{{Short description|American bridge player (1943)}} thumb|Peter Weichsel
'''Peter M. Weichsel''' (born 1943)<ref name=OEB/> is an American professional bridge player from Encinitas, California.<ref name=OEB>{{OEB|5|766}}</ref> ==College and war years== Early Weichsel started playing bridge at home with his family, but did not get hooked until 1963 when he was a student at Queens College, New York. He dropped out of college and became a Life Master in 1964. His bridge career was interrupted by the Vietnam War. He served two years duty in the Navy as a winch driver aboard the {{USS|Mount Katmai}}, responsible for moving large bombs out of the hold. After discharge, he lived in San Francisco in a fleabag hotel and became an "active member" of the counterculture. He felt this was a transforming experience and to the present describes himself as a reformed hippie.
==The Precision Team and Hall of Fame== Weichsel returned to New York and bridge playing in the mid-1960s. His appearance, with puka shells around his neck, "really long" straight hair, beads and bell bottoms, caused "the ultra-straight bridge community" to give him "tons of strange looks...and an occasional shake of the head." He did not get a haircut until 1980. <ref name= :"u">{{Cite web|title=September 2020 -The Rise and Fall of the Precision Team|url=https://www.nxtbook.com/acbl/bridgebulletin/2020_09/index.php?startid=12#/p/14|access-date=2020-08-31|website=www.nxtbook.com|language=en-US}}</ref> Seen as a young renegade,<ref name=ACBLhof/> Weichsel feels that his looks may have helped his results, lulling unknowing opponents into thinking he could not have been much of a bridge player.<ref name= :"u"/>
He came to prominence in 1970 as a member of C.C. Wei's "Precision Team", a group of young American players that won the Spingold, defeating the defending champions who were also 1970 Bermuda Bowl champions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Charles C. Wei Dead; A Top Bridge Theorist|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1987/02/21/618987.html?pageNumber=9|access-date=2020-09-01|website=timesmachine.nytimes.com|language=en}}</ref> The bridge world was described as being in disbelief by their victory.<ref name= :"u"/> When he won the 2019 Mitchell BAM, he had the distinction of winning a national title in every decade since the 1970s.<ref name= :"W">{{Cite web|date=2019-12-03|title=WEINSTEIN Wins BAM|url=https://bridgewinners.com/article/view/weinstein-wins-bam/|access-date=2020-09-02|website=Bridge Winners|language=en}}</ref>
Weichsel was inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 2004.<ref name=HOFby>[http://www.acbl.org/about-acbl/hall-of-fame/induction-by-year "Induction by Year"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205191454/http://www.acbl.org/about-acbl/hall-of-fame/induction-by-year/ |date=2014-12-05 }}. ''Hall of Fame''. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-12-16.</ref>
==Bridge accomplishments==
===Honors===
* ACBL Hall of Fame, 2004 ===Awards=== *Fishbein Trophy (2) 1980, 2000
===Wins===
* Bermuda Bowl (2) 1983, 2001 * World Mixed Pairs (1) 1990 * North American Bridge Championships (25) ** von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs (2) 1977, 1984 <ref name="List of Previous Winners">{{cite news |title = List of Previous Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db1.pdf |page = 6 |date = 2014-06-18 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163438/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db1.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Silodor Open Pairs (1) 1993 <ref>{{cite news |title = List of Previous Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db7.pdf |page = 11 |date = 2014-07-27 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163800/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db7.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Wernher Open Pairs (2) 1980, 1984 <ref>{{cite news |title = Wernher Open Pairs Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db5.pdf |page = 4 |date = 2014-07-22 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021050535/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db5.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Nail Life Master Open Pairs (1) 1971 <ref name="Life Master Open Pairs Winners">{{cite news |title = Life Master Open Pairs Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db1.pdf |page = 4 |date = 2013-11-29 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021045907/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db1.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Grand National Teams (1) 2003 <ref name="acbl.org">{{cite news |title = List of Previous Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2009/02/bulletins/db1.pdf |page = 8 |date = 2009-07-24 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163644/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2009/02/bulletins/db1.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Vanderbilt (4) 1972, 1985, 1989, 1999 <ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite news |title = List of Previous Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db4.pdf |page = 6 |date = 2014-03-24 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163636/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db4.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams (5) 1979, 1987, 1996, 2001, 2019 <ref name= :"W"/><ref name="Mitchell BAM Winners">{{cite news |title = Mitchell BAM Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db3.pdf |page = 8 |date = 2013-12-01 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163618/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db3.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match (3) 1976, 1989, 2001 <ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite news |title = List of Previous Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db7.pdf |page = 14 |date = 2014-07-24 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163650/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db7.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Reisinger (1) 1973 <ref name="Reisinger Winners">{{cite news |title = Reisinger Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db8.pdf |page = 6 |date = 2013-12-06 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163719/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db8.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Spingold (6) 1970, 1971, 1980, 1982, 1992, 2000 <ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite news |title = List of Previous Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db4.pdf |page = 12 |date = 2014-07-21 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163711/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/02/bulletins/db4.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref>
===Runners-up===
* North American Bridge Championships (19) ** von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs (1) 1972 <ref name="List of Previous Winners"/> ** Lebhar IMP Pairs (1) 1987 <ref>{{cite news |title = Lebhar Imp Pairs Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db1.pdf |page = 8 |date = 2014-03-21 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163849/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db1.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Blue Ribbon Pairs (1) 1983 <ref>{{cite news |title = Blue Ribbon Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db5.pdf |page = 5 |date = 2013-12-03 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021164044/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/03/bulletins/db5.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Nail Life Master Open Pairs (1) 1989 <ref name="Life Master Open Pairs Winners"/> ** Grand National Teams (2) 2000, 2001 <ref name="acbl.org"/> ** Jacoby Open Swiss Teams (1) 2000 <ref>{{cite news |title = List of Previous Winners |publisher = American Contract Bridge League |url = http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db9.pdf |page = 9 |date = 2014-03-29 |accessdate = 2014-10-16 |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141021163816/http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2014/01/bulletins/db9.pdf |archivedate = 2014-10-21 }}</ref> ** Vanderbilt (3) 1975, 1981, 2008 <ref name="ReferenceA"/> ** Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams (2) 1968, 1990 <ref name="Mitchell BAM Winners"/> ** Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match (1) 2004 <ref name="ReferenceB"/> ** Reisinger (2) 1983, 1998 <ref name="Reisinger Winners"/> ** Spingold (4) 1985, 1988, 1991, 2003 <ref name="ReferenceC"/>
==References== {{reflist |25em |refs=
<ref name=ACBLhof> [ "Weichsel, Peter"]. ''Hall of Fame''. ACBL. Retrieved 2014-12-17.</ref> }}
==External links== * {{ACBLhof|weichsel-peter}} – with video interview * {{WBFpeople}} {{WPCBIndex}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weichsel, Peter}} Category:1943 births Category:American contract bridge players Category:Bermuda Bowl players Category:People from Encinitas, California Category:Living people Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Date of birth missing (living people)