Hall of Fame honors four leading figures as von Zedtwitz Pairs begin

Team Bridge • July 12, 2026

Author

July 12, 2026

The opening weekend of the Summer NABC in Minneapolis combined celebration with top-level competition. At the ACBL Hall of Fame ceremony, three distinguished members of the bridge community were inducted. Fred Gitelman received the Open Award, recognizing both his outstanding playing career and his pivotal role in creating Bridge Base Online. Roger Bates was honored with the von Zedtwitz Award for his achievements at the table, while Barbara Seagram received the Blackwood Award for her exceptional contributions as a teacher, author and ambassador of the game. In addition, longtime Bridge World editor Jeff Rubens received the Sidney H. Lazard Jr. Sportsmanship Award.

By clicking on the image, you can access a video from the evening:

Attention then shifted to the card table as the prestigious von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs got underway. After the two qualifying sessions, Bart Bramley and Zia Mahmood led the field of 264 pairs, narrowly ahead of Per-Ola Cullin and Marion Michielsen of Sweden. Zachary Grossack and Andrew Rosenthal occupied third place, while 156 pairs advanced to the semifinal stage.