The Reisinger Board-a-Match Teams

 

The event 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), New York City, was a principal patron of contract bridge and the American Contract Bridge League in the early years of both.

 

Winners of the 1937 Reisinger: Charles Solomon, Sally Young, Charles Young and John Crawford.	1942 Reisinger winners: Sydney Silodor, John Crawford, Charles Goren and B. Jay Becker.	In 1947, there was a three-way tie. One of the teams at the top was this women’s squad: Paula Bacher, Jane Jaeger, Kay Rhodes and Sally Young.

 

Reisinger 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 far larger scale.

 

In the years when there was often a struggle to meet the League’s modest payroll, Reisinger was often called upon and never failed to help with a loan or an outright gift. His support made possible several early contract bridge tournaments, clubs and books. Among the positions in which he served were director of the United States Bridge Association, president of the Greater New York Bridge Association and chairman of the ACBL. In 1953, Reisinger was named ACBL Honorary Member.

In 1950, the Reisinger winners were B. Jay Becker, Charles Goren, Helen Sobel and Myron Field. Not pictured, Sidney Silodor.	2010 Reisinger winners: James Cayne, Giorgio Duboin, Alfredo Versace, Antonio Sementa, Lorenzo Lauria, Michael Seamon	2011, Giorgio Duboin, Antonio Sementa, Michael Seamon, James Cayne (cap), Lorenzo Lauria & Alfredo Versace. The Cayne team won by four boards, their second consecutive Reisinger win.