182:
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She started earning a reputation in the mid-1930s, winning her first national championship in 1934. After a brief marriage to a Jack White that ended in 1930, she married bridge player
Alexander M. Sobel (1901–1972), a former vaudeville performer who found better work in the Depression as a
352:
Once Helen Sobel wearied of a female kibitzer who was all but sitting in partner Goren's lap. When the woman asked Sobel, in the middle of a hand, 'How does it feel to play with an expert?' the best female player in bridge pointed to Goren and said: 'I don't know. Ask
340:: "Helen's style was frisky and aggressive – so aggressive that 'some of her male partners were intimidated. These guys felt they were playing in the Mixed Pairs and they were the girl."
343:"In my lifetime", the citation also quotes Kaplan, "she is the only woman bridge player who was considered the best player in the world. She knows how to play a hand."
243:
Murphy). Her father, whose own father had emigrated from
England, was working as a machinist when Helen was born in 1909, joining a 5-year-old sister, Dorothy.
215:
player. She is said to have been the "greatest woman bridge player of all time" and "may well have been the most brilliant card player of all time." She won 35
319:
remembered her as a player "without a peer among women and very few peers among men. Helen played like a man, it was true. But she also played like a lady."
822:
274:
until another chorus girl taught her bridge: she took to the game like a duck to water. From that moment on, there was no doubt about her future.
797:
595:(New York: Cornerstone Library, 1961), 186 pp. – " 'I find I had to do very little changing or revising or updating.'—Foreword."
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tournament director. Though she and Sobel eventually divorced in 1945, she achieved most of her success under the name Helen Sobel.
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had recognized in the 1960s. She was then the only woman among the 17. Her Hall of Fame citation paraphrases and quotes
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The winning
Austria open team at the 1937 world championships: Karl Schneider, Hans Jellinek, Edouard Frischauer,
649:
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297:; Sobel became the second in 1941. (They were 17th and 25th overall, of whom the first twelve preceded ACBL.)
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Name: Helen
Elizabeth Sobel . Born May 22, 1909. FATHER: Cornelius Martin. MOTHER: Ethel Martin
794:
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New York: Greenberg, 1949, 245 pp. – "With post-mortems by
Charles H. Goren and Howard Dietz."
326:
in 1995, when the League established that honor by adding eight names to a list of nine whom
922:
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293:) in 1938 and again in 1939. That year Young became the first woman to achieve the rank of
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Sheinwold, Alfred (October 12, 1969). "Death of Helen Sobel ends brilliant career".
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715:
Karpin, Fred L. (October 12, 1969). "At the Bridge Table, She Was a Giant!".
639:
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hospital at the age of 60 after a long battle with cancer. The monthly ACBL
311:
She married
Stanley Smith in 1966, and retired for two years. She died in a
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50:
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197:, Helen Sobel (US), and Karl von Blöhdorn. Missing: Udo von Meissl.
831:, vol. 12, no. 21, Time, Inc., p. 42, archived from
502:
418:
267:
312:
72:
523:(10) 1937, 1941, 1942, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958
300:
From 1943 to 1946, Sobel teamed with Young, Emily
Folline, and
250:
in her youth. At age 16, she was already performing with the
872:
Women Stars at the World Bridge
Federation —with biography
882:
Helen Martin Smith (Sobel) at the World Bridge
Federation
761:. Bridge Guys (bridgeguys.com). Retrieved 2014-11-01.
637:
861:"International record for Helen Martin Smith (Sobel)"
693:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Marriage Index, 1885-1951
211:; May 22, 1909 – September 11, 1969) was an American
624:
Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, Immigration Cards, 1900-1965
909:
499:(7) 1942, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1962
439:(7) 1935, 1936, 1939, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946
304:to win the women teams four years in a row (
308:, now a knockout format named for Wagar).
427:(now Reisinger) (4) 1941, 1943, 1950, 1957
771:
769:
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732:
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683:, Volume 41 Number 1, October 1969, p. 3.
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219:, and was the first woman to play in the
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14:
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433:(6) 1941, 1943, 1944, 1948, 1954, 1968
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785:
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306:Sternberg Women's Board-a-Match Teams
235:Sobel Smith was born Helen Martin in
741:
285:won the annual North American women
904:, with 1 library catalog record
735:The Los Angeles Times Home Magazine
708:
645:The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge
642:; Francis, Dorthy A., eds. (2001).
