William Eisenberg (born September 5, 1937The 1st World Mind Sports Games
. ''info.2008wmsg.chinaqiyuan.com'') is an American

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

and

backgammon Backgammon is a two-player board game played with counters and dice on tables boards. It is the most widespread Western member of the large family of tables games, whose ancestors date back at least 1,600 years. The earliest record of backgammo ...

professional. In bridge, Eisenberg has won five

Bermuda Bowl The Bermuda Bowl is a biennial contract bridge world championship for national . It is contested every odd-numbered year under the auspices of the World Bridge Federation (WBF), alongside the Venice Cup (women), the d'Orsi Senior Bowl and the Wu ...

world team titles and he won the backgammon world title in 1975. Eisenberg is

World Bridge Federation The World Bridge Federation (WBF) is the international governing body of contract bridge. The WBF is responsible for world championship competitions, most of which are conducted at a few multi-event meets on a four-year cycle. The most prestigio ...

(WBF) and

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 sustain the ...

(ACBL) Grand Life Master. He lived in

Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...

, as of 1994 and 1998. Eisenberg was from New York City in 1968, when the Dallas businessman Ira Corn hired him as an original member of the first full-time professional bridge team, the

Dallas Aces The Dallas Aces (initially the U.S. Aces, later simply the Aces) were the world's first professional bridge team, organized in 1968 by Dallas businessman Ira Corn. Corn was determined to return bridge supremacy to America after the domination of t ...

. He left the team and moved from Texas to California in 1971. Billy Eisenberg

Bridge accomplishments

Honors

ACBL Hall of Fame This list is a compilation of contract bridge players, writers, administrators and personalities who have been recognized for their skills, achievements or contributions to the game as identified by various specific sources. People recognized by ...

, 1998"Induction by Year"
. ''Hall of Fame''. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-12-16.

Wins

(5) 1970, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1979 *

North American Bridge Championships North American Bridge Championships (NABC) are three annual contract bridge, bridge tournaments sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL). The "Spring", "Summer", and "Fall" NABCs are usually scheduled in March, July, and November fo ...

(14) ** Vanderbilt (2) 1971, 1978 **

Spingold The Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). The Spingold is a knock-out team event that attracts the top contract bridge players in the world. T ...

(2) 1969, 1973 **

Reisinger The Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). The Reisinger is a board-a-match event. History The event is contested for the Reisinger Trophy ( ...

(2) 1970, 1976 **

Grand National Teams The Grand National Teams (GNT) North American bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). The Grand National Teams is a team knockout event. The event is broken into ...

(2) 1974, 1976 ** Men's Board-a-Match Teams (1) 1968 ** North American Swiss Teams (1) 2001 **

Senior Knockout Teams The Baze Senior Knockout Teams national bridge championship was held at the fall 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 ...

(3) 1995, 1996, 1999 ** Life Master Pairs (1) 1968 * United States Bridge Championships (7) ** Open Team Trials (5) 1969, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979 (Jan) ** Senior Team Trials (2) 2005, 2008 * Other notable wins: ** Cap Gemini Pandata World Top Invitational Pairs (1) 1991 ** Maccabiah Games (1) 1981

Runners-up

(1) 1975 * World Senior Teams (1) 1994 *

(15) ** Vanderbilt (6) 1966, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1983, 1989 **

(2) 1970, 1999 **

(3) 1968, 1981, 1983 ** Men's Board-a-Match Teams (1) 1969 **

Jacoby Open Swiss Teams The Jacoby Open Swiss Teams national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). The Jacoby Open Swiss Teams is a four session Swiss Teams event with two qualifying a ...

(1) 1993 **

(1) 2001 ** Men's Pairs (1) 1981 * United States Bridge Championships (3) ** Open Team Trials (1) 1973 ** Open Pair Trials (1) 1968 ** Senior Team Trials (1) 2001 * Other notable 2nd places: ** Cavendish Invitational Teams (1) 1985 ** Cavendish Invitational Pairs (1) 1976

Bibliography

* Kent Goulding, ''Backgammon with the Champions'' (Kensington, MD: KG Publications), volume 1, 198

volume 2, 198

Each volume covers Eisenberg in at least one match. "Series of annotated matches between good players. ... Commentary by Goulding, often in collaboration with

Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey (born Christopher Robin Woolsey in 1943) is an American bridge and backgammon player. He was inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 2005. Personal life Woolsey was born in Washington, DC. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1964 an ...

." In particular, volume 1, number 1 was originally published as a booklet: "Paul Magriel vs. Billy Eisenberg: American Open Backgammon Championship, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 1979. Round 4, 15-point match (iv+42 pages).

References

External links

* – with video interviews * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eisenberg, Billy 1937 births American contract bridge players Bermuda Bowl players American backgammon players Game players from New York City People from Boca Raton, Florida Living people