Why was Louis Watson Ranked the Number 4 Bridge Player in the World?

samsloan

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Mar 30, 2008, 7:57:36 AM3/30/08

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I keep reading that in 1934 Louis H. Watson was ranked the number 4
bridge player in the world.

He died tragically in 1936 at age 29.

Why was he ranked number 4 ? Who were numbers 1, 2 and 3 ??

I have searched newspaper reports from 1932-1934 and it seems that
Watson was winning almost everything. The one time that his team
finished only second, it was attributed to a series of highly
irregular distributions. (After all, there is luck in Bridge.)

See "4 ACES AGAIN WIN VANDERBILT CUP; Defeat Watson Team by 4,090 to
Capture Bridge Trophy", The New York Times, November 13, 1935.

Other than this one loss, Watson seems to have won everything.

I have just reprinted his two books. I just re-did the cover on the
first one. They will soon be available at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/092389182X

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0923891749

David Babcock

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Mar 30, 2008, 10:11:26 AM3/30/08

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> Why was he ranked number 4 ?

There was no official ranking system at the time. Perhaps the
references were to a magazine article:

"_Collier's Magazine_ of March 24, 1934, ranked Watson as the fourth
greatest player in the world on the basis of his tournament record."
-- _Encyclopedia of Bridge_ (5th ed.)

David

samsloan

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Mar 30, 2008, 10:17:19 AM3/30/08

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Thank you.

Now, can you tell us who was number 1, 2 and 3 ?

Sam Sloan

Larry

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Mar 30, 2008, 4:46:30 PM3/30/08

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Schenken's RAYMOND CLUB Team, 1927-1929, first successfully broke the
reign of the established men's clubs in tournament competition.

The FOUR HORSEMEN (David Burnstine, Willard Karn, Oswald Jacoby, and
P. Hal Sims) won most of the principal American tournaments
1931-1933. Howard Schenken was an occasional member.

The FOUR ACES followed the four Horsemen (Howard Schenken, Richard
Frey, David Burnstine, Oswald Jacoby) 1933-1941. They won most of the
tournaments 1933-1935.

Your choice for the best players of that era!

Ref: 6th Edition of The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, 2001, pg.
737; 1964 Edition, pg. 187.

Larry

Martin Ambuhl

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Mar 30, 2008, 5:32:28 PM3/30/08

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Larry wrote:
> Schenken's RAYMOND CLUB Team, 1927-1929, first successfully broke the
> reign of the established men's clubs in tournament competition.

Tell that to Mrs. Sidney Lovell and Caroline Taylor, on the team that
tied for first in the first (1928) Vandy. It would not be until 1930
that Schenken was on a team that placed as high as 2nd (which he was in
1931 & 1932), and he didn't get to first until 1934.
I think Mrs. Sidney Lovell and Caroline Taylor earlier -- and more
definitively -- broken the reign of the established men's clubs. Try
naming the first woman with whom Schenken won anything of note. Was
there one before Bee Gale in 1957?

[pointless crossposting to chess newsgroups removed]

David Babcock

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Mar 30, 2008, 10:17:25 PM3/30/08

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> > "_Collier's Magazine_ of March 24, 1934, ranked Watson as the fourth
> > greatest player in the world on the basis of his tournament record."
> > -- _Encyclopedia of Bridge_ (5th ed.)
>

> Now, can you tell us who was number 1, 2 and 3 ?

Alas, no. If the article is available on-line, my quick search this
morning didn't find it. I did look up the likely candidates (at least
the ones who came to mind) in the Encyclopedia. and none of their bios
included any mention of that article. It may have been mentioned in
Watson's case because his playing career was cut short so sadly.

Another detail I would be interested in is: who wrote the article.

David

Larry

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Mar 31, 2008, 12:23:32 AM3/31/08

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Don't forget the LM Pairs: Schenken 1st (1931, 1933, 1934) or 2nd
(1932).

Bee was one of the world's most successful women rubber bridge
players.

Larry

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Mar 31, 2008, 9:20:14 AM3/31/08

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Oswald Jacoby is listed as a member of the wining teams of the Ashbury
Park Trophy (Teams) now the Spingold: 1931, 1932, 1933, 1937 and
Masters Team of Four: 1934, 1935.

Louis Watson won Ashbury Park Trophy in 1935.

Looks like Jacoby belongs in top 4 also along with Schenken.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spingold

Larry

David Babcock

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Mar 31, 2008, 9:25:21 AM3/31/08

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> Oswald Jacoby is listed as a member of the wining teams of the Ashbury
> Park Trophy (Teams) now the Spingold: 1931, 1932, 1933, 1937 and
> Masters Team of Four: 1934, 1935.
>
> Louis Watson won Ashbury Park Trophy in 1935.
>
> Looks like Jacoby belongs in top 4 also along with Schenken.

But remember that the article that appears to be the source of
Watson's #4 ranking was written in March 1934, so results after that
don't figure in.

David

Georgiana Gates

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Mar 31, 2008, 6:04:04 PM3/31/08

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So we can assume that the 1928 Vanderbilt had a different format than
KO? Perhaps a board-a-match?

Martin Ambuhl

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Mar 31, 2008, 6:53:26 PM3/31/08

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Yes the 1928 Vandy was BAM.

Tim

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Mar 31, 2008, 6:56:57 PM3/31/08

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On Mar 31, 6:04 pm, Georgiana Gates <ram...@hal-pc.org> wrote:

> So we can assume that the 1928 Vanderbilt had a different format than
> KO? Perhaps a board-a-match?

My guess would be total points, double elimination.