Richard Lederer (bridge player): Difference between revisions
+ his pre-bridge career |
+ stuff from Reese |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} |
||
'''Richard Lederer''' (1894-1941) was a [[contract Bridge|bridge]] player, writer and club owner, born in [[Bohemia]] when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire,<ref name=Ramsey/> who settled in London. He was described by the ''[[Official Encyclopedia of Bridge]]'' as "the first great figure in British bridge".<ref name=OEB>{{OEB|5|675}}</ref> He was a "physically imposing man with personality to match".<ref name=Tel/> He was a member of the teams that won the [[Gold Cup (bridge)|Gold Cup]] in 1933, 1934 and 1939, and represented Britain in the 1934 [[Ely Culbertson#Challenge matches|Schwab Cup]] challenge match against [[Ely Culbertson]]'s American team.<ref name=OEB/> Before he tired towards the end of the match, he is said to have run rings round Culbertson.<ref name=Tel>{{cite news |title=Bridge – Safer in slam |author=Tom Townsend |author-link=Tom Townsend |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |page=24 |date=6 March 2024}}</ref> According to Guy Ramsey: "he was perhaps the most difficult opponent of all time. You could |
'''Richard Lederer''' (1894-1941) was a [[contract Bridge|bridge]] player, writer and club owner, born in [[Bohemia]] when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire,<ref name=Ramsey/> who settled in London. He was described by the ''[[Official Encyclopedia of Bridge]]'' as "the first great figure in British bridge".<ref name=OEB>{{OEB|5|675}}</ref> He was a "physically imposing man with personality to match".<ref name=Tel/> He was a member of the teams that won the [[Gold Cup (bridge)|Gold Cup]] in 1933, 1934 and 1939, and he represented Britain in the 1934 [[Ely Culbertson#Challenge matches|Schwab Cup]] challenge match against [[Ely Culbertson]]'s American team.<ref name=OEB/> Before he tired towards the end of the match, he is said to have run rings round Culbertson.<ref name=Tel>{{cite news |title=Bridge – Safer in slam |author=Tom Townsend |author-link=Tom Townsend |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |page=24 |date=6 March 2024}}</ref> According to Guy Ramsey: "he was perhaps the most difficult opponent of all time. You could |
||
never be certain whether he was going down four or making an over-trick."<ref name=Ramsey/> |
never be certain whether he was going down four or making an over-trick."<ref name=Ramsey/> |
||
During [[World War 1]], his knowledge of German meant that in 1916-17 he was employed by the British army at a listening post only 200 metres away from the enemy lines, eavesdropping on their telephone conversations. After the war he became a jewel merchant in [[Hatton Garden]]. In the mid-1920s, he fractured his hip, which kept him away from work for a year, after which his growing fascination with bridge meant that he turned to it as his way of making his living.<ref name=Ramsey/> |
During [[World War 1]], his knowledge of German meant that in 1916-17 he was employed by the British army at a listening post only 200 metres away from the enemy lines, eavesdropping on their telephone conversations. After the war he became a jewel merchant in [[Hatton Garden]]. In the mid-1920s, he fractured his hip, which kept him away from work for a year, after which his growing fascination with bridge meant that he turned to it as his sale way of making his living.<ref name=Ramsey/> |
||
Initially only playing rubber bridge, in 1932 he watched part of the final of the 1932 Gold Cup. Very unimpressed by what he saw, he decided he could put together a team of rubber bridge players capable of beating the best duplicate bridge specialists, and duly did so the following year.<ref name=Ramsey>Guy Ramsey (1955), ''Aces All'', Museum Press Limited, London, pp. 77-85</ref> |
Initially only playing rubber bridge, in 1932 he watched part of the final of the 1932 Gold Cup. Very unimpressed by what he saw, he decided he could put together a team of rubber bridge players capable of beating the best duplicate bridge specialists, and duly did so the following year.<ref name=Ramsey>Guy Ramsey (1955), ''Aces All'', Museum Press Limited, London, pp. 77-85</ref> |
||
| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
|title=Tournament Bridge in England 1924-1945, Appendix A |author=Richard Fleet |date=2016}}</ref> He made three appearances in the [[Camrose Trophy]] for England in 1937-9, two matches being won and one lost. He won the Tollemache Cup in 1934 and the National Pairs the following year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ebu.co.uk/biographies/richard-lederer |title=Biographies: Richard Lederer}}</ref> |
|title=Tournament Bridge in England 1924-1945, Appendix A |author=Richard Fleet |date=2016}}</ref> He made three appearances in the [[Camrose Trophy]] for England in 1937-9, two matches being won and one lost. He won the Tollemache Cup in 1934 and the National Pairs the following year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ebu.co.uk/biographies/richard-lederer |title=Biographies: Richard Lederer}}</ref> |
||
A number of top players, including [[Maurice Harrison-Gray]], [[Terence Reese]], [[Kenneth Konstam]] and [[Adam Meredith]], honed their game at his eponymous club Lederer's in the late 1930s.<ref name=OEB/> He also |
A number of top players, including [[Maurice Harrison-Gray]], [[Terence Reese]], [[Kenneth Konstam]] and [[Adam Meredith]], honed their game at his eponymous club Lederer's in the late 1930s.<ref name=OEB/> Reese wrote of him: "I played part of my first season with Dick Lederer himself. He was a fine, instinctive, but also very experienced, player, and I learned a lot from him." In 1939, the club had to move to smaller premises and was renamed the Tyburn, Reese observing that "Dick was a big man in every way, but business-like he was not."<ref>Terence Reese (1977), ''Bridge at the Top'', Faber and Faber, London, p. 4, ISBN 0571111238</ref> |
