Helen Martin SMITH (SOBEL)

(1910-1969)

Helen MARTIN (Mrs. Stanley, formerly Mrs. Al Sobel and Mrs. Jack White) of Detroit was univesally ranked as probably the greatest woman bridge player of all time. Member ACBL Hall of Fame. Became Life Master #25 in 1941. Born in Philadelphia, and after a long residence in New York City moved to Miami Beach 1963. After her marriage to Smith, she moved to Detroit. She enjoyed a brief stage career as a chorus girl and appeared in several stage shows including Animal Crackers with the Marx Brothers. Another chorus girl taught her how to play bridge and she rocketed to stardom at the card table. In 1934, as Mrs. Jack White, she won the Women's Pairs Championship, the first of her many titles.

Shortly after her marriage to Al Sobel ended in divorece (1937-1945), she was invited by Ely Calbertson to represent the United States. She played with the Culbertsons and Charles Vogelhofer in a World Championship conducted by the International Bridge League (1937) in Budapest. It was won by Austria. This was tacit recognition that Culbertson, like many other experts, considered her the equal of any male player, a view which became that of Charles Goren in 1940 when they won the Open Pair title, their first of many to come. This was to become one of the most enduring and successful partnerships in the history if bridge. Together they won the De La Rue International Invitation Pairs Tournament in London 1957. They represented North America in the Bermuda Bowl 1957 where they came in 2nd; the US in the World Team Olympiad of 1960.

Many of her 33 titles were won with Goren including Life Master Pairs twice 1942, 1958. She won the McKenney 1941, 1942, 1944 and the Fishbein Trophy 1958. She won the Spingold 5 times 1944, 1947, 1951, 1956, 1960; Chicago (now the Reisinger) 4 times 1941, 1943, 1950, 1957); the Vanderbilt 1944, 1945; Women's Pairs 1938, 1939; Women's Teams 1935, 1936, 1939, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946; Master Mixed Teams 1941, 1943, 1933, 1938, 1954, 1968; Mixed Pairs 1955, 1956. She placed 2nd Women's Teams 1937, 1941, 1942, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958; Vanderbilt 1942, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1959, 1962; Spingold 1943, 1950; Reisinger 1944, 1951; Master Mixed Teams 1946, 1949, 1950, 1951; Women's Pairs 1947, 1965; Life Master Pairs 1953. By 1948 she had anassed the greatest number of master-points of any woman. She took over the top spot from Sally Young and held it uninterruptedly until 1964. Author of All the Tricks and several magazine articles.