Oswald Jacoby
Encyclopedia
Oswald Jacoby (December 8, 1902 – June 27, 1984) was an American
contract bridge
player and author, considered one of the greatest bridge players of all time. He also excelled at, and wrote about, other games including backgammon
, gin rummy
, and poker
.
Born in Brooklyn
, he was taught to play whist
at the age of six and played his first bridge at ten. During World War I
, he joined the army at 15 by lying about his age but spent most of his time there playing poker
. Dropping out of Columbia University
as a math major to become an actuary
, he became the youngest person ever to pass the examination of the Society of Actuaries
at the age of 21. Having an exceptional aptitude for mathematics, Jacoby could multiply three and four digit numbers in his head without benefit of paper. During World War II
and the Korean War
, he applied these abilities to counterintelligence and cryptanalysis
being referred to as a human computer; later, he lectured on probability at M.I.T. and wrote books on mathematics. However, his passion, his life-long focus, was games, especially bridge.
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.
, the then world champion.
Jacoby was also an expert backgammon
player, and in 1972 he was crowned World Backgammon Champion. In 1970, he wrote The Backgammon Book with John R. Crawford
, which is considered the first book to deal with backgammon from an analytical viewpoint. The Jacoby Rule, which states that gammons and backgammons count only after the cube has been turned, is named after him.
Poker
Backgammom
Rummy
Canasta
Other card games
Mathematics
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
contract bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
player and author, considered one of the greatest bridge players of all time. He also excelled at, and wrote about, other games including backgammon
Backgammon
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
, gin rummy
Gin rummy
Gin rummy, or simply gin, is a two-player card game created in 1909 by Elwood T. Baker and his son C. Graham Baker. According to John Scarne, Gin evolved from 18th-century Whiskey Poker and was created with the intention of being faster than standard rummy, but less spontaneous than knock...
, and poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
.
Born in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, he was taught to play whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
at the age of six and played his first bridge at ten. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he joined the army at 15 by lying about his age but spent most of his time there playing poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
. Dropping out of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
as a math major to become an actuary
Actuary
An actuary is a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries provide expert assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms ....
, he became the youngest person ever to pass the examination of the Society of Actuaries
Society of Actuaries
The Society of Actuaries is a professional organization for actuaries based in North America. It was founded in 1949 as the merger of two major actuarial organizations in the United States: the Actuarial Society of America and the American Institute of Actuaries...
at the age of 21. Having an exceptional aptitude for mathematics, Jacoby could multiply three and four digit numbers in his head without benefit of paper. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, he applied these abilities to counterintelligence and cryptanalysis
Cryptanalysis
Cryptanalysis is the study of methods for obtaining the meaning of encrypted information, without access to the secret information that is normally required to do so. Typically, this involves knowing how the system works and finding a secret key...
being referred to as a human computer; later, he lectured on probability at M.I.T. and wrote books on mathematics. However, his passion, his life-long focus, was games, especially bridge.
Bridge career
By the end of the twenties, Jacoby had achieved fame as a player at both auctionAuction bridge
The card game auction bridge, the third step in the evolution of the general game of bridge, was developed from straight bridge in 1904. The precursor to contract bridge, its predecessors were whist and bridge whist....
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
Terence Reese
John Terence Reese was a British bridge player and writer, regarded as one of the finest of all time in both fields...
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
Jacoby transfer
The Jacoby transfer, or simply "transfers", in the card game contract bridge, is a convention initiated by responder following partner's notrump opening bid that requests opener rebid in the suit ranked just above that bid by responder, i.e...
and Jacoby 2NT
Jacoby 2NT
Named for its inventor, Oswald Jacoby, Jacoby 2NT is a bridge convention in which a bid of 2NT over partner's opening bid of 1 or 1 shows a hand with both* opening strength and...
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
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
, gin rummy
Gin rummy
Gin rummy, or simply gin, is a two-player card game created in 1909 by Elwood T. Baker and his son C. Graham Baker. According to John Scarne, Gin evolved from 18th-century Whiskey Poker and was created with the intention of being faster than standard rummy, but less spontaneous than knock...
, canasta
Canasta
Canasta is a card game of the rummy family of games believed to be a variant of 500 Rum. Although many variations exist for 2, 3, 5 or 6 players, it is most commonly played by four in two partnerships with two standard decks of cards. Players attempt to make melds of 7 cards of the same rank and...
, 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
Bermuda Bowl
The Bermuda Bowl is a trophy awarded to the winners of the Open series in the World Team Championship in contract bridge and is named for the site of the inaugural tournament held in 1950...
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
Reisinger
The Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
trophy with teammates 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, Bill Root and Richard Pavlicek
Richard Pavlicek
Richard Pavlicek is an American bridge player, author and columnist.-Career:Pavlicek began to play bridge in 1964 at the age of 18 while stationed in Stuttgart, West Germany, with the U.S. Army. Upon returning to Florida in 1966 he started to play in bridge tournaments in his spare time. Since...
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 Championships
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) in 1983 - the same year, he was awarded the prestigious Charles H. Goren Award. He died at his Dallas home June 27, 1984.
