Harry Fishbein
# Harry Fishbein

Harry J. Fishbein (April 18, 1897 – February 19, 1976) was an American bridge player and club owner. He used to be a professional basketball player. In teams-of-four competition, Fishbein was a runner-up for the world championship in the 1959 Bermuda Bowl, playing on the United States team in a three-way round-robin among Europe, North America, and South America representatives. Fishbein was "the presiding genius" of the famous Mayfair club [or Mayfair Bridge Club] for more than 20 years" – proprietor of the training ground of experts from 1943 to 1966. As of 1960 he was also ACBL Treasurer.

He developed the Fishbein convention as a defense against preemptive opening bids.

## Biography

He was born on April 18, 1898, in Manhattan, New York City. He died on February 19, 1976, at the New York Infirmary following a heart attack.

## Legacy

Fishbein was inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 2000.

He was a second cousin of the noted Orthodox Jewish scholar J.D. Eisenstein.

## Publications

* —— (1960). The Fishbein Convention. New York: Crown Publishers. LCCN 60008621.

## Bridge accomplishments

### Honors

* ACBL Hall of Fame, 2000

### Wins

* North American Bridge Championships (16)
   * Master Individual (2) 1942, 1952
   * von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs (2) 1939, 1940
   * Wernher Open Pairs (1) 1959
   * Hilliard Mixed Pairs (3) 1937, 1942, 1946
   * Vanderbilt (5) 1936, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1958
   * Marcus Cup (1) 1967
   * Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams (1) 1965
   * Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match (1) 1947

### Runners-up

* Bermuda Bowl (1) 1959
* North American Bridge Championships
   * Master Individual (1) 1938
   * Silodor Open Pairs (2) 1959, 1968
   * Wernher Open Pairs (1) 1940
   * Nail Life Master Open Pairs (1) 1963
   * Open Pairs (1928-1962) (5) 1934, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1942
   * Masters Team of 4 (1) 1937
   * Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams (3) 1952, 1953, 1960
   * Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match (2) 1945, 1948
   * Reisinger (4) 1942, 1953, 1957, 1959
   * Spingold (3) 1943, 1945, 1958
