The Whitehead Women's Pairs bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC).

The Whitehead Women's Pairs is a four-session matchpoint (MP) pairs event with two qualifying and two final sessions. The event typically starts on the second Thursday of the NABC and is restricted to female players.

History

The Whitehead Women's Pairs is an event for partnerships consisting of two female players. There are two qualifying sessions, followed by two final sessions. The contest was held annually at the Summer North American Bridge Championship until 1962. That was changed the following year and subsequently contested at the Spring North American Bridge Championship.

At stake is the Whitehead Trophy, donated in 1930 by Wilbur Whitehead of New York, a great bridge authority and a member of the team that won the Vanderbilt Cup in 1928, the first year it was in play. Whitehead (1866–1931) was president of the Simplex Automobile Company, but bridge held such a fascination for him that he retired from business in 1910 to devote his life to bridge. He was the inventor of many bidding and play conventions, the quick-trick table of card values, the Whitehead system of requirements for original bids and responses and the Whitehead table of preferential leads. Whitehead was instrumental in standardizing procedures in auction bridge and later in contract bridge.

Winners

No Women's Pairs champion has defended its title in more than 50 years, but four early winners did so on seven occasions: 1939, 1942–43, 1948, 1956–58. The four-time winners from 1955 to 1958 were Kay Rhodes and Margaret Wagar.

