Sami R. Kehela (born 1934), sometimes spelled Sammy Kehela, is a Canadian contract bridge player. A member of the Halls of Fame of both the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) and the Canadian Bridge Federation, he and his long-time partner, the late Eric Murray, are considered two of the best Canadian players in the history of the game.
Between 1966 and 1974, Kehela and Murray placed second in three Bermuda BowlsMr Sami Kehela of Canada. Player Master Point History. WBF Master Points (wbfmasterpoints.org).Mr Eric Murray of Canada. Player Master Point History. WBF Master Points (wbfmasterpoints.org). as one of three pairs comprising the North America teams. Unique among world players, they represented their country as a partnership in all of the first six quadrennial World Team Olympiads, from Turin in 1960 to Valkenburg in 1980. Together they won the Life Master Men's Pairs, the Life Master Pairs, the Vanderbilt, and the Spingold Trophy three times. Kehela and Murray were also runners-up in the 1969 Blue Ribbon Pairs.ACBL tournament results: Kaplan Blue Ribbon Pairs It was said that the key to their successful partnership was that each thought the other the better player.Interview with Edgar Kaplan, Victorian Bridge Association Bulletin, April 2010, page 6. Editor: Bill Jacobs
Kehela lives with his wife in Toronto (2007). He is a "semi-retired bridge writer and teacher" (perhaps 2001), as former editor of The Ontario Kibitzer and columnist for the monthly Toronto Life.
Kehela and Murray were both inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 2001.
Bridge accomplishments
Honours
ACBL Hall of Fame, 2001"Induction by Year" . Hall of Fame. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-11-16. Canadian Bridge Federation Hall of Fame, 2010
Wins
North American Bridge Championships (9) von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs (1) 1969 Wernher Open Pairs (1) 1963 Blue Ribbon Pairs (1) 1967 Nail Life Master Open Pairs (1) 1963 Vanderbilt (2) 1966, 1970 Spingold (3) 1964, 1965, 1968
Runners-up
North American Bridge Championships Blue Ribbon Pairs (1) 1969 Reisinger (2) 1969, 1972 Spingold (1) 1963
References
Further reading An article split over three pages: first, second and third parts.
External links – with video interview
Edgar Kaplan in an interview with Audrey Grant (audio-video) (audio-video)