Still, we can be sure of this: the future of bridge lies in our youth. The more that young people become fascinated with our game, the greater the odds that bridge will grow and strengthen.

Washington D.C. vibrated with excitement for youth and junior players. From Thursday, July 30th through Saturday, August 1st, the second Youth NABC highlighted various competition, celebrity speakers and visitors, plus a variety of recognition and awards for youth players.

As kids registered for the events, they were greeted warmly by smiling volunteers. An array of trophies glittered in the background, awaiting top performances. Fun gifts such as colorful t-shirts and caps awaited the competitors.

It was my honor and pleasure to be able to chat with and photograph the many participants in our 2nd Youth NABC this past week. The enthusiasm from kids, parents, organizers and volunteers was palpable. Another big "thank you," also to our celebrity guests, Greg Johnson and Bill Gates, who added so much to the program.

Do you love the greatest mind game ever invented? Then you, too, will appreciate everything about our Youth NABC. From smiles of fun to furrows of concentration, bridge for the next generation is thriving!

Hundreds of children from around the nation and beyond participated in our first Youth NABC. On Friday, the children had a triple dose of excitement. First, they were treated to a lecture with slides from astronaut and bridge player Greg Johnson. His tales were incredible, and seeing the ace of spades in space was amazing!

From outer space, the competitors began their Swiss Team event, filled with comparisons and matches. Then, one of the world's most famous bridge players stopped in to say "hi": Bill Gates. Bill is competing today in the National Open Swiss. But before meeting up with the worlds' best, Bill chatted and posed for photos with future bridge stars and our own head of ACBL Marketing, Vicki Campbell.

We've got loads more to report! Please stop by soon for more stories of bridge in our nation's capital!

Thanks to Carolyn Eckert's guidance (Atlanta Jr. Bridge teacher) and notes, I was careful to instruct for five minutes and give an activity for five or 10 minutes. Then back to instructing for five or 10 minutes and an activity again.

The first day was spent learning about suits, their rank, the difference between a major and a minor, the magic of the number 13, the importance of count, and how to take tricks. We talked about the guide card and the importance of partnership in bridge. After several hands of No Trump, the concept of a super suit was introduced which led to a discussion of ruffing.

Next came introduction of the duplicate board and placing a value on the honor cards. They were told they had two decisions to make: No Trump or a suit, and how high to bid. The concept of "book" was introduced. Scoring was begun at this point and from then on, every single hand they played was scored by the campers on the blackboard. By the end of the first few days, they were all doing their own scoring and understood the difference between a top, bottom, or average board.

On the second day, the bidding box was introduced, along with a review of the first day's lessons. Responding to a major suit opening and learning how to get to game was emphasized.

Day three brought minor suit openings and golden fits. One of our 16-year-olds, during the bidding, asked her partner (out loud) how many points she had. Partner told her. She called me over and asked about slam. I said, "You've wanted to bid slam since yesterday; go for it!" It made. Then when the scores went up on the board, one of the campers (19) at another table asked how they got to the slam. This particular young man plays in open games and knows the rules. I said, "Declarer asked her partner how many points she had by talking across the table." He laughed and we used that as a humorous lesson to the whole group about the reason for bidding boxes. They were all in the process of transitioning from mini-bridge (talking about what's in their hands) to real bridge (using the bidding boxes). The concept had temporarily gotten away from the slam bidder!

A lesson on leads ensued as they began to play hands more and more on their own.

The fourth day we talked about opening No Trump bids and the responses thereto. They learned about voids, singletons, and doubletons.

Friday was their big day. They played six hands in 1-1/2 hours, two boards per round. Murray put the scores in the computer. We had trophies for first place N/S, and first place E/W. Pizza was ordered, a veggie tray appeared, and two of the campers baked a "We love bridge" cake. ACBL provided certificates and t-shirts for each camper. They all stayed and talked and visited so long, the adults were arriving for their regularly scheduled game.

These young people were focused, enthusiastic, bright, charming, and patient with each other (and their teacher). They asked great questions and took part in all activities. It was a joy to meet and get to know them, and we are looking forward to watching them continue their long, wonderful careers in this fabulous game.

Our thanks to all the clubs in Unit 219 who helped fund this camp. Our projects continue, so please don't forget us! Lessons continue every Saturday from 10-12, with a youth game the second Saturday of every month at 1:00 p.m.

Are you 26 years or younger? Are you an expert who can play with a BBO Junior in a tournament? You need not commit to each Tuesday at 2pm (all times in New York, Eastern) for this ten board tournament. Valerie (vdoubleu) opens the pairing table at 1:20pm, and juniors and mentors should go to her table as soon as possible partnerships are set up. There is a hand analysis table directly after the tourney is finished.

