Bridge Career
By the end of the twenties, Jacoby had achieved fame as a player at both auction and contract bridge, further gaining international recognition when chosen by Sidney Lenz to be his partner in the famous Culbertson Match of 1931. During the match, Jacoby's more aggressive bidding style confused Lenz and after Lenz' criticism over a defensive play, Jacoby withdrew. Terence Reese wrote "That the Culbertsons did not win more easily...was due to the fact that Jacoby was a player of quite different class from any of the others". Jacoby subsequently solidified his position as the most successful tournament player in the thirties as a member of the famous "Four Horsemen" from 1931 to 1933 and the "Four Aces", from 1933 to 1941, dominating tournament play.
He pionereed many bidding ideas, including the Jacoby transfer and Jacoby 2NT bids. Throughout his career, he also worked as a bridge columnist; a prolific writer, he wrote over 10,000 newspaper articles on bridge, and his many books include not only bridge but volumes on poker, gin rummy, canasta, and the mathematics of card games and gambling, which he played at high stakes. He also released a record titled How to Win at Championship Bridge.
Jacoby captained the North American and US teams that won the Bermuda Bowl in both 1970 and 1971. During a long playing career, he won tournaments with many partners including his son, James Jacoby, as well as his wife of over 50 years, Mary Zita Jacoby. Terminally ill, his final victory was as a member of the team-of four champions for the Reisinger trophy with teammates Edgar Kaplan, Norman Kay, Bill Root and Richard Pavlicek at the fall American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championships (NABC) in 1983 - the same year, he was awarded the prestigious Charles H. Goren Award. He died at his Dallas home June 27, 1984.
Read more about this topic: Oswald Jacoby
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