The Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs national bridge championship is held at the summer

American Contract Bridge League The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) is a governing body for contract bridge in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. It is the largest such organization in North America having the stated mission ''"to promote, grow and sustain th ...

(ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). Usually called simply the "Life Master Pairs" or "LM Pairs", this is a six-session pairs tournament open to all players without regard to age, sex, nationality, or membership. It is restricted to Life Masters, now a modest career record in ACBL sanctioned play, which leading players from overseas are able to achieve by attending a few NABC meets. If it remains the most prestigious competition for pairs, that may be because it is older than the parallel spring and fall events, the

Norman Kay Platinum Pairs The Norman Kay Platinum Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). The Norman Kay Platinum Pairs is a six-session open-pairs event with two qualifying ...

established 2010 and

Edgar Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs The Edgar Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs (or simply the 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 wo ...

established 1963.

History

The Life Master Pairs is a six-session event with two qualifying, two semi-final and two final sessions. It is restricted to Life Masters. At stake is the Von Zedtwitz Gold Cup. In 1930, Waldemar von Zedtwitz donated the Gold Cup, which was presented to the winners of the Life Master Pairs. The first winners: Von Zedtwitz and P. Hal Sims. The trophy was initially contested by master players who had qualified by winning a national championship. It was a four-session event, and the field was limited to 64 players so that a complete movement could be played. The trophy was originally presented on the basis that three wins by one player would secure him outright possession of the trophy. This feat was achieved by

Howard Schenken Howard Schenken (September 28, 1903 – February 20, 1979) was an American bridge player, writer, and long-time syndicated bridge columnist. He was from New York City. He won three Bermuda Bowl titles, and set several North American records. Most r ...

in 1934. Schenken won in 1931 and 1933 with David Burnstine and 1934 with Richard L. Frey. He also won in 1941 with Merwyn Maier and in 1943 with John R. Crawford. The cup, put back into competition by the donor, was stolen in 1954 while in the possession of John Hubbell, who held the LM Pairs title. The theft followed a television appearance during which Hubbell had exhibited the trophy and given the address of his bridge club where the cup was normally displayed. The trophy was never recovered and the present cup is an exact replica.

Mary Jane Farell Mary Jane Farell (March 12, 1920 – 5 October 2015), also known as Mary Jane Kauder, was an American Contract bridge, bridge player. Farell grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and "couldn't wait to get home from school to kibitz whenever my mother had ...

and

Marilyn Johnson Marilyn Kinsman Johnson (February 18, 1928 – October 31, 2007) was an American bridge player from Houston, Texas. She won three world championships, one at women pairs and two at women teams, all in partnership with Mary Jane Farell. Farell ...

are the only pair of women to win the event. Their victory came in 1978. The record score for the event belongs to S. Garton Churchill and Cecil Head, who won in 1948 --- scoring 65% as an average for four sessions and 77.4% in a single session.

Winners

The first seven champion "Master Pairs", from 1930 to 1936, and also the 1931 to 1933 runners-up, each comprised two of the nine men named Life Masters #1 to #9 by the American Bridge League when it introduced the title in 1936. Only one pair has defended its title successfully, the 1971 and 1972 winners Al Roth and

Barbara Rappaport Barbara Rappaport is an American bridge player. Bridge accomplishments Awards * Fishbein Trophy (1) 1971 Wins * North American Bridge Championships (3) ** Smith Life Master Women's Pairs (1) 1977 ** von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs (2) 1971, 1 ...

References

;Other sources * List of previous winners, Page 6. * 2009 winners, Page 1. * "Search Results: Von Zedtwitz LM Pairs". ACBL. Visi
"NABC Winners"
select a Spring NABC. Retrieved 2014-06-05. {{WPCBIndex North American Bridge Championships

History

Winners

See also

References