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United States Bridge Championships - Open
The United States Bridge Championships (USBC) is a yearly competition held to select either one or two teams that will represent the United States at international competition for the game of contract bridge. The general conditions of contest used by the United States Bridge Federation can be found here. There are multiple events in the USBC including Open, Women, Seniors, and Mixed divisions. This article contains information about the Open division in which anyone of any age or gender can compete.
From May 17–21 of 1989, the "team trials" to determine which team would represent the United States was held in Memphis, TN. At that time, the trials had no name, and the name "United States Bridge Championship" was conceived by Matt Guagliardo, who was then the Director of Education for the ACBL, but was still actively involved in promoting bridge. Mr. Guagliardo, in collaboration with Barbara McBride, who was also the graphic artist for the ACBL, created the USBS logo, which was flag-shaped with a dark-blue square in the upper-left corner, with a white star, and a black spade inside the star. The words "United," "States," "and "Bridge" are in red, and are stacked vertically opposite the square. The word "Championship" is also in red, and is lengthwise below the blue square, and other verbiage. There is a blue line underneath the word "Championship," and a blue line extending from the right border of the square over the word "United."
T-shirts were printed and given to the caddies, who worked the sectional tournament that ran concurrently to the USBC, to wear. On the front, the T-shirts had the USBC logo, "Memphis, Tennessee" and "May 17–21, 1989." The back had printed in blue, in an arc shape, "A BIG DEAL FOR MEMPHIS," with four Aces printed below it, each with a different suit designation. The words and cards are all printed in blue.
Concurrent with the USBC was a sectional tournament, and the concluding event was a Swiss Teams, which was the norm then. In cooperation with the late Ralph Cohen, something was done, at least for the first time in the United States, and, quite probably, the world. This is what happened: The last round of the sectional Swiss Teams had "boards" ("hands') that were duplicated before the Swiss Teams began by Ralph and his small hand-picked group, and kept under ultra-tight security. Thus, in the last round of the "Swiss," at every table everyone was playing the same set of hands.
Immediately after the Swiss event ended, players adjourned to a large room, where, on Vu-Graph, they were able to see the same set of hands played live by contestants in the USBC. The showing of the hands was accompanied by expert commentary. Like the USBC itself, the concept of having the hands played by "ordinary" players in a competitive environment, then being able to see those same hands played by world-caliber experts was conceived by Matt Guagliardo.
The previous history was grossly inaccurate, and t-shirts autographed by players who competed in the 1989 event, and who are now deceased, give evidence that the term "United States Bridge Championship" was coined more than a decade before the formation of the United States Bridge Federation.
Below is a table of teams that have won the Open USBCs and how they fared in international competition. In every odd number year, the winners of the USBC Open division get to compete in the Bermuda Bowl that has existed since 1950. The events in the even number years vary between the World Bridge Games and a Transnational Event. The USBF sends 2 teams to every Bermuda Bowl and 1 team to every World Bridge Games event.
2017 Open USBC
The 2017 Open USBC was held from April 28-May 10 in Schaumburg, Illinois. Nickell (Nick Nickell, Ralph Katz, Bobby Levin, Steve Weinstein, Jeff Meckstroth, and Eric Rodwell) team won the 120 board final against Diamond (John Diamond, Brain Platnick, Eric Greco, Geoff Hampson, Kevin Bathurst, and Justin Lall).
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United States Bridge Championships - Open
The United States Bridge Championships (USBC) is a yearly competition held to select either one or two teams that will represent the United States at international competition for the game of contract bridge. The general conditions of contest used by the United States Bridge Federation can be found here. There are multiple events in the USBC including Open, Women, Seniors, and Mixed divisions. This article contains information about the Open division in which anyone of any age or gender can compete.
From May 17–21 of 1989, the "team trials" to determine which team would represent the United States was held in Memphis, TN. At that time, the trials had no name, and the name "United States Bridge Championship" was conceived by Matt Guagliardo, who was then the Director of Education for the ACBL, but was still actively involved in promoting bridge. Mr. Guagliardo, in collaboration with Barbara McBride, who was also the graphic artist for the ACBL, created the USBS logo, which was flag-shaped with a dark-blue square in the upper-left corner, with a white star, and a black spade inside the star. The words "United," "States," "and "Bridge" are in red, and are stacked vertically opposite the square. The word "Championship" is also in red, and is lengthwise below the blue square, and other verbiage. There is a blue line underneath the word "Championship," and a blue line extending from the right border of the square over the word "United."
T-shirts were printed and given to the caddies, who worked the sectional tournament that ran concurrently to the USBC, to wear. On the front, the T-shirts had the USBC logo, "Memphis, Tennessee" and "May 17–21, 1989." The back had printed in blue, in an arc shape, "A BIG DEAL FOR MEMPHIS," with four Aces printed below it, each with a different suit designation. The words and cards are all printed in blue.
Concurrent with the USBC was a sectional tournament, and the concluding event was a Swiss Teams, which was the norm then. In cooperation with the late Ralph Cohen, something was done, at least for the first time in the United States, and, quite probably, the world. This is what happened: The last round of the sectional Swiss Teams had "boards" ("hands') that were duplicated before the Swiss Teams began by Ralph and his small hand-picked group, and kept under ultra-tight security. Thus, in the last round of the "Swiss," at every table everyone was playing the same set of hands.
Immediately after the Swiss event ended, players adjourned to a large room, where, on Vu-Graph, they were able to see the same set of hands played live by contestants in the USBC. The showing of the hands was accompanied by expert commentary. Like the USBC itself, the concept of having the hands played by "ordinary" players in a competitive environment, then being able to see those same hands played by world-caliber experts was conceived by Matt Guagliardo.
The previous history was grossly inaccurate, and t-shirts autographed by players who competed in the 1989 event, and who are now deceased, give evidence that the term "United States Bridge Championship" was coined more than a decade before the formation of the United States Bridge Federation.
Below is a table of teams that have won the Open USBCs and how they fared in international competition. In every odd number year, the winners of the USBC Open division get to compete in the Bermuda Bowl that has existed since 1950. The events in the even number years vary between the World Bridge Games and a Transnational Event. The USBF sends 2 teams to every Bermuda Bowl and 1 team to every World Bridge Games event.
2017 Open USBC
The 2017 Open USBC was held from April 28-May 10 in Schaumburg, Illinois. Nickell (Nick Nickell, Ralph Katz, Bobby Levin, Steve Weinstein, Jeff Meckstroth, and Eric Rodwell) team won the 120 board final against Diamond (John Diamond, Brain Platnick, Eric Greco, Geoff Hampson, Kevin Bathurst, and Justin Lall).