September 2022 - 14

Starry Night
Six inducted into Hall of Fame
A
t the Providence NABC,
the ACBL Bridge Hall of
Fame held its first induction
ceremony in three years after
a COVID-inspired hiatus. Six new
members were added to the prestigious
body - three posthumously -
and the latest recipient of the Sportsmanship
Award was also presented.
The inductees for the Open Award
were Marty Bergen, Larry Cohen and
the late Lynn Deas. National Tournament
Director Sol Weinstein received
the Blackwood Award, while Beth
Palmer and John Sutherlin (both
deceased) were recipients of the von
Zedtwitz Award.
Scotland's national team was collectively
presented with the Lazard
Sportsmanship Award.
Larry Cohen, a 25-time NABC
champion, author and teacher of DelGerard;
when Ron Gerard opened
2, he had the king, the queen, the
jack, the 10, the 9 and the 8 and
maybe a few more. When Marty
Bergen opened 2, the opponents
could make 6!' Which was true.
And he says, 'Which one are you?' I
said, 'Which one do you want me to
be?' And I think he said, 'Be yourself,
I just need to know what you're going
to have.' That's all he wanted to know,
was what he could rely on. "
Berkowitz said he would be somewhere
in between. " Of course, you
could drive a truck in between those
two. "
Berkowitz described Cohen as an
overachiever. " Playing with him was
a terrific honor. When he would go
into a study, no matter what happened,
he would always get it right.
He would always play the card that
you wanted him to play. He would
always make the bid you wanted him
to bid. He was unbelievable, uncanny.
He trained me to be a good partner;
he wanted us to be respected.
" Everyone rooted for Larry. He's
everything that's good about bridge. "
Larry started off by thanking the
Larry Cohen is inducted in the Hall of Fame
by longtime partner David Berkowitz.
ray Beach FL, was presented by longtime
partner (and emcee for the evening)
David Berkowitz. In addition to
Berkowitz, Cohen, the author of the
influential " To Bid or Not to Bid: The
LAW of Total Tricks, " formed highly
successful partnerships with Ron
Gerard and fellow inductee Bergen.
" Larry and I go way back, " began
Berkowitz. " He came to me and said,
'I gotta know what kind of partner
you're going to be. I grew up with Ron
14 | Bridge Bulletin | September 2022
two people seated next to him: his
wife, Maria, and his brother, Paul. " I
learned bridge when I was 6, from my
grandparents. If they could be here
tonight, you wouldn't believe it, they
were incredible. Fortunately, they
lived long enough to see my success in
bridge, and they were so proud of me.
" We had a fourth, who was my older
brother. He's a very good player, he's
been my best friend and we're so close.
" I kind of want to conclude with
what's the most important part of
bridge for me. There are two tables
over here, and at those two tables are
players who have been on cruises
with me - students - and that's what I
By Paul Linxwiler,
Amy Casanova and Chip Dombrowski
live for in bridge. The thrill of teaching
and people having a good time at
bridge. I've enjoyed that more than my
career as a player. And it's so special
to me to enjoy that form of bridge and
getting people interested in the game
and loving the game. I love this game,
it's been my life. It's such an honor. "
Prolific author, bidding theorist
and 10-time NABC champion Marty
Bergen of Palm Beach Gardens FL
was presented by
longtime partner
(and fellow
inductee) Larry
Cohen. The pair
were a dominant
force in top-level
Marty Bergen
bridge in the mid'80s.
Bergen's
informed, aggressive
style in the
bidding has influenced generations of
players.
Cohen described his first meeting
with Bergen in the 1970s when, as a
teenager, Cohen went to kibitz Bergen
at a tournament. On the very first
hand, Bergen held five clubs to the
jack and nothing else. He was in third
seat at favorable vulnerability; as he
would later hear Bergen often say,
" Third seat favorable is not bridge. "
Cohen was stunned to see Bergen
open the hand 3'.
" This was the 1970s. I had learned
you had to have seven good clubs to
open 3', not five lousy clubs. Marty
was one of the pioneers of aggressive
preempts, well ahead of his time, " Cohen
said. " He really did revolutionize
competitive bidding. "
Cohen called the award much deserved
for Bergen's achievements " as
a player, a teacher, a writer and most
of all, as an innovator. "
Bergen, who could not be present
September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2022
