Richard Jeng - Breaks Record for Youngest Life Master
Richard Jeng of Johns Creek, Georgia, at nine years, six months and twelve days has become the youngest Life Master in ACBL history. Jeng’s accomplishment breaks the previous record of youngest Life Master held by Adam Kaplan, of
Jeng, his brother and bridge partner, Andrew Jeng, who turned 12 in May of this year, both achieved the rank of Life Master together this past Saturday, September 12th. while playing at the Alpharetta Duplicate Bridge club in Alpharetta.
Achieving the rank of Life Master is the dream of all serious bridge players. Some never make it in their lifetime, while others seem to have a special gift for the game and become Life Masters within a very short time. The Jeng brothers, children of Sam and Wenwei Jeng, obviously, have that special gift for the game.
To become a Life Master, a player must win a specified number of masterpoints at different levels of play, including major bridge tournaments, and accumulate 300 specified “colored” masterpoints. A masterpoint is the unit which measures bridge achievement in tournament play.
In June, 2006, Richard Jeng, then, age 6 and Andrew Jeng, age 9, first learned to play bridge through a summer Atlanta Junior Bridge camp. They have remained steadfast bridge partners since that time and have earned most all of their Life Master points by playing together as partners.
When asked about the secret to his success in bridge, 9 year old Jeng, states, “The secret to success and winning in bridge is that there is no secret at all. All you have to do is believe in yourself.”
The Jeng brothers play bridge in all the Atlanta Junior Bridge games and tournaments and are frequent winners. They also play in adult bridge games and tournaments in the Atlanta, Georgia area, as well as online at Bridge Base Online. They have attended the past two ACBL’s Youth North American Bridge Championships.
In addition to bridge, the brothers are award winning pianists and both have earned first degree Black Belts in Karate.
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Thanks,
In His Service
Jerry Lemieux
