Boy masters the 'adult' card game

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The life master title is achieved by earning points at bridge tournaments.

By DENISE DICK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

BOARDMAN — At 12, Brad Sevcik is the youngest and the smallest member of the Southside Duplicate Bridge Club.

But it would be a mistake for opponents to allow his youth or stature to lull them into gamesmanship complacency.

In his polo shirt, denim shorts, sneakers and with a shy smile, Brad, of Olmsted Falls and formerly of Boardman, looks like a typical 12-year-old, but he's something of a bridge prodigy.

He started playing about three years ago and a few weeks back, he earned his life master achievement — he won 300 points by scoring in various categories through tournaments.

"It's just challenging," the young player said of his love of the game.

He's tried to get friends his age interested in the game, but so far, he hasn't had much luck.

"I tried to teach some kids I know at school, but none of them liked it," Brad said.

The seventh-grader blushes and stares at his hands when other club members talk about his achievement.

"He's shy and introverted except when it comes to bridge," said Robert Carroll of Warren, Brad's bridge partner. "When it comes to bridge, he's a monster."

Carroll referred to Brad's aggressive play style.

How he learned

At a game this week at the club on U.S. Route 224, Brad and Carroll sat across from each other in a table of four. An anxious Brad kept reaching for the cards, ready for the game to start.

Brad initially learned basics of the game from a neighbor. He taught his mother, Kathy, and the two started to play. He learned more from library books on the topic and the two of them began attending beginning bridge sessions.

He was by far the youngest person there. Most in the club are at least in their 50s.

"I thought, 'Wow, these people are all old,'" Brad said.

Brad got really good. He started taking lessons an hour before each game from Donna and Chuck Coleman, also club members.

Initially, Brad's youth there may have caused other players to underestimate his ability, but his mom said that changed when they played with or against her son and witnessed his skills.

Brad's quick mastery didn't surprise his mother.

"He's a very bright kid," she said. "When he puts his mind to something, I know he's going to be successful. And he loves it."

Achieving success young

Brad later got instruction from Paul Neidlinger of Youngstown, another club member.

A person Brad's age, earning the life master distinction is unusual, said Brent Manley, editor of the Bridge Bulletin, a publication of the American Contract Bridge League, but not unheard of.

The youngest player to ever achieve that level was a 10-year-old Florida boy.

But Carroll points out that most young players who achieve such success have parents who are accomplished bridge players. Brad was a complete novice when he started.

Brad's advice to aspiring bridge players: "Just be aggressive."

He's not afraid to take risks.

"He's very competitive," said Neidlinger, Brad's most recent bridge mentor.

Sometimes, it's a more fitting strategy to cool it, the more seasoned player explained.

"I don't like to do that," Brad grinned.

Thursday, July 19, 2007