On Wednesdays at 11am there is a Juniors Teaching Table. Two guest world class players play with instruction while the Juniors questions about the bidding and play of the hand are answered. Each junior gets to play 2 boards per round with the experts. Paula Mittelman (under the handle BBOJuniors) comes online 30-40 minutes before the table opens and takes reservations. It is always first come, first serve to play.

On Thursdays at 11am, (however, according to her professional playing schedule, it could be on Fridays at the same time), professional World Class Lynn player/teacher Deas (lynndeas) runs a coaching table for Juniors and this usually runs for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.

There are so many offerings by BBOJuniors to try out. And remember mentors are needed for the Tuesday tournament so show up, let Valerie know you are there, whether as a mentor or Junior. What great opportunities!

Eight student partnership teams from five schools participating in Washoe County School District's Pilot After-School Activity bridge teaching program assembled at the Center to play 24 duplicated hands against each other to see how well they could bid and play in contrast to their opponents. At the same time, members of the Reno ACBL Unit, mostly seniors, were competing side by side in their regular Saturday Club game. The contrast of seniors and juniors exhibiting what they have learned in a competitive venue was striking. When the scores were totaled after the game, Devon Falk and Cody Yau, of Shaw Middle School ended with the highest total number of match points to be declared the winner. In Saturday's tournament, they managed to score a total of 44½ match points or a whopping 61.81% game yet they finished only ½ point ahead of the second place team of Harley DeGuzman, Elijah Lyons and Soren DuPlessis of the High Desert Montessori Charter School who scored 44 points or 61.11%. The winner of this year's competition, Cody Yau, said that they were able to score well by using standard bidding conventions and playing conservatively. Good defense relies on cooperation between the players who must be efficient in keeping track of all the cards and suits played and those remaining outstanding. Five points behind with 39 1/2 points in third place was the team of Alex Peterson and Trevor Swetkovich of Billinghurst Middle School. Only one point further back in fourth place was the pair of Alexis Jones and Robert Wagner, also of Shaw who finished fourth.

Kathy Lane, President of Reno Youth Bridge, Inc. says the non-profit company expects to expand this fully funded after-school bridge teaching program to four or five additional Washoe County Middle Schools in the coming school year. Ms. Lane reports the RYB budget for teacher services, text books, playing equipment and teacher material is approximately $1500 per school for the 2009-2010 school years. Funding comes from donations by individuals and family members in the community who are interested in supporting Youth Bridge.

The six pairs who qualified to represent the US in the Turkey Junior Championships (in order of finish) are:

Jeremy Fournier & Justin Lall
Kevin Dwyer & Matt Meckstroth
Jason Chiu & Kevin Fay
Alex Hudson & John Marriott
Zach Brescoll & Owen Lien
Adam Kaplan & Cameron Shunta.

The qualified pairs and two alternates (Michael Lieberman & Alya Asarina and André Asbury & Bryan Delfs) will practice online between now and August, and will be assigned to teams based on their preferences and the results of the practices.

The Trials for Turkey was a Pair Trials, which, together with the fact that it was online so there were no significant costs for the participants, allowed players from all over the country who don't attend NABCs and USBF Team Trials & thus don't know other Juniors with whom to form teams, to compete. There were groups of players in Boston and San Francisco, as well as individual players scattered around the country and even outside of the US - one competed from Canada, one from the Philippines.

Security was a major concern for the USBF with an online event. Each player had to arrange for a monitor to watch him or her play and confirm that the player did not use a cell phone, communicate with another person, consult any bidding notes or articles about how to play suit combinations, etc, or have any window other than the BBO table open on his or her computer.

In addition to requiring a monitor for each player, the USBF established a Review Committee to watch the play in progress and review results, bidding & play after the event to determine whether there were any actions taken that suggested the players might have been receiving unauthorized information about the hands. The committee, consisting of John Sutherlin, Chip Martel, Jeff Polisner & Ben Dickens, saw no evidence of any improper actions.

The USBF hopes that this event will be the start of more use of online competitions as part of the selection process for our International Teams, particularly for Juniors, who have more difficulty attending face to face competitions.

In 2002, Trevor was a 5th grader in the ASPIRE class, a bridge class taught by Kathy Rolfe at Cedar Creek Elementary. He has pursued playing bridge with a passion, playing in the annual Instant Matchpoint Competitions and when those were discontinued, playing in the Student Section at the Kansas City Spring Sectional Tournaments. He has played social bridge as well as duplicate bridge at the club and Regional Tournament level. He is fortunate to have grandparents who have played with him in these venues and encouraged him to continue learning the game.
Congratulations Trevor!

James Hooven, President of District 6 recently stated in a letter to ACBL about the game of bridge - "There are few games that teach young people to develop mental skills of applying logic and abstract thinking to problem solving," and the ACBL is grateful for the support of all the individuals and sponsors who are helping us in our endeavor to bring this fun and mind stimulating game to the youth of America.

If you're interested in becoming a sponsor for the Youth NABC contact Patty Tucker at ptucker@youthnabc.org.