Youngest Life Master is only eight!

The American Contract Bridge League said Andrew Chen of San Jose, California, became the youngest bridge player to be awarded the title of Life Master, just three days after his eighth birthday.

It normally takes players decades to accumulate 500 masterpoints by playing at tournaments and accredited clubs, but Andrew was able to earn his points in just two years by participating in local games and playing online. His final points toward the Life Master title came in a May 27 online game.

“I’m totally thrilled,” Andrew said. “I feel like my hard work has paid off, and I want to thank everyone who helped getting me there.”

Andrew, the ACBL’s Rookie of the Year in 2019, and his brother, Charlie, 10, won the Art Weinstein Trophy Pairs Event at the 2019 San Mateo County Sectional Tournament.

Ultra-rare Pokemon card up for auction

An extremely rare Pokemon card, thought to be one of only seven ever produced, is up for auction online and experts said it could sell for up to $100,000.

The Pokemon Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer Card, being sold by Heritage Auctions, is billed by the auction house as the ‘holy grail’ of collectible cards and its condition was rated a perfect 10 by experts at PSA Card. The card was distributed to winners of regional tournaments in Japan in 1999, granting them entry into the finals in Tokyo.

“The Pokemon Card Game Official Tournament’s champion is recognised here, and this honour is praised. By presenting this card, you may gain preferential entry into the Secret Super Battle,” the card reads in Japanese.

Heritage Auctions said the card is “perhaps the most sought-after card, and arguably one of the rarest cards in the entire Pokemon Trading Card Game.”

Horse rescued from a mile off shore

A water rescue team in Ireland came to the assistance of a runaway horse that ran into the water at a beach and swam more than a mile out to sea.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a non-profit rescue group, said a crew from Bundoran responded to a call for rescue when a horse ran into the water on Murvagh Beach, in county Donegal, and started swimming out to sea.

The lifeboat crew located the horse more than a mile off shore and guided the disoriented equine back to dry land. The horse was not injured and was reunited with its owner.

Paraglider takes couch, TV into the sky

A Turkish paragliding instructor decided to become a “couch potato” hundreds of feet in the air.

Hasan Kaval, 29, of Izmir, created a miniature living room, complete with a couch, a lamp and a TV set, and rigged it to a parachute harness to take on the paragliding track at Babadag Air Sports and Recreation Centre.

Kaval shared video that shows Kaval kick his shoes off over the water and put on some slippers to settle into the sofa and watch cartoons while cruising through the air. Kaval even pulls some snacks and drinks out of his bag in the air to enjoy during his TV time.

The rig was able to land safely. Kaval said his stunt was aimed at showing how safe the sport of paragliding can be.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 18th, 2020