 |
The Cavendish Club of New York City
was founded in the year 1925 by
Mr. Wilbur C. Whitehead
in association with
Mr. Gratz M. Scott
and
Mr. Edwin A. Wetzlar
Their attempt at improving the quality of the Cavendish Club involved relocating the premises. At first, the Club was located eight years at the Mayfair House. Then the Club was moved to the Ambassador Hotel. From there the Club moved to the Ritz Tower Hotel between 1950 and 1965. After that the Club was located at Central Park South between 1965 and 1974. In 1974 the Club moved to the Carlton House until 1983, then moved to 48th Street, and then relocated again to 73rd Street.
On May 31, 1991, rent escalations and lack of membership forced the Cavendish Club of New York to cease operations.
Beginning in 1941, The Cavendish Club of New York City became a non-profit membership corporation managed by Mr. B. Jay Becker, who managed the Club from 1941 to 1947. He was followed by Mr. Rudolf Muhsam, who managed the Club from 1947 to 1973. He was followed by Mr. Thomas M. Smith, who managed the Club from 1973 to 1987. He was followed by Mr. Thomas L. Snow, who managed the Club from 1987 to 1990. The last manager of the Club was Mr. Richard Reisig, who served until the cease of operations on May 31, 1991.
Presidents of the Cavendish Club
Gratz M. Scott Frank Crowninshield Nate Spingold Samuel Stayman Howard Schenken Harold Ogust Leonard Hess Edward Leowenthal Roy V. Titus Archie A. Brauer Yehuda Koppel Roy V. Titus Samuel Stayman William Roberts Yehuda Koppel Sidney Rosen Claire Tornay Thomas M. Smith
Calcutta
The Cavendish Invitational Pairs Tournament is run as a Calcutta. This means that each pair is auctioned off to the highest bidder. The money collected from the auction is pooled together and represents the auction pool which is paid out to the owners of the top finishers. There is also a players pool which is comprised of the entry fees for the players and is distributed to the top-placed pairs. As well there are session awards that go to both the winning pair and the owner of the winning pair.The price for each pair is posted after the auction takes place.
Cavendish
In 1975 New York's famed Cavendish Club instituted the Cavendish Invitational Pairs. The event was designed to attract the finest field of national and international world-class bridge experts. It was to be the richest and most demanding event in the history of bridge.Pairs were auctioned off to the highest bidder, and a portion of that Calcutta Pool was donated to a worthy cause selected by the Cavendish Club Board. In addition, a large entry fee was required to defray costs and return money to the winning players independent of their participation in the pool. The organizers also developed an IMPs across the field formula for scoring, a unique method that was ultimately adopted in national tournaments by the American Contract Bridge League.
The pool in the first year was $50,000.00. By 1979 it had reached almost $300,000.00, which quickly established the Cavendish Invitational as the most prestigious and lucrative event in the bridge world. Applications for spots in the event were keenly contested, and in a very short time the quality of the field grew to be the strongest in the world.
Over the next decade or so the organizers experimented with different formats and rules designed to increase the size of the pool while keeping the quality of the field. Different events were tried in New York City, a team event; and a backgammon tournament were added, and what had been a weekend affair grew to a five day marathon of elegant and intense competition.
In 1996 the tournament consisted of a team event for the Jack Dreyfus Cup with some 18 teams from all over the world and a prize pool of over $50,000.00 This was followed by the Pair event with 80 of the finest players in the world competing for over $800,000.00. After 20 years the Cavendish Invitational remains the strongest and by a wide margin the most lucrative event in the world of bridge.
Following are the General Rules for each participant:
1. There are XX pairs entered in this event. Each pair will play 2 boards against every other pair during the course of the two days. The boards will be played simultaneously, barometer style.
2. It is expected that all players will conform to the Proprieties of Bridge, specifically in the tempo of card play. It is strongly recommended that at trick one, declarer take about 15 seconds before playing to the opening lead and that the player in third seat take some 10 seconds before playing. Thereafter, significant breaks in tempo before selecting small cards will be strongly discouraged. The Directors and Tournament Committee intend to enforce these provisions closely and strictly.
