Zia Mahmood
Encyclopedia
Zia Mahmood is a Pakistan
i professional bridge
player. He is a World Bridge Federation
and American Contract Bridge League
Grand Life Master. He has a knack for bringing out the best in his partners and is regarded as one of the greatest players of the game. As of April 2011 he ranks number 10 among Open World Grand Masters.
Zia achieved international bridge fame practically overnight when he led Pakistan to second place in the 1981 Bermuda Bowl
tournament. The Bermuda Bowl is the most important open world championship and that was the first participation by anyone from the current geographic zone "Asia and the Middle East", also tie for the best finish by anyone from outside Europe and the United States. (Brazil having won in 1989, it remains tie for best finish by anyone from outside Europe and the Americas.)
Five years later, Zia led a short-handed team from Pakistan to second place in the Rosenblum Cup
tournament, which is the open world championship in even-number non-Olympic years (1986). That remains tie for best finish by anyone from the outskirts. The event is transnational, but none of the nine winning teams has included a single player from outside Europe and the United States.
Zia Mahmood is the author of Bridge My Way, an autobiography, and has hosted many TV shows. For many years his regular partner was Masood Salim (deceased), followed by Michael Rosenberg
, and now Bob Hamman
—as members of Nick Nickell's professional team through spring 2012.
Beginning 2012/2013,
The current cycle for major professional teams in the United States covers 2011 and 2012 world championships, which are contested in the second half of the calendar year. New commitments begin in July but do not interfere with the world stage of the previous cycle. "Rosenberg-Willenken Joining Fleisher in 2012" by Martin Fleisher (2011-07-13). Bridge Winners. Retrieved 2011-07-15. See the clarification by Fleisher in the comments.
Nickell has replaced Hamman and Zia with Bobby Levin
–Steve Weinstein.
It was reported in November that Zia will play for Marty Fleisher
in partnership with Chip Martel.
Recently Zia has represented the United States in world competition, and thus he won his first major world championship, the 2009 Bermuda Bowl. (He won the quadrennial Mixed Teams in 2004 with Sabine Auken and a French pair.) He still considers himself Pakistani, however: "I am proud and happy to be representing America, but my Pakistani identity is in no way submerged. I feel like a Pakistani who is living in America and playing for America." To prove his point, Zia and his American teammates once played their opening match in Pakistani dress.
Zia was educated in England
from the age of six to twenty-one. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant
of the Institute of England and Wales and spent three years running the family newspaper chain in Pakistan. He also spent eighteen months in Abu Dhabi
developing business interests.
Recently he spends much of his time in Great Britain
and the United States
and is very much part of the London bridge scene. He writes a weekly bridge column for The Guardian
newspaper.
The ACBL Hall of Fame inducted Zia in 2007. According to the citation sometime that year, he was a London resident. He had two sons with Emma, his wife of five years.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i professional 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. He is a 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...
and 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...
Grand Life Master. He has a knack for bringing out the best in his partners and is regarded as one of the greatest players of the game. As of April 2011 he ranks number 10 among Open World Grand Masters.
Zia achieved international bridge fame practically overnight when he led Pakistan to second place in the 1981 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...
tournament. The Bermuda Bowl is the most important open world championship and that was the first participation by anyone from the current geographic zone "Asia and the Middle East", also tie for the best finish by anyone from outside Europe and the United States. (Brazil having won in 1989, it remains tie for best finish by anyone from outside Europe and the Americas.)
Five years later, Zia led a short-handed team from Pakistan to second place in the Rosenblum Cup
Rosenblum Cup
Rosenblum 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...
tournament, which is the open world championship in even-number non-Olympic years (1986). That remains tie for best finish by anyone from the outskirts. The event is transnational, but none of the nine winning teams has included a single player from outside Europe and the United States.
Zia Mahmood is the author of Bridge My Way, an autobiography, and has hosted many TV shows. For many years his regular partner was Masood Salim (deceased), followed by Michael Rosenberg
Michael Rosenberg
Michael Rosenberg is one of the top bridge players in the United States. He moved to Scotland as a child and returned to New York in 1990 where he lives with his wife Debbie, also a top player....
, and now Bob Hamman
Bob Hamman
Robert David Hamman is an American professional bridge player, among the greatest players of all time....
—as members of Nick Nickell's professional team through spring 2012.
Beginning 2012/2013,
The current cycle for major professional teams in the United States covers 2011 and 2012 world championships, which are contested in the second half of the calendar year. New commitments begin in July but do not interfere with the world stage of the previous cycle. "Rosenberg-Willenken Joining Fleisher in 2012" by Martin Fleisher (2011-07-13). Bridge Winners. Retrieved 2011-07-15. See the clarification by Fleisher in the comments.
