The Edgar Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs (or simply the Blue Ribbon Pairs) national bridge championship is held at the fall 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) North American Bridge Championship

North American Bridge Championships

North 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...

 (NABC).

The Blue Ribbon Pairs is a six session MP pairs event, two qualifying sessions, two semi-final sessions and two final sessions that takes place over three days.
The event typically starts on the first Tuesday of the NABC.
The event is restricted to those that have won a blue ribbon qualification.
It is generally considered the hardest pairs event on the ACBL calendar.

Along with the Von Zedtwitz 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 ....

 at the summer NABC, the 2010 introduction of six-session Norman Kay Platinum Pairs

Norman Kay Platinum Pairs

The Norman Kay Platinum Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....

 at the spring NABC provides one pairs championship on the marquee at each of the three annual meets. These three events are open to all players whose past performances qualify them, without regard to age, gender, nationality, or ACBL membership. In addition, the North American Pairs

North American Pairs

The North American Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....

, contested in the spring, is for ACBL members who have qualified in one of its 25 Districts, some of which require qualification in local Units.

History

The event was introduced in 1963 and ranks with the von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs (Summer NABC) as the most prestigious -- and toughest -- pair events on the ACBL calendar. Like the Life Master Pairs, the Blue Ribbon Pairs is played over three days and includes two qualifying, two semifinal and two final sessions.

Entry is restricted to winners and runners-up in regional championships -- plus high finishers in North American championships, members of current Grand National

Grand National Teams

The Grand National Teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....

 district championship teams, members of current official teams representing ACBL and the top 100 lifetime masterpoint holders.

The Blue Ribbon Pairs was renamed the Edgar Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs in 1999 to honor one of bridge’s all-time great players, writers and administrators. Kaplan was recognized as the world’s foremost authority on the laws of duplicate and rubber bridge. He became co-chairman of the ACBL Laws Commission in 1978 and was co-chairman of the WBF Laws Commission at the time of his death. He was named ACBL Honorary Member in 1993. In 1995 he was inducted into the ACBL Bridge Hall of Fame and the WBF Hall of Fame.

The event is contested for the Cavendish Trophy, awarded for the National Open Pair Championship

Fall National Open Pairs

The National Open Pairs national bridge championship was held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship . The National Open Pairs was a four-session matchpoint pairs event.-History:...

 and donated by the Cavendish Club of New York in 1928. Since 1963, the trophy has been awarded to winners of the Blue Ribbon Pairs.

Winners

For the Open Pairs champions 1928 to 1962, see Fall National Open Pairs

Fall National Open Pairs

The National Open Pairs national bridge championship was held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship . The National Open Pairs was a four-session matchpoint pairs event.-History:...

.

