Word: culbertson
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...authors, Protestant Housewives Judi Culbertson and Patti Bard, define some of the more popular plonks, gambits and counterploys...
Apart from his theatrical successes including two Pulitzer Prizes, Georges' (for the hell of it) Kaufman left an impressive and wildly varied shelf of gold cups. Ely Culbertson called him "the best amateur bridge player in the country," and Actress Mary Astor, in her celebrated diary, described him as the "perfect" lover. "I take no games lightly," said the playwright, and he did not. He played croquet, his literary set's favorite outdoor pastime, with ferocity, assuming a stance that reminded Woollcott of "a morning-glory vine climbing a pole." He was one of the deadliest pot rakers...
...retired at 31 as the millionaire owner of a paper company, devoted much of his life thereafter to playing and experting at bridge; of a heart ailment; in Manhattan. In 1931, after he and Partner Oswald Jacoby were challenged ($10,000 to $1,000) by Upstart Bridge Expert Ely Culbertson and Wife Josephine to a 150-rubber match billed as "The Bridge Battle of the Century," Lenz fell into eclipse when the Culbertsons, promoting their new honor-trick system, talked and slammed their way to an 8,980-point victory...
Closing in on Culbertson, Goren replaced him as the Chicago Tribune syndicate's bridge columnist when Ely moved over to the Sun in 1944. A year later, sprightly Columnist Goren was appearing in more papers than Culbertson. Then, in 1951 Goren published his point-count bidding system in Contract Bridge Complete, and overwhelmed Culbertson with the decisiveness of a trump...
...Precision Bidders. In its terrific sales, Contract Bridge Complete brought the Goren system to expert and beginner alike, placed Charles Goren on the same shaky pedestal from which he had toppled Culbertson. Writer Goren had to maintain his position at the card table, and he did it with the help of Helen Sobel, his partner for 19 years. Goren calls Sobel, fourth-ranking player in total master points (4,198), "the greatest woman bridge player in history" - and few male experts would dispute that opinion...