April 2021 - 28

to take it pretty seriously, " said
Finn. " And then even more so after
I attended my second NABC in
Philadelphia. I had my first top-20
national finish. That really drove
me to want to compete at a higher
level. "
Finn was playing with a member
of Emma's college team, Daniel
Emma, Warren
Sonner. The pair placed 17th in the
Buffett, Bill Gates
Lebhar IMP Pairs.
and Amber Lin
Bridge is unique compared to
other sports in that its stars are so
much more accessible. At a regional in the Omaha area, the
kids got to meet Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. " It's a lot
of fun, " said Alex. " What other situation could you have in
real life where you can sit at the table with two of the most
famous people in the country? "
At the bridge table, you have an opportunity to play
against the very best in the world. And, as Finn points out,
you can do well. " In bridge, at any level, you can beat someone who is better than you. There is luck involved. It is
really cool to be able to play against better players because
you learn a lot more. "

Getting better
Having parents - or any role model - who plays the game
and understands its complexities is a big advantage. There
are many issues to navigate aside from just learning a difficult game. One is learning how to be a good partner, which
can be hard to do while learning how to play.
Sometimes behavioral liberties are taken with familial
partners, a habit that can carry over into other partnerships.
" For a while, I was a bad partner, " said Finn, " but I think I
got over that. "
Finn with WBF Junior
teammates Bruce Zhu and
John Dong, Croatia, 2019

28 | Bridge Bulletin | April 2021

Alex and Emma
in Turkey in
2019

Sharon says that now, when they play bridge at home
together or with friends, it's very lighthearted and enjoyable. She thinks that sportsmanship is something that many
people struggle with. It is also not easy to articulate what
skills make you a good bridge player.
Finn thinks it's all logic. " Even if you don't have a high
school education in math, you can understand the logic of
the odds. Then it's pretty easy. "
Emma, who majored in math at college, noted, " Some people who are brilliant at math are average or subpar bridge
players. I'm not into abstract math, but I knew a few people
who could do that, but not understand a simple finesse. You
would expect there to be more of a correlation than there is. "
" I love that about bridge, " said Sharon. " So many people
who have been so successful in areas like math or engineering think that they're going to be incredible. But they're not
paying attention to inferences. "
" And communication, " said Alex. " There is so much in
terms of having good communication with partner. "
" I think that if you want your kids to eventually learn
how to play bridge, the best thing you can do is have them
play other card games, " said Emma. " The foundation you
can build by starting to play simpler games can be valuable
when you want to switch to bridge. "

Don't let me down
Another challenge for kids can be learning how to deal
with other players, especially adults, who may be well-intentioned but whose comments or behavior might miss its
mark. " Being a young female player in the game, I've noticed
inappropriate behavior from a lot of male players, both
younger professional players and older players, " said Emma.
" My partner and I were involved with setting sexual harassment guidelines for the junior bridge organization, which is
something I feel very strongly about. "
The recent cheating accusations and convictions have
been disappointing for everyone, but especially so for young
players who look up to these people.
The rules and Conditions of Contest can be confusing, and
their administration can seem to vary widely.

April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2021