Oswald Jacoby

American bridge player (1902–1984)

Oswald "Ozzie", "Jake" Jacoby (December 8, 1902 – June 27, 1984) He was the uncle of activist and author Susan Jacoby, as well as father of James Jacoby, an author and world class bridge player in his own right.

Born in Brooklyn to a Jewish family, During World War I, he joined the army at 15 by lying about his age but spent most of his time there playing poker. Dropping out of Columbia University (where he was in the class of 1922) as a math major Having an exceptional aptitude for mathematics, Jacoby could multiply three and four digit numbers in his head without benefit of paper. During World War II and the Korean War, he applied these abilities to counterintelligence and cryptanalysis being referred to as a human computer; Jacoby subsequently solidified his position as the most successful tournament player in the thirties He is recognized by the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) as Life Master #2, one of ten named in 1936. LM #1 is David Burnstine, his partner on the Four Horsemen and co founder of the Four Aces. He pioneered many bidding ideas, including the Jacoby transfer and Jacoby 2NT bids. Throughout his career, he also worked as a bridge columnist; a prolific writer, he wrote over 10,000 newspaper articles on bridge, and his many books include not only bridge but volumes on poker, gin rummy, canasta, and the mathematics of card games and gambling, which he played at high stakes. Jacoby, Lenz, and Milton Work were named to its hall of fame by The Bridge World in 1965, which brought the number of members to six. They were all made founding members of the ACBL Hall of Fame in 1995. Although he did not pursue a career in competitive chess, and did not write on the game, he was nevertheless a strong player. When in college, Jacoby beat US chess champion Frank Marshall, and in 1963, in a rapid transit game, he played a draw with Tigran Petrosian, the then world champion. He wrote several books on various card games, with a particular interest in gin rummy and canasta.