3. The tournament will be played in four sessions: three sessions of 30 boards each and one session of 28 boards.
4. Overall standings will be determined by the cumulative IMP totals (including fractions) for the 118 boards and the pools will be distributed on this basis. Session awards will be determined by the total score for that session only.
5. Players are required to be in their places at the announced starting times. A penalty of 50 IMPs will be assessed for each five-minute lateness segment, beginning 10 minutes after the starting time for first offenders, and for each five minutes of tardiness after the announced starting time for repeat offenders.
6. Discussion of boards during a round is not permitted. In each of the first three sessions a player making any remark that, in the judgement of a director, might be overheard at another table be penalized 50 IMPs for the first offense, 100 IMPs for the second infraction, and 150 IMPs for each offense thereafter. During the final session, the first penalty will be 100 IMP's, the second 200 IMPs, and 300 IMPs for each offense thereafter. This is automatic and not appealable.
7. Players are free to leave the playing area when they conclude each round, but are not allowed to compare results in the playing area. Any pair detected doing so will be assessed automatic, non-appealable penalties as in 6 above.
8. For each two-board round, 17 minutes are allotted, plus a two-minute grace period. A new round may not be started until the previous round's play has been completed at all tables. Pairs failing to complete play within the allocated time will be given a written warning for a first offense. A second infraction will result in a 50 IMP penalty; subsequent offenses, up to 200 IMPs. The cumulative penalties for slow play will not exceed 300 IMPs in any single session. Penalties for slow p lay do not carry over to another session and are administered by the Chief Director, in consultation with the Tournament Committee. In the absence of a player's report to a Director regarding an opponent's slow play, it shall be deemed that both pairs are equally at fault. Slow play penalties may not be appealed.
9. The Alert Procedure is mandatory. Players shall alert their calls as they are made, and their partner's calls when the bidding tray is moved to their side of the table, by placing the Alert Card on the alertable bid in the tray. It is the Alerter's responsibility to ensure that his screenmate realizes that an alert has been made. A player may ask for an explanation of a bid, in writing, at the appropriate turn to bid and play, and the answer must also be given silently. Declarer, however, may ask a question aloud during the play, in which case the answer may be given aloud, but quietly.
10. No pre-alerts are required for carding agreements. Any method of leads against suit or notrump contracts is permitted, but the partnership may play only one structure of honor and low card leads against suit contracts. A different structure of leads may be played in defense of a notrump contract, but only one method is allowed. Normal or upside-down signals and discards for attitude, count or suit preference are permitted, but variable, or encrypted, signals are not.
11. Any irregularity in the Alert procedure may result in infractions of Misinformation of Unauthorized Information. Both players are required to know their bidding agreements and to alert and explain their agreements properly and identically. The appropriate laws will be applied if damage to the opponents results therefrom, and even if no damage ensues from an alert infraction, a procedural penalty may be assigned. In general, players should assume that if no alert is made, no alertable call has been made. Therefore, if there is any doubt in a player's mind as to whether or not a call is alertable, the player should alert.
12. The player on the right of each side of the screen controls the bidding tray. The opponent to the left is permitted to make a screen huddle by removing the bid card from the bidding box, showing it to the screenmate, but withholding it from being placed in the tray.
13. In general, any convention or treatment that is familiar to the average tournament player, or can be explained to the average player within 10 seconds, is allowed. Methods of destructive nature are not authorized, nor are the following:
a. Forcing or strong pass systems
b. Multi 2 Diamond and similar conventional bids
c. Two-suited weak two-bid openings which specify only one (or none) of the suits held
d. Preemptive bids that do not specify which suit is held
e. Artificial bids or sequences that require a lengthy explanation
f. Canapé style overcalls or opening bids if the first-bid suit may be shorter than four cards
g. Comic notrump overcall or otherwise
h. Any system, convention or treatment that would require a pre-alert and written suggested defenses14. Each board will be scored by International Match Points as follows: each pair's score will be compared with every other score achieved by a pair in the same direction. The maximum swing on any single comparison will be 17 IMPs. The total IMPs won and lost in the 29 comparisons will be the score for the board. (Thus, top on a board is +493 IMPs and bottom is -493 IMPs). Average-plus and average-minus scores will be calculated according to a pre-determined formula, as will the adjustment for a fouled board. In the event a wrong board (or boards) is played during a round, both pairs will receive an average-minus for each board played. Pairs who have been denied the opportunity to play a board (or boards) will receive average-plus.