Honors
- ACBL Hall of Fame 1965
- ACBL Honorary Member of the Year 1967
- Honorary World Bridge Federation Grand Master
Awards
- Charles H. Goren Award for Personality of the Year by the International Bridge Press Association, 1983
- McKenney Trophy 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963
- Herman Trophy 1960
Wins
- IBL World Championship (1) 1935
- North American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth 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...
(31)- VanderbiltVanderbilt TrophyThe trophy is awarded for the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams national bridge championship held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(7) 1931, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1946, 1965 - Asbury Park TrophySpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(now Spingold) (4) 1931, 1932, 1933, 1937 - Masters Teams-of-FourSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(now Spingold) (2) 1934, 1936 - SpingoldSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(5) 1938, 1939, 1945, 1950, 1959 - ChicagoReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(now Reisinger) (1) 1955 - ReisingerReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(1) 1983 - Men's Board-a-Match TeamsMitchell Board-a-Match TeamsThe Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1952, 1959 - Master Mixed TeamsChicago Mixed Board-a-MatchThe Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The event is a board-a-match team event....
(1) 1968 - Life Master PairsVon Zedtwitz Life Master PairsThe Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1936 - Fall National Open PairsFall National Open PairsThe 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:...
(2) 1935, 1960 - Open PairsSilodor Open PairsThe Silodor Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1964 - Men's PairsWernher Open PairsThe Wernher Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Wernher Open Pairs is a four session MP pairs event, two qualifying sessions and two final sessions....
(3) 1934, 1939, 1949 - Master IndividualMaster IndividualThe Master Individual national bridge championship was held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .-History:...
(1) 1935
- Vanderbilt
- United States Bridge Association (5)
- Grand National Open Teams (3) 1934, 1935, 1937
- Open Pairs (2) 1936, 1937
- American Bridge League (2)
- Men's Teams (2) 1931, 1932
Runners-up
- North American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth 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...
(21)- VanderbiltVanderbilt TrophyThe trophy is awarded for the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams national bridge championship held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(3) 1930, 1941, 1949 - SpingoldSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(4) 1941, 1948, 1949, 1957 - ChicagoReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(now Reisinger) (5) 1931, 1932, 1939, 1956, 1960 - Men's Board-a-Match TeamsMitchell Board-a-Match TeamsThe Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1954, 1956 - Master Mixed TeamsChicago Mixed Board-a-MatchThe Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The event is a board-a-match team event....
(2) 1935, 1941 - Life Master PairsVon Zedtwitz Life Master PairsThe Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1939, 1941 - Fall National Open PairsFall National Open PairsThe 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:...
(1) 1932 - Hilliard Mixed PairsHilliard Mixed PairsThe Hilliard Mixed Pairs national bridge championship was last held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .-History:...
(2) 1931, 1939
- Vanderbilt
Other games
A poker player and author on the subject, Jacoby was convicted of a gambling charge in 1944 while in the navy but acquitted of a charge of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. Although he did not pursue a career in competitive chess and did not write on the game, he was nevertheless a strong player. When in college, Jacoby beat US chess champion Frank Marshall, and in 1963, in a rapid-transit game, he played a draw with Tigran PetrosianTigran Petrosian
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
, the then world champion.
Jacoby was also an expert backgammon
Backgammon
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
player, and in 1972 he was crowned World Backgammon Champion. In 1970, he wrote The Backgammon Book with John R. Crawford
John R. Crawford
John Randolph Crawford was an American bridge and backgammon player...
, which is considered the first book to deal with backgammon from an analytical viewpoint. The Jacoby Rule, which states that gammons and backgammons count only after the cube has been turned, is named after him.
Publications
Bridge- Famous hands of the Culbertson-Lenz match, 1932
- Watson on the play of the hand at contract bridge, 1934
- The four aces system of contract bridge, 1935
- Five-suit bridge, 1938
- What's new in bridge, 1954
- Hear how to play winning bridge, 1960
- The complete book of duplicate bridge, 1965
- Win at bridge with Jacoby & son, 1966
- Jacoby transfer bids, 1981
- Major suit raises, 1981
- Improve Your Bridge With Oswald Jacoby: 125 Bridge Hands from the Master, 1983, ISBN 0-07-032238-4
- Win at bridge with Oswald Jacoby : America's winningest bridge champion, 1963
- Win at bridge with Jacoby modern, 1973
Poker
- Poker, 1940
- Oswald Jacoby on Poker ... Revised edition, 1948
- Winning poker, 1949
- Oswald Jacoby on Poker, 1981, ISBN 9780385175906
Backgammom
- The Backgammon Book (with John R. Crawford), 1970, ISBN 670-14409-6
Rummy
- Laws of Oklahoma, 1946
- Oswald Jacoby on Oklahoma, the wild, wild rummy game, 1948
- How to Win at Gin Rummy, 1978
- Oswald Jacoby on Gin Rummy, etc., 1947
Canasta
- Oswald Jacoby's Complete Canasta, 1950
- How to win at canasta, 1951
Other card games
- The book of card game rules and strategies, 1989
- The fireside book of cards, 1957
- Oswald Jacoby on Gambling, 1963,
- New Recreations with Magic Squares (with William H. Benson), 1976
- Jacoby on card games, 1986
- Magic cubes : new recreations, 1981
Mathematics
- Intriguing Mathematical Problems (with William H. Benson), 1996
- How to figure the odds', 1947
- Mathematics for pleasure, 1962