October 2018 - 9

Koppel's Kingdom
Reese Koppel crowned 2018 King of Bridge
Over the course of eight short years,
Reese Koppel has gone from knowing
nothing about bridge to being one of its
fiercest advocates.
"Bridge can be here to stay if we help
my generation appreciate its essence,
and it is my goal to do everything I can
to ensure this happens," he says.
This enthusiasm for the game
prompted the ACBL Educational
Foundation's selection of Koppel as
2018 King of Bridge.
According to Barbara Heller,
Educational Foundation president,
"Reese received the most votes by
the trustees, who recognized his
dedication to spreading the bridge bug
by teaching bridge at a local retirement
home and several local schools.
Reese is also a teacher/counselor at
residential summer bridge camps
which the Educational Foundation
proudly supports with grants."
The 19-year-old from Metairie
LA was turned onto bridge by "The
Cardturner," Louis Sachar's fictional
story about a teenager who, forced to
drive his uncle to the local bridge club
four times a week, develops his own
interest in the game.
Reese's parents "know literally
nothing about bridge," he says. "They
nurtured my passions for sports, music
and chess, but I developed my passion
for bridge through my grandmother
and great-grandfather."
Reese's grandmother mailed him his
first Audrey Grant "Bridge at a Glance"
pamphlet when he was 10. With guide
in hand, he jumped onto Bridge Base
Online.
"Many Turkish experts hurled Turkish profanity at me on BBO as I confidently bid with just the pamphlet at my
side and without a clue as to what I was
doing. I began to catch on by seeing
what generated the least profanities."
He practiced bidding online with

BY SUE MUNDAY

his grandmother, who lived in New
York. He also played on BBO with his
98-year-old great-grandfather, who
lived in Palm Springs. Both have since
passed away.
"Losing my grandma and greatgrandpa was extremely difficult,"
Reese says, "and I still think about
them every day. Bridge helps me
remember them."
After nine months online, Reese
discovered the Louisiana Bridge
Center. He has nothing but praise
for Unit 134, who he says has done
everything for him.
"As my one hundred new grandmas
welcomed me, I loved them back.
They're always so happy to see me. I
honestly think that I enjoy the lessons,
stories and social skills they've taught
me more than any masterpoints."
Reese attended bridge camp when he
was 15 years old. For the past two summers, he has served as a teacher/counselor at both the National Youth Bridge
Camp in Carlinville IL (2017) and the
Michigan Youth Bridge Camp (2018).
At the Carlinville camp, a senior
counselor hand-picked Reese to
mentor one particular homesick boy
named Caleb. Caleb begged Reese to
help him earn his first masterpoints.
After their game, the young camper
eagerly sprinted across the room to
inform Reese that they had picked up a
sliver of a masterpoint, and gave him a
big bear hug.
Reese says, "Seven weeks later, at
the Youth North American Bridge
Championships in Toronto, Caleb and
Justin (another one of our bunkmates)
excitedly showed me the trophies they
won by playing as partners. It was
gratifying to see how ecstatic my kids
were about their bridge success."
Reese is an Advanced NABC Master.
He won the Baron Barclay National
Youth Open Pairs at the Youth NABC

in Atlanta playing with Kunal Vohra
and finished second last year in the
National Youth Teams in Toronto
playing with Harrison Luba - two of
his favorite partners.
Reese applies the lessons he learned
at the table to everything he does.
"The true reason I love bridge is how
I approach life like a bridge player.
When life goes tough and the cards
don't split in your favor, you have to
adapt and try another line of play."
Reese attends Yale University, where
he is studying statistics and data
science.
"I owe much of the credit for my
successes thus far to my fellow
members of the Louisiana Bridge
Association as well as to the game of
bridge as a whole," Reese says. "And
let's not forget the entire network
of friends that bridge has given me
though the Youth and Junior events for
the ACBL and USBF!"
Heller says the Educational
Foundation received a record number
of applications this year. "In addition,
it was a tight field with many strong
contenders." The annual recognition,
which awards $2000 in scholarship
funds, recognizes a graduating high
school senior for their playing record
and overall participation in the bridge
community.
For a list of previous King/Queen of Bridge
winners, go to acbl.org/kingofbridge.
October 2018 Bridge Bulletin

http://www.acbl.org/kingofbridge

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2018