Bridge Expert

The "Stayman convention" in bridge —the most popular one since the Blackwood—bears the name of Samuel M. Stayman '30. Designed for the nonplussed player holding neither a good nor a poor hand and confronted by his partner's opening one-no-trump bid, the convention calls for a response of two clubs on any hand that will play best in a four-card major.

The general idea of the convention was proposed by Mr. Stayman's bridge partner, George Rapee in 1945, though, according to bridge experts, it was not entirely new. Mr. Stayman was the first to write an article about it, and his name thus became attached to it. He is also the author of Expert Bidding atContract Bridge, published last year. However, it is through his proficiency at playing the game itself that he has become internationally famous. Most recently he was a member of the bridge team representing the U. S. at Naples. Since 1944 he has been Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League, and on seven occasions he has played in the National Team-of-Four championships. In 1949 Mr. Stayman was a member of the U. S. team which competed in the Anglo-American matches in London, and he has been winner of the Vanderbilt Cup three times.

A graduate of Tuck School, Mr. Stayman has combined his bridge with an active and successful business career. He is a partner with S. M. Stayman and Co. (Textiles) in New York; and is president and director of Vermont Woolens, Inc., and Stayman International Corporation.