Ralph Katz
Ralph Katz is an American bridge player. Katz is from Burr Ridge, Illinois and graduated from University of Steubenville.
In 2018 he was a first-ballot selection for the ACBL Hall of Fame.
Domestically, he has won 23 North American Bridge Championships and the Open Team Trials seven times. Internationally, he has many top finishes, highlighted by a win in the 2009 Bermuda Bowl. He has three times been the runner-up in world championships and also has a bronze medal from the 2000 World Bridge Teams Olympiad. Katz is a Grand Life Master of the American Contract Bridge League with over 27,000 masterpoints and a World Grand Master of the World Bridge Federation.
Katz, who was born in Pittsburgh, lived in Squirrel Hill and was raised in Steubenville, first started to play bridge when he was 16. A sports enthusiast, the competitive side of bridge drew Katz to the game.
Katz's wife, Martha, is a former World Junior Teams champion. Both she and their son, Sam, are former winners of ACBL King or Queen of Bridge award.Bridge accomplishments
Awards
- ACBL Player of the Year 2001
- Fishbein Trophy 1981, 2001
Wins
- Bermuda Bowl 2009
- North American Bridge Championships
- *Vanderbilt 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2017
- * Spingold 1981, 2001, 2002
- * Reisinger 2000, 2009
- * Open Board-a-Match Teams 2002, 2003, 2006
- * Jacoby Open Swiss Teams 2001
- * North American Men's Swiss Teams 1984
- * Master Mixed Teams 1981
- * Life Master Pairs 1979
- * Life Master Open Pairs 2008
- * Open Pairs 1986
- * Open Pairs I 1996, 2003
- * IMP Pairs 1999
- *Baze Senior KO 2016
- United States Bridge Championships
- * Open Team Trials 2000, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2018
Runners-up
- Rosenblum Cup 2010
- Bermuda Bowl 2007
- World Open Pairs 1990
- North American Bridge Championships
- *Reisinger 1987, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2014
- * Grand National Teams 1986
- * Open Board-a-Match Teams 2001, 2012
- * North American Swiss Teams 1979
- * Open Swiss Teams 2008, 2015, 2018
- * Mixed Board-a-Match 1997
- * Life Master Pairs 1989, 2001, 2003, 2016
- * IMP Pairs 2006
- *Baze Senior KO 2017
- *Vanderbilt 2012, 2018, 2019
- United States Bridge Championships
- * Open Team Trials 1989, 1999