’re not on the same page, or whenever they’re out on deep water.
[0:57:26.8]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: It’s so often you realize when you play these festivals, when there’s a partnership who doesn’t have as many agreements as we have, or they’re not playing with their regular partner – there was sometime their partner bid something, and this guy was just sitting there looking in all kinds of directions, just expressing to everybody around the table that they had no clue what this bid means. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: [Laughter] Do they have screens down there?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: They do not have screens down there. Well, they had screens that are normal – not like Plexiglass.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Well, it was in a team tournament where we played a swiss and if you’re in the top five tables, you play with screens.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, you guys have been to that tournament for a number of years – right, Ola?
OLA RIMSTEDT: A number of years. Not like in four or five consecutive years, but we’ve been there three times, I think?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Three times. Four years ago, three years ago, and this year.
OLA RIMSTEDT: And every year, we had a different team. So, it’s been – it’s really a fun festival. It’s – you could easily go there just for a vacation. It doesn’t have to be bridge but obviously, it’s a good combination.
JOHN MCALLISTER: And was this your first time winning the teams?
OLA RIMSTEDT: It was the first time winning the teams. We even won the pairs, so the pair is next on the list, and we’re definitely going back because it’s a lovely paradise.
JOHN MCALLISTER: What was attendance like this year versus other times you’ve been?
OLA RIMSTEDT: It’s much lower, but it’s quite high, even – I mean, the room was kind of filled with tables and players, so it was not that bad. But when you read the bulletin the first day, they said attendance number was close to 50% less than a normal year, which I can’t imagine because I can’t imagine them fitting that many more tables. But that’s what they wrote, and I have to just say, OK, I get it. And obviously, for good reasons, you don’t have to get the absolute maximum number of players as we are still in the COVID-19 era.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Did you have to have a vaccination or wear a mask?
[0:59:51.7]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: You did not have to wear a mask for the whole tournament, but you had to show proof of vaccination or a negative test every second day.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, as long as you had proof of vaccination, you didn’t need to submit a test?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Exactly, that’s right.
OLA RIMSTEDT: You had to wear a mask when you go to supermarkets and breakfast – hotel breakfast. But during the bridge game, you didn’t have to wear a mask at all.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Did you have to share a room with Holtie?
OLA RIMSTEDT: We shared a room with Holtie, and we shared a room with each other, all three of us. [Laughter] But we were really taking precautions here, so when we did book the hotel room, we specifically asked what the room looks like. So, we got to – it was me and Mikael, we slept on the upper level. And downstairs, Simon Holt, where we could close the door, he slept. [Laughter] So, we were exonerated for the worst.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, you didn’t have to hear him snoring?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Well, we heard it, but it was not as bad. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: [Laughter] And who’s this guy he was playing with?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: He’s a professional player from Poland that we have – all three of us played against in the juniors. Right now, he plays a lot with an American guy called Mike [Rippick]. And older guy, he had a client, and he’s very good. I would say he’s a very good – he’s good fun to hang out with and a great player, also.
OLA RIMSTEDT: He plays a lot of these team matches with Jimmy Cayne on [B Bill]. His [B Bill] name is Radiators. I’m sure most of those have heard about it.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah, I recognize that name.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yeah, he’s been playing so many of these Jimmy Cayne matches. He’s a good guy. He’s a fun lad. [Camden], we got to know during the junior years, and he’s a great Polish guy.
JOHN MCALLISTER: And who would you guys rather hang out with – this guy, or Simon Cope?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Laughter] What’s this kind of question? I’m sure Simon Cope asked you to ask this question.
[1:02:21.2]
JOHN MCALLISTER: No, I just – there’s a lot of Instagram of the three of you just going budding around Italy, and I was a little jealous that I wasn’t invited on that. I mean, it seemed like it was 10 days of hanging out, bromance.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Laughter] It was five days, actually.
JOHN MCALLISTER: It felt like 10 on social media. It felt like 10 on Instagram. Did you go to both weddings? Did you go to Georgia’s and Tomas’ wedding?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Only Tomas.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Tomas and Irene’s. It was a great wedding in Toscana.
JOHN MCALLISTER: How many people were at the wedding?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I think they said about 180. And it’s so good seeing all these people after two brutal years of COVID-19.
OLA RIMSTEDT: And it was the first – it was my first trip in about one and a half years, and it was a good one.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I’ve been to England, and I’ve been to France three times. I was there in September to November last year studying French. And then, I went one more just because I was tired of Sweden, just wanted to hang out with friends. I learned [inaudible] France.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Were you in –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Just Paris, but I was playing this tournament in [Biretz], this bridge festival. So, twice in Paris, and once in [Biretz]. Great festival. Totally recommend.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah. I got to play with Zia for the Paris –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Did you wear earplugs?
