Samuel M. Stayman (May 28, 1909[citation needed] – December 11, 1993)[1] was an Americanbridge player, writer, and administrator. He is best known forStayman, one of the world's most popularbidding conventions; indeed, a day after writing his obituaryAlan Truscott called him "the player best known in the world".[1][2]
Stayman "played with enthusiasm until a few days before his death."[2] He died of cancer at his home inPalm Beach, Florida, in 1993 at age 84. He was survived by his second wife Josephine (his first, Marjorie, had died in 1960), three daughters and a son, and several grandchildren.[1]
The Stayman convention was invented independently byJack Marx and by Stayman's regular partnerGeorge Rapée. It became associated with his name because it was first published in an article written by Stayman, inThe Bridge World magazine, June 1945.[4] He also gave his name, spelled backward, to theNamyats convention, which was invented by another regular partner,Victor Mitchell.
Stayman and Rapée,John Crawford andHoward Schenken,Charles Goren andSidney Silodor won the inauguralBermuda Bowl in 1950, representing North America in a 3-way tournament with Great Britain and "Europe". For the next several years the event was a long head-to-head match with a European champion that might be Great Britain; Stayman, Rapée, Crawford, and Schenken won the next two in 1951 and 1953 with different teammates. Stayman also won a score of North American titles.[1]
From 1958 to 1972, Stayman was president of theCavendish Club of New York.[5] As a bridge administrator, he was treasurer of theAmerican Contract Bridge League (ACBL) from 1966 to 1969, and also served on the ACBL Charity Foundation. He was recognized as an honorary member of the ACBL in 1969 and of the American Bridge Teachers Association (ABTA) in 1979, having written at least a few books on bridge.[1]
Expert Bidding at Contract Bridge. New York: Wellington Associates, Inc. 1951.LCCN51002419. 144 pp. – UK edition,Faber & Faber, 1952
The Complete Stayman System of Contract Bidding. New York: Rinehart & Company, Inc. 1956.LCCN56007005. 223 pp. – UK edition, London: Rockliff, 1956
Do You Play Stayman?. New York: Odyssey Press. 1965.LCCN65019848. 207 pp. – UK edition, Faber, 1969, edited and introduced byVictor MolloOCLC828468118
A second US edition of the latter was published asHighroad to Winning Bridge: do you play Stayman? (NY: Cornerstone Library, 1970), with a foreword byOmar Sharif.OCLC2555487 A Chinese translation was published in 1972.OCLC436266374
The Complete Stayman System was published at least in French (1956) and Italian (1965) translations, introduced byPierre Albarran and Mario Franco.OCLC68685407OCLC68685620
^abcTruscott, Alan (December 14, 1993). "As this championship deal shows, Sam Stayman was a great player as well as a great theorist".The New York Times. December 14, 1993. Retrieved 2014-11-12. Quote: "the player best known in the world of bridge died on Saturday".
^Do you Play Stayman? (Odyssey, 1965), back flap ofdust jacket.