491:North American Bridge Championships
407:North American Bridge Championships
217:North American Bridge Championships
24:
613:
322:Sobel Smith was inducted into the
25:
984:
843:
266:. She only knew only how to play
223:. She was a long-time partner of
933:American contract bridge players
421:(5) 1944, 1947, 1951, 1956, 1960
390:McKenney Trophy 1941, 1942, 1944
148:
121:
811:
650:American Contract Bridge League
553:
481:IBL World Championship (1) 1937
239:to Cornelius and Ethel Martin (
168:
144:
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963:American vaudeville performers
958:Deaths from cancer in Michigan
697:
686:
674:
511:(now Reisinger) (2) 1944, 1951
13:
1:
968:20th-century American dancers
808:. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
782:. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
648:(6th ed.). Memphis, TN:
606:
475:
230:
7:
973:20th-century American women
578:(London: P. Davies, 1950),
521:Women's Board-a-Match Teams
437:Women's Board-a-Match Teams
346:
202:Helen Elizabeth Sobel Smith
10:
989:
888: (archived 2014-11-10)
878: (archived 2014-06-23)
517:(4) 1946, 1949, 1950, 1951
237:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
953:Dancers from Pennsylvania
928:Writers from Philadelphia
823:"The Mad World Of Bridge"
704:1910 United States Census
384:
374:
96:
88:
80:
61:
39:
32:
748:"First 100 Life Masters"
533:Fall National Open Pairs
449:Fall National Open Pairs
948:American female dancers
943:Contract bridge writers
865:World Bridge Federation
400:
380:ACBL Hall of Fame, 1995
291:Whitehead Women's Pairs
370:Bridge accomplishments
367:
198:
44:Helen Elizabeth Martin
27:American bridge player
350:
336:editor and publisher
184:
938:Bermuda Bowl players
776:"Sobel-Smith, Helen"
759:Glossary and Library
539:Hilliard Mixed Pairs
469:(3) 1934, 1938, 1939
461:Hilliard Mixed Pairs
455:Rockwell Mixed Pairs
451:(3) 1940, 1947, 1948
191:Josephine Culbertson
147: 1937;
120: 1927;
902:Library of Congress
835:on November 2, 2012
795:"Induction by Year"
717:The Washington Post
638:Francis, Henry G.;
254:in shows including
828:Sports Illustrated
800:2014-12-05 at the
753:2015-09-23 at the
515:Master Mixed Teams
431:Master Mixed Teams
363:Sports Illustrated
289:championship (now
199:
134:Alexander M. Sobel
65:September 11, 1969
892:Helen Sobel Smith
854:ACBL Hall of Fame
850:Helen Sobel-Smith
640:Truscott, Alan F.
591:Revised edition,
574:British edition,
527:Life Master Pairs
443:Life Master Pairs
324:ACBL Hall of Fame
179:
178:
34:Helen Sobel Smith
16:(Redirected from
980:
894:at Bridgebum.com
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821:(May 23, 1960),
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334:The Bridge World
329:The Bridge World
295:ACBL Life Master
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652:. p. 738.
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394:Fishbein Trophy
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263:Animal Crackers
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171: 1966)
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151: 1945)
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593:All the Tricks
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580:All the Tricks
576:Winning Bridge
571:
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560:All the Tricks
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547:(2) 1947, 1965
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541:(2) 1933, 1940
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457:(2) 1955, 1956
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737:. p. 41.
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257:The Cocoanuts
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252:Marx Brothers
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225:Charles Goren
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161:Stanley Smith
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92:Bridge player
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833:the original
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806:Hall of Fame
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780:Hall of Fame
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579:
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554:Publications
485:Bermuda Bowl
362:
351:
342:
338:Edgar Kaplan
333:
327:
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246:Helen was a
245:
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221:Bermuda Bowl
208:
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200:
67:(1969-09-11)
55:Pennsylvania
51:Philadelphia
47:May 22, 1909
923:1969 deaths
918:1909 births
898:Helen Sobel
819:Olsen, Jack
283:Sally Young
248:chorus girl
189:(captain),
81:Nationality
18:Helen Sobel
912:Categories
856:(archived)
607:References
497:Vanderbilt
476:Runners-up
413:Vanderbilt
359:Jack Olsen
281:Sobel and
187:Paul Stern
107:Jack White
89:Occupation
75:, Michigan
601:316832771
231:Biography
798:Archived
751:Archived
668:49606900
568:49-10646
535:(1) 1938
529:(1) 1953
503:Spingold
487:(1) 1957
463:(1) 1944
419:Spingold
356:—
347:Anecdote
317:Bulletin
268:pinochle
84:American
884:at the
874:at the
852:at the
587:8911985
509:Chicago
425:Chicago
313:Detroit
173:
165:
153:
141:
137:
126:
114:
110:
97:Spouses
73:Detroit
666:
656:
599:
585:
566:
385:Awards
375:Honors
272:Casino
213:bridge
209:Martin
193:(US),
493:(31)
409:(35)
353:him.'
287:pairs
167:(
163:
143:(
139:
116:(
112:
664:OCLC
654:ISBN
597:OCLC
583:OCLC
564:LCCN
401:Wins
396:1958
270:and
260:and
149:div.
122:div.
62:Died
40:Born
900:at
241:née
206:née
914::
863:.
825:,
804:.
787:^
778:.
766:^
757:.
725:^
662:.
630:^
615:^
361:,
227:.
169:m.
145:m.
118:m.
53:,
867:.
719:.
670:.
204:(
20:)
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