The title Life Grand Master is the pinnacle of achievement in the world of Contract Bridge. (Think Chess Grandmaster‘s Boris Spassky or Bobby Fischer to understand the celebrity among bridge players that comes with that achievement.)
Here at the Canadiana, we have a genuine contender who is on the cusp of earning that most coveted title.
Stephen Goldstein is a professional bridge player. He hails from Anaheim California and has come to Toronto for the North American Bridge Championshships. (Held at the Royal York and Sheraton Hotels.)
The penultimate goal of a bridge player is to be designated a Platinum Life Master. Life Grand Master designation is the pinnacle. To obtain either ranking, you must have accumulated 10,000 points in tournament play. But most coveted title Life Grand Master also requires a victory in a world class tournament (sanctioned by the National Association of Bridge Championships or the World Bridge Federation).
Stephen has 9,980 points – just 20 points shy – and already has a victory in a major tournament. Toronto just might be the scence of his greatest achievement and the highest level of Contract Bridge.
Stephen will be playing matches until next weekend. We’ll keep you posted as to his results. (We are betting he does it!)
Update: (On Wednesday, July 29th Stephen passed the 10K points mark with a victory in the Toronto tournament. He has now achieved the rank of Life Grand Master. We congratulate him.)
.JPG)