Winners of Blue Ribbon Pairs

Year	Winners	Runners-up
1963	B. Jay Becker, Dorothy Hayden Dorothy Hayden Truscott Dorothy Hayden Truscott was the top-ranked woman in bridge for many years and authored or co-authored books on the game.-Career:...	Harold Harkavy, Cliff Russell
1964	Bob Hamman Bob Hamman Robert David Hamman is an American professional bridge player, among the greatest players of all time.... , Lew Mathe	Gunther Polak, Robert G. Sharp
1965	Chuck Henke, John H. Moran	Mike Lawrence, Ron Von der Porten
1966	Charles Coon, Richard Zeckhauser Richard Zeckhauser Richard Jay Zeckhauser is an American economist and the Frank P. Ramsey Professor of Political Economy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University....	Leland Ferer, Gratian Goldstein
1967	Sami Kehela Sami Kehela Sami Kehela is a Canadian contract bridge player. A member of the Hall of Fame of both the American Contract Bridge League and of the Canadian Bridge Federation, he is considered, along with his partner Eric Murray, one of the top Canadians ever to have played the game.Between 1966 and 1974,... , Baron Wolf Lebovic	Phil Feldesman, Lew Mathe
1968	Larry T. Cohen, Richard H. Katz	Bobby Goldman Bobby Goldman Robert Goldman was an American bridge player, teacher and author. He won three Bermuda Bowls , Olympiad Mixed Teams 1972, and 20 North American Bridge Championships... , Mike Lawrence
1969	Erik Paulsen, Alex Tschekaloff	2/4. Sami Kehela Sami Kehela Sami Kehela is a Canadian contract bridge player. A member of the Hall of Fame of both the American Contract Bridge League and of the Canadian Bridge Federation, he is considered, along with his partner Eric Murray, one of the top Canadians ever to have played the game.Between 1966 and 1974,... , Eric Murray Eric Murray (bridge) Eric Murray is a Canadian contract bridge player and co-founder of the Canadian Bridge Federation . Along with his partner Sami Kehela, Murray is considered one of the top Canadians ever to have played the game. The Eric R...   2/4. Tom Hodapp, Robert Morris 2/4. Larry T. Cohen, Richard H. Katz
1970	Chuck Burger, Ira Rubin	Richard Freeman Richard Freeman (bridge) Richard Freeman was a world champion American bridge player holding the title of World Grand Master. He won the Bermuda Bowl world team championship and won many national championships. Freeman was inducted into the American Contract Bridge League's Hall of Fame in 2001... , Cliff Russell
1971	Roger Bates, John M. Grantham	Hermine Baron, Mike Lawrence
1972	Richard Khautin, Warren Kornfeld	Garey Hayden, Mark Lair
1973	Steve Robinson, Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey is an American bridge and backgammon player. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1964. He earned a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1965....	Kathie Cappelletti, Mike Cappelletti Mike Cappelletti A. Michael Cappelletti is an American bridge player and poker authority. Amongst poker players he is known as the author of the books Cappelletti on Omaha, The Best of Cappelletti on Omaha, Poker at the Millennium and How to Win at Omaha High-Low Poker, and also as columnist for the poker...
1974	Edgar Kaplan Edgar Kaplan Edgar Kaplan was an American bridge player and one of the principal contributors to the game. His career spanned six decades and covered every aspect of bridge. He was a teacher, author, editor, administrator, champion player, theorist, expert Vugraph commentator, coach/captain and authority on... , Norman Kay	Roger Bates, George Rosenkranz George Rosenkranz George Rosenkranz is a Mexican scientist in steroid research and a professional bridge player. He was born in Hungary, educated in Switzerland and lived in Mexico for 66 years...
1975	Steve Robinson, Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey is an American bridge and backgammon player. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1964. He earned a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1965....	Ron Andersen, Hugh MacLean
1976	Jay Apfelbaum, Bill Edelstein	Jim Jacoby, David Berkowitz
1977	Lou Bluhm, Tommy Sanders	Kathie Cappelletti, Mike Cappelletti Mike Cappelletti A. Michael Cappelletti is an American bridge player and poker authority. Amongst poker players he is known as the author of the books Cappelletti on Omaha, The Best of Cappelletti on Omaha, Poker at the Millennium and How to Win at Omaha High-Low Poker, and also as columnist for the poker...
1978	Ron Andersen, David Berkowitz	Ted Horning, Peter Nagy
1979	Bobby Levin Bobby Levin Robert J. Levin is an American professional bridge player. He is best known as the youngest winner of the world championship for national teams, namely the 1981 Bermuda Bowl, and as five-time winner of the Cavendish Invitational with his regular partner Steve Weinstein... , Ron Smith	James Bennett, Chet Davis