JOHN MCALLISTER: No. But he – I remember there was – it was right when I played transfer advances for the first time, and he opened something, and they doubled, and so I bid one no, and strong clubs. And now, the leftie bid, and so he bid three clubs. So, I thought he had a good hand. Five of clubs. [Laughter] I had six clubs, but I had sort of a Yarborough, and he [inaudible]. Yeah. He was tough. He was a tough partner.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I guess you need some patience playing with him, but what a guy.
JOHN MCALLISTER: We would get like, a 45% -- so, they do barometer scoring, so you can see on the Bridgemate what your score is. And we’d get like, a 45% on a hand, and he’s like, “No, we got a zero.” I’m like, man, come on. But we were doing well and then, they stopped showing the scores, and we sort of – that was the end of us. Yeah. But that was fun because Boya was there too, and we would go to dinner every night, and we would go over every board, every card played. I mean, it was –
OLA RIMSTEDT: It’s a paradise.
JOHN MCALLISTER: It’s a really cool experience. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Who were you -
[1:05:45.3]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I was playing the teams with Anna, and in teams with Gillian and John Heard. It was very nice, very pleasant to play with them. And then, I played – in teams, we actually didn’t do so well. I can’t remember where we finished – like nine? No, it was mixed open.
JOHN MCALLISTER: That’s too bad, that was –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah, I guess maybe we were doing better in the mixed? Who knows. And then, in the pairs, I played with [Christa Lorma] from Denmark. This little chick.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Oh, yeah.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Not so good, either. I mean, when you’re playing three sessions, and you need three good sessions to have a chance, and we had two good sessions and one horrible. And that horrible was just enough to not even be in contention. We’ll be better with some sort of A final or something, because if you have one session, you have no chance anymore. But it’s easy for me to say. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Well, I enjoyed playing the mixed with you in the World Championships.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: That was nice. That was a great tournament. Great memories.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah, you – had you won pairs already?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yes. So, a lot of pressure on me. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Right. I remember you played six spades, three double –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: No, four spades, redouble. We did an over trick and we lost 12. I remember – I don’t lose these boards off of my chest, not my brain.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Oh my god. I want to know, in your family, how you guys – In the Well, it said you were five years old when you learned, then you were 13 when you really started playing. Was it something that you guys played every night at home, or like…?
OLA RIMSTEDT: You mean when we were 13 years old?
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah, like in your bridge, how did it happen? How did you get – how did you family help you start playing?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: When I was 13, I remember I started to paly a lot online, and that was especially because this was the first year we got to travel internationally with the junior team. And then, I got a really good taste of it. I wouldn’t say – maybe it wasn’t a great taste of the game itself, but just the fact that we could travel and play bridge and meet people and have such a great time – it was in France the first time, and I met some really good friends. And I figured if I keep doing this, I will make even more friends, and just having a great time. And we played the next year as well, like a junior championship. And we had an even better time, and we just realized that this is actually really good fun, especially in a junior career. Junior years is just the best years. Nobody can say anything differently.
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, you and Ola would play as partners, but you would play online? Or were you playing with other partners? When you were 13, with Ola, when you first started playing.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I played in the championships and some tournaments with Ola, but at this point, I wanted to create some kind of perspective on my own bridge, so I was asking a lot of different players to play local tournaments in Sweden. So, I played online, but mostly tournaments. And some good, some bad results, but I had some pretty good results that I saw I had the chance to become something, you know? But just the fact I was known for playing with a different partner every tournament. It was good fun. I loved it.
[1:09:46.9]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Ola, were you into it as much as Mikael was at first?
OLA RIMSTEDT: I don’t – I wouldn’t – I can’t really compare how much I was into it, but I tried to do the exact same thing, like trying to play with different partners, getting a different perspective of the game, getting to know from the more experienced ones, and having a good time meeting new people. Besides playing bridge with them for a tournament, we also like to talk about other things, so it’s also connecting with different people, creating connections between everybody. I think it was good fun.
JOHN MCALLISTER: How important were your parents and sisters in the fact that you guys were starting to play? Were they encouraging it? Were they even involved at all?
