11. Amaresh Deshpande - The Future of Bridge

Best known for being the inventor of the now famous game, Hool, and other bridge-related apps - like Kida -, Amaresh Deshpande is our next guest to share his thoughts. Originating from India, Deshpande began his career as a math teacher, but he now finds himself mainly teaching bridge. Concerned by the current difficulty in introducing bridge to short-attention-spanned children, Deshpande had set off on a quest to solve the issue of how to teach bridge in a society governed by distractions and immediate pleasures. He ended up designing Hool: a game that could be a stand-alone experience or a "soft" introduction to bridge. Hool has now taken a life of its own, with there already being Hool tournaments in colleges. Perhaps being our most lively guest, Deshpande turns this interview into a truly natural conversation. Highlights from Episode:   1:20- Amaresh's career in teaching   2:45- Amaresh's thoughts on when to transition from Hool to Bridge   4:20- the goal that Amaresh hopes that Hool will accomplish   11:05- Amaresh's view on the current problem with introducing bridge to newcomers   12:50- A new game called Double Dummy   17:30- Amaresh's funding for his programs   18:30- Amaresh's current work with other projects   22:45- insights that Amaresh garnished through teaching Hool   31:20- A potential event where Hool and Bridge is combined   35:35- Amaresh's experience with Mahjong in Wuhan    36:55- Amaresh's thoughts on why the Bridge world needs Hool   39:45- John's current work with his documentary Double Dummy