Master Individual


The Master Individual national bridge championship was held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ; it was held from 1931 until 1960 after which it was discontinued.

Trophy

The event was contested for the Karn Trophy from 1931 to 1933 and the Steiner Trophy from 1934 to 1960.
Described as “a magnificent gold cup” by The Bridge World, the Karn trophy was donated by Willard S. Karn in 1931 for the National Individual Masters Championship. While refuting allegations of impropriety in 1933, Karn withdrew his trophy. It was replaced in 1934 by the Steiner Trophy donated by Albert Steiner and Philip Steiner of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Winners

The Master Individual was contested thirty times with a single winner on every occasion. The inaugural event was played at the home of P. Hal Sims in Deal, New Jersey, 5–7 September 1931 and won by Karn himself. Howard Schenken won in 1932 and David Bruce was the final winner in 1933.
Four people won The Master Individual twice: B. Jay Becker, George Rapée, Harry Fishbein, and Morrie Elis. Becker was the sole runner-up three times and tied once; Fishbein and Elis were runners-up once each. Elinor Murdoch was second in 1933 and first in 1934. Sylvia Klein in 1958 was the only other woman champion.
YearWinnerRunner-up
1931 Willard KarnRichard L. Frey
1932Howard SchenkenDavid Burnstine
1933David BurnstineElinor Murdoch
1934Elinor MurdochB. Jay Becker
1935Oswald JacobyDavid Burnstine
1936 Waldemar von Zedtwitz Merwyn Maier
1937B. Jay BeckerGeorge Unger
1938Richard Ecker Jr.Harry Fishbein
1939Merwyn MaierAlvin Landy
1940Morrie ElisLee Hazen
1941Lee HazenB. Jay Becker
1942Harry FishbeinOlive Peterson
1943Alvin RothCharles Solomon
1944George RapéeRobert D. Chatkin
1945Charles GorenAlbert Weiss
1946Robert A. McPherranMorrie Elis
1947Charles J. SolomonJack Cushing
1948B. Jay BeckerMyron Field
1949George RapéeB. Jay Becker
1950Morrie ElisRobert Appleyard
1951Sidney SilodorJohn R. Crawford
1952Harry FishbeinPeter Leventritt
1953Tobias StoneLarry Hirsch
1954Edward BurnsF. Ayres Bombeck
1955Norman Kay2/3. B. Jay Becker
2/3. Alvin Roth
1956John R. CrawfordRobert Appleyard
1957Edgar Kaplan Ernest E. Karshmer
1958Sylvia SteinJohn R. Crawford
1959Leo PressburgFrank L. Jackson
1960Robert ReynoldsArthur Robinson