Michael Hughes of Jefferson City couldn't have envisioned becoming a bridge champion when he picked up his first hand of cards at age 15.
"The family was at grandma's during the Christmas break, and my folks were playing," Hughes said. "Dad decided he'd rather watch football on TV, so Mom told me, "Sit down, you're the fourth.' I was an instant, and very bad, bridge player," he added with a grin.
Forty-four years later, Hughes and bridge partner Rajeev Bansal of Kansas City won the President's Cup at the North American Bridge Championship in Louisville on Sunday.
Qualifying rounds to enter the tournament began last July at thousands of bridge clubs across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Just 72 pairs became eligible for the competition in Kentucky this past weekend.
Saturday's session reduced the field to 28 pairs to vie for the title the following day, with Hughes and Bansal in sixth place. After playing 52 hands Sunday, the pair was one-half point behind. In the final round, they scored 23.5 out of a possible 26 and walked away with it all.
Hughes also earned the rank of Life Master at the Louisville event. Players must get 300 masterpoints to achieve the title, a goal he reached in only two years.