Alan Sontag

Alan M. Sontag (born 1946) is a world champion American bridge player and author of bridge books.

Bridge career

Although he is a six-time world champion in contract bridge, winning the prestige Bermuda Bowl twice, Sontag is best known as the author of The Bridge Bum, a book "on everybody's list of the top ten bridge books ever written."^[1] Among his other victories are the Rosenblum Cup, Transnational Open Teams, Senior Bowl, numerous North American Bridge Championships, and twice winning the London Sunday Times and Cavendish Invitational Pairs.^[2]

In 1973, he and Steve Altman became the first American players to win the Sunday Times Pairs, at the time the premier invitational tournament in the world.^[3] Two years later, Sontag returned to London and won the tournament again, this time with Peter Weichsel,^[3] with whom he formed one of the strongest partnerships in the world from the 1970’s until 2005.^[2] The two were partners in 1983 in Stockholm, Sweden, when the United States defeated Italy in one of the most exciting finals in the history of the event.^[3] Sontag returned to the final of the Bermuda Bowl in 2001 in Paris, France to help Rose Meltzer become the first woman ever to win that championship.^[3]

Sontag was inducted into the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) Hall of Fame in 2007.^[4]

Personal

Widely regarded as one of the fastest players in the world,^[3][4] he is known by his nickname Sonty.^[2] Sontag and his wife, Robin, live in Gaithersburg, Maryland with their son Robert.^[2]

Bridge accomplishments

Honors

• ACBL Hall of Fame 2007

Awards

• John E. Simon Award (Sportsman of the Year) 1974

Wins

• Bermuda Bowl (2) 1983, 2001
• Rosenblum Cup (1) 2006
• World Transnational Open Teams (1) 2000
• Senior Bowl (2) 2005, 2007
• North American Bridge Championships (16)
  • Vanderbilt (3) 1972, 1988, 1999
  • Spingold (3) 1980, 1982, 2000
  • Reisinger (1) 1973
  • Grand National Teams (1) 1994
  • Open Board-a-Match Teams (1) 2001
  • Men's Board-a-Match Teams (2) 1971, 1979
  • North American Men's Swiss Teams (2) 1985, 1987
  • Master Mixed Teams (1) 1989
  • Life Master Pairs (1) 1977
  • Life Master Men's Pairs (1) 1971
• United States Bridge Championships (3)
  • Open Team Trials (2) 1982, 1991
  • Senior Team Trials (1) 2004
• Other notable wins:
  • Generali Two Worlds Trophy (1) 1994
  • Lancia Challenge Match (1) 1975
  • Lancia Swiss Teams (1) 1975
  • Reisinger Knockout Teams (2) 1977, 1988
  • Sunday Times Invitational Pairs (2) 1973, 1975
  • Cavendish Invitational Pairs (2) 1976, 1977

Runner-ups

• North American Bridge Championships (17)
  • Vanderbilt (5) 1975, 1981, 1983, 1989, 1997
  • Spingold (5) 1984, 1991, 1996, 1997, 2003
  • Reisinger (3) 1992, 1996, 1998
  • Men's Board-a-Match Teams (1) 1985
  • Jacoby Open Swiss Teams (1) 2000
  • Life Master Pairs (2) 1972, 1984
• United States Bridge Championships (5)
  • Open Team Trials (4) 1972, 1974, 1980, 1999
  • Senior Team Trials (1) 2007
• Other notable 2nd places:
  • Buffett Cup (1) 2008
  • Reisinger Knockout Teams (1) 1978
  • Goldman Pairs (1) 1976

Bibliography

• The Bridge Bum: My Life and Play, Morrow, 1977, ISBN 0-688-03197-8, ISBN 978-0-688-03197-8
• Power Precision: A Revolutionary Bridge System from a World Champion Player, Morrow, 1979 ISBN 0-688-03472-1, ISBN 978-0-688-03472-6
• Championship Bridge: One No Trump Forcing No. 20, Bibliagora, 1982, ISBN 0-906031-31-1, ISBN 978-0-906031-31-5
• Improve Your Bridge - Fast, Hale, 1982 (with Peter Steinberg), ISBN 0-7091-9892-2, ISBN 978-0-7091-9892-5
• The Viking Precision Club: A Relay System for the 21st Century, 2000 (with Glenn Grøtheim)
• The Bridge Bum: My Life and Play, 2nd Edition, Master Point Press, 2003, ISBN 1-894154-57-6, ISBN 978-1-894154-57-4

References

External links

• ACBL Hall of Fame
• Alan Sontag international record at the World Bridge Federation