Edward Mayer, The Times Bridge correspondent since 1953 died recently in a Basingstoke hospital after a short illness.
Born in 1901, he achieved distinction in several fields:- Barrister; MA Cantab: and Squadron Leader in the RAF.- but at bridge he earned his high reputation as a rubber bridge player rather than in the tournament field. This led to his book Money Bridge and the ideas he put over so successfully in his weekly articles for The Times.
At all times he supported natural bidding, as opposed to the use of any conventional systems, and this theme was brought out emphatically in all his writings.
In spite of the rarity of his tournament appearances he represented Great Britain in the 1934 European Championships, played in winning sides in unofficial matches against American World Championship Contenders in 1954 and 1956 and won the Belgian Pairs Championship in 1934.
On the British scene he was in the winning Gold Cup team in 1932 and also won the English Open teams in 1948/49. At one time he served as a council member for the British Bridge League but it is more for his theories of the rubber bridge game that he will be remembered. From his 2nd happy marriage in 1968 he leaves his widow, Wendy who, perhaps surprisingly never shared his passion for bridge.
by Boris Schapiro, published in the IBPA magazine
Major International Appearances
European Championships: 1934
Camrose Trophy Selections: 1938
Gold Cup Winner: 1932
Crockfords Cup Winner: 1949