Howard Schenken
Encyclopedia
Howard Schenken was an American
bridge
player, writer, and long-time columnist. In his career, Schenken won three Bermuda Bowl
titles, and set several North American records: he won the Life Master Pairs
five times, and the Spingold
and Vanderbilt Trophy
twelve and ten times, respectively. All three, except Spingold, are records that still stand today. He was ACBL
's Life Master #3 and was inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 1966.
, who invited him to play as a substitute during the much publicised "Bridge Battle of the Century" against Sidney Lenz. Subsequently, Schenken formed a partnership with David Burnstine
. The Four Horsemen, as the team was known, was the most successful around the tournament scene for the next couple of years, but then Schenken and Burnstine broke away to form the "Four Aces" with Oswald Jacoby
and Michael Gottlieb
. The Four Aces were the most successful team yet seen at contract bridge. They published a book of their methods, The Four Aces System of Contract Bridge, and tried to challenge Culbertson into another of his much publicised matches, but he declined and ducked out of the confrontation.
Aside from his brilliant play, Schenken's was renowned for his unbreakable calm at the table. As declarer, it was impossible to tell whether he was in a comfortable contract or an impossible one (and his commanding dummy play often made even the impossible ones). He was a formidably difficult opponent but a remarkably easy partner. On the Four Aces, for example, he was the only one who played with every other member of the team.
The Bermuda Bowl
was first held in 1950 and Howard Schenken was on the winning team of USA, and also took part in the successful defense of the trophy in 1951 and 1953. He dropped out of the team for a while but then played in four World Championships in the early sixties. However, that was already the reign of the unbeatable Italian Blue Team
. However, one of the greatest recognition, came from members of the Blue Team who said, "If your team had had another Schenken, we never could have won."
Howard was an American Contract Bridge League
(ACBL) board member for many years. In 1943 he took over the Four Aces syndicated bridge column and in 1957 merged it with the column of Richard Frey. The two co-authored what became the longest continuously published national bridge column until 1970 when Schenken became the sole author once more.
Schenken only produced a few books but his writings included some important ideas. He is credited with the discovery and introduction to the tournament world of several play techniques and examples of deceptive play which are now considered standard.
In the field of bidding theory, Schenken is credited with the idea of the forcing two-over-one response
, the prepared opening bid, and the weak two bid
(however, the last was also a part of Harold Vanderbilt
's Vanderbilt Club, so the credits are unclear). Schenken also developed his own strong club system
, the Schenken Club, played with Peter Leventritt.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
player, writer, and long-time columnist. In his career, Schenken won three Bermuda Bowl
Bermuda Bowl
The Bermuda Bowl is a trophy awarded to the winners of the Open series in the World Team Championship in contract bridge and is named for the site of the inaugural tournament held in 1950...
titles, and set several North American records: he won the Life Master Pairs
Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs
The Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
five times, and the Spingold
Spingold
The Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
and Vanderbilt Trophy
Vanderbilt Trophy
The trophy is awarded for the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams national bridge championship held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
twelve and ten times, respectively. All three, except Spingold, are records that still stand today. He was ACBL
American Contract Bridge League
The American Contract Bridge League is the largest contract bridge organization in North America. It promotes the game of bridge in the United States, Mexico, Bermuda, and Canada, and is a member of the World Bridge Federation...
's Life Master #3 and was inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 1966.
Career
In the late 1920s, Schenken, who was playing with Raymond Club team was spotted by the Father of the game Ely CulbertsonEly Culbertson
Ely Culbertson was an entreprenurial American contract bridge personality dominant during the Thirties and Forties. He played a major role in the early popularization of the game, and was widely regarded as "the man who made contract bridge"...
, who invited him to play as a substitute during the much publicised "Bridge Battle of the Century" against Sidney Lenz. Subsequently, Schenken formed a partnership with David Burnstine
David Bruce (bridge)
David Bruce was a leading tournament contract bridge player of the 1930's who played under the name of David Burnstine. Born in New York City, he became Life Master #1 at the age of 36 regularly playing out of the Contract Bridge Club of New York. Burnstine was a member of the Four Horsemen team...
. The Four Horsemen, as the team was known, was the most successful around the tournament scene for the next couple of years, but then Schenken and Burnstine broke away to form the "Four Aces" with Oswald Jacoby
Oswald Jacoby
Oswald Jacoby was an American contract bridge player and author, considered one of the greatest bridge players of all time. He also excelled at, and wrote about, other games including backgammon, gin rummy, and poker.Born in Brooklyn, he was taught to play whist at the age of six and played his...
and Michael Gottlieb
Michael Gottlieb
Michael Gottlieb may refer to:*Michael Gottlieb , American bridge player, Michael T.*Michael Gottlieb , flourished 1987–2005*Michael S. Gottlieb Michael Gottlieb may refer to:*Michael Gottlieb (bridge) (1902–1980), American bridge player, Michael T.*Michael Gottlieb (director), flourished...
. The Four Aces were the most successful team yet seen at contract bridge. They published a book of their methods, The Four Aces System of Contract Bridge, and tried to challenge Culbertson into another of his much publicised matches, but he declined and ducked out of the confrontation.
