The trophy is awarded for the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams national bridge championship held at the spring
American Contract Bridge League
The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) is a governing body for contract bridge in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. It is the largest such organization in North America having the stated mission ''"to promote, grow and susta ...
(ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC).
The Vanderbilt is a knock-out team event. The event typically lasts seven days with each day being a round consisting of two sessions of 32 boards. The event is open and seeded.
History
The history of the prestigious contest began in 1928 when the inventor of modern
contract bridge
Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions ...
, Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, put the trophy bearing his name into play. The winners list is a who's who of bridge – including Vanderbilt himself, a winner in 1932 and 1940.
Winners receive replicas of the trophy, a practice initiated by Vanderbilt from the first running, and perpetuated under the terms of his will by a $100,000 trust fund that the ACBL administers. ACBL Headquarters in Horn Lake, Mississippi, displays replicas donated by the families of Caroline Taylor, who won the Vanderbilt in 1928, and
Helen Sobel Smith
Helen Elizabeth Sobel Smith (''née'' Martin; May 22, 1909 – September 11, 1969) was an American bridge player. She is said to have been the "greatest woman bridge player of all time" and "may well have been the most brilliant card player of ...
, a Vanderbilt winner in 1944 and 1945 as Helen Sobel.
The Vanderbilt was contested annually in New York, as a separate championship, until it became part of the ACBL spring North American Bridge Championships in 1958.
Winners
Four Vanderbilt Trophy champions have successfully defended the title without change in personnel (intact), on five occasions: 1938, 1945, 1956–57, and 1976. The triple winners from 1955 to 1957 were B. Jay Becker,
George Rapée
George Nicholas Rapée (May 22, 1915 – April 1, 1999) was an American bridge player. From 1942 to 1980 he was the most successful player in the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) in its three most important tournaments, the Vanderbilt, Spin ...
,
Howard Schenken
Howard Schenken (September 28, 1903 – February 20, 1979) was an American bridge player, writer, and long-time syndicated bridge columnist. He was from New York City. He won three Bermuda Bowl titles, and set several North American records. Most ...
,
Sidney Silodor
Sidney Silodor (November 13, 1906 – August 4, 1963) was an American bridge player. Silodor was a World Champion, winning the Bermuda Bowl in 1950. Silodor is currently 6th on the all-time list of North American Bridge Championships wins with 34. ...