+ Whitehead Women's Pairs, 1930 to present Year Winners Runners-up 1930  Olive Peterson, Maud Zontlein Josephine Culbertson, Elinor Murdoch 1931 Vivi Hanson, Elinor Murdoch Mary Clement, Olga Hilliard 1932 Mrs. Jay S. Jones, Olive Peterson Florence Fitch, Maud S. Zontlein 1933 Doris Fuller, Mrs. Courtand Smith Marie Black, Mary Clement 1934 Helen Bonwit, Helen White Ruth Sherman, Mrs. Thomas Stern 1935 Bertine Teichman, Mable Ulbrich Doris Fuller, Olive Peterson 1936 Mrs. Jay S. Jones, Sally Young Mable Ervin, Doris Fuller 1937 Mable Ervin, Doris Fuller Martha Lemon, Mrs. Martin R. West 1938 Helen Sobel, Sally Young Phyllis Gardner, Dorothy Roberts 1939 Helen Sobel, Sally Young Doris Fuller, Millicent Tansill 1940 Edith Atkinson, Mrs. John Waidlich Estelle Drescher, Gussie Planco 1941 Mae P. Rosen, Edith Seligman Ruth Horn, Gussie Planco 1942 Mae P. Rosen, Edith Seligman Helen Bonwit, Mrs. D. P. Hanson 1943 Mae P. Rosen, Edith Seligman Olga Hilliard, Evelyn Lebhar 1944 Ruth Sherman, Margaret Wagar Paula Bacher, Kay Rhodes 1945 Peggy Golder, Olive Peterson Ruth Sherman, Margaret Wagar 1946 Edith Seligman, Sally Young Anne Burnstein, Mrs. G. Rosenbaum 1947 Gratian Goldstein, Josephine Gutman Ruth Sherman, Helen Sobel 1948 Gratian Goldstein, Josephine Gutman Mildred Cunningham, Mrs. Harry Mason Smith 1949 Kay Rhodes, Ruth Sherman   Mildred Cunningham, Mrs. Harry Mason Smith   1950 Mrs. John Kelly, Dorothy Thompson Reba Buck, Mrs. George P. Ryan 1951 Alwina M. Dunphy, Mrs. Edward Minear Mrs. Frank Fooshe, Mrs. Henry C. Wolfe 1952 Shirley Fairchild, Elaine Lee Mildred Betzler, Mrs. Michael Hoffman 1953   Mrs. Harold P. Swearingen, Barbara Weiner   Gretchen Feldstein, Gratian Goldstein 1954 Margaret Alcorn, Sally Neely Paula Levin, Mrs. Max Ritter 1955 Kay Rhodes, Margaret Wagar Mrs. Carl I. Conklin, Paula Nevins 1956 Kay Rhodes, Margaret Wagar Wynne Ecker, Mrs. P. Halbestadt 1957 Kay Rhodes, Margaret Wagar Edith Kemp, Terry Michaels 1958 Kay Rhodes, Margaret Wagar Mrs. N.L. Cassibry, Ann Smith 1959 Betty Adler, Dorothy Hayden Agnes Gordon, Sylvia Schwartz 1960 Mary Jane Farell, Peggy Solomon Mabel Mahoney, Betty Ann Welch 1961 Agnes Gordon, Betty Haddad Mrs. Seymour Keith, Rita Seamon 1962 Clarice Holt, Mrs. Greeley Warner Kay Carter, Mrs. G.M. Sharum After 1962, the event was moved from the summer NABC to the spring NABC. 1963  Mrs. K. L. Sargent, Mrs. Ray Tobin Garner McDaniel, Terry Michaels 1964 Margaret Alcorn, Lucille Patterson Ruth Ballantyne, Mrs. Lloyd Scott 1965 Nancy Gruver, Sue Sachs Alicia Kempner, Helen Sobel 1966 Virginia Heckel, Edith Kemp Garner McDaniel, Terry Michaels 1967 Garner McDaniel, Terry Michaels Hermine Baron, Marilyn Johnson 1968 Hermine Baron, Rhoda Walsh 2/3. Emma Jean Hawes, Dorothy Hayden 2/3. Gloria Cohen, Belle Kauffman 1969 Gale Clarke, Gloria Noszka Sallie Johnson, Bee Schenken 1970 Robin Klar, Tina Rockaway Jacqui Mitchell, Gail Moss 1971 Amalya Kearse, Jacqui Mitchell Barbara Brier, Betsey Wolff 1972 Kerri Davis, Rhoda Walsh Gail Moss, Judi Solodar 1973 Ann Economidy, Vivian Williamson Mary Anderson, Pamela Eckard 1974 Pat Leary, Jan Stansby Jacqui Mitchell, Gail Moss 1975 Jacqui Mitchell, Gail Moss Hermine Baron, Carol Greenhut 1976 Gail Schaab, Barbara Staton   Emma Jean Hawes, Dorothy Truscott   1977 Jacqui Mitchell, Gail Moss Hermine Baron, Beverly Rosenberg 1978 Babs Charney, Flo Rotman Edith Kemp, Barbara Rappaport 1979 Anne Burnstein, Edith Kemp Ann Roberts, Genne Winter 1980 Mildred Boyce, Barbara Norwood Hermine Baron, Beverly Rosenberg 1981   Emma Jean Hawes, Dorothy Truscott   Roberta Epstein, Rozanne Marel 1982 Hermine Baron, Beverly Rosenberg Nancy Alpaugh, Betsey Wolff 1983 Evelyn Levitt, Jo Morse Lynne Pollenz, Sue Picus 1984 Judy Tucker, Jacqui Mitchell Mildred Breed, Barbara Norwood 1985 Dale Dermer, JoAnne Caplan Nadine Wood, Robin Taylor 1986 Edith Freilich, Nancy Gruver Peggy Sutherlin, Sharon Osberg 1987 Tobi Deutsch, Kay Schulle Carlyn Steiner, Janet Daling 1988 Sally Wheeler, Georgiana Gates Jan Martel, Dorothy Truscott 1989 Nadine Wood, Jeanne Elkner Janice Seamon, Rita Seamon 1990 Tobi Deutsch, June Deutsch Carol Sanders, Betty Ann Kennedy 1991 Leslie Paryzer, Nancy Widman Claire Tornay, Kathie Walvick 1992 Cheri Bjerkan, Janice Seamon Carol Sanders, Betty Ann Kennedy 1993 Carol Sanders, Betty Ann Kennedy Shawn Womack, Jan Cohen 1994 Corinne Kirkham, Ann Kluewer Bernace DeYoung, Ellasue Chaitt 1995 Lila Perlstein, Juanita Chambers Ayako Amano, Miho Sekizawa 1996 Nancy Widman, Leslie Paryzer Susan Wexler, Margie Gwozdzinsky 1997 Susan Wexler, Margie Gwozdzinsky Suzy Burger, Barbara Sion 1998 Judi Radin, Valerie Westheimer Carol Simon, Kitty Munson 1999 Harriet Eaton, Ellen Crawford Mildred Breed, Shawn Quinn 2000 Joan Stein, Eunice Rosen Marilyn Hemenway, Barbara Fellows 2001 Judi Radin, Sylvia Moss Tobi Sokolow, Janice Seamon-Molson 2002 Cheri Bjerkan, Sue Weinstein Kerri Sanborn, Karen McCallum 2003 Joan Eaton, Candace Griffey Connie Goldberg, JoAnn Sprung 2004 Jacqui Mitchell, Amalya Kearse Cynthia Balderson, Carole Miner 2005 Gail Greenberg, Laurie Vogel Helen Abbott, Polly Dunn 2006 Sylvia Moss, Judi Radin Cathy Strauch, Margie Gwozdzinsky 2007 Irina Ladyzhensky, Kamla Chawla Valerie Westheimer, Migry Zur Campanile 2008 Lynne Feldman, Chris Benson Diane Walker, Mickie Kivel 2009 Lisa Berkowitz, Joann Glasson Hjördis Eythorsdottir, Valerie Westheimer 2010 Suzy Burger, Linda Lewis Victoria Gromova, Tatiana Ponomareva 2011 Marjorie Michelin, Diana Schuld Sylvia Moss, Judi Radin 2012 Georgiana Gates, Patricia Norman Linda Lewis, Joann Glasson 2013 Joanne Weingold, Jan Assini Irina Ladyzhensky, Kamla Chawla 2014 Ran Jingrong, Wenfei Wang Kitty Cooper, Lynne Feldman After 2014, the event was moved from the spring NABC to the fall NABC. 2015 Emily Harrell, Benedicte Cronier Linda Lewis, Jean Barry 2016 Shawn Quinn, Nancy Passell Gigi Simpson, Gen Geiger 2017 Katarzyna Dufrat, Justyna Zmuda Nancy Passell, Petra Hamman 2021 Heather Dhondy, Maggie Knottenbelt Linda Perlman, Kristen Onsgard 2022 Pamela Nisbet, Brenda Bryant Karen Lee Barrett, Kathryn Kimmerling 2024 Kristen Onsgard, Nancy Passell Anam Tebha, Christina Parker

See also Smith Life Master Women's Pairs

Sources

List of previous winners, Page 8.

2009 winners, Page 1. 2017 winners, Page 1.

"Search Results: Whitehead Womens Pairs". 1930 to present. ACBL. Visit "NABC Winners". Retrieved 2016-12-18.