Fall River man, Newton woman, win North American Bridge Championship in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS/FALL RIVER/NEWTON – Competitions are the driving force behind the popularity of the card game bridge. Notably standing out among competitors is Fall River native Lew Gamerman, who claimed a victory this March at the 2023 Spring North American Bridge Championship, hosted by the American Contract Bridge League in New Orleans.

Lew won the Leventritt Silver Ribbon Pairs event with his partner Sheila Gabay of Newton. With this win, Lew earned the top rank of Grand Life Master.

According to the American Contract Bridge League, Gabay, who has three previous NABC titles, jumped and hugged her partner at the news. “I’m more happy he became a Grand Life Master,” she said. “We have been playing together 20 years. I’m so ecstatic.”

Gamerman had little to say. “I’m awestruck. So happy I can’t talk.”

As happy as they were, they were equally surprised. “We were shocked,” Gabay said. “I knew we had at least four bad boards. I thought we were having a good game but I didn’t think it would be enough.”

The 2023 Spring NABC hosted more than 3,000 bridge players of all skill levels from across the world and over 6,650 tables of play over the course of the tournament. ACBL hosts an NABC three times per year across the United States and Canada. Founded in 1937, ACBL is the largest bridge organization in North America with 145,000 members. Participants compete for masterpoints, the exclusive currency of ACBL that measures achievement in duplicate bridge competition.