John R. Crawford
American bridge, backgammon, and other games player, teacher, and writer
About John R. Crawford
Lived 1915 – 1976 (aged 60). John R. Crawford was an American bridge player, non-fiction writer and contract bridge.
John Yocum Randolph Crawford (August 4, 1915 – February 14, 1976) was an American bridge and backgammon player.
In bridge, he was a member of United States teams that won the first three Bermuda Bowls, or world championships, in 1950, 1951 and 1953; a wholly new team represented the US in 1954. In backgammon, Crawford is known as the inventor of the "Crawford rule", a regulation that restricts use of the doubling die in match play.
Life Of Scots descent, the younger son of Andrew Wright Crawford Sr. (1873–1929), a town planner, he was born at Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and died in Manhattan aged 60. He was married to Carol Stolkin, née Ross, also a celebrated backgammon player.
Books
Canasta (New York: JCS Associates, 1950; London: Faber, 1951) Samba, three-deck canasta (Doubleday, 1951) How to be a consistent winner in the most popular card games (Doubleday, 1953) ; revised 1961 Contract bridge (Grosset & Dunlap, 1953), Crawford assisted by Fred L. Karpin Calypso: how to play and win the fascinating new card game (Doubleday, 1955) The backgammon book (Viking Press, 1970), Oswald Jacoby and Crawford
The latter was soon translated. Das Backgammonbuch, German transl. by Jens Schmidt-Prange and Suzanne Gangloff (Munich: Keyser, 1974) Le livre du backgammon, French transl. by René Orléan, 1975
Bridge accomplishments
Honors ACBL Hall of Fame, 1995
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in John R. Crawford's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Related people
Same field, nearest in time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped John R. Crawford's
Frequently asked questions
Who was John R. Crawford?
American bridge, backgammon, and other games player, teacher, and writer (1915-1976)
When was John R. Crawford born?
John R. Crawford was born on 4 August 1915 in Bryn Mawr.
When did John R. Crawford die?
John R. Crawford died on 14 February 1976 in New York City.
What was John R. Crawford's occupation?
John R. Crawford was a bridge player, non-fiction writer and contract bridge.
What nationality was John R. Crawford?
John R. Crawford was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John R. Crawford. https://biography.guide/john-r-crawford/
MLA: "John R. Crawford." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-r-crawford/.
Chicago: "John R. Crawford." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-r-crawford/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:31 UTC