Search MSO Worldwide

Reference Guide

Four Aces Team

The team that dominated tournament competiton in the mid-thirties. The first apperarance of this team was at the Summer NAC in Asbury Park in 1933, when David Burnstive (Bruce), Richard Frey, Oswald Jaboby and Howard Schenken won the forerunner of the Spingold Teams. Michael Gottlieb joined the team immediately afterward, and during 1934 the Four Aces' major wins included the Vanderbilt, The Spingold, The Grand Natinal and the forerunner of The Reisinger.

They successfully defended The Grand National 1935 and also repeated in The Vanderbilt with Sherman Stearns replacing Frey, who had resigned. Burnstine, Jacoby, Schenken and Gottlieb defeated France in the first world championship match, played in Madison Square Garden. Gottlieb retired in 1936 and was replaced by Merwin D Maier.

B Jay Becker and other experts played occasionally as members of the team, which did not play after December 1941 but continued as an entity for purposes of book and newpaper publication until 1945.

The Four Aces' played their own system, and wrote a book, 'The Four Aces System of Contract Bridge' which presented their original expert methods. Though the system was widely followed by tournament players, the book was not a commercial success.