Ralph Katz

Ralph Katz (born 1957) is an American bridge player. Katz is from Burr Ridge, Illinois and graduated from University of Steubenville.

In 2018 he was a first-ballot selection for the ACBL Hall of Fame.

Domestically, he has won 23 North American Bridge Championships and the Open Team Trials seven times. Internationally, he has many top finishes, highlighted by a win in the 2009 Bermuda Bowl. He has three times been the runner-up in world championships (the 2010 Rosenblum Cup, the 2007 Bermuda Bowl and the 1990 World Open Pairs Championship) and also has a bronze medal from the 2000 World Bridge Teams Olympiad. Katz is a Grand Life Master of the American Contract Bridge League with over 27,000 masterpoints and a World Grand Master of the World Bridge Federation. A sports enthusiast, the competitive side of bridge drew Katz to the game.

Bridge accomplishments

Awards ACBL Player of the Year 2001 Fishbein Trophy 1981, 2001

Wins Bermuda Bowl (1) 2009 North American Bridge Championships (25) Vanderbilt (6) 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2017, 2024 Spingold (3) 1981, 2001, 2002 Reisinger (2) 2000, 2009, 2021 Open Board-a-Match Teams (3) 2002, 2003, 2006 Jacoby Open Swiss Teams (1) 2001 North American Men's Swiss Teams (1) 1984 Master Mixed Teams (1) 1981 Life Master Pairs (2) 1979, 2022 Life Master Open Pairs (1) 2008 Open Pairs (1) 1986 Open Pairs I (2) 1996, 2003 IMP Pairs (1) 1999 Baze Senior KO (1) 2016 United States Bridge Championships (7) Open Team Trials (7) 2000, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2018

Runners-up Rosenblum Cup (1) 2010 Bermuda Bowl (1) 2007 World Open Pairs (1) 1990 North American Bridge Championships (17) Reisinger (7) 1987, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2014, 2023 Grand National Teams (1) 1986 Open Board-a-Match Teams (2) 2001, 2012 North American Swiss Teams (1) 1979 Open Swiss Teams (3) 2008, 2015, 2018 Mixed Board-a-Match (1) 1997 Life Master Pairs (4) 1989, 2001, 2003, 2016 IMP Pairs (1) 2006 Baze Senior KO (1) 2017 Vanderbilt (3) 2012, 2018, 2019 United States Bridge Championships (2) Open Team Trials (2) 1989, 1999