Murrieta Resident Tops National Bridge Tournament

HORN LAKE, Miss. – Mark Itabashi of Murrieta earned top honors at the American Contract Bridge League’s (ACBL) Summer North American Bridge Championships (NABC) that concluded August 11 in Atlanta.

Itabashi was the winner of the Fishbein Trophy, given to the player who earns the most masterpoints at the Summer NABC. He earned more than 326 masterpoints, the bulk of which came from winning the prestigious von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs and the Truscott/U.S. Playing Card Senior Swiss Teams. Itabashi now has four North American titles to his credit

Partnered by fellow Californian, Ross Grabel of Palm Desert, Itabashi won the von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs. Players in the six-session event must have achieved ACBL Life Master rank.. The von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs has been contested since 1930.

Itabashi and teammates Dee Adams and Alvin Stone of Memphis, Tenn., Fred Hamilton of Palm Desert, Calif., Dan Morse of Houston and John Sutherlin of Dallas placed first in the Truscott/U.S. Playing Card Senior Swiss Teams. The contest is a four-session event for players 55 or older. The Truscott Trophy was put in play by the U.S. Playing Card Company and named in memory of ACBL Hall of Fame member and former bridge editor of The New York Times, Alan Truscott.

About the ACBL

Founded in 1937, the ACBL is the largest bridge organization in the world, serving 167,000 members, 3,200 bridge clubs and sanctioning 1,100 sectional and regional tournaments annually. The ACBL's three North American Bridge Championships each attract up to 5,000 players representing every state in the United States, Canada and about 20 other foreign countries. A challenging and rewarding card game, bridge attracts players of all ages and walks of life - from Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to poker star Phil Gordon. For more information about the ACBL, visit www.acbl.org.

—News release submitted by American Contract Bridge League