Bridge | 13 November 2021

It can’t have been a surprise to anyone who knows him that when Andrew Black — Bertie to his friends — decided to get serious about bridge, he was thinking big. He doesn’t do things by halves. His passion for sports betting led him to co-found the world’s first and largest bet exchange, Betfair, in 2000. His love of horse-racing spurred him on to be a successful owner and breeder; in 2009 he joined forces with the former England footballer Michael Owen to become co-owner of the renowned racing complex Manor House Stables in Cheshire. And then there’s bridge. Over the past few years Bertie and his squad — Team Black — have had an ever-greater impact on the international stage. Last weekend, they capped an outstanding year by winning the English Premier League. Here he is in action, racing to the finishing line at a recent online tournament against none other than the champion thoroughbred Andrew Robson.