{{short description|American bridge player}} '''Jeffrey John (Jeff) Meckstroth''' (born May 15, 1956)<ref>[http://info.2008wmsg.chinaqiyuan.com/en-us/Participant_info.aspx?pno=2341 The 1st World Mind Sports Games] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090915215044/http://info.2008wmsg.chinaqiyuan.com/en-us/Participant_info.aspx?pno=2341 |date=2009-09-15 }}. ''info.2008wmsg.chinaqiyuan.com''</ref> is an American professional contract bridge player. He is a multiple world champion, winning the Bermuda Bowl on USA teams five times. He is one of only ten players who have won the so-called triple crown of bridge: the Bermuda Bowl, the World Open Pairs and the World Team Olympiad. As of May 16, 2016, he was the fifth-ranking World Grand Master.<ref>[http://www.wbfmasterpoints.com/rankingWGMOpen.asp World Bridge Federation, Open World Grand Masters]</ref> For decades Meckstroth has been in a regular partnership with Eric Rodwell and together, nicknamed "Meckwell", they are one of the most successful bridge partnerships of all time. They are well known for playing an aggressive and very detailed system that derived from Precision Club.
One of Meckstroth's iconic achievements was winning three of the four available major events contested at the ACBL's 2008 fall championships, the Open Board-A-Match Teams, Blue Ribbon Pairs, and Reisinger Teams.
He became ACBL's all-time leading masterpoint holder when he went past Paul Soloway's long held record during the Indianapolis Winter Regional in March 2010.<ref name=reno/>
Meckstroth was born in Springfield, Ohio. He is a full-time bridge professional and lives in Clearwater Beach, Florida with his wife, Sally Chapleau-Meckstroth.
==Bridge accomplishments==
===Awards=== * ACBL Player of the Decade (3)1990s, 2000s, 2010s * ACBL Player of the Year (3) 1992, 2004, 2009 * Barry Crane Top 500 1993, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 * Mott-Smith Trophy 1979, 1980, 1985, 2000, 2009, 2017 * Fishbein Trophy 1996, 2004, 2007 * Herman Trophy 1980, 1982, 1995, 2004 * ACBL King of Bridge 1974 * Le Bridgeur Award (Best Played Hand of the Year) 1998 * IBPA Award (Best Played Hand of the Year) 1999 * Goren Trophy (1) 2009
===Wins=== * Bermuda Bowl (5) 1981, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2009 <ref name="WBF Winners">[http://www.worldbridge.org/world-team-championships.aspx World Team Championship Winners]</ref> * World Open Team Olympiad (1) 1988 * World Open Pairs (1) 1986 * World Mixed Pairs (1) 2002 * North American Bridge Championships (62) ** Senior Knockout Teams (3) 2013, 2014, 2016 <ref name="Baze Seniors Swiss Previous Winners">{{cite web | title = Baze Seniors Swiss Previous Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Baze+Senior+Knockout+Teams | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Grand National Teams (14) 1990, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 <ref name="GNT Previous Winners">{{cite web | title = GNT Previous Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Grand+National+Teams+Championship+Flight | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Jacoby Open Swiss Teams (6) 1989, 1994, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009 <ref name="Jacoby Open Swiss Previous Winners">{{cite web | title = Jacoby Open Swiss Previous Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Jacoby+Open+Swiss | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Blue Ribbon Pairs (3) 1982, 2008, 2016 <ref name="Blue Ribbon Winners">{{cite web | title = Blue Ribbon Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Kaplan+Blue+Ribbon+Pairs | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams (2) 1984, 2008 <ref name="Mitchell BAM Winners">{{cite web | title = Mitchell BAM Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Mitchell+Open+Board-a-Match+Teams | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Nail Life Master Open Pairs (1) 1979 <ref name="Life Master Open Pairs Winners">{{cite web | title = Life Master Open Pairs Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Nail+Life+Master+Pairs | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Reisinger (9) 1979, 1985, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009 <ref name="Reisinger Winners">{{cite web | title = Reisinger Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Reisinger+Board-a-Match+Teams | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Rockwell Mixed Pairs (1) 1980 <ref name="Rockwell Mixed Pairs Previous Winners">{{cite web | title = Rockwell Mixed Pairs Previous Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Rockwell+Mixed+Pairs | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Silodor Open Pairs (3) 1979, 1992, 2016 <ref name="Silodor Open Pairs Previous Winners">{{cite web | title = Silodor Open