Parent - Child Duplicate

October 1, 2017

Four moms, seven dads, and one grandma had the pleasure of an afternoon playing a game with their child. There were six tables total, with three in Section A for more experienced players, and three in Section B. 

It was wonderful to have recent Youth National Team champion, Rory Xiao, in attendance.  During the milk and cookies break, Rory was given a big round of applause.

With one round to go in Section A, the score was tied between two father-son pairs, Rory with dad, Bo, and Xin Ge-Brandon Ge.  They happened to be facing each other in the last round.  Bo and Rory won that battle, but Brandon Ge thought it wasn't so bad to finish second to a national champion.  Brandon's younger brother Kayden placed first in Section B, with his mom, Min Bai.

Bo and Rory's Precision bidding system was unfamiliar to some of their opponents, but nobody seemed intimidated.

We were delighted to have Colin Tivol back, partnering his dad, Brian.  Colin started playing bridge at age 4, earned his first masterpoints at age 5, then took a break from duplicate and has returned as a mature 7-year old!

At the previous Parent-Child game last June, Joanne Chak watched her husband and sons, because she didn't yet know how to play.  Since then, her husband Ken Lam has been teaching her. The whole family has been playing bridge together at home, and at this game each parent partnered one of their two sons.  Joanne seems to be catching on quickly, and says she is enjoying the game.

Young players play with a parent or grandparent as partner, trying to win American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) masterpoints and enjoying each other's company. Director Will Watson plans the game so that each pair would be able to meet and play against almost all the others.

Duplicate bridge is one of the few competitive activities in which people of all ages can participate as equals. Participants in the Parent-Child duplicate range from youth to seniors, but each pair has to work together to score well. Bridge is also one of the few games in which new players have the opportunity to compete against and learn from established stars.

Participants in our events range from duplicate bridge novices to experienced ACBL Life Masters to a world champion--all enjoying the company as well as the challenge of the game itself. A typical reaction was one youth's first words as he and his father left, "Can we do that again?"

Grandparents and parents looking for ways to connect with their young family members and entice them away from their iPods and their Game Boys should consider taking up bridge as a family activity. The youngsters may end up teaching them a few things, and that's a great feeling for everyone.

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 $5 per year. Both include a monthly magazine (print for Adults, online access for Juniors) and registration of masterpoints (start earning towards becoming a Life Master!).