David Burnstine
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David Burnstine (May 5 1900 – August 26, 1965) was a leading tournament
contract bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking game, trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two Team game, competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each othe ...
player of the 1930s. He changed his name to David Bruce after he retired from competition in 1939. Burnstine was born in New York City and regularly played at the Contract Bridge Club of New York. He was a member of the Four Horsemen team captained by
P. Hal Sims Philip Hal Sims (November 8, 1886 – February 26, 1949) was an American contract bridge, bridge player. In 1932 he was ranked by Shepard Barclay, bridge commentator of the ''New York Herald Tribune'', the second best player in the US during the pr ...
, which he left to create his own teams, first the Bid-Rite team and later the Four Aces. The Four Aces dominated tournament play in the later half of the 1930s. Burnstine became
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) Life Master #1 at the age of 36. Burnstine moved to Los Angeles in 1939, changed his name to David Bruce, and retired from regular tournament play. He died in 1965 and was inducted into the
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 ...
as David Bruce in 1997. Thus he was the second recipient (after Sims) of the von Zedtwitz Award, a name for Hall of Fame recognition of players long out of the limelight.


Playing record

Burnstine won one unofficial world championship in 1935 as the Four Aces defeated a team from France during a December fortnight in New York City. He "won 26 national titles by 1936, the year the rank of Life Master was established": * Vanderbilt tournament victories came as a member of the Four Horsemen team in 1931 and the Four Aces team in 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938; * three wins in the
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 ...
- 1934, 1936 and 1938; * won the American Whist League (AWL) All-American Open Teams four times: 1932 (Contract); 1931, 1932 and 1933 (
Auction An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...
); * won the United States Bridge Association (USBA) Open Teams in 1934 and 1937, the Open Pairs 1936 * won the American Bridge League (ABL) Challenge Teams in 1931, 1933 and 1937.


Game contributions

* invention of the strong artificial 2 opening, still used by the majority of tournament players; and * creation of intermediate two-bids in the other suits, a prominent feature of the modern-day Acol system.


Publications

;Books * ''The Four Horsemen's One Over One Method of Contract Bidding'' (New York: Blue Ribbon Books, Inc., 1932), 118 pp. * ''The Four Aces System of Contract Bridge'' (New York: Four Aces, 1935), by
Oswald Jacoby Oswald "Ozzie", "Jake" 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 and a key innovator in the game, having helped popularize widely used b ...
, Burnstine, Michael T. Gottlieb, and Howard Schenken (the original Four Aces), 302 pp. * ''Five-suit Bridge'' (Simon & Schuster, 1938), by Burnstine, Jacoby, Merwyn Maier, and Schenken (the Four Aces), 96 pp. ;Pamphlets * ''The Four Horsemen's One Over One summary of contract bidding'' (Blue Ribbon, 1932), 29 pp. * ''Pocket solitaire bridge: play your game'' (New York: Trumpet Products, 1932), compiler and editor, 1 folio * ''Teacher's outline of the 4 Aces system'' (Four Aces, 1935), by Burnstine et al., 28 pp. * ''Pocket outline 4 Aces system of contract bridge'' (NY: Four Aces Bridge Studio, 1935), Burnstine et al., 1 folio ;Lecture * "Transcript of lectures on the four aces system: at the Four Aces Bridge Teacher's Convention, Hotel Pennsylvania, New York City, May 28, 1935" (New York, Four Aces Bridge Studio, 1935), by Burnstine, et al. – 31-page typescript


Bridge accomplishments


Honors

* ACBL Hall of Fame, von Zedtwitz Award 1997"Induction by Year"
. ''Hall of Fame''. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-12-09.

Foundation for the Preservation and Advancement of Bridge (FPABridge.org). 2011. Retrieved 2014-12-09.


Wins

*
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 ...
(17) **
Master Individual The Master Individual 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. It is t ...
(1) 1933 **
von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs The Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). Usually called simply the "Life Master Pairs" or "LM Pairs", this is a six-ses ...
(3) 1931, 1933, 1936 **
Wernher Open Pairs The Wernher Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championships, North American Bridge Championship (NABC). Typically starting on the Tuesday of the NABC, the Wer ...
(1) 1934 ** Vanderbilt (5) 1931, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938 **
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 ...
(3) 1931, 1933, 1937 ** Masters Team of Four (2) 1934, 1936 **
Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match The Mixed Board-a-Match Teams is a bridge competition held at the summer American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). From 2010 the event is officially the Freeman Mixed Board-a-Match Teams, as it is contested ...
(1) 1933 **
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 ...
(1) 1938


Runners-up

*
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 ...
**
Master Individual The Master Individual 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. It is t ...
(2) 1932, 1935 **
von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs The Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). Usually called simply the "Life Master Pairs" or "LM Pairs", this is a six-ses ...
(1) 1932 ** Vanderbilt (1) 1932 **
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 ( ...
(1) 1931


See also

* Bruce LM-5000 Pairs, annual competition for the Bruce Trophy at the ACBL
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 ...
, "Summer" * Four Aces


Notes


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, David 1900 births 1965 deaths American contract bridge players American contract bridge writers Writers from New York City Game players from Los Angeles