Jeff Meckstroth
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey John Meckstroth (born May 15, 1956 in Springfield
, Ohio
) is a multiple world champion in contract bridge
, winning the Bermuda Bowl
representing the U.S.
five times. He is one of only ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge
: the Bermuda Bowl
, the World Open Pairs
and the World Team Olympiad
. As of April 2011 he ranks number 5 among Open World Grand Masters.
For decades Meckstroth has been in a regular partnership with Eric Rodwell
and together, nicknamed "Meckwell", they are one of the most successful bridge partnerships of all time. They are well known for playing an aggressive and very detailed system that derived from Precision Club
.
One of Meckstroth's iconic achievements was winning three of the four available major events contested at the ACBL's 2008 fall championships, the Open Board-A-Match Teams, Blue Ribbon Pairs, and Reisinger Teams. Despite the magnitude of this accomplishment, it was overshadowed by his regular partner, Eric Rodwell, who won the three events with Meckstroth, and finished second in the one event they did not play in together, while Meckstroth finished 17th.
He became ACBL's all time leading masterpoint holder when he went past Paul Soloway
's long held record during the Indianapolis
Winter Regional in March 2010.
He is a full time bridge professional and currently lives in Tampa
, Florida
.
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
) is a multiple world champion in contract 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...
, winning the 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...
representing the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
five times. He is one of only ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge
Triple crown of bridge
As of 2008, only ten players have collected The Triple Crown of Contract Bridge, that is won all of the three most important tournaments in bridge, the Bermuda Bowl, the World Team Olympiad and the World Open Pairs Championship...
: the 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...
, the World Open Pairs
World Open Pairs Championship
The World Open Pairs Championship is one of the competitions held as part of the World Bridge Series Championships. This Pairs competition was initiated in 1962 and is held every four years. It is open to pairs from all over the world, without any quota restrictions being applied. In its present...
and the 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...
. As of April 2011 he ranks number 5 among Open World Grand Masters.
For decades Meckstroth has been in a regular partnership with Eric Rodwell
Eric Rodwell
Eric Victor Rodwell is an American professional bridge player. He has won the Bermuda Bowl representing the U.S. five times and is one of ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge: the Bermuda Bowl, the World Open Pairs and the World Team Olympiad...
and together, nicknamed "Meckwell", they are one of the most successful bridge partnerships of all time. They are well known for playing an aggressive and very detailed system that derived from Precision Club
Precision club
Precision Club is a bidding system in the game of contract bridge. It is a type of strong club system that was invented by C. C. Wei and used to good effect by Taiwan teams in the early 1970s...
.
One of Meckstroth's iconic achievements was winning three of the four available major events contested at the ACBL's 2008 fall championships, the Open Board-A-Match Teams, Blue Ribbon Pairs, and Reisinger Teams. Despite the magnitude of this accomplishment, it was overshadowed by his regular partner, Eric Rodwell, who won the three events with Meckstroth, and finished second in the one event they did not play in together, while Meckstroth finished 17th.
He became ACBL's all time leading masterpoint holder when he went past Paul Soloway
Paul Soloway
Paul Soloway was a world champion American bridge player. He won the Bermuda Bowl world team championship five times and won 30 national championships. Soloway was inducted into the American Contract Bridge League's Hall of Fame in 2002...
's long held record during the Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
Winter Regional in March 2010.
He is a full time bridge professional and currently lives in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, 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...
.
Awards
- ACBL Player of the Decade 1990s, 2000s
- ACBL Player of the Year 1992, 2004
- Barry Crane Top 500 1993, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008
- Mott-Smith TrophyMott-Smith TrophyThe Mott-Smith Trophy is awarded to the player who wins the most masterpoints at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .-History:...
1979, 1980, 1985, 2000, 2009 - Fishbein TrophyFishbein TrophyThe Fishbein Trophy is awarded to the player who wins the most number of masterpoints at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .-History:...