Aside from his brilliant play, Schenken's was renowned for his unbreakable calm at the table. As declarer, it was impossible to tell whether he was in a comfortable contract or an impossible one (and his commanding dummy play often made even the impossible ones). He was a formidably difficult opponent but a remarkably easy partner. On the Four Aces, for example, he was the only one who played with every other member of the team.
The Bermuda Bowl
Bermuda Bowl
The Bermuda Bowl is a trophy awarded to the winners of the Open series in the World Team Championship in contract bridge and is named for the site of the inaugural tournament held in 1950...
was first held in 1950 and Howard Schenken was on the winning team of USA, and also took part in the successful defense of the trophy in 1951 and 1953. He dropped out of the team for a while but then played in four World Championships in the early sixties. However, that was already the reign of the unbeatable Italian Blue Team
Blue team (bridge)
The Blue Team represented Italy in international contract bridge tournaments, winning sixteen world titles from 1957 through 1975. From 1964 to 1969 and during a 1972 comeback, the team comprised three regular pairs: Walter Avarelli–Giorgio Belladonna, Pietro Forquet–Benito Garozzo, and Massimo...
. However, one of the greatest recognition, came from members of the Blue Team who said, "If your team had had another Schenken, we never could have won."
Howard was an American Contract Bridge League
American Contract Bridge League
The American Contract Bridge League is the largest contract bridge organization in North America. It promotes the game of bridge in the United States, Mexico, Bermuda, and Canada, and is a member of the World Bridge Federation...
(ACBL) board member for many years. In 1943 he took over the Four Aces syndicated bridge column and in 1957 merged it with the column of Richard Frey. The two co-authored what became the longest continuously published national bridge column until 1970 when Schenken became the sole author once more.
Schenken only produced a few books but his writings included some important ideas. He is credited with the discovery and introduction to the tournament world of several play techniques and examples of deceptive play which are now considered standard.
In the field of bidding theory, Schenken is credited with the idea of the forcing two-over-one response
2/1 game forcing
2/1 game forcing is a bidding system in modern contract bridge in which, after a one-level opening bid, a non-jump response in a new suit at the two level commits the partnership to bidding at least game....
, the prepared opening bid, and the weak two bid
Weak two bid
The Weak two bid is a common treatment used in the game of contract bridge, where a jump bid of two of a suit signifies a weak hand with a long suit. It is a form of preemptive bid...
(however, the last was also a part of Harold Vanderbilt
Harold Stirling Vanderbilt
Harold Stirling Vanderbilt was an American railroad executive, a champion yachtsman, a champion bridge player and a member of the Vanderbilt family.-Background:...
's Vanderbilt Club, so the credits are unclear). Schenken also developed his own strong club system
Strong club system
The Strong Club System is a set of bidding conventions in the game of contract bridge. It is classified as an artificial type of bidding system since the bids are highly codified.-Explanation:...
, the Schenken Club, played with Peter Leventritt.
Wins
- IBL World Championship (1) 1935
- Bermuda BowlBermuda BowlThe Bermuda Bowl is a trophy awarded to the winners of the Open series in the World Team Championship in contract bridge and is named for the site of the inaugural tournament held in 1950...
(3) 1950, 1951, 1953 - North American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge Championships are three annual bridge conventions sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League . 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...
(34)- VanderbiltVanderbilt TrophyThe trophy is awarded for the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams national bridge championship held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(10) 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1946, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1964 - Asbury Park TrophySpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(now Spingold) (2) 1933, 1937 - Masters Teams-of-FourSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(now Spingold) (2) 1934, 1936 - SpingoldSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(8) 1938, 1939, 1943, 1945, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1960 - ChicagoReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(now Reisinger) (2) 1957, 1963 - ReisingerReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(1) 1968 - Men's Board-a-Match TeamsMitchell Board-a-Match TeamsThe Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1949 - Master Mixed TeamsChicago Mixed Board-a-MatchThe Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The event is a board-a-match team event....
(1) 1935 - Life Master PairsVon Zedtwitz Life Master PairsThe Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(5) 1931, 1933, 1934, 1941, 1943 - Mixed PairsRockwell Mixed PairsThe Rockwell Mixed Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1957 - Master IndividualMaster IndividualThe Master Individual national bridge championship was held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .-History:...
(1) 1932
- Vanderbilt
- United States Bridge Championships (1)
- Open Pair Trials (1) 1964
Runner-ups
- Bermuda BowlBermuda BowlThe Bermuda Bowl is a trophy awarded to the winners of the Open series in the World Team Championship in contract bridge and is named for the site of the inaugural tournament held in 1950...
(3) 1961, 1963, 1965 - North American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge Championships are three annual bridge conventions sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League . 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...
(19)- VanderbiltVanderbilt TrophyThe trophy is awarded for the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams national bridge championship held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(9) 1930, 1931, 1932, 1941, 1945, 1952, 1959, 1962, 1967 - SpingoldSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(3) 1941, 1947, 1955 - ChicagoReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(now Reisinger) (1) 1950 - ReisingerReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(1) 1966 - Master Mixed TeamsChicago Mixed Board-a-MatchThe Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The event is a board-a-match team event....
(3) 1936, 1958, 1966 - Life Master PairsVon Zedtwitz Life Master PairsThe Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1932, 1952
- Vanderbilt