The Nickell Team Legacy: Professional Bridge’s Defining Dynasty

SEO Title: Nick Nickell Bridge Teams - 7 World Championships, Professional Era Dynasty

Meta Description: Nick Nickell’s sponsored bridge teams won 7 Bermuda Bowls from 1995-2017, featuring Meckstroth-Rodwell, Hamman-Wolff, and other legends. The story of professional bridge’s greatest dynasty.

Keywords: Nick Nickell, Nickell team, bridge sponsorship, professional bridge, Bermuda Bowl, Meckstroth-Rodwell, world bridge champions, sponsored bridge teams

Nick Nickell changed American bridge by doing something simple: he wrote checks. Big ones. For nearly three decades, he’s sponsored the best bridge teams money can assemble, won 7 Bermuda Bowls, and created the template for how professional bridge works in the modern era. The Nickell teams aren’t just successful. They’re the standard by which every other sponsored team gets measured.

This isn’t a partnership in the traditional sense. It’s a dynasty built around elite players, careful team selection, and consistent financial backing. But it’s shaped modern bridge more than any single partnership since the Dallas Aces.

How It Started

Nick Nickell made his money in private equity. In the early 1990s, he decided to invest some of it in bridge. Not through teaching or publishing or technology. Through assembling the best possible team and paying them to win world championships.

The model was simple: identify the best players, offer them financial backing to play full-time bridge, bring them together as a team, and win. Nickell would handle the money and logistics. The players would handle the bridge. If you wanted to be on the team, you had to be one of the world’s best and willing to commit fully.

The first major Nickell team formed in the mid-1990s. The core was Meckstroth-Rodwell, already the best American partnership. Add other world-class players, give them resources to practice and compete, and see what happens.

What happened was seven Bermuda Bowls: 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2011, 2015, and 2017. That’s dominance.

The Core: Meckstroth-Rodwell

Every successful Nickell team had one constant: Jeff Meckstroth and Eric Rodwell. They were the foundation partnership, the pair other players built around. Their presence meant the team always had world-class execution in at least one seat.

Meckstroth-Rodwell brought more than just technical skill. They brought credibility. Other top players wanted to play with them. Sponsors knew that a team with Meckwell had a real shot at world championships. They were the franchise players.

Their loyalty to Nickell (and his to them) created stability rare in sponsored bridge. Some sponsors change teams constantly, chasing the hot hand. Nickell built around Meckwell and kept that core intact across multiple championship cycles. That consistency mattered.

When you watched a Nickell team play, you knew Meckstroth-Rodwell would execute flawlessly. They’d bid their slams, defend precisely, and grind out partials. The rest of the team could play aggressively knowing they had that rock-solid foundation.

The Roster Changes

While Meckstroth-Rodwell stayed constant, other roster spots evolved. Different championships featured different supporting casts, depending on who was playing their best bridge and team chemistry needs.

Hamman-Wolff played on several championship Nickell teams. Two legendary partnerships on one team created devastating offensive firepower. Opponents couldn’t focus defensive attention because both pairs would punish mistakes.

Zia Mahmood appeared on some rosters, bringing his creative flair. Paul Soloway, Bobby Levin, Steve Weinstein, and many other world-class players have worn the Nickell colors at different times. Each brought specific strengths - aggressive bidding, solid defense, technical precision.

Nickell’s approach to roster management was professional in the best sense. Find the best available players. Figure out who works well together. Make changes when necessary but maintain core stability. It’s how professional sports teams operate, applied to bridge.

The 1995 Bermuda Bowl

The first Nickell team victory came in Beijing in 1995. The roster included Meckstroth-Rodwell, Hamman-Wolff, and others. They faced tough international competition but won decisively.

That championship proved the model worked. You could assemble elite players through sponsorship, give them resources to prepare, and win world titles. It sounds obvious now. In 1995, it validated Nickell’s investment and approach.

