The Edgar Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs (or simply the Blue Ribbon Pairs) is a national bridge championship held at the fall American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). The event is restricted to those that have won a blue ribbon qualification (usually by placing in the top two of an unrestricted regional event) and is generally considered, with the Norman Kay Platinum Pairs, as one of the two hardest pairs event on the ACBL calendar.

The Blue Ribbon Pairs is a six session MP pairs event, two qualifying sessions, two semi-final sessions and two final sessions that takes place over three days, typically starting on the first Tuesday of the NABC.

Along with the Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs at the summer NABC and the Norman Kay Platinum Pairs at the spring NABC, the events provide one marquee pairs championship at each of the three NABCs. Each is open to all players whose past performances qualify them, without regard to age, gender, nationality, or ACBL membership. In addition, the North American Pairs, contested in the spring, is for ACBL members who have qualified in one of its 25 Districts, some of which require qualification in local Units.

History

The event was introduced in 1963 and ranks with the von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs (Summer NABC) as the most prestigious—and toughest—pair events on the ACBL calendar.

Entry is restricted to winners and runners-up in regional championships—plus high finishers in North American championships, members of current Grand National district championship teams, members of current official teams representing ACBL and the top 100 lifetime masterpoint holders.

The Blue Ribbon Pairs was renamed the Edgar Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs in 1999 to honor one of bridge's all-time great players, writers and administrators. Edgar Kaplan was recognized as the world’s foremost authority on the laws of duplicate and rubber bridge. He became co-chairman of the ACBL Laws Commission in 1978 and was co-chairman of the WBF Laws Commission at the time of his death. He was named ACBL Honorary Member in 1993. In 1995 he was inducted into the ACBL Bridge Hall of Fame and the WBF Hall of Fame.

The event is contested for the Cavendish Trophy, which was donated by the Cavendish Club of New York in 1928 and long awarded for the National Open Pairs. Since 1963, the trophy has been awarded to winners of the Blue Ribbon Pairs.

Winners

No Blue Ribbon Pairs champion has successfully defended their title. Jeff Meckstroth and Eric Rodwell have won three times as a pair; two other pairs have won twice: Steve Robinson–Kit Woolsey and Marty Bergen–Larry N. Cohen. Bob Hamman won four times with four partners over thirty years from 1964 to 1993; Cohen (twice), Rodwell (once) and Woolsey (once) won additional titles with other partners. They and Meckstroth are the only players with three or more wins. Joe Grue has also won 3 times, each time with a different partner.

Kathie and Mike Cappelletti were runners-up in 1973 and 1977. A married couple last won the predecessor Fall National Open Pairs in 1945, Jane and Lewis M. Jaeger (the first married couple who became Life Masters).

Two women, Daniela von Arnim and Sabine Auken were runners-up in 2005—the last time there was one woman in the winning pair, Jenny Ryman and Gavin Wolpert (who later married). Two women won the predecessor Open Pairs in 1948, Helen Sobel and Margaret Wagar—also the last time any pair defended its title.

