Pierre Albarran
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tennis | ||
 |
1920 Antwerp | Doubles |
Pierre Albarran (18 May 1893 – 24 February 1960) was a French auction and contract bridge player and theorist, and a tennis player. It has been reported that he was born in the West Indies,[1] and also in Chaville, Hauts-de-Seine, France.[2] He died in Paris.[3]
Bridge
[edit | edit source]... probably the greatest Contract Bridge player in Europe ...
— Lt. Col. H. M. Beasley, D.S.O., The Beasley Contract Bridge System[4]
At the bridge table Albarran played on the France open team that won the European IBL Championship in 1935 and on the slightly different team that traveled to New York City late that year for a match that may be considered the first world team championship. He subsequently represented France in more than 30 international bridge competitions and won 19 national titles. His contributions to bidding systems include the canapé approach and the convention later called Roman two-suiters. Upon his death Albert H. Morehead observed that Albarran was almost unknown in America "but it is possible that M. Albarran's bidding theories influenced European bridge tactics more than the theories of any other authority in any other country."[3] After France won the inaugural World Team Olympiad three months later, Morehead wrote that an American visitor to a French bridge club would find one big difference in the bridge language, the canapé bidding advocated by Albarran and "adopted by millions of players throughout Europe".[5]
Tennis
[edit | edit source]On the tennis court, he played for France in two Davis Cup tournaments and won the bronze medal in doubles with Max Decugis at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp.[6] With partner Alain Gerbault he reached the doubles final of the World Hard Court Championships in 1921.
World Championships finals
[edit | edit source]Doubles (1 runner-up)
[edit | edit source]| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1921 | World Hard Court Championships | Clay |  Alain Gerbault |
André Gobert William Laurentz |
4–6, 2–6, 8–6, 2–6 |
Publications
[edit | edit source]- Bridge, Nouvelle methode de nomination. Les jeux bicolores. Le Canapé, 1946
- Cent donnes extraordinaires: Bridge, 1953, co-author José Le Dentu
- Comment Gagner Au Bridge, 1959, co-author Pierre Jaïs
- L'Encyclopédie du bridge moderne, vol 1. 1957 and vol. 2 1968
- Le Bridge pour Tous, 1949, co-author Robert de Nexon, Publisher: A. Fayard, Paris, LC: 49052576
- Le Nouveau Bridge Pour Tous, 1958, co-authors Robert de Nexon and José Le Dentu
- Notre Methode de Bridge, 1936, co-author Robert de Nexon
- Nouveau Memento de Bridge en 100 Lecons: Encheres Naturelles, 1976, co-author José Le Dentu, Publisher: A. Fayard, Paris, Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)., LC: 77576798
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "Pierre Albarran". SR/Olympic Sports. Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
- ^ a b "BRIDGE: Pierre Albarran's Bidding Theories: Methods Used by Late French Expert Have Been Copied Extensively" Albert H. Morehead. The New York Times. 28 February 1960. Page X10.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "Contract Bridge: French Bidding Is Much the Same as Ours, Except for the Canape System". Albert H. Morehead. The New York Times. 12 May 1960. Page 32.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Further reading
[edit | edit source]- L'aristocratie du bridge, Pierre Jaïs, José Le Dentu, Alan Truscott, Paris, 1973, (editions Ballard)
External links
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- Profile at Sports Reference.com
- Pierre Albarran at Library of Congress, with 11 library catalogue records (including 8 "from old catalog")
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- 1893 births
- 1960 deaths
- Contract bridge writers
- French contract bridge players
- French male tennis players
- Olympic tennis players for France
- Olympic bronze medalists for France
- Tennis players at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Olympic medalists for France in tennis
- Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics
- 20th-century French sportsmen