1980	Warren Rosner, Allan Stauber	Dan Morse, Bobby Nail
1981	Larry N. Cohen, Ron Gerard	Chip Martel, Lew Stansby
1982	Jeff Meckstroth Jeff Meckstroth Jeffrey John Meckstroth is a multiple world champion in contract bridge, winning the Bermuda Bowl representing the U.S. five times. He is one of only ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge: the Bermuda Bowl, the World Open Pairs and the World Team Olympiad... , Eric Rodwell Eric Rodwell Eric Victor Rodwell is an American professional bridge player. He has won the Bermuda Bowl representing the U.S. five times and is one of ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge: the Bermuda Bowl, the World Open Pairs and the World Team Olympiad...	2/3. Bob Blanchard, Drew Casen Drew Casen Drew Ara Casen is an Armenian-American professional bridge player.He is a native of Forest Hills and was raised in the Lenox Hills neighborhood of Farmingdale which abuts Bethpage State Park golf course, site of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open... 2/3. Peter Boyd, Steve Robinson
1983	Marty Bergen Marty Bergen Marty A. Bergen is an American bridge player and writer. A 10-time national champion and American Contract Bridge League Grand Life Master he retired from active competition in 1993... , Larry N. Cohen	Peter Weichsel, Mike Lawrence
1984	1/2. Jack Kennedy, Bobby Wolff Bobby Wolff Robert S. Wolff is an American bridge player and an original member of the Dallas Aces team, which was formed in 1968 to compete against the Italian Blue Team which was dominant at the time. The Aces were successful and won their first world championship in 1970...   1/2. David Funk, Mark Lair
1985	Walter Johnson, Eric Rodwell Eric Rodwell Eric Victor Rodwell is an American professional bridge player. He has won the Bermuda Bowl representing the U.S. five times and is one of ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge: the Bermuda Bowl, the World Open Pairs and the World Team Olympiad...	Ed Manfield, Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey is an American bridge and backgammon player. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1964. He earned a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1965....
1986	Bob Hamman Bob Hamman Robert David Hamman is an American professional bridge player, among the greatest players of all time.... , Ron Von der Porten	Ed Manfield, Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey is an American bridge and backgammon player. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1964. He earned a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1965....
1987	Fred Stewart, Steve Weinstein	Bobby Levin Bobby Levin Robert J. Levin is an American professional bridge player. He is best known as the youngest winner of the world championship for national teams, namely the 1981 Bermuda Bowl, and as five-time winner of the Cavendish Invitational with his regular partner Steve Weinstein... , Kerri Shuman
1988	Marty Bergen Marty Bergen Marty A. Bergen is an American bridge player and writer. A 10-time national champion and American Contract Bridge League Grand Life Master he retired from active competition in 1993... , Larry N. Cohen	Bobby Levin Bobby Levin Robert J. Levin is an American professional bridge player. He is best known as the youngest winner of the world championship for national teams, namely the 1981 Bermuda Bowl, and as five-time winner of the Cavendish Invitational with his regular partner Steve Weinstein... , Ron Smith
1989	Mark Molson, Robert Lebi	Gaylor Kasle, Roger Bates
1990	Ed Manfield, Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey is an American bridge and backgammon player. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1964. He earned a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1965....	Brian Glubok, Sam Lev
1991	Bob Hamman Bob Hamman Robert David Hamman is an American professional bridge player, among the greatest players of all time.... , Nick Nickell	Mark Tolliver, Marc Zwerling
1992	Haig Tchamitch, Adam Wildavsky	Brad Moss, Ravindra Murthy
1993	Bob Hamman Bob Hamman Robert David Hamman is an American professional bridge player, among the greatest players of all time.... , Michael Rosenberg Michael Rosenberg Michael Rosenberg is one of the top bridge players in the United States. He moved to Scotland as a child and returned to New York in 1990 where he lives with his wife Debbie, also a top player....	Martin De Bruin, Steve Price
1994	Mark Lair, Alexander Weiland	Fred Stewart, Steve Weinstein
1995	David Berkowitz, Larry N. Cohen	Paul Kiefer, Jerry Helms
1996	Bob Blanchard, Jim Krekorian	David Berkowitz, Larry N. Cohen
1997	Allan Falk, Adam Wildavsky	Tony Forrester Tony Forrester Anthony R. Forrester is an English bridge player and writer. He is a British and English international and a World International Master. Forrester is the bridge columnist for The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph.... , Geir Helgemo Geir Helgemo Geir Helgemo is a Norwegian professional bridge player. As of April 2011 he ranks number 11 among Open World Grand Masters....
