Martin (Marty) Fleisher (born October 12, 1958) is an American bridge player, employee benefits attorney, manager of investments in life insurance policies and investment advisor.[1]

Bridge career

Having first learned bridge at the age of eight by observing his parents and uncle,[2] Fleisher became the youngest American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) Life Master from the New York metropolitan area in 1976 at age 17.[3] At the same time, his team reached the final of the Grand National Teams knockout championship, making him the youngest player ever to reach the finals of a North American team bridge championship, a record he still holds.[4] Sports Illustrated reported this accomplishment and featured Fleisher in its Faces in the Crowd section.[4] Less than two years later he won the Intercollegiate regional bridge championship by the largest margin ever recorded in a pairs championship.[5]

Fleisher has won eight national bridge championships and placed second in nine others. He and Eric Rodwell won the 2000 Cavendish Invitational, the world's strongest contest for money prizes.[6] His team won the United States Bridge Championship for open teams to gain entry into the 2011 Bermuda Bowl (as one of two US entries) where they finished 4th. His team placed second in the same event in 2013, 2017, 2019 and 2023 to qualify to play in the Bermuda Bowls held in those years. They finished 9th in 2013 and 12th in 2019, but won the Gold Medal in August 2017 in Lyon, France.[7] As a result, he became a World Grandmaster, which is the highest title awarded by the World Bridge Federation.

Fleisher was named the ACBL Player of the Year for 2013, awarded annually to the member who earns the most platinum masterpoints in the calendar year.[8]

Personal

Fleisher grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and graduated from Teaneck High School in 1976.[9] He attended Swarthmore College, and New York University School of Law. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Andrea Bierstein. He is the half-brother of the American comic book writer Michael Fleisher.

Bridge accomplishments

Wins

Runners-up

Publications

  • Individual Retirement Account Answer Book, 19th edition, Aspen Publishers, 2012, ISBN 978-0-7355-7419-9.

References

  1. ↑ "Fleisher Team; About the Players: Marty Fleisher". usbf.org. United States Bridge Federation.
  2. ↑ Manley, Brent; Horton, Mark; Greenberg-Yarbro, Tracey; Rigal, Barry, eds. (2011). The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (7th ed.). Horn Lake, MS: American Contract Bridge League. p. 126 of the Biographies and Results CD. ISBN 978-0-939460-99-1.
  3. ↑ Truscott, Alan (1976-08-16). "Strategy for Pairs Contest Different from Rubber Game". The New York Times.
  4. 1 2 "Faces In The Crowd". vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com. SI Vault. 1976-10-18.
  5. ↑ Truscott, Alan (1978-03-06). "Swarthmore Students Take Pairs Event by 7 Boards". The New York Times.
  6. ↑ Truscott, Alan (2001-01-29). "How to Lead? Oh, Grandma, What Big Strategy You Have". The New York Times.
  7. 1 2 "USA2 Wins Bermuda Bowl". Bridge Winners. 2017-08-26. Retrieved 2017-08-27.
  8. ↑ Brent Manley, ed. (February 2014). "The Right Stuff". Bridge Bulletin. Horn Lake, MS: American Contract Bridge League: 14–16. ISSN 1089-6376.
  9. ↑ Staff. "Bridge:; Jersey-Westchester Team Loses Grand National Final", The New York Times, August 2, 1976. Accessed September 13, 2011. "In one case that came very early, for Martin Fleisher of Teaneck, NJ, is 17 years old and has just completed high school."
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