1996, 2004, 2007 - Herman Trophy 1980, 1982, 1995, 2004
- ACBL King of Bridge 1974
- Le Bridgeur Award (Best Played Hand of the Year) 1998
- IBPA Award (Best Played Hand of the Year) 1999
Wins
- 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...
(5) 1981, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2009 - 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) 1988 - World Open PairsWorld Open Pairs ChampionshipThe World Open Pairs Championship is one of the competitions held as part of the World Bridge Series Championships. This Pairs competition was initiated in 1962 and is held every four years. It is open to pairs from all over the world, without any quota restrictions being applied. In its present...
(1) 1986 - World Mixed PairsWorld Mixed Pairs ChampionshipThe World Mixed Pairs Championship is a bridge championship for mixed-gender pairs held every four years as part of the World Bridge Championships.-Results:World meets commonly run for 15 days on a schedule whose details vary....
(1) 2002 - 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...
(48)- 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 ....
(5) 1980, 1982, 1985, 2000, 2003 - SpingoldSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(12) 1984, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007 - 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:...
(8) 1979, 1985, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2004, 2005, 2008 - Grand National TeamsGrand National TeamsThe Grand National Teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(8) 1990, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008 - Open 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 ....
(1) 2008 - 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 ....
(1) 1984 - Jacoby Open Swiss TeamsJacoby Open Swiss TeamsThe Jacoby Open Swiss Teams national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(5) 1994, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009 - North American Men's Swiss TeamsJacoby Open Swiss TeamsThe Jacoby Open Swiss Teams national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1989 - Blue Ribbon PairsBlue Ribbon PairsThe Edgar Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1982, 2008 - Life Master Men's PairsNail Life Master Open PairsThe Nail Life Master Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1979 - Open PairsSilodor Open PairsThe Silodor Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1979 - Open Pairs IIWernher Open PairsThe Wernher Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Wernher Open Pairs is a four session MP pairs event, two qualifying sessions and two final sessions....
(2) 1992, 1999 - Mixed PairsRockwell Mixed PairsThe Rockwell Mixed Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1980
- Vanderbilt
- United States Bridge Championships (10)
- Open Team Trials (10) 1980, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008
- European Open Bridge Championships (1)
- Open Pairs (1) 2003
- Other notable wins:
- Buffett CupBuffett CupThe Buffett Cup is a bridge trophy which is awarded biennially in an event between teams from Europe and the United States.The tournament is modeled on the Ryder Cup golf competition and is held in the week preceding the golf event at a nearby location. The competition was first held in 2006 and is...
(1) 2010 - Cavendish Invitational Teams (2) 2000, 2003
- Macallan Invitational Pairs (2) 1995, 1996
- Buffett Cup
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...
(2) 1997, 2005 - 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) 1992 - Rosenblum CupRosenblum CupRosenblum Cup is Open Teams event held every four years as part of the World Bridge Championships. The event was added to the world championships in New Orleans in 1978 to commemorate Julius Rosenblum, who served as president of the World Bridge Federation until 1976...
(1) 2010 - 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...
(18)- 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 ....
(4) 1979, 1991, 1996, 2002 - SpingoldSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1985, 1990 - 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) 1980 - Grand National TeamsGrand National TeamsThe Grand National Teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(3) 1994, 2003, 2005 - Open 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 ....
(2) 1998, 1999 - Jacoby Open Swiss TeamsJacoby Open Swiss TeamsThe Jacoby Open Swiss Teams national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 2005 - 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....
(2) 1983, 1992 - 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) 1983 - Life Master Open PairsNail Life Master Open PairsThe Nail Life Master Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1992 - Life Master Men's PairsNail Life Master Open PairsThe Nail Life Master Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1985
- Vanderbilt
- United States Bridge Championships (4)
- Open Team Trials (4) 1982, 1984, 1985, 1997
- Other notable 2nd places:
- Cavendish Invitational Teams (1) 1997
- Cap Volmac World Top Invitational Pairs (1) 1994
- Sunday Times–Macallan Invitational Pairs (1) 1993
- Cavendish Invitational Pairs (1) 1984