Bridge career
In 1999, Patty's lifelong interest in bridge turned into a full-time career. Patty is certified by the American Bridge Teachers’ Association, as a “Master Teacher” which is the highest designation in the North American bridge teachers' community. Patty served as president of the American Bridge Teachers’ Association (ABTA) during 2016–2017. In 2000, Patty and her long-time partner and husband, Kevin Collins, earned national recognition by winning “The North American Open Pairs National Bridge Championship. [2] ”
Patty co-founded Atlanta Junior Bridge in 2006 which then became the largest youth bridge program in the country.
As an American Contract Bridge League Grand Life Master earning over 10,000 Masterpoints; Patty is one of the very few people in the world who hold both titles, Grand Life Master and Master Teacher.
Samuel M. Stayman was an American bridge player, writer, and administrator. He is best known for Stayman, one of the world's most popular bidding conventions; indeed, a day after writing his obituary Alan Truscott called him "the player best known in the world".
The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) is the governing body for contract bridge in the United States, Mexico, Bermuda and Canada and is a member of the World Bridge Federation, the international bridge governing body. It is the largest such organization in North America having the stated mission "to promote, grow and sustain the game of bridge and serve the bridge-related interests of our Members." Its major activities are:
Edwin Bruce Kantar was an American bridge player, winner of two open world championships for national teams, and prolific writer of bridge books and columns. Kantar was from Santa Monica, California.
North American Bridge Championships (NABC) are three annual bridge tournaments sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL). The "Spring", "Summer", and "Fall" NABCs are usually scheduled in March, July, and November for about eleven days. They comprise both championship and side contests of different kinds in many classes of competition. Host cities in the United States and Canada are selected several years in advance.
Larry Neil Cohen is an American bridge player, writer and teacher. He is best known as an advocate for the "Law of Total Tricks" as a guide in the bidding. He has won 25 North American Bridge Championships (NABC) events including the Vanderbilt, two Spingolds, two Reisingers, three Life Master Pairs, and four Blue Ribbon Pairs, and he is a two-time winner of the Cavendish Invitational Pairs cash prize tournament.
Robert "Bobby", "Bob" Goldman was an American bridge player, teacher and writer. He won three Bermuda Bowls, Olympiad Mixed Teams 1972, and 20 North American Bridge Championships. He authored books on bridge, most notably Aces Scientific and Winners and Losers at the Bridge Table, and conventions including Kickback, Exclusion Blackwood and Super Gerber (Redwood). He was from Highland Village, Texas.
The North American Pairs (NAP) is a set of annual North American championships for pairs contested over two days at the spring American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championships (NABC). The events are restricted to pairs that have qualified through local, regional and district levels within their ACBL Districts.
The Silodor Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC).
The Jacoby Open Swiss Teams national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC).
The Manfield Non-Life Master Pairs national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC).
The Edgar Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs is a national bridge championship held at the fall American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). The event is restricted to those that have won a blue ribbon qualification and is generally considered, with the Norman Kay Platinum Pairs, as one of the two hardest pairs event on the ACBL calendar.
David L. Berkowitz is an American professional contract bridge player. He is from Old Tappan, New Jersey.
Barbara Seagram is a Canadian Registered Nurse and contract bridge writer, teacher, and administrator. She is co-author of thirty-two published bridge books, including co-writing with Marc Smith 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know, which received the American Bridge Teachers' Association (ABTA) Book of the Year award in 1999. The book is in its 19th printing and has been translated into French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Danish.
Sami R. Kehela, sometimes spelled Sammy Kehela, is a Canadian contract bridge player. A member of the Halls of Fame of both the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) and the Canadian Bridge Federation, he and his long-time partner, the late Eric Murray, are considered two of the best Canadian players in the history of the game.
Mark Lair is a professional American bridge player from Canyon, Texas.
Frank T. "Nick" Nickell is an American bridge player. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, and lived in Raleigh, North Carolina, as of 1994.
Peggy Sutherlin née Berry is an American bridge player from Dallas, Texas.
Janet Friedman Martel is an American bridge player from Davis, California. A graduate of University of California, Berkeley, she is a retired attorney and a past president of the United States Bridge Federation (USBF). She is married to Chip Martel, a world champion player. She was previously married to Lew Stansby another world champion player. Her parents Milton and Rose Friedman were both free market economists.
Gail Harte Greenberg is a professional American bridge player from New York City. She has won major tournaments as Gail Shane, Gail Moss, and Gail Moss Greenberg. Sometime prior to the 2014 European and World meets, she was one of 73 Women World Grand Masters, ranked about 40th by placing points that do not decay over time. She married successively Steve Shane, Mike Moss and Jack Greenberg, and is the mother of Jill Levin and Brad Moss, all five being successful bridge players.
Kevin Collins is an American North American champion bridge player and an American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) Grand Life Master. He won the 2000 North American Pairs playing with Patty Tucker.