15. Any Director's ruling (other than penalties under sections 5, 6, 7 and 8) may be appealed to an Appeals Committee designated by the Tournament Committee. If a pair wishes to lodge an appeal, they must post a US $50 bond which will be forfeited only if the Appeals Committee deems the appeal to be substantially without merit. Decisions of the Appeals Committee are final.
16. The Tournament Committee will decide on the acceptability and eligibility of substitutes should the need arise. Additional disciplinary penalties may be imposed by the Tournament Committee for violations of conduct by players or their guests.
17. Smoking is barred in the playing area at all times. At the end of each round, time permitting, players may smoke in designated areas.
18. It is expected that players and kibitzers will dress appropriately. Kibitzers who ignore this reasonable request will be asked to leave the playing area immediately.
19. The maximum number of kibitzers allowed at one table is subject to the discretion of the Chief Director in consultation with the Tournament Committee. Kibitzers must remain at one table and may not follow a traveling pair. Kibitzers are not allowed to smoke in the playing area, or discuss hands, and will automatically be ejected for violating these conditions.
Past Winners of The Cavendish Invitational Pairs
Winners James Jacoby, Gerald Westheimer Alan Sontag, Peter Weichsel Alan Sontag, Peter Weichsel Roy Fox, Paul Swanson Roger Bates, Daniel Mordecai Lou Bluhm, Thomas Sanders James Cayne, Fred Hamilton Ed Manfield, Kit Woolsey Robert Lipsitz, Neil Silverman Marty Bergen, Larry Cohen Irving Litvack, Joseph Silver Matt Granovetter, Michael Rosenberg Drew Casen, Jim Krekorian Bjorn Fallenius, Magnus Lindkvist Marty Bergen, Larry Cohen Piotr Gawrys, Elyakim Shoufel Johan Bennet, Anders Wirgren Amos Kaminski, Samuel Lev Fred Stewart, Steve Weinstein Neil Silverman, Kit Woolsey Paul Soloway, Harry Tudor Fred Stewart, Steve Weinstein World Bridge Productions was founded in 1997 by four of the world’s leading bridge players to carry on the tradition of the famed Cavendish Invitational, a world-renowned annual bridge tournament which faced an uncertain future after the close of New York’s Cavendish Club.
Since the change when World Bridge Productions took over the Cavendish, it has grown into the largest money bridge tournament in the world, with prize pools reaching as high as $1.5 million. Now, in response to an increasing demand for more world-class tournaments and a greater focus on the spectator side of bridge, World Bridge Productions has revamped the until-now exclusive Cavendish tournament to make it more accessible to the millions of bridge players worldwide.
For the first time in its history, the Cavendish is being aggressively promoted throughout the world. Bridge enthusiasts across the globe can either participate in the tournament’s two open-play events or watch the Cavendish live via BridgeBase Online.
In addition to the invitation-only events, World Bridge Productions has added two open-play events, the WBP Teams and Pairs events. These events, which start on a Friday and cumulate on Mother's Day, are open to all interested bridge players – enabling a broader base of players to experience the excitement of the Cavendish and compete in a world-class money tournament.
Michael Seamon, Harry Tudor Bob Hamman, Nick Nickell Robert Levin, Steve Weinstein Marty Fleisher, Eric Rodwell Michael Kwiecien, Jacek Pszczola Bobby Levin, Steve Weinstein Fred Gitelman, Brad Moss Sam Lev, Jacek Pszczola Andrea Buratti, Massimo Lanzarotti Ton Bakkeren, Huub Bertens
Home Page Bridge Winners Home Page II
