About our Pizza Parties
Young bridge players enjoy challenging competition and good food at the monthly Silicon Valley Youth (SiVY) Bridge party.
Kids with all levels of experience are welcome.
Upon arrival the kids play casually and enjoy snacks. After pizza is served many players enter a mini-tournament while others keep playing for fun. Brand new players are taught the basics of the game, learning as they play.
The pairs in the mini-tournament practice skills in bidding as well as play. Prizes are awarded to the winners.
Volunteers are available to help the kids who play for fun.
Near the end of each party, dessert is served, while tournament winners are announced and prizes are awarded
The SiVY monthly events are held to provide kids from our after school classes a chance to meet aspiring players from other schools and organizations. They are also a great way for kids who have learned from adult family to play bridge with other young people.
November 16, 2014
Bay Area kids are catching the bridge bug. November’s Pizza Party Play event broke a SiVY attendance record, with 53 youth bridge players gathering for fun, food, and, for many, competition. 
Fifty-three youth set a new attendance record!
After about an hour of pizza, snacks, and casual play, a mini-tournament was held. Four tables competed in Section A, designated for more experienced players, while six tables formed Section B. The latter section included several first time duplicate players, some of whom just started learning bridge basics this fall. The remaining attendees continued playing for fun, while receiving coaching from mentors. While the tournament players may have been a bit more serious and focused, there were lots of laughs in all sections of the bridge club. 
Three schools expected to participate in the upcoming Bay Area Area High School Championship this spring are Gunn, PALY, and Monta Vista. All three were well represented at this event, and Monta Vista freshman, Jasmine Wang, was amongst the new competitors.
Some of the winners selecting their prizes. While waiting for the final results, Jasmine saw that an autographed copied of Louis Sachar’s The Cardturner would be offered to first place in each section. Jasmine was impressed that such a “famous author” had inscribed each copy, and she was eager to finish the story, having read a few chapters at a friend’s house. Jasmine said “I’ll have to come back and win next month,” but to her surprise and pleasure, when the scores were posted, she and partner Ben Erickson had taken first place North-South in Section B, so she won a copy immediately. We still expect Jasmine to return next month!
More than half the attendees at this month’s event learned bridge in current or former SiVY Bridge after school classes, or SiVY Summer camp. Fisher, Jordan and Peterson Middle Schools were all particularly well represented this month. Others learned about our youth bridge program from various sources, including Stanford Splash, bridge playing family members, and friends at their school. The new SiVY Bridge individual mentoring program was announced, and more ambitious students are encouraged to consider this opportunity.
Parents play for fun and help each other learn bridge so they can play with their kids.
Several parents inquired about bridge classes for both themselves and their kids. One mom said that her son “talks about bridge all the time.” She wasn’t complaining.
The bridge games at our parties are American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) sanctioned awarding masterpoints (MP) to high scorers. ACBL membership is not required for our games but is strongly suggested. You can join online or at the Bridge Center on the night of an event. Adult membership is $28 for the first year and junior membership only $15 per year. Both include a monthly print magazine and registration of masterpoints (start earning towards becoming a Life Master!).