The victory also announced that American bridge was serious about reclaiming world dominance. The Dallas Aces had proven professional teams could work in the 1970s. The Nickell team proved it still worked in the 1990s.

The Championship Runs

After 1995, the wins kept coming. 2000 in Maastricht. Back-to-back titles in 2003 (Monaco) and 2004 (Istanbul). Then 2011 (Veldhoven), 2015 (Chennai), and 2017 (Lyon).

Each championship had its own story. Some were dominant performances where the Nickell team crushed opponents. Others were tight matches decided by a few key boards. But they all featured excellent preparation, flawless execution, and the confidence that comes from playing with the world’s best.

The 2011 victory was special. Hamman-Wolff (at ages 73 and 75) and Meckstroth-Rodwell (at 63 and 59) proved age didn’t diminish their excellence. Decades after their first championships, still winning world titles. That’s sustained excellence.

The 2017 win in Lyon showcased the modern Nickell team. Still built around Meckstroth-Rodwell but with younger supporting players bringing energy and fresh ideas. The blend worked perfectly.

What Made Them Different

Every world championship team has elite players. What made the Nickell teams special?

First, resources. Nickell provided financial backing that let players focus entirely on bridge. No juggling day jobs, no worrying about travel costs, no distractions from preparation. Just practice, compete, and win.

Second, consistency. Some sponsors assemble a team for one championship, then disband. Nickell maintained his teams across multiple cycles. That allowed partnerships to develop, team chemistry to build, and institutional knowledge to accumulate.

Third, professionalism. Nickell ran his teams like professional sports franchises. Serious practice sessions, careful opponent scouting, detailed hand analysis. This wasn’t casual bridge. This was treating world championships with the preparation they deserved.

Fourth, patience. Not every cycle produced a championship. The Nickell teams lost some years. Nickell didn’t panic, fire everyone, and start over. He maintained the core, made thoughtful changes, and kept working toward the next title.

The Professional Era

Nickell didn’t invent professional bridge. The Dallas Aces did that in the 1960s-70s. But Nickell proved it could work sustainably in the modern era. His model became the template every other sponsor followed.

Want to win a world championship? Assemble elite players, provide financial backing, give them time to prepare, and maintain stability. That’s the Nickell model. It works because it’s based on sound principles: talent, resources, and commitment.

His success spawned competitors. Other wealthy bridge enthusiasts saw Nickell winning championships and decided to sponsor their own teams. This created a professional bridge ecosystem where elite players could make serious money playing the game. That transformed American bridge.

The best players no longer needed day jobs or client games to survive. They could play professionally for sponsors, focus entirely on competitive bridge, and make a living. Nickell’s sustained success proved there was a market for this model.

The Costs

Running a championship-level bridge team isn’t cheap. Travel to international championships, practice expenses, player salaries, and administrative costs add up quickly. Estimates suggest Nickell has invested millions in bridge over nearly three decades.

That investment has returned seven world championships, numerous national titles, and satisfaction of supporting the game at the highest level. For Nickell, it’s apparently worth it. He continues sponsoring teams decades after his first championship.

Some critics argue this creates inequality in bridge - wealthy sponsors can buy championships by assembling the best players. That’s not entirely wrong. But it’s also how professional sports work. The best players go where the resources are. As long as it’s transparent and within the rules, that’s fair competition.

Team Chemistry

Assembling the best individual players doesn’t guarantee success. Team chemistry matters. Players need to mesh, support each other, and function as a unit rather than a collection of stars.

The Nickell teams generally avoided chemistry problems through careful selection. Meckstroth-Rodwell provided stable leadership. Other players were chosen partly for their ability to work within a team structure. Egos had to be checked at the door.

This didn’t always work perfectly. Roster changes happened partly because certain player combinations didn’t gel. But more often than not, Nickell assembled players who could function effectively together despite strong individual personalities.

The Close Calls

Not every championship was dominant. Some Nickell teams won by tiny margins in nail-biting finishes.

