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Fred  HAMILTON

 Nato il 30 agosto del 1936 a East Lansing nel Michigan dove suo padre era professore di inglese presso la Michigan State University è stato un insegnante e uno dei migliori giocatori americani contemporanei.

 All'età di 17 anni si arruolò come paracadutista e al suo ritorno cominciò ad interessarsi seriamente del gioco che era praticato dai suoi genitori quando lui era un ragazzo.

 Fred, tra gli altri tornei internazionali ha vinto, la Bermuda Bowl del 1976, è arrivato secondo in quella del 1977 e ai giochi Olimpici del 1980 ed ha vinto il Cavendish Pairs Invitational nel 1981.

 Sul piano nazionale ha vinto molti titoli tra i quali ricordiamo 2 Reisinger (1974, 78), la Vanderbilt del 1977 e  la Spingold del 1979.

 In coppia con Mike Passell è stato uno degli ultimi famosi Aces di Dallas.

 È un World Grand Masters che oggi vive a Las Vegas.

 Specialmente tra i giocatori americani è nota la convenzione che porta il suo nome e che è legata agli interventi sull'apertura di un senza avversaria.

La ACBL nel 2003 gli ha concesso l'onore di far parte della Hall of Fame.

Taken from the Hall of Fame

Fred Hamilton was born and raised in East Lansing MI, where his father was an English professor at Michigan State University. "My parents played some bridge, so I had an early introduction to the game," Hamilton remembers.

At the age of 17, he joined the U.S. Army as a paratrooper. Though he never played bridge for three years, he says, "I had my trusty Goren book with me." After his discharge, he enrolled at MSU on the G.I. Bill and talked his mom into going to the local duplicate club. "We finished third --- and I was hooked! I learned as much as possible from those I played with until eventually they were learning from me."

Mike Passell, whose illustrious bridge career he helped to launch, reminisces, "I played with Freddie in my first World Championship in Manila in the 1970s leading from beginning to almost the end before losing to Hamman--Wolff, etc."

Reflecting upon his long and distinguished career, Fred considers his most treasured bridge accomplishment to be winning the Bermuda Bowl (World Championship), defeating the fabled Italian Blue Team in 1976. He names Billy Eisenberg, Mark Lair, Mike Passell and Paul Soloway as "my favorite partners and good friends."

Besides the overwhelming successes he has achieved as a professional bridge player and teacher, few major NABC events have eluded him. Fred has captured multiple victories in the Reisinger, Vanderbilt and Spingold. Other notable triumphs include the 1982 Cavendish Invitational, 1994 Senior Pairs, 1996 and 1998 Senior Knockouts, the 1998 Senior Swiss Teams and the 2001 Silver Ribbon Pairs. He holds the prestigious titles of WBF World Grand Master and ACBL Grand Life Master and is also the inventor of the popular Hamilton convention over the opponent's 1NT opening bid.