About the Players

Hakan Berk
{mosimage}  Hakan, 15, attends Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD.  Like many of our young players, his first teacher and partner was his father.  He especially enjoys the Youth NABCs, where he and some of his current teammates won the 2011 Swiss Team.  In addition to bridge, Hakan’s interests include basketball, soccer, and tennis; he is also active in his school’s robotics club.  
David Soukup
{mosimage}  This fall David, 14, will begin his junior year at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia.  When he was nine, he learned of bridge by reading the bridge column in the Washington Post and then found an online course provided by the ACBL.  With three of his current teammates, David won the 2011 NABC Youth Teams in Toronto.  David’s other interests include computer science, math, and baseball.  
Ben Kristensen
 {mosimage} Ben, 14, is in the eighth grade at Marshall School in Duluth MN where he enjoys especially math and science classes.  He has been playing bridge for about four years.  With his partner, Burke Snowden, Ben took the Youth NABC in Toronto in 2011 by storm, winning the Gold Rush Pairs, the Youth National Pairs, and the Youth National Swiss Team in three consecutive days.
Burke Snowden

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Burke, 14, and his partner, Ben Kristensen, won both the Youth National Pairs and the Youth National Swiss at the Youth NABC in 2011.  He is a certified director and runs the Intermediate/Newcomer Club in his hometown Fort Collins, CO.  Burke is an avid reader (loves James Rollins and Dan Brown); he enjoys tennis and has been playing the oboe for four years
Arjun Dhir
{mosimage}  Arjun, 16, is completing his junior year in high school.  He learned bridge through a camp run by Atlanta Junior Bridge at his local library five years ago.  He has two second place finishes at Youth NABCs.  Arjun spends time as a volunteer working with children who have developmental disabilities.  He also enjoys tennis, basketball, and football 
Murphy Green
{mosimage}  Murphy is an 18-year-old senior at Alpharetta High School near Atlanta.  He plans to pursue a career as an electrical engineer.  Murphy learned bridge through a program of Atlanta Junior Bridge, and he represented the United States competing for the Damiani Cup two years ago.  He was elected by his peers to be a Youth Advocate for bridge in 2009
Curt Kristensen, NPC
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