The Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC).
The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.
The event is contested for the Reisinger Trophy (the Chicago Trophy until 1965). It is a six-session open team-of-four event scored by board-a-match with two qualifying sessions, two semifinal sessions and two final sessions. It was contested as a four-session championship until 1966.
The event began in 1929 as the North American Open Team Championship and the prize was the Chicago Trophy, donated by the Auction Bridge Club of Chicago. (In 1928, the open team competition was for the Harold S. Vanderbilt Cup.)
The Chicago Trophy was replaced in 1965 by the Reisinger Memorial Trophy, donated by the Greater New York Bridge Association in memory of Curt H. Reisinger. Reisinger (1891–1964), from New York City, was a principal patron of contract bridge and the American Contract Bridge League in the early years of both; he was a great-grandson of Anheuser and a grandson of Busch, co-founders of the brewery from which he inherited great wealth. That wealth enabled him to become a stalwart financial supporter of the game, as well as a noted philanthropist on a larger scale. [1]
Board-a-match scoring generates many ties in the standings for each session and several ties after three days play. The Vanderbilt Cup was inaugurated one year before the Chicago Trophy and contested at board-a-match scoring that year, with a tie result. As the Chicago or the Reisinger since then (see table), there have been six ties for first place including a 3-way tie in 1947 and a 4-way in 1984.
Numerous champion teams have defended their titles successfully without change in personnel (intact). The four-person 1937 and 1938 champions added B. Jay Becker in 1939 and won again; one foursome including Becker won in 1942 and 1943, another won in 1953 and 1954—and 1956. For the Reisinger Trophy since 1966, there have been intact repeats in 1975, 1979 with a tie, 1994–95, 1999, 2005, 2011, and 2013. The one intact three-year winner, from 1993 to 1995, was Nick Nickell's professional team: Nickell, Richard Freeman, Bob Hamman, Bobby Wolff, Jeff Meckstroth, Eric Rodwell. It also won four Spingolds from 1993 to 1996 intact (another unique string) and the 1995 world championship Bermuda Bowl representing the United States. After one personnel change, Nickell was a double winner again in 2004–05, and a winner in 2008–09 across one change owing to death.
Year | Winners | Runners-Up |
---|---|---|
1929 | Max M. Cohen, Louis J. Haddad, Robert W. Halpin, Nils M. Wester | Carlton R. Drake, James Kelly, Paul D. Parcells, Charles Rilling |
1930 | William K. Barrett, W. James Carpenter, Ely Culbertson, Johnny Rau | Mary Clement, Dorothy Rice Sims, P. Hal Sims, Waldemar von Zedtwitz |
1931 | Elizabeth Banfield, Winfield S. Liggett, Frances Newman, George Unger | David Burnstine, Oswald Jacoby, Willard Karn, P. Hal Sims |
1932 | B. Jay Becker, S. Garton Churchill, George Reith, Waldemar von Zedtwitz | Ely Culbertson, Michael T. Gottlieb, Oswald Jacoby, Theodore Lightner |
1933 | Charles A. Hall, Albert Steiner, Philip Steiner, Richard M. Wildberg | B. Jay Becker, S. Garton Churchill, P. Hal Sims, Waldemar von Zedtwitz |
1934 | Henry S. Dinkelspiel Jr., Lewis Jaeger, Bernard Rabinowitz, Maurice Seiler | Theodore Lightner, Merwyn Maier, Jean P. Mattheys, Sherman Stearns |
1935 | F. Roland Buck, Joseph E. Cain, Lawrence J. Welch, Edson T. Wood | Ely Culbertson, Josephine Culbertson, Richard L. Frey, Albert H. Morehead |
1936 | Marge Anderson, Donald G. Farquharson, Mrs. J. A. Faulkner, Percy Sheardown | Arthur Glatt, Laura Heiner, John R. Smith, Albert Weiss |
1937 | John R. Crawford, Charles Goren, Charles J. Solomon, Sally Young | Oscar J. Brotman, William Perry, Al Roth, S. S. Vorzimer |
1938 | John R. Crawford, Charles Goren, Charles J. Solomon, Sally Young | A. Mitchell Barnes, Mary Clement, Benedict Jarmel, Waldemar von Zedtwitz |
1939 | B. Jay Becker, John R. Crawford, Charles Goren, Charles J. Solomon, Sally Young | 2/4. Jay Cushing, Seymour Kaplan, Al Leibowitz, Edward N. Marcus 2/4. Oswald Jacoby, Merwyn Maier, Robert A. McPherran, Waldemar von Zedtwitz 2/4. Henry Auslander, Joseph Davis, Jacob D. Lindy, Catherine W. Samberg |