||
He became the first Honorary Secretary of the [[English Bridge Union]].<ref name=Tel/> He was bridge editor of the ''[[Sunday Referee]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lederertrophy.com/about/ |title=History of the Lederer}}</ref> |
|||
After Richard's death, his widow Peggy took over the running of his club.<ref name=Ramsey/> His son, Tony Lederer, was also a successful player, who in 1945 instituted the Richard Lederer Memorial Trophy in his father's memory.<ref name=OEB/><ref name=Tel/> |
After Richard's death, his widow Peggy took over the running of his club.<ref name=Ramsey/> His son, Tony Lederer, was also a successful player, who in 1945 instituted the Richard Lederer Memorial Trophy in his father's memory.<ref name=OEB/><ref name=Tel/> |
||
He developed his own bidding system, the Lederer Two Clubs, and promoted it in the book ''Lederer Bids Two Clubs'', published by Williams and Norgate (London) in 1934.<ref name=OEB/><ref name=Tel/> He also wrote |
He developed his own bidding system, the Lederer Two Clubs, and promoted it in the book ''Lederer Bids Two Clubs'', published by Williams and Norgate (London) in 1934.<ref name=OEB/><ref name=Tel/> He also wrote ''Modern Contract and Duplicate'', published by Williams and Norgate in 1936. However, according to Richard Fleet, [[Jack Marx (bridge)|Jack Marx]] told him that both books were actually written by [[S.J. Simon]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ebu.co.uk/documents/magazine/tournament-bridge-history-1925.pdf |
||
|title=Tournament Bridge in England 1924-1945 |author=Richard Fleet |page=65 |date=2016}}</ref> |
|title=Tournament Bridge in England 1924-1945 |author=Richard Fleet |page=65 |date=2016}}</ref> |
||
Revision as of 19:47, 11 March 2024
Richard Lederer (1894-1941) was a bridge player, writer and club owner, born in Bohemia when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire,[1] who settled in London. He was described by the Official Encyclopedia of Bridge as "the first great figure in British bridge".[2] He was a "physically imposing man with personality to match".[3] He was a member of the teams that won the Gold Cup in 1933, 1934 and 1939, and he represented Britain in the 1934 Schwab Cup challenge match against Ely Culbertson's American team.[2] Before he tired towards the end of the match, he is said to have run rings round Culbertson.[3] According to Guy Ramsey: "he was perhaps the most difficult opponent of all time. You could never be certain whether he was going down four or making an over-trick."[1]
During World War 1, his knowledge of German meant that in 1916-17 he was employed by the British army at a listening post only 200 metres away from the enemy lines, eavesdropping on their telephone conversations. After the war he became a jewel merchant in Hatton Garden. In the mid-1920s, he fractured his hip, which kept him away from work for a year, after which his growing fascination with bridge meant that he turned to it as his sale way of making his living.[1]
Initially only playing rubber bridge, in 1932 he watched part of the final of the 1932 Gold Cup. Very unimpressed by what he saw, he decided he could put together a team of rubber bridge players capable of beating the best duplicate bridge specialists, and duly did so the following year.[1]
He was selected for the Great Britain teams that competed in the European Bridge Championships of 1933 and 1935.[4] He made three appearances in the Camrose Trophy for England in 1937-9, two matches being won and one lost. He won the Tollemache Cup in 1934 and the National Pairs the following year.[5]
A number of top players, including Maurice Harrison-Gray, Terence Reese, Kenneth Konstam and Adam Meredith, honed their game at his eponymous club Lederer's in the late 1930s.[2] Reese wrote of him: "I played part of my first season with Dick Lederer himself. He was a fine, instinctive, but also very experienced, player, and I learned a lot from him." In 1939, the club had to move to smaller premises and was renamed the Tyburn, Reese observing that "Dick was a big man in every way, but business-like he was not."[6]
He became the first Honorary Secretary of the English Bridge Union.[3] He was bridge editor of the Sunday Referee.[7]
After Richard's death, his widow Peggy took over the running of his club.[1] His son, Tony Lederer, was also a successful player, who in 1945 instituted the Richard Lederer Memorial Trophy in his father's memory.[2][3]
He developed his own bidding system, the Lederer Two Clubs, and promoted it in the book Lederer Bids Two Clubs, published by Williams and Norgate (London) in 1934.[2][3] He also wrote Modern Contract and Duplicate, published by Williams and Norgate in 1936. However, according to Richard Fleet, Jack Marx told him that both books were actually written by S.J. Simon.[8]
 | This bridge-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
  | This biographical article relating to sports in England is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- ^ a b c d e Guy Ramsey (1955), Aces All, Museum Press Limited, London, pp. 77-85
- ^ a b c d e Francis, Henry G.; Truscott, Alan F.; Francis, Dorthy A., eds. (1994). The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (5th ed.). Memphis, TN: American Contract Bridge League. p. 675. ISBN 0-943855-48-9. LCCN 96188639.
- ^ a b c d e Tom Townsend (6 March 2024). "Bridge – Safer in slam". The Daily Telegraph. p. 24.
- ^ Richard Fleet (2016). "Tournament Bridge in England 1924-1945, Appendix A" (PDF).
- ^ "Biographies: Richard Lederer".
- ^ Terence Reese (1977), Bridge at the Top, Faber and Faber, London, p. 4, ISBN 0571111238
- ^ "History of the Lederer".
- ^ Richard Fleet (2016). "Tournament Bridge in England 1924-1945" (PDF). p. 65.