+ Blue Ribbon Pairs, 1963 to present Year Winners Runners-up -1962 preceded by the Fall National Open Pairs  1963  B. Jay Becker, Dorothy Hayden Harold Harkavy, Cliff Russell 1964 Bob Hamman, Lew Mathe Gunther Polak, Robert G. Sharp 1965 Chuck Henke, John H. Moran Mike Lawrence, Ron Von der Porten 1966 Charles Coon, Richard Zeckhauser Leland Ferer, Gratian Goldstein 1967 Sami Kehela, Baron Wolf Lebovic Phil Feldesman, Lew Mathe 1968 Larry T. Cohen, Richard H. Katz Bobby Goldman, Mike Lawrence 1969 Erik Paulsen, Alex Tschekaloff 2/4: Sami Kehela, Eric Murray 2/4: Tom Hodapp, Robert Morris 2/4: Larry T. Cohen, Richard H. Katz 1970 Chuck Burger, Ira Rubin Richard Freeman, Cliff Russell 1971 Roger Bates, John M. Grantham Hermine Baron, Mike Lawrence 1972 Richard Khautin, Warren Kornfeld Garey Hayden, Mark Lair 1973 Steve Robinson, Kit Woolsey Kathie Cappelletti, Mike Cappelletti 1974 Edgar Kaplan, Norman Kay Roger Bates, George Rosenkranz 1975 Steve Robinson, Kit Woolsey Ron Andersen, Hugh MacLean 1976 Jay Apfelbaum, Bill Edelstein Jim Jacoby, David Berkowitz 1977 Lou Bluhm, Tommy Sanders Kathie Cappelletti, Mike Cappelletti 1978 Ron Andersen, David Berkowitz Ted Horning, Peter Nagy 1979 Bobby Levin, Ron Smith James Bennett, Chet Davis 1980 Warren Rosner, Allan Stauber Dan Morse, Bobby Nail 1981 Larry N. Cohen, Ron Gerard Chip Martel, Lew Stansby 1982 Jeff Meckstroth, Eric Rodwell 2/3: Bob Blanchard, Drew Casen2/3: Peter Boyd, Steve Robinson 1983 Marty Bergen, Larry N. Cohen Peter Weichsel, Mike Lawrence 1984 1/2: Jack Kennedy, Bobby Wolff 1/2: David Funk, Mark Lair 1985 Walter Johnson, Eric Rodwell Ed Manfield, Kit Woolsey 1986 Bob Hamman, Ron Von der Porten Ed Manfield, Kit Woolsey 1987 Fred Stewart, Steve Weinstein Bobby Levin, Kerri Shuman 1988 Marty Bergen, Larry N. Cohen Bobby Levin, Ron Smith 1989 Mark Molson, Robert Lebi Gaylor Kasle, Roger Bates 1990 Ed Manfield, Kit Woolsey Brian Glubok, Sam Lev 1991 Bob Hamman, Nick Nickell Mark Tolliver, Marc Zwerling 1992 Haig Tchamitch, Adam Wildavsky Brad Moss, Ravindra Murthy 1993 Bob Hamman, Michael Rosenberg Martin De Bruin, Steve Price 1994 Mark Lair, Alexander Weiland Fred Stewart, Steve Weinstein 1995 David Berkowitz, Larry N. Cohen Paul Kiefer, Jerry Helms 1996 Bob Blanchard, Jim Krekorian David Berkowitz, Larry N. Cohen 1997 Allan Falk, Adam Wildavsky Tony Forrester, Geir Helgemo 1998 Zia Mahmood, Howard Weinstein Eric Rodwell, Marty Seligman 1999 Jill Meyers, John Mohan Russ Ekeblad, John Sutherlin 2000 Richard Coren, Marc Jacobus Bobby Levin, Steve Weinstein 2001 Salvador Assael, Nafiz Zorlu Pratap Rajadhyaksha, Steve Landen 2002 Bart Bramley, Sidney Lazard Fred Stewart, Kit Woolsey 2003 Geir Helgemo, Michael Seamon Eric Greco, Geoff Hampson 2004 Tarek Sadek, Waleed El Ahmady Bobby Levin, Steve Weinstein 2005 Jenny Ryman, Gavin Wolpert Daniela von Arnim, Sabine Auken 2006 Fulvio Fantoni, Claudio Nunes Drew Casen, Jim Krekorian 2007   Steve Landen, Pratap Rajadhyaksha     Ernesto Muzzio, Alejandro Bianchedi   2008 Jeff Meckstroth, Eric Rodwell Martin de Knijff, Frederic Wrang 2009 Bart Bramley, Björn Fallenius John Hurd, Joel Wooldridge 2010 Jay Borker, Jan Jansma Sjoert Brink, Bas Drijver 2011 Joshua Donn, Roger Lee Billy Cohen, Brad Moss 2012 John Diamond, Brian Platnick Geoff Hampson, Eric Greco 2013 Agustin Madala, Steve Weinstein Bar Tarnovski, Dror Padon 2014 John Hurd, Justin Lall Nikolay Demirev, Eldad Ginossar 2015 Joe Grue, John Hurd Thomas Bessis, Frederic Volcker 2016 Jeff Meckstroth, Eric Rodwell Billy Cohen, Ron Smith 2017 Joe Grue, Eric Greco Sylvia Shi, Matt Granovetter 2018 Joe Grue, Robert Levin Eldad Ginossar, Chris Compton 2019 Roger Lee, Wei Wang Richard Pavlicek, Jim Munday 2021 Cedric Lorenzini, Thomas Bessis Ami Zamir, Oren Toledano2022 Jacek Kalita, Michal KlukowskiJim Munday, Richard Pavlicek2023 Aldo Gerli, Andrea Boldrini Tom Townsend, Ben Handley-Pritchard2024 Simon Cope, Thomas Paske Weizhong Bao, Hailong Ao2025 Jerome Rombaut, Leo Rombaut Iftikhar Baqai, Mitch Dunitz

See also Fall National Open Pairs, predecessor 1928 to 1962 Von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs, or simply Life Master Pairs Norman Kay Platinum Pairs, or Platinum Pairs

Sources

Pre-2008 winners: 2008 winners Qualification rules: The ACBL official website: go to the 'Tournaments' tab, then the 'NABC Winners' tab; select a "Fall" and/or "[Year]" NABC. Look for 'Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs' under the 'Event' column. Retrieved 2015-11-16.

References

External links "Blue Ribbon Pairs – A Look Back" . November 12, 2013. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-06-06.