OLA RIMSTEDT: At first, our sisters, they taught me and Mikael how the game is supposed to be played. We played some regional team against where we lived for the first years. We absolutely hated bridge, me and Mikael. We really didn’t want to play bridge at all, at first, so we really wanted to focus on golf, table tennis, football, anything – when I say football, I mean soccer, speaking of Americans. [Laughter] But every time when we were back from school, we’d get the questions from our sister, like, “How’s the bridge? How’s the bridge going?” And et cetera. Expecting us to practice on B Bill and whatever there is. So, we really tried to do anything to avoid the bridge questions and play bridge. But whenever there was a [inaudible] game coming up in our region, we had to play it, and that was like, oh god, our evening is destroyed. We have to play bridge instead of watching movies and whatever we could do. [Laughter]
So, it was a different time back then. We really got more into bridge when we were first selected to represent Sweden for the junior team. We had schools team, but to be part of the --
JOHN MCALLISTER: So, how old were you, would you say, when your sisters were asking you if you were playing bridge, or it was annoying if you had to play bridge at night? How long did that go on?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Well, they taught us bridge when we were five years of age. Not like [inaudible] on a serious matter, but they taught us how the game was played. And we played a little bit when we were six, and then from them, they were trying to get us to play as much bridge as possible until we became 11 or 12 years old, or something. And then, that is when we were selected to represent Sweden in some Nordic junior event. So, we played Swedish Junior Championship of both pairs and teams, but that is not much more that we did. There were a couple of junior attempts. We certainly didn’t play that much more than that.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Is Peter Bertheau still playing bridge? Is he into it?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Not as much as he used to be. He focuses much more on his private life right now, and bridge is not much of a part of it anymore. I still think he is one very talented bridge player of his age, but bridge doesn’t – it’s not like a big thing for him.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I mean, I guess it’s hard when you’re in school, nobody is even considering bridge, and yeah. So, I think we more wanted to spend time with friends and talk about what they want to talk about, and not having too much involved with the bridge. So, I mean, I guess it’s good for now, and then maybe when he split up with friends or if that will ever happen, start studying, one day maybe he will come back and play. Pretty sure he will.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yeah, I’m quite sure he will. It’s just a matter of time something happens in his life. Or he might not, and he’s going to be completely busy with –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: He took a necessary break, also.
OLA RIMSTEDT: An other life situation.
JOHN MCALLISTER: What are you guys doing? Are you guys playing in a tournament tomorrow? Are you playing golf?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I’m playing golf tomorrow with Stockie and Holt.
JOHN MCALLISTER: But no Ola.
OLA RIMSTEDT: I am not coming. I’m teaching some ladies here from Sweden to play bridge. So, I’m not going to be available. We’re still playing in this alt that’s been going on for the week, so we’ve been doing that every day – every Monday to Friday.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Every day, Monday to Friday?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Every day this week. I wouldn’t say every week –
JOHN MCALLISTER: I kind of want to ask about your dating lives, but I feel like that’s a little personal for the show.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Not a lot.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Mikael, you still with Sena? [Laughter]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Laughter] So, that’s the rumor.
JOHN MCALLISTER: No, you played with Sena on the mixed. That’s why I was making that joke. Are you guys dating anybody? No?
OLA RIMSTEDT: No.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: No, no, we’re not.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Man, there’s some lucky Swedish women out there. Oh.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Laughter] Sweden is not a great country to want to date. We’re like, ranked as one of the more boring people there is.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Really?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yup. Maybe we’re known as one of the better looking Swedes, but in terms of personality, we are going to stay out of – certain people. We’re not going [inaudible] you if we don’t know you.
OLA RIMSTEDT: That’s fact.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Got it. Well, I think Ola looks great. Ola looks particularly handsome. I’m noticing he looks very fit.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: And then, you meet up with him.
OLA RIMSTEDT: [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: No, he looks really – I mean, people are going to want to tune into the video for this. He’s looking good these days.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Tell me about Mikarim duty.
OLA RIMSTEDT: The story usually goes everywhere we go is Mikael is not taking alcohol very well, so somebody has to be on Mikarim duty, which means whenever he has a drink too many, which happens pretty much every time, you have to be the one taking care of wherever he’s going, and however the night is going to end up for it. That’s Mikarim duty – get him to bed, or get him in one piece.
JOHN MCALLISTER: And was there Mikarim duty in Pula?
OLA RIMSTEDT: In Pula, there was no Mikarim duty, as I can recall. I think it used to be worse. He has been okay so far the past year, but that is probably because we haven’t had any crazy parties or crazy get-togethers.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I think you have a different response [inaudible]. [Laughter] Let’s say I had my moments in London.
OLA RIMSTEDT: It’s been published, they can ask me about.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Do you guys consider each other your best friend?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Yeah.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Probably, we are the closest, yeah.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: If someone asks me who’s my best friend, I’d said Ola, because he’s my brother, you know.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Don’t get that question too often, to be honest.
