About our Pizza Parties
Young bridge players enjoy challenging competition and good food at the monthly Silicon Valley Youth (SiVY) Bridge party.
Aspiring bridge players ages 10-25 are welcome – as long as they know just a little bit about bridge and want to learn more.
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.
May 15, 2015
Thirty-nine youth bridge players attended.
After casual play and snacks, seven tables of players entered a short and friendly duplicate bridge tournament. Three tables played in Section A, for more experienced players, and 4 tables in Section B, for less experienced players.
The newest players were taught bridge basics, while some more experienced players needed to leave early, so kept playing just for fun, rather than entering the tournmaent.
A pizza break was enjoyed half way through the game, then dessert at the end, while prizes were awarded.
There were several first time duplicate players, including Mara Tucker, who attended Learn Bridge in a Day a couple of weeks ago. She and her bridge partner Maya Malavasi met for the first time just before the game, became fast friends, and each won their first sliver of an ACBL Masterpoint.
Several winners from the recent High School Championship were present, including Dan Zhukov from the winning Monta Vista team, and Matthew Shi-Kevin Huang of Gunn, who had won the pair event. They were congratulated, and given a big round of applause. Matthew and Kevin repeated as winners, coming out on top in section A of the Youth Duplicate.
Five youth players stayed and competed in the very tough Open Barometer game at 7PM in the evening, including Paly students, Cornelius Duffie, Max Krawczyk, and Olivia d’Arezzo, along with experienced youth players, Kevin Rosenberg and Nate Munger, who frequently mentor the newer youth players at SiVY events. Check out the end of the photo album to see these five players in action vs. the older crowd.
Arthur prepares to make a 'balancing' bid. Oops, not this time.
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 $29 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!).