August 2024 - 15

in my abilities gave me the confidence to push past my
limits and strive for success, " Darwin said in his application.
" He taught me the importance of critical thinking,
of questioning assumptions and of constantly seeking to
improve. He reminded me the importance of keeping a
healthy mindset, or 'staying on an even keel emotionally,'
as he liked to call it. "
Darwin became a member of Canada's Under-16 national
team, winning gold medals in transnational events
at the 2022 World Youth Championships in both the U16
pairs, with regular partner Anshul Bhatt of India, and the
U16 teams with Bhatt and teammates Jasper Vahk and
Albert Pedmanson of Estonia. That year at the YNABC, he
placed second in both the pairs and teams. Last year, he
represented Canada on the U26 team in the Netherlands,
playing with Olivia Laufer, a fellow Kokish mentee.
Though Darwin practices online with Bhatt every day
and participates in Canada's Junior training program, he
doesn't play much in ACBL-sanctioned events and doesn't
have a lot of masterpoints. As of early July, he needed
more than 160 points to make Life Master. Though he's
made it to a handful of Toronto-area tournaments over
the years, his previous one before this year's Summer
NABC was in February 2023. His last club game was in
2021, when he was serving as the director for the Mixed
Inter-Club League of Toronto, an organization that held
unofficial online tournaments for players in several
Toronto clubs.
" It's been a challenge to return to in-person bridge,
especially with schoolwork piling up, " Darwin said. " The
major events I play are WBF-sanctioned. "
He and Bhatt are currently preparing for the World
Youth Transnationals in Poland, where their 2022 team
will expand to include Americans Eric Xiao and Nathan
Gong.
Darwin has been teaching bridge since grade four,
when an elementary school teacher, who wanted to learn
herself, encouraged him to organize classes during recess
and lunch. He became an ACBL-accredited teacher
in 2017, when he was 10. He continued teaching through
elementary school and last year started a club at his high
school, where two tables gather once a week to play socially.
He also writes for the Unit 166 Kibitzer, edited by
Andy Stark, who also runs Canada's Junior program.
Darwin has also taught online for the Youth Bridge
Association, the organization founded by 2022 King of
Bridge Arthur Zhou, and recently became its president.
In his teaching experience, Darwin has been dismayed
by how few students stick with the game. A group of 40
beginners will quickly drop to 20 and finish the beginner
class with 10 or 12. A few years later, only one person
from that group is still playing. While there has been a
lot of focus on how to improve teaching so that so many
beginners aren't immediately turned off, Darwin believes
the problem is something else: the lack of a path to start
playing the game as an individual without a partner.
" The game itself needs a revolutionary overhaul in
terms of its playing rules, to reduce the strenuous and discouraging
demands of forming partnerships, the particular
flaw that hinders not only youth bridge but all players, "
Darwin said. " Bridge, a partnership game - playing
bridge needs a partner!? Chess doesn't need one. That, in
my opinion, is why chess is now flourishing among youth.
We need to work together to develop more individual
games with better and fairer formats, and more individual
titles, especially for Juniors to get them started. "
He also believes research is key to drawing more interest
in bridge. Along with his own research, he's interested
in the work of sociologist Samantha Punch of Scotland.
" There is a pressing need for more research into
bridge, " Darwin said. " This research should aim to demonstrate
and redefine the positive impacts of playing
bridge beyond pastime, not only in terms of combatting
neurodegenerative diseases in seniors but also in mitigating
developmental disabilities in youth, such as autism
and ADHD. "
When studies can conclusively show and quantify
the benefits of playing bridge - and prove it's better at
developing those benefits than other activities, such as
chess - Darwin believes new players will flock to bridge.
(Provided they aren't hindered by the need to find a
partner.)
What he's found so far in his own research and his review
of literature in the field is quite promising. " A recent
study introduced bridge to a group of patients diagnosed
with Alzheimer's. Comparing their results with a control
group, they found cognitive decline to be significantly
lower in the bridge group. "
His current research takes it a step further, assessing
the impact of bridge for delaying cognitive decline at earlier
stages of minor cognitive impairment, before significant
impairment set in. " I'd like to pinpoint as much as
possible the key functional networks in the brain where
bridge may have a significant impact on cognitive resilience, "
he said.
Darwin is unsure of his college plans as he still has a
year to go. He's unsure whether he'll make use of a scholarship
he's already received for medical school worth
$400,000.
Despite all he's accomplished, Darwin doesn't seem
himself in Hiro from " Big Hero 6. "
" I'm nothing special, just someone with a lot of distinct
areas of interest, " he said.
As he explores them, he keeps in mind what he learned
from Kokish: " 'Talent starts the journey, hard work finishes
it.' He made me realize that talent is a gift, and only
through hard work, dedication and perseverance can we
unlock our full potential. " 2
August 2024 | Bridge Bulletin |
15
August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2024
