Source: Las Vegas NABC Bulletin 8Jack Boge and Katie Hwang
New York native Jack Boge, 12, was first introduced to bridge as part of his school’s curriculum. He was immediately taken with it and soon decided to dive further into the game by joining the youth program at Cavendish Bridge Club.
“I played chess for about six months, but I found it boring,” Boge said. “With bridge, you get to start over with a new hand every eight minutes, and it’s team-oriented with more math skills involved.”
It was at one of the Sunday afternoon games where Boge was first introduced to Katie Hwang, his regular partner. Hwang, 14, is the daughter of Kelley Hwang, a Grand Life Master and two-time NABC champion. “My family and I would travel all over for tournaments during the summer,” she said. “I was always asking my dad to teach me how to play, and when I was old enough, he must have gotten tired of me asking so he sent me to Cavendish to learn.”
The pair have partnered at three Youth NABCs and got their first taste of national competition during the tournament held in Toronto in 2017. They also played together in Atlanta in 2018.
“Toronto was really fun, because it was the first time we were ever really exposed to more experienced youth bridge players,” Hwang said. “There are really a lot of great kids involved and getting to see them year after year is a lot of fun.”
Boge enjoys attending the Youth NABC because it gives him the opportunity to combine two of his passions: bridge and travel. “It’s nice to be able to travel and play bridge and not just go sightseeing,” he said. “But, there’s usually always time to get to see some of the city while you’re there for the tournament.”
Boge and Hwang – both Club Masters – believe their personalities complement each other at the bridge table. “Jack talks a lot, but he is fun to play with and knows what he is doing,” Hwang said. “I’m a little quieter at the table, so we tend to balance each other out.” The pair plan to continue playing together in youth tournaments for as long as they can and hope to continue participating when they go to college. But for now, they have their sights set on one prize in particular.
“It would be really cool to win one of those big trophies,” Boge said, speaking of the top prize presented to the winners of the Baron Barclay National Youth Open Pairs. Hwang added, “Oh, yeah! That would be so awesome.”
Don’t forget – you can still enter for the 6th World Youth Open Bridge Championships being held in Croatia from 20 – 29 August.
