Boca Raton Resident Wins Bridge Championship

By: Gabriel Diaz

Boca Raton resident John Diamond, claimed his seventh title in the North American Bridge Championship this past July.  

Diamond’s team victory was for the Spingold Trophy Replica event at the Summer North American Bridge Championships (NABC). Also, winners of the trophy and Diamond’s teammates, are Boye Brogeland of Norway, Brian Platnick of Evanston, Ill., and Espen Lin of Norway.

Platnick and Diamond have been playing bridge for a long time. “My parents tell me they started teaching me when I was 3, but I don’t remember learning.  I do remember playing with them when I was 6.”

“Brian and I have been playing together for 30 years, although there were a few years in there when we didn’t play too much.  There are only a few pairs in the world who have been playing together longer than we have.”

“Although I won the Spingold once before, this time it means a lot more to me because we played 4-handed,” said Diamond of his victory.

The Spingold Trophy Replica event is one of the 20 championship-level events held in Toronto, Canada, from July 20 to 30 for the summer championship.

The North American Bridge Championship is part of the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL). Founded in 1937, the ACBL is the largest bridge organization in the world, serving 167,000 members and 3,000 bridge clubs and sanctioning 1,100 sectional and regional tournaments annually.

The three North American Bridge Championships each attract up to 6,500 players representing every state in the United States, Canada and about 20 other foreign countries.

According to the league’s website, “The mission of the ACBL is to promote, grow and sustain the game of bridge and serve the bridge-related interests of our Members.”

Bridge is a very attractive and rewarding card game that attracts not only ordinary people like Diamond, but also people of all ages and walks of life such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, whom are both known to enjoy this popular game.