Robert S. (Bobby) Wolff (born October 14, 1932, San Antonio, Texas) is an American bridge player, writer, and administrator. He is the only person to win world championships in five different categories. He is a graduate of Trinity University.
Wolff was an original member of the Dallas Aces team, which was formed in 1968 to compete against the Italian Blue Team which was dominant at the time. The Aces were successful and won their first world championship in 1970. Wolff has won 11 world championships, over 30 North American championships, and was the president of World Bridge Federation (WBF) 1992–1994, and served as president of American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) 1987. He is the author of a tell-all on bridge chronicling 60 years on the scene, entitled The Lone Wolff, published by Master Point Press. His column, The Aces on Bridge has been appearing daily for over 32 years, is syndicated by United Feature Syndicate in more than 130 newspapers worldwide and is available online two weeks in arrears.
Wolff lived in Dallas at the time of his induction into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 1995.
Bridge accomplishments
Honors
ACBL Hall of Fame, 1995
ACBL Honorary Member of the Year, 1995
Awards
Mott-Smith Trophy 1973
Fishbein Trophy 1979
Wins
Bermuda Bowl (7) 1970, 1971, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1995
World Open Team Olympiad (1) 1988
World Open Pairs (1) 1974
Olympiad Mixed Teams (1) 1972
Senior International Cup (1) 2000
North American Bridge Championships (31) Vanderbilt (2) 1971, 1973 Spingold (10) 1969, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 Reisinger (8) 1970, 1978, 1979, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2002 Grand National Teams (3) 1975, 1977, 1986 Men's Board-a-Match Teams (4) 1968, 1972, 1973, 1988 Senior Knockout Teams (3) 2002, 2003, 2005 Blue Ribbon Pairs (1) 1984 United States Bridge Championships (16) Open Team Trials (12) 1969, 1971, 1973, 1977, 1979 (Dec), 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1992, 2003 Senior Team Trials (4) 2000, 2001, 2007, 2009 Other notable wins: Pan American Invitational Open Teams (3) 1974, 1976, 1977
Runners-up
Bermuda Bowl (4) 1973, 1974, 1975, 1997
World Open Team Olympiad (3) 1972, 1980, 1992
North American Bridge Championships (15) Vanderbilt (3) 1970, 1981, 1996 Spingold (2) 1967, 1970 Chicago (now Reisinger) (1) 1964 Men's Board-a-Match Teams (4) 1969, 1980, 1984, 1989 Jacoby Open Swiss Teams (1) 1992 Senior Knockout Teams (1) 2007 Life Master Pairs (2) 1960, 1968 Men's Pairs (1) 1976 United States Bridge Championships (4) Open Team Trials (3) 1974, 1979 (Jan), 1997 Senior Team Trials (1) 2008 Other notable 2nd places: Forbo-Krommenie Nations Cup (1) 1997 Sunday Times–Macallan Invitational Pairs (1) 1992 Cavendish Invitational Pairs (1) 1988
Publications
Sacrifices (Louisville: Devyn Press, 1985), Championship Bridge no. 30 – pamphlet Bidding Challenge: South hands (Devyn, 1986), 21 pp. Bidding Challenge: world championship hands, set 1, Wolff and the Aces (Devyn, 1986), 43 pp. The Lone Wolff: autobiography of a bridge maverick (Master Point Press, 2008), 287 pp., ,
Audo-video
Bobby Wolff's Secrets of Successful Bridge (Dallas, 1987)
References
Further reading
External links
Aces on Bridge – Daily Columns at BridgeBlogging – Wolff's syndicated newspaper column The Aces on Bridge, two weeks in arrears (May 2014, none yet; see WorldCat)