David Bruce (bridge)

Playing record

• Vanderbilt tournament victories came as a member of the Four Horsemen team in 1931 and the Four Aces team in 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938;
• three wins in the Spingold - 1934, 1936 and 1938;
• won the American Whist League All-American Open Teams four times: 1932 ; 1931, 1932 and 1933 ;
• won the United States Bridge Association Open Teams in 1934 and 1937, the Open Pairs 1936
• won the American Bridge League Challenge Teams in 1931, 1933 and 1937.

  Game contributions

• invention of the strong artificial 2 opening, still used by the majority of tournament players; and
• creation of intermediate two-bids in the other suits, a prominent feature of the modern-day Acol system.

  Publications

• The Four Horsemen's One Over One Method of Contract Bidding, 118 pp.
• The Four Aces System of Contract Bridge, by Oswald Jacoby, Burnstine, Michael T. Gottlieb, and Howard Schenken, 302 pp.
• Five-suit Bridge, by Burnstine, Jacoby, Merwyn Maier, and Schenken, 96 pp.

• The Four Horsemen's One Over One summary of contract bidding, 29 pp.
• Pocket solitaire bridge: play your game, compiler and editor, 1 folio
• Teacher's outline of the 4 Aces system, by Burnstine et al., 28 pp.
• Pocket outline 4 Aces system of contract bridge, Burnstine et al., 1 folio

• "Transcript of lectures on the four aces system: at the Four Aces Bridge Teacher's Convention, Hotel Pennsylvania, New York City, May 28, 1935", by Burnstine, et al. – 31-page typescript

  Bridge accomplishments

Honors

• ACBL Hall of Fame, von Zedtwitz Award 1997

  Wins

• North American Bridge Championships
• * Master Individual 1933
• * von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs 1931, 1933, 1936
• * Wernher Open Pairs 1934
• * Vanderbilt 1931, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938
• * Spingold 1931, 1933, 1937
• * Masters Team of Four 1934, 1936
• * Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match 1933
• * Spingold 1938

  Runners-up

• North American Bridge Championships
• * Master Individual 1932, 1935
• * von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs 1932
• * Vanderbilt 1932
• * Reisinger 1931