This list is a compilation of contract bridge players, writers, administrators and personalities who have been recognized for their skills, achievements or contributions to the game as identified by various specific sources.
The first bridge Hall of Fame was inaugurated by The Bridge World in 1964 and invested nine members between then and 1966 after which it ceased sponsorship. The American Contract Bridge League adopted the concept to recognize the achievements and contributions of those residing in its territory (USA, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda) and inaugurated its own Hall of Fame in 1995 by accepting the original nine and adding eight others that year. Annually thereafter, new members have been added in as many as three award categories.
In 2008, ACBL established the Foundation for the Preservation and Advancement of Bridge (FPAB) "to support the preservation of bridge history, to recognize individuals for their excellence and service to the game of bridge and to inspire the participation of youth through scholarships and grants."
In 2012, the American Contract Bridge League celebrated the 75th anniversary of its creation by the merger of the American Bridge League and the United States Bridge Association in October 1937. In partial recognition, the League published a list of the 52 most influential personalities during its history.
Criteria included:
Selections were not limited to ACBL members or North American residents.
The Player of the Year is awarded to the ACBL player accumulating the most platinum masterpoints in the calendar year.
The Canadian Bridge Federation (CBF) is the national bridge organization for Canada and established the CBF Hall of Fame in 2010 to recognize the achievements and contributions of Canadian bridge personalities.
The European Bridge League (EBL) is a confederation of national bridge organizations for European countries, established 1947.
The World Bridge Federation (WBF) is the world governing body for bridge, established in 1958.
Numerous biographical entries are contained in the Encyclopedia of Bridge (1935), the various editions of The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (1964âÂÂ2011), The Bridge Players' Encyclopedia (1967), and in the British Bridge Almanack (2004).
In addition, the following books provide biographical information about bridge people as of the date of publication.
In the foreword of Aces All, Ramsey writes that "it is a book about some, though by no means all, of the leading players of today and the immediate yesterday..." He presents biographies of the following (all either British or playing in Britain):
The Bridge Immortals gives brief biographies of the "greatest bridge people living today", listed here in alphabetical order.
World Class: conversations with the bridge masters features "the crème de la crème of the world of bridge" in their own words. Here is Smith's classification of his interviews.
All-time Greats:
Stars of Today:
Women Stars:
Rising Stars:
Star Writers:
The Editor's Choice nominations are listed alphabetically as follows:
20 Greatest Players of All Time
19 Greatest Partnerships of the last 30 Years
16 Greatest Female Partnerships of All Time
Greatest Player Ever:
<br /> Greatest Authors:
In this seventy-page booklet, Senior provides commentary about twenty individuals he regards as the best bridge players or personalities of all time.
Grand Life Masters (GLM) defined by lifetime ACBL master points (MP), with some condition on major achievements
Players of the Decade â defined by ACBL platinum master points
Lists of the top European Master Points (EMP) holders in various categories and for various periods
The World Bridge Federation measures achievement in tournament play by a dual system of Master Points and Placing Points and provides ranked lists in Open, Women, and Seniors categories. Short colloquialisms like "Fulvio Fantoni is number one in the world" refer to the WBF Open Ranking. It ranks by Master Points those all-time players whose Placing Points accord "World Grand Master" status. MPs decay but PPs do not, so retired and deceased World Grand Masters remain on the list but drift toward the bottom.
The American Contract Bridge League has published at YouTube audio-video interviews of numerous players including almost 30 members of its Hall of Fame. These listings include some other videos of bridge personalities published at YouTube. (Those marked "ACBL Hall of Fame" may be interviews conducted by Audrey Grant, as are the ones so marked.)
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