Source:
ACBL Dictionary
Harold
Vanderbilt of Newport RI, was a
bridge authority whose revisions
of auction bridge scoring
principles created modern
contract bridge, also a
system-maker and champion player.
Member ACBL Hall of Fame. For
many years he was a successful
business executive. His greatest
fame in competitive fields is as
a yachtsman – his revision
of right-of-way rules is still
known as the Vanderbilt Rules.
Nevertheless,
his lasting fame is more likely
to come from his contributions to
bridge. Vanderbilt took up bridge
seriously in 1906, and his
partnership with J. B. Elwell was
considered the strongest in the
U.S. from 1910 to 1920. During
that period the contract bridge
principle – counting only
bid tricks toward game – was
often proposed and as often
rejected, except for the limited
success of Plafond.
Experimenting
with the proposed new game while
on a cruise late in 1925,
Vanderbilt originated the factors
of vulnerability and inflated
slam bonuses. He produced a
scoring table so balanced as to
make nearly every aggressive or
sacrifice bid an approximately
even bet, allowing just enough
differential to permit the
exercise of nice judgment.
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