1940 | Harry Feinberg, Jeff Glick, Maury J. Glick, Louis Newman | Alfred R. Dick, C. William Potts, James Sheern, Edward R. Thomas |
1941 | Peter Leventritt, Simon Rossant, Helen Sobel, Margaret Wagar | A. Mitchell Barnes, S. Garton Churchill, Lee Hazen, Charles S. Lochridge, Waldemar von Zedtwitz |
1942 | B. Jay Becker, Charles Goren, Sidney Silodor, John R. Crawford | S. Garton Churchill, Harry Fishbein, Lee Hazen, Waldemar von Zedtwitz |
1943 | B. Jay Becker, Charles Goren, Sidney Silodor, Helen Sobel | Samuel Katz, Bertram Lebhar Jr., Peter Leventritt, Simon Rossant |
1944 | Simon Becker, Peggy Golder, Ruth Sherman, Charles J. Solomon | B. Jay Becker, Charles Goren, Sidney Silodor, Helen Sobel |
1945 | Lee Hazen, George Rapée, Sam Stayman, Waldemar von Zedtwitz | Ambrose Casner, Harold Harkavy, Ralph Hirschberg, Harold A. Ogust, Jack Shore |
1946 | A. Mitchell Barnes, John R. Crawford, Al Roth, Edith Seligman | Simon Becker, Stanley O. Fenkel, Fred D. Karpin, Louis Newman |
1947 | 1–3. Paula Bacher, Jane Jaeger, Kay Rhodes, Sally Young 1-3. John R. Crawford, Theodore Lightner, George Rapée, Sam Stayman 1-3. Robert Appleyard, Morris Berliant, Malcolm A. Lightman, Simon Rossant | |
1948 | George Boeckh, Bruce Elliott, Agnes Gordon, Charlotte Sidway | John R. Crawford, George Rapée, Sidney Silodor, Sam Stayman |
1949 | Lee Hazen, Larry Hirsch, Richard Kahn, Peter Leventritt, Jack Shore | 2/3. Sidney Aronson, Emily Folline, Benjamin O. Johnson, Ludwig J. Kabakjian, Edward N. Marcus 2/3. Jeff Glick, Arthur S. Goldsmith, Alvin Landy, Sol Mogal, Elmer I. Schwartz |
1950 | B. Jay Becker, Myron F. Field, Charles Goren, Sidney Silodor, Helen Sobel | John R. Crawford, George Rapée, Edward N. Marcus, Howard Schenken, Sam Stayman |
1951 | Corti Boland, Bruce Elliott, Micky M. Miller, Percy Sheardown | B. Jay Becker, Charles Goren, Myron F. Field, Sidney Silodor, Helen Sobel |
1952 | Harold Harkavy, Edith Kemp, Al Roth, Tobias Stone | Edward H. Cohen, Jeff Glick, Arthur S. Goldsmith, Elmer I. Schwartz |
1953 | B. Jay Becker, John R. Crawford, George Rapée, Sam Stayman | Harry Fishbein, Peter Leventritt, Ruth Sherman, Charles J. Solomon, Peggy Solomon |
1954 | B. Jay Becker, John R. Crawford, George Rapée, Sidney Silodor | Israel Cohen, Paul Kibler, Al Roth, William Seamon |
1955 | Ben Fain, George Heath, Paul Hodge, Jim Jacoby, Oswald Jacoby | William V. Lipton, Victor Mitchell, W. Miller Nelson, Joseph G. Ripstra |
1956 | B. Jay Becker, John R. Crawford, George Rapée, Sidney Silodor | Ben Fain, Paul Hodge, Oswald Jacoby, Dick Sutton |
1957 | Charles Goren, Harold Ogust, Bill Root, Howard Schenken, Helen Sobel | Robert Y. Barrett, Ben Fain, Harry Fishbein, John Gerber, Paul Hodge |
1958 | Leonard B. Harmon, Ralph Hirschberg, Edgar Kaplan, Alfred Sheinwold, Ivar Stakgold | Arthur M. Miller, John H. Moran, David Strasberg, Jay Wendt |
1959 | Lew Mathe, Donald A. Oakie, Meyer Schleifer, Edward O. Taylor | Harry Fishbein, John Gerber, Paul Hodge, Charles J. Solomon |
1960 | Ollie Adams, William Hanna, Sidney Lazard, Lew Mathe | Oswald Jacoby, Mervin Key, Bobby Nail, Curtis Smith |
1961 | John R. Crawford, Norman Kay, Al Roth, Sidney Silodor, Tobias Stone | 2/3. Charles Coon, Robert F. Jordan, Eric Murray, Arthur G. Robinson 2/3. Harold B. Guiver, Carol Sanders, Tommy Sanders, Michael Shuman |
1962 | 1/2. Paul Allinger, Harold B. Guiver, Lew Mathe, Ron Von der Porten, Erik Paulsen, Edward O. Taylor 1/2. Bob Hamman, Eddie Kantar, Donald P. Krauss, Marshall Miles | |
1963 | Charles Goren, Boris Koytchou, Peter Leventritt, Harold Ogust, Howard Schenken | Donald R. Faskow, Bill Flannery, Herbert Sachs, Paul Swanson |
1964 | John Gerber, Paul Hodge, Mervin Key, Harold Rockaway | Harold Harkavy, Edith Kemp, Cliff Russell, Curtis Smith, Bobby Wolff, Waldemar von Zedtwitz |
1965 | Eddie Kantar, Mike Lawrence, Marshall Miles, Lew Stansby | Michael Engel, Phil Feldesman, Richard Freeman, Ira Rubin |
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