1998	Zia Mahmood Zia Mahmood Zia Mahmood is a Pakistani professional bridge player. He is a World Bridge Federation and American Contract Bridge League Grand Life Master. He has a knack for bringing out the best in his partners and is regarded as one of the greatest players of the game... , Howard Weinstein	Eric Rodwell Eric Rodwell Eric Victor Rodwell is an American professional bridge player. He has won the Bermuda Bowl representing the U.S. five times and is one of ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge: the Bermuda Bowl, the World Open Pairs and the World Team Olympiad... , Marty Seligman Martin Seligman Martin E. P. "Marty" Seligman is an American psychologist, educator, and author of self-help books. His theory of "learned helplessness" is widely respected among scientific psychologists....
1999	Jill Meyers, John Mohan	Russ Ekeblad, John Sutherlin
2000	Richard Coren, Marc Jacobus	Bobby Levin Bobby Levin Robert J. Levin is an American professional bridge player. He is best known as the youngest winner of the world championship for national teams, namely the 1981 Bermuda Bowl, and as five-time winner of the Cavendish Invitational with his regular partner Steve Weinstein... , Steve Weinstein
2001	Salvador Assael, Nafiz Zorlu	Pratap Rajadhyaksha, Steve Landen
2002	Bart Bramley, Sidney Lazard	Fred Stewart, Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey is an American bridge and backgammon player. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1964. He earned a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1965....
2003	Geir Helgemo Geir Helgemo Geir Helgemo is a Norwegian professional bridge player. As of April 2011 he ranks number 11 among Open World Grand Masters.... , Michael Seamon	Eric Greco, Geoff Hampson
2004	Tarek Sadek, Walid Elahmady	Bobby Levin Bobby Levin Robert J. Levin is an American professional bridge player. He is best known as the youngest winner of the world championship for national teams, namely the 1981 Bermuda Bowl, and as five-time winner of the Cavendish Invitational with his regular partner Steve Weinstein... , Steve Weinstein
2005	Jenny Ryman, Gavin Wolpert	Daniela von Arnim, Sabine Auken
2006	Fulvio Fantoni Fulvio Fantoni Fulvio Fantoni is an Italian international bridge player. He is a six-time world champion, a World Grand Master of the World Bridge Federation , and the WBF first-ranked player as of April 2011... , Claudio Nunes Claudio Nunes Claudio Nunes is an Italian bridge international. He is a five-time world champion, a World Grand Master of the World Bridge Federation , and the WBF second-ranked player as of April 2011...	Drew Casen Drew Casen Drew Ara Casen is an Armenian-American professional bridge player.He is a native of Forest Hills and was raised in the Lenox Hills neighborhood of Farmingdale which abuts Bethpage State Park golf course, site of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open... , Jim Krekorian
2007	Steve Landen, Pratap Rajadhyaksha	Ernesto Muzzio, Alejandro Bianchedi
2008	Jeff Meckstroth Jeff Meckstroth Jeffrey John Meckstroth is a multiple world champion in contract bridge, winning the Bermuda Bowl representing the U.S. five times. He is one of only ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge: the Bermuda Bowl, the World Open Pairs and the World Team Olympiad... , Eric Rodwell Eric Rodwell Eric Victor Rodwell is an American professional bridge player. He has won the Bermuda Bowl representing the U.S. five times and is one of ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge: the Bermuda Bowl, the World Open Pairs and the World Team Olympiad...	Martin de Knijff Martin De Knijff Martin de Knijff is a professional sports bettor and high-stakes poker player from Gothenburg, Sweden.His last name is from his Dutch father. His mother is Swedish... , Frederic Wrang
2009	Bart Bramley, Björn Fallenius	John Hurd, Joel Wooldridge
2010	Jay Borker, Jan Jansma	Sjoert Brink, Bas Drijver

See also

• Fall National Open Pairs
  Fall National Open Pairs
  The National Open Pairs national bridge championship was held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship . The National Open Pairs was a four-session matchpoint pairs event.-History:...
  
   —1928 to 1962, continued by the Blue Ribbon Pairs
• Von Zedtwitz 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 ....
  
  , often simply referred to as the Life Master Pairs.
• Norman Kay Platinum Pairs
  Norman Kay Platinum Pairs
  The Norman Kay Platinum Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
  
  , established 2010.

Sources

List of previous winners, Page 8
2008 winners, Page 1
Qualification rules