William Rosen
Encyclopedia
William Albert Rosen (born September 12, 1928 in Chicago
, Illinois
) is an American
bridge
player, best known for winning the 1954 Bermuda Bowl
world championship.
Rosen won his first national title in 1952, the National Men's Pairs
in partnership with Arthur Grau. In August 1953, Rosen made the pages of Life Magazine
, when he and Milton Ellenby won the prestigious Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs
to become the youngest pair ever to win the event. The same year he won the McKenney Trophy which the American Contract Bridge League
gives to the player earning the most masterpoints
in a calendar year. Rosen won the Spingold
tournament twice in a row, in 1953 and 1954, the latter helping him qualify for that years Bermuda Bowl
world team championship. The Bermuda win made him, at 25 years old, the youngest world champion at the time and earned him the title of World Bridge Federation
World Life Master.
The September 1954 issue of Playboy Magazine the editors wrote, "If bridge has a world's champion, he's a twenty four year old guy named William Rosen." Rosen contributed a column on "Tournament Bridge" for the issue. He wrote, "The game holds a beguiling interest to most people because it is undoubtedly the most challenging of all card games, combining skill in bidding, play of the hand and also, the subtle art of gamesmanship."
In 1958, Rosen won the Lebhar Trophy for winning the Master Mixed Pairs at the North American Championships. He won the prize playing with his wife Eunice Rosen
, also a champion bridge player.
In 1978 Rosen won the Grand National Teams
. Rosen won his last national championship in 1980.
In a 1983 column, Alan Truscott
of The New York Times
called Bill Rosen "one of the greatest names in the game."
Rosen worked as an options trader at the Chicago Board Options Exchange
before retiring in 1994. He lives in Highland Park
, Illinois
where he enjoys making pizzas from scratch.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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, best known for winning the 1954 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...
world championship.
Rosen won his first national title in 1952, the National Men's Pairs
Wernher Open Pairs
The 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....
in partnership with Arthur Grau. In August 1953, Rosen made the pages of Life Magazine
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, when he and Milton Ellenby won the prestigious 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 ....
to become the youngest pair ever to win the event. The same year he won the McKenney Trophy which the 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...
gives to the player earning the most masterpoints
Masterpoints
Masterpoints or master points are points awarded by national and other bridge organisations for success in bridge tournaments run under their auspices. Organisations which issue these points include the American Contract Bridge League , the American Bridge Association, the English Bridge Union ,...
in a calendar year. Rosen won the Spingold
Spingold
The Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
tournament twice in a row, in 1953 and 1954, the latter helping him qualify for that years 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...
world team championship. The Bermuda win made him, at 25 years old, the youngest world champion at the time and earned him the title of World Bridge Federation
World Bridge Federation
The World Bridge Federation is the world governing body of contract bridge. The WBF is responsible for world championship competition, most of which is conducted at a few multi-event meets on a four-year cycle...
World Life Master.
The September 1954 issue of Playboy Magazine the editors wrote, "If bridge has a world's champion, he's a twenty four year old guy named William Rosen." Rosen contributed a column on "Tournament Bridge" for the issue. He wrote, "The game holds a beguiling interest to most people because it is undoubtedly the most challenging of all card games, combining skill in bidding, play of the hand and also, the subtle art of gamesmanship."
In 1958, Rosen won the Lebhar Trophy for winning the Master Mixed Pairs at the North American Championships. He won the prize playing with his wife Eunice Rosen
Eunice Rosen
Eunice Marya Rosen is an American bridge player. She is married to fellow bridge champion William Rosen.In 1958 and in 1966, Eunice and Bill won the Master Mixed Teams, now known as the Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match tournament. In 2000, she won the Whitehead Women's Pairs playing with Joan Stein...
, also a champion bridge player.
In 1978 Rosen won the Grand National Teams
Grand National Teams
The Grand National Teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
. Rosen won his last national championship in 1980.
In a 1983 column, Alan Truscott
Alan Truscott
Alan Fraser Truscott was a bridge player, author and columnist. He wrote the daily bridge column for The New York Times for 41 years, from 1964 to 2005 and served as Executive Editor for all six editions of The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, 1964 to 2002.- Britain :Truscott was born in Brixton,...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called Bill Rosen "one of the greatest names in the game."
Rosen worked as an options trader at the Chicago Board Options Exchange
Chicago Board Options Exchange
The Chicago Board Options Exchange , located at 400 South LaSalle Street in Chicago, is the largest U.S. options exchange with annual trading volume that hovered around one billion contracts at the end of 2007...
before retiring in 1994. He lives in Highland Park
Highland Park, Illinois
Highland Park is a suburban municipality in Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. As of 2009, the population is 33,492. Highland Park is one of several municipalities located on the North Shore of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.-Overview:Highland Park was founded...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
where he enjoys making pizzas from scratch.
Wins
- Bermuda BowlBermuda BowlThe 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...
(1) 1954 - 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...
(8)- SpingoldSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1953, 1954 - Grand National TeamsGrand National TeamsThe Grand National Teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1978 - 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 ....
(1) 1980 - 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) 1958, 1966 - 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) 1953 - 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....
(1) 1952
- Spingold
Runner-ups
- Bermuda BowlBermuda BowlThe 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...
(1) 1955 - 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...
(1)- 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) 1965
- Master Mixed Teams