A great opportunity to see juniors in the USBF junior training program take part in an exhibiton match.
James Holzhauer (of Jeopardy! fame), and Zach Grossack each captain a team. Commentators are international stars of the game, Larry Cohen and George Jacobs. They will comment live on RealBridge. You will be able to ask them a question in text or in video.
What system are they playing? All players are playing the same standard 2/1 system, but will they bid the same way? Here is the teams' convention card.
How do you watch?
There are 2 viewing options:
Option 1: join the RealBridge kibitz server, click the event, and join the table of your choice (by clicking the middle of the table).
Remember to choose Larry and George from the drop-downs.
Option 2: watch the YouTube livestream.
Keep in mind that the event starts at 9pm Eastern, but the first board is displayed when it is completed at both tables.Click kibitz.realbridge.online No account is needed, just put your name in and join the event.
James' team:
Ethan Wood: "I am a 20 year old bridge teacher and playing professional from Massachusetts currently studying aerospace engineering at Purdue University. After college I plan on entering the aerospace industry but I hope to continue playing and promoting junior bridge. Outside of school my other interests include playing tennis, golf, poker, piano and violin."
Luke Williams: "I am a 21 year old who grew up in San Diego and recently moved to Seattle. My grandparents taught my brother and me to play bridge when I was 9 and he was 12, and we’ve played together ever since. I’m entering my senior year at Pomona College where I study politics and psychology."
Reese Koppel: "I study behavioral economics and data science at Yale. Besides bridge, I dabble in chess, music production (both house music and engineering beats), tennis and golf. I love reading and watching my hometown New Orleans Pelicans and Saints. Within the bridge world, I was the 2018 ACBL King of Bridge, I serve as a trustee on the ACBL Educational Foundation and I have coached bridge both at Yale as well as privately."
Zach's Team
Michael Xu: "Five days from now I'll be 19. I grew up in the Bay Area, California, and I currently study mathematics and computer science at Amherst College. I am not sure of what I want to do in the future, but currently quant trading and software engineering seems intriguing. My bridge goal is to win a big event with my mentor, Michael Rosenberg."
Jake Williams: "My brother and I learned to play together in San Diego. I attended Harvey Mudd College where I competed collegiately in both bridge and tennis. I am now 24 and attending the University of Chicago, where I am working towards a PhD in Computer Science, focusing on machine learning and inverse problems."
William Scott: "I graduated from Tufts University in 2021 and am now a software developer in the healthcare industry. I learned to play bridge at age 12 but started playing more seriously in 2019, and my favorite contract to declare is four hearts (one notrump is a close second). Outside of bridge, I enjoy distance running and following the NBA."