Pairs Previous Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Silodor+Open+Pairs | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Spingold (12) 1984, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007 <ref name="Spingold Previous Winners">{{cite web | title = Spingold Previous Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Spingold+Master+Knockout+Teams | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Vanderbilt (7) 1980, 1982, 1985, 2000, 2003, 2014, 2017 <ref name="Vanderbilt Previous Winners">{{cite web | title = Vanderbilt Previous Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Vanderbilt+Knockout+Teams | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Wernher Open Pairs (1) 1999 <ref name="Wernher Open Pairs Winners">{{cite web | title = Wernher Open Pairs Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Wernher+Open+Pairs | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> * United States Bridge Championships (13) ** Open Team Trials (13) 1980, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017 * European Open Bridge Championships (1) ** Open Pairs (1) 2003 * Other notable wins: ** Buffett Cup (1) 2010 ** Cavendish Invitational Teams (2) 2000, 2003 ** Cavendish Invitational Pairs (1) 2019 ** Macallan Invitational Pairs (2) 1995, 1996
===Runners-up=== * Bermuda Bowl (2) 1997, 2005 * World Open Team Olympiad (1) 1992 * Rosenblum Cup (1) 2010 * North American Bridge Championships (26) ** Senior Knockout Teams (1) 2012 <ref name="Baze Seniors Swiss Previous Winners"/> ** Grand National Teams (3) 1994, 2003, 2005 <ref name="GNT Previous Winners"/> ** Jacoby Open Swiss Teams (2) 2005, 2010 <ref name="Jacoby Open Swiss Previous Winners"/> ** Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams (2) 1998, 1999 <ref name="Mitchell BAM Winners"/> ** Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match (2) 1983, 1992 <ref name="Mixed BAM Previous Winners">{{cite web | title = Mixed BAM Previous Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Mixed+BAM+Teams | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Nail Life Master Open Pairs (2) 1985, 1992 <ref name="Life Master Open Pairs Winners"/> ** Norman Kay Platinum Pairs (1) 2013 <ref name="Platinum Pairs Previous Winners">{{cite web | title = Platinum Pairs Previous Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=Norman+Kay+Platinum+Pairs | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> ** Reisinger (1) 1980 <ref name="Reisinger Winners"/> ** Spingold (4) 1985, 1990, 2011, 2012 <ref name="Spingold Previous Winners"/> ** Vanderbilt (6) 1979, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2018, 2019 <ref name="Vanderbilt Previous Winners"/> ** Keohane North American Swiss Teams (1) 2022 ** von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs (1) 1983 <ref name="von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs Previous Winners">{{cite web | title = von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs Previous Winners | author = | publisher = ACBL | url = https://web3.acbl.org/nabcwinners?event=von+Zedtwitz+Life+Master+Pairs | date = | accessdate = 2016-07-31 }}</ref> * United States Bridge Championships (4) ** Open Team Trials (4) 1982, 1984, 1985, 1997 * Other notable 2nd places: ** Cavendish Invitational Teams (1) 1997 ** Cap Volmac World Top Invitational Pairs (1) 1994 ** Sunday Times–Macallan Invitational Pairs (1) 1993 ** Cavendish Invitational Pairs (1) 1984
==Publications== <!--2014-05-29 these are the two works in WorldCat library records; see TALK#Identity --> * "New Minor Forcing & Fourth Suit Forcing & Artificial" (Louisville: Devyn Press, 1985), Championship Bridge no. 28 {{OCLC|30325706}} – pamphlet * ''Win the Bermuda Bowl With Me'', Meckstroth and Marc Smith (Toronto: Master Point Press, 2001), {{ISBN|1-894154-33-9}}, 188 pp.
==References== {{reflist |25em |refs= <ref name=reno> [http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2010/01/bulletins/db1.pdf "Meckstroth passes Soloway to become masterpoint king"]. Reno NABC staff. ''Daily Bulletin'' 53:1 (March 12, 2010), pp. 1, 7. Retrieved 2014-05-22.</ref>
}}
==External links== * {{WBF|3776}} * {{WBF Master Points|596}} * [http://usbf.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=526&Itemid=224 Nickell Team] at the United States Bridge Federation (2009?) – with player profiles * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjZM7j7EJMw Audio-video interview] uploaded October 27, 2009, by ACBLvideo at YouTube
{{Authority control}} <!--2014-05-22 not found at LCCN; one book maybe not in LCCat-->
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meckstroth, Jeff}} Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:American contract bridge players Category:Bermuda Bowl players Category:American contract bridge writers