JOHN MCALLISTER: What about with your sisters? Are you closer with either of your sisters?
OLA RIMSTEDT: We have a different relationship with them. I mean, Cecelia lives here in Sweden. Sandra lives in the U.S. So, and then we play bridge more with Cecelia. We talk more with Sandra about other stuff, and how everything works in the U.S. So, we talk about different stuff, but it’s a different relationship.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Have you gone to New York and take a lot of –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: We have like, two or three times, but it was not the purpose of the trip. It was to be with Sandra.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Whenever we go to New York, it’s not because we are playing professional bridge. I have played a regional in New York, and I was obviously for professional bridge, but given that week we stayed at Sandra’s. But we’ve been to New York many times, me and Mikael. So, every time we go there, it’s because we want to visit Sandra and the family.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Have you ever played in The Regency, the dollar game? Do you have –
OLA RIMSTEDT: I have. I don’t know if Mikael –
JOHN MCALLISTER: You played in the rubber bridge game at The Regency?
OLA RIMSTEDT: Oh, not the rubber game, no. I played just a duplicate, [inaudible]. No other bridge. I never played a professional rubber bridge game, ever. I consider that more like gambling.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: You have to be good at bridge.
OLA RIMSTEDT: I have no interest whatsoever in gambling.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: You have to be good at bridge.
OLA RIMSTEDT: Yeah, that’s also…
JOHN MCALLISTER: [Laughter]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: You know, he knows –
JOHN MCALLISTER: Is Mikael considered the better player because he won the pairs with Zach?
OLA RIMSTEDT: I don’t know if he’s considered better because of that, but I think in most eyes, Mikael is considered better.
JOHN MCALLISTER: You really think that, or are you just joking?
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I say we have days. We have some days. Often the time, there are worse days, and Ola has worse days.
OLA RIMSTEDT: I mean, I’m speaking of the eyes of other people.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Well, he was on the McAllister team, which is one of the marquee teams for mixed. [Laughter]
OLA RIMSTEDT: Always, always having that on your resume. It’s like, life-changing. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Yeah, yeah.
[1:35:24.7]
OLA RIMSTEDT: But yeah, I would say I don’t think either of us really cares what others think of our bridge game because we just keep up our bridge game. The way others are saying things like, those [inaudible] brothers are over-rated. Some say these guys, I don’t know why they’re doing so well, and et cetera. Some are saying that this is like, the best player in the world. OK? I mean, it’s all flattering. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: Is anybody saying you guys could be as good as the Grossacks?
OLA RIMSTEDT: I think you are one of the first.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Well, maybe not that far. [Laughter]
JOHN MCALLISTER: [Laughter]
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: We can always be like one of the better, best. But when it comes to the Grossacks, that’s a very peak. So, usually not getting that far up.
JOHN MCALLISTER: I appreciate you guys doing this. Thank you very much.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Nice talking to you. I hope – I think it’s made me already closer to you [laughter].
JOHN MCALLISTER: [Laughter] I hope we can – I mean, I really want you guys to come to Virginia sometime and play golf for a couple days. So, I hope we get to do that at some point in the future.
OLA RIMSTEDT: I hope the same. It will be a lot of fun.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: You don’t have any plans, like if you go to Austin, go there a day or two early and just play golf?
JOHN MCALLISTER: I mean, I’m kind of a little bit reluctant to do that because I just feel like when I go to a bridge tournament, golf – I love playing golf, but I just feel like – I mean, I would potentially be interested in that. But you’re not going to have your own clubs. You’re going to be playing with rented clubs. It’s going to be fall. There might be leaves on the course. I don’t know. I kind of like – when I like to go to play bridge tournaments, I like to kind of focus on the bridge.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Well, the tournament hasn’t started if you go to it two days earlier, no?
OLA RIMSTEDT: That’s solves the problem fine.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: [Laughter]
[1:37:41.1]
JOHN MCALLISTER: There you go. There you go. I mean, I would love the opportunity to play. I mean, I feel like when we played in Orlando, actually, that Mikael kind of got the better of me. That’s my recollection of that. So, now that I’ve been improving, I would like another shot at –
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: I would love to.
JOHN MCALLISTER: Alright. Well, anyway, it’s great to see you guys. I really appreciate you doing this. I’m excited to see you in Austin. We will play golf. We will do it.
MIKAEL RIMSTEDT: Thanks for this opportunity. It was nice talking to you, nice seeing you.
JOHN MCALLISTER: See you guys. Thanks a lot.