Nickell has replaced Hamman and Zia with Bobby Levin
Bobby Levin
Robert J. Levin is an American professional bridge player. He is best known as the youngest winner of the world championship for national teams, namely the 1981 Bermuda Bowl, and as five-time winner of the Cavendish Invitational with his regular partner Steve Weinstein...
–Steve Weinstein.
It was reported in November that Zia will play for Marty Fleisher
Martin Fleisher
Martin Fleisher is an American bridge player, employee benefits attorney, manager of investments in life insurance policies and investment advisor....
in partnership with Chip Martel.
Recently Zia has represented the United States in world competition, and thus he won his first major world championship, the 2009 Bermuda Bowl. (He won the quadrennial Mixed Teams in 2004 with Sabine Auken and a French pair.) He still considers himself Pakistani, however: "I am proud and happy to be representing America, but my Pakistani identity is in no way submerged. I feel like a Pakistani who is living in America and playing for America." To prove his point, Zia and his American teammates once played their opening match in Pakistani dress.
Zia was educated in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
from the age of six to twenty-one. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
of the Institute of England and Wales and spent three years running the family newspaper chain in Pakistan. He also spent eighteen months in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
developing business interests.
Recently he spends much of his time in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is very much part of the London bridge scene. He writes a weekly bridge column for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper.
The ACBL Hall of Fame inducted Zia in 2007. According to the citation sometime that year, he was a London resident. He had two sons with Emma, his wife of five years.
Awards
- ACBL Player of the Year 1991, 1996, 2000, 2005
- 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:...
1991, 1996 - Herman Trophy 2005
- IBPA Award (Personality of the Year) 2007
- Le Bridgeur Award (Best Played Hand of the Year) 1984
- Romex Award (Best Bid Hand of the Year) 1983, 1987
- Precision Award (Best Defended Hand of the Year) 1995
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...
(1) 2009 - World Transnational 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) 2004 - 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...
(22)- 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) 1994, 1996 - SpingoldSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1991, 2003 - 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:...
(4) 1987, 1989, 1996, 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 ....
(4) 1991, 1996, 2006, 2008 - 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) 2009 - Mixed Board-a-Match 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....
(1) 1999 - 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 ....
(1) 1998 - 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) 2000, 2004, 2007 - 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 ....
(4) 1990, 1991, 2005, 2007
- Vanderbilt
- United States Bridge Championships (3)
- Open Team Trials (3) 1997, 1999, 2006
- Asia & the Middle East Championships (5)
- Open Teams (5) 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1991
- 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) 2006 - Richard Lederer Memorial Trophy (7) 1978, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006
- Cavendish Invitational Teams (1) 1986
- Staten Bank World Top Invitational Pairs (1) 1988
- Cap Gemini Pandata World Top Invitational Pairs (1) 1992
- Cap Volmac World Top Invitational Pairs (1) 1995
- Cap Gemini World Top Invitational Pairs (2) 1998, 2000
- Cap Gemini Ernst & Young World Top Invitational Pairs (1) 2001
- Politiken World Pairs (1) 1995
- Omar Sharif Individual (1) 1990
- Portland Club Individual (1) 1990
- Gold CupGold Cup (bridge)The Gold Cup is the premier open Britishcontract bridge competition for teams of four. It was first contested in the 1931/32 season, making it one of the oldest contract bridge tournaments anywhere...
(1) 2010
- 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) 1981, 2007 - 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) 1986 - 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) 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...
(20)- 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) 1988, 1990, 1991, 2000 - SpingoldSpingoldThe Spingold national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(2) 1993, 1995 - 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:...
(3) 2002, 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 ....
(1) 2004 - 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) 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 ....
(2) 1992, 2005 - 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 ....
(2) 2000, 2001 - Open PairsSilodor Open PairsThe Silodor Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1991 - Open Pairs ISilodor Open PairsThe Silodor Open Pairs national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(3) 1994, 2006, 2007 - Men's PairsWernher 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....
(1) 1987
- Vanderbilt
- United States Bridge Championships (5)
- Open Team Trials (5) 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005
- Other notable 2nd places:
- 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) 2008 - Forbo-Krommenie International Teams (1) 1997
- Cavendish Invitational Teams (2) 1995, 2006
- Cavendish Invitational Pairs (1) 1998
- Buffett Cup
See also
- "Your Deal, Mr. Bond", a published James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
short story in which the secret agent impersonates Mahmood. - "Adil OmarAdil OmarAdil Omar is a rapper and singer-songwriter from Islamabad, Pakistan. He is one of the few hip-hop artists from Pakistan and musicians from the region to write and perform in English. He has also collaborated with mainstream artists such as Cypress Hill, Xzibit, Everlast, Kool G Rap, DJ Lethal of...
", a rapper/singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and Mahmood's grand-nephew.
External links
- Zia Mahmood citation, ACBL Hall of Fame
- Zia Mahmood player record at the World Bridge FederationWorld Bridge FederationThe 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...