Sami Kehela

Sami R. Kehela[1] (born 1934), sometimes spelled Sammy Kehela, is a Canadian contract bridge player. A member of the Halls of Fame of both the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL)[2] and the Canadian Bridge Federation,[3] he and his long-time partner, the late Eric Murray, are considered two of the best Canadian players in the history of the game.[4]

Between 1966 and 1974, Kehela and Murray placed second in three Bermuda Bowls[5][6] as one of three pairs comprising the North America teams. Unique among world players, they represented their country as a partnership in all of the first six quadrennial World Team Olympiads, from Turin in 1960 to Valkenburg in 1980. Together they won the Life Master Men's Pairs, the Life Master Pairs, the Vanderbilt, and the Spingold Trophy three times.[4] Kehela and Murray were also runners-up in the 1969 Blue Ribbon Pairs.[7] It was said that the key to their successful partnership was that each thought the other the better player.[8]

Kehela lives with his wife in Toronto (2007).[4] He is a "semi-retired bridge writer and teacher" (perhaps 2001), as former editor of The Ontario Kibitzer and columnist for the monthly Toronto Life.[2]

Kehela and Murray were both inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 2001.[9]

Bridge accomplishments

Honours

• ACBL Hall of Fame, 2001[9]
• Canadian Bridge Federation Hall of Fame, 2010

Wins

• North American Bridge Championships (9)
  • von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs (1) 1969 [10]
  • Wernher Open Pairs (1) 1963 [11]
  • Blue Ribbon Pairs (1) 1967 [12]
  • Nail Life Master Open Pairs (1) 1963 [13]
  • Vanderbilt (2) 1966, 1970 [14]
  • Spingold (3) 1964, 1965, 1968 [15]

Runners-up

• North American Bridge Championships
  • Blue Ribbon Pairs (1) 1969 [12]
  • Reisinger (2) 1969, 1972 [16]
  • Spingold (1) 1963 [17]

References

1. Francis, Henry G.; Truscott, Alan F.; Francis, Dorthy A., eds. (1994). The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (5th ed.). Memphis, TN: American Contract Bridge League. p. 664. ISBN 0-943855-48-9. LCCN 96188639.
2. "Kehela, Sami". Hall of Fame Members. ACBL. With linked video interview. Retrieved 2014-06-22.
3. "Sami Kehela". Hall of Fame Members. Canadian Bridge Federation. Retrieved 2014-06-22.
4. Hughes, Roy (2007). Canada's Bridge Warriors. Toronto: Master Point Press. ISBN 1-897106-21-1.
5. Mr Sami Kehela of Canada. Player Master Point History. WBF Master Points (wbfmasterpoints.org).
6. Mr Eric Murray of Canada. Player Master Point History. WBF Master Points (wbfmasterpoints.org).
7. ACBL tournament results: Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs Archived July 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
8. Interview with Edgar Kaplan, Victorian Bridge Association Bulletin, April 2010, page 6. Editor: Bill Jacobs
9. "Induction by Year". Hall of Fame. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-11-16.
10. "von Zedtwitz LM Previous Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-06-18. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
11. "Wernher Open Pairs Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-07-22. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
12. "Blue Ribbon Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2013-03-01. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
13. "Life Master Open Pairs Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2013-11-29. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
14. "Vanderbilt Previous Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-03-24. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
15. "Spingold Previous Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-07-21. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
16. "Reisinger Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2013-12-06. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
17. "Spingold Previous Winners" (PDF). American Contract Bridge League. 2014-07-21. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-10-17.

Further reading

• Edmonds, Alan (December 7, 1974). "The Hating Game". Canadian Magazine. An article split over three pages: first, second and third parts.

External links

• Citation at the ACBL Hall of Fame (archived) – with video interview
• "International record for Sami Kehela". World Bridge Federation.
• Edgar Kaplan comments on the Kehela-Murray partnership on YouTube in an interview with Audrey Grant
• ACBL Interview of Eric Murray on YouTube (audio-video)
• ACBL Interview of Kehela on YouTube (audio-video)