In one world championship match, they faced a strong European team in the finals. The match went down to the last boards with the outcome uncertain. Meckstroth-Rodwell played a crucial slam hand perfectly, making on a finesse that had to work. Won by single-digit IMPs. That’s championship-level pressure execution.

Other years, they lost in close matches. Semifinals defeats by razor-thin margins. These losses stung but didn’t break the team’s confidence. They’d regroup, analyze what went wrong, and come back stronger the next cycle.

The Modern Challenges

Winning world championships has gotten harder. European bridge has improved dramatically. Chinese teams have emerged as powerhouses. Young players worldwide have access to better training and resources. The competition is fiercer than ever.

Yet Nickell teams keep competing at the highest level. The 2017 championship proved they could still win in the modern era. Meckstroth-Rodwell provide continuity, but the supporting cast evolves to meet new challenges.

The financial commitment remains substantial. International competition requires heavy travel, extensive preparation, and retaining elite players who have other options. Nickell continues providing the resources, and the teams keep contending.

What It Represents

The Nickell team legacy represents professional bridge done right. Sustained commitment, elite talent, serious preparation, and patience through losing cycles. It’s proven that sponsorship can produce lasting success if handled professionally.

It also represents a shift in how bridge works at the elite level. The days of purely amateur players winning world championships are mostly over. Modern championship bridge is professional - sponsored teams with full-time players who treat the game as a career.

Nickell didn’t create this shift, but his success accelerated it. By proving that well-funded teams could dominate for decades, he encouraged other sponsors to invest seriously. That created the professional ecosystem that now dominates world bridge.

The Legacy Beyond Trophies

Seven Bermuda Bowls make this a quantifiable success. But the legacy extends beyond trophy count.

Nickell demonstrated that sustained investment in bridge produces sustained success. He showed other wealthy bridge enthusiasts that sponsorship could be rewarding and successful. He helped create the professional infrastructure that now supports elite American bridge.

His teams became training grounds for world-class play. Players who spent time on Nickell teams learned championship-level preparation, professional team dynamics, and what it takes to win at the highest level. Many took that knowledge to other teams and spread the professional approach.

The Meckstroth-Rodwell partnership reached its full potential partly because Nickell provided the resources and stability they needed. Same for other partnerships and players who flourished on his teams. That’s an important but often overlooked aspect of sponsorship - creating conditions where talent can maximize itself.

Still Going

In his 70s now, Nickell continues sponsoring bridge teams. The rosters evolve, new players join, and the pursuit of championships continues. Some years bring victories, others don’t. But the commitment remains.

The 2017 Bermuda Bowl might not be the last. As long as Nickell wants to compete and can attract elite players, his teams will contend for championships. That’s the advantage of sustained investment and professional approach.

The model he created three decades ago still works: assemble the best players, provide resources, maintain stability, and compete seriously. Simple in concept, difficult in execution, effective when done right.

The Bottom Line

Nick Nickell wrote checks and won seven world championships. But he did more than that. He created the template for modern professional bridge sponsorship. He proved that sustained investment produces sustained success. He helped transform American bridge from talented amateurs to professional competitors.

The Nickell team legacy isn’t just about trophies (though seven Bermuda Bowls certainly count). It’s about demonstrating how elite bridge can work in the professional era. Money doesn’t automatically win championships - plenty of wealthy sponsors have failed. But money combined with smart roster management, professional preparation, and sustained commitment does produce results.

Meckstroth-Rodwell are the greatest American partnership partly because Nickell gave them the platform to maximize their potential. Other world-class players achieved championship success partly because Nickell’s teams gave them the resources and teammates to do it.

That’s a legacy that extends beyond any individual championship. The Nickell teams changed how elite American bridge operates. They proved professional sponsorship works. They raised the standard for preparation and commitment. They won a lot of trophies doing it.

Seven Bermuda Bowls and counting. Decades of sustained investment in excellence. The standard by which every other sponsored team gets measured. That’s the Nickell legacy. Not bad for a guy who just wanted to support great bridge.