Alvin Roth
Encyclopedia
Alvin L. Roth (November 6, 1914 – April 18, 2007) was an American
bridge
player, considered one of the greatest of all time. He wrote several books on the game, and invented various bridge convention
s that have become commonplace, including five-card majors
, negative double
s, forcing notrump
, and the unusual notrump
.
. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School
and studied mathematics at City College of New York
, where he discovered bridge. Roth then took a job as a government statistician
in Washington, D.C.
He served in the United States Army
in World War II
(where he met future bridge partner Tobias Stone), then returned to New York City
.
He played for the United States in the three Bermuda Bowl
world team championships, in 1955, 1958 and 1967, winning the silver medal each time. He also came second in the 1968 World Team Olympiad
.
Roth was a Grand Life Master of the American Contract Bridge League
, and a World Life Master of the World Bridge Federation
.
After attending a bridge tournament in Miami Beach
, Roth moved there and ran a bridge club for five years. He then founded the Charles Goren
School of Bridge in Washington, D.C. and ran it for ten years. Roth then purchased the Mayfair Club
in New York, which he managed until retiring to Florida in 1995.
Roth married twice. He was first married to Fay Edelstein in 1940. They had a son, but were divorced in 1963, and she died in 1995. He married his second wife, Jean Farrell, in 1980.
Roth died of natural causes
in Boca Raton
, Florida
.
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, considered one of the greatest of all time. He wrote several books on the game, and invented various bridge convention
Bridge convention
A bridge convention is a system of calls made during the auction phase of a contract bridge game which conveys a coded meaning about the players' card holdings...
s that have become commonplace, including five-card majors
Five-card majors
Five-card majors is a contract bridge bidding treatment which is very powerful and standard in modern bidding systems, including Standard American, Bridge Base Basic, and 2-over-1 game forcing...
, negative double
Negative double
The negative double is a form of take-out double in bridge. It is made by the responder after his right-hand opponent overcalls on the first round of bidding, and is used to show both support for the unbid suits as well as some values. It is treated as forcing, but not unconditionally so...
s, forcing notrump
Forcing notrump
The forcing notrump is a bidding convention in the card game of bridge.In standard bidding, the response of 1NT to an opening bid of 1 or 1 shows 6 to 9 high card points and is non-forcing...
, and the unusual notrump
Unusual notrump
In the card game of bridge, the unusual notrump is a conventional bid showing two lower unbid suits.When the right-hand opponent opens 1 or 1, the immediate overcall of 2 NT shows at least 5-5 in the minor suits and, presumably, a weakish hand...
.
Biography
Roth was born in The BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
and studied mathematics at City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
, where he discovered bridge. Roth then took a job as a government statistician
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(where he met future bridge partner Tobias Stone), then returned to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
He played for the United States in the three 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 championships, in 1955, 1958 and 1967, winning the silver medal each time. He also came second in the 1968 World Team Olympiad
World Team Olympiad
The World Team Olympiad was a contract bridge meet organized by the World Bridge Federation every four years from 1960 to 2004. Its main events were world championships for national teams, always including one open and one restricted to women...
.
Roth was a Grand Life Master of 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...
, and a World Life Master of the 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...
.
After attending a bridge tournament in Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, Roth moved there and ran a bridge club for five years. He then founded the Charles Goren
Charles Goren
Charles Henry Goren was a world champion American bridge player and bestselling author who contributed significantly to the development and popularization of the game following upon the heels of Ely Culbertson in the 1940s and rising to prominence in the 1950s to the early 1960s.-Early years:Goren...
School of Bridge in Washington, D.C. and ran it for ten years. Roth then purchased the Mayfair Club
Mayfair Club
The Mayfair Club was a cardroom in New York. Originally starting as a bridge and backgammon club, it eventually became "the most touted card club in New York" until its abrupt closing by authorities in 2000." Unlike the other gamehalls in the city, The Mayfair Club kept a low profile in a basement...
in New York, which he managed until retiring to Florida in 1995.
Roth married twice. He was first married to Fay Edelstein in 1940. They had a son, but were divorced in 1963, and she died in 1995. He married his second wife, Jean Farrell, in 1980.
Roth died of natural causes
Death by natural causes
A death by natural causes, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza or a heart attack ...
in Boca Raton
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Wins
- 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...
(30)- VanderbiltVanderbilt TrophyThe trophy is awarded for the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams national bridge championship held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(3) 1943, 1963, 1968 - SpingoldSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(6) 1940, 1956, 1957, 1963, 1966, 1967 - ChicagoReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(now Reisinger) (3) 1946, 1952, 1961 - ReisingerReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(1) 1967 - 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 ....
(4) 1955, 1961, 1969, 1971 - 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....
(4) 1952, 1953, 1955, 1965 - 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 ....
(3) 1956, 1971, 1972 - Fall National Open PairsFall National Open PairsThe National Open Pairs national bridge championship was held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship . The National Open Pairs was a four-session matchpoint pairs event.-History:...
(1) 1942 - Open PairsSilodor Open PairsThe Silodor Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1960 - Rockwell Mixed PairsRockwell Mixed PairsThe Rockwell Mixed Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1946, 1952 - Hilliard Mixed PairsHilliard Mixed PairsThe Hilliard Mixed Pairs national bridge championship was last held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .-History:...
(1) 1959 - Master IndividualMaster IndividualThe Master Individual national bridge championship was held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .-History:...
(1) 1943
- Vanderbilt
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...
(3) 1955, 1958, 1967 - World Open Team OlympiadWorld Team OlympiadThe World Team Olympiad was a contract bridge meet organized by the World Bridge Federation every four years from 1960 to 2004. Its main events were world championships for national teams, always including one open and one restricted to women...
(1) 1968 - Olympiad Mixed TeamsWorld Mixed Teams ChampionshipThe World Mixed Teams Championship is a bridge competition for teams of mixed pairs. At every table, two teams are always represented by a mixed pair, one man and one woman....
(1) 1972 - 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...
(23)- VanderbiltVanderbilt TrophyThe trophy is awarded for the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams national bridge championship held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1953, 1975 - SpingoldSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(4) 1943, 1945, 1953, 1961 - ChicagoReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(now Reisinger) (2) 1937, 1954 - ReisingerReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(1) 1966 - 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 ....
(4) 1952, 1957, 1973, 1977 - 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....
(5) 1945, 1963, 1966, 1973, 1975 - 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) 1965 - Fall National Open PairsFall National Open PairsThe National Open Pairs national bridge championship was held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship . The National Open Pairs was a four-session matchpoint pairs event.-History:...
(1) 1958 - Open PairsSilodor Open PairsThe Silodor Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1958, 1966 - Master IndividualMaster IndividualThe Master Individual national bridge championship was held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .-History:...
(1) 1955
- Vanderbilt
- United States Bridge Championships (1)
- Open Pair Trials (1) 1967
Selected bibliography
- Al Roth on Bridge: The Roth-Stone System (1953)
- Picture Bidding (1991)
- Bridge Is a Partnership Game (1958) - co-author
- Modern Bridge Bidding Complete (1968) - co-author
- Bridge for Beginners (1970) - co-author