Claude Rodrigue

1930 - 2003

Claude Rodrigue was born in April 1930 in Cairo and came to England in 1947. He read mechanical engineering at the University of London, and became a photographer, and subsequently a stockbroker.

He made his international debut at the 1956 European Championships in Stockholm, representing Egypt. He was the World Par Champion in 1960. Now representing Great Britain, he won his only European Championship in 1961 in Torquay, in partnership with Kenneth Konstam. His longest international partnership was with Tony Priday, with whom he won a Silver Medal in the 1971 European Championships in Athens. In all he played in ten European Championships, three Olympiads and one Bermuda Bowl.

He won the Sunday Times Pairs in 1967 in partnership with Louis Tarlo, and was the only player to appear in all seventeen stagings of the Sunday Times Pairs in its original form. He was a Gold Cup winner four times, and also won Crockfords and the Portland Pairs, the latter in partnership with Fritzi Gordon, but in his heyday he was always more a rubber bridge player than a tournament player.

Major International Appearances

European Championships: 1961* 1966 1967 1969 1971 1973 1974 1975 1977 and 1979
Bermuda Bowl: 1962
World Olympiad: 1972 1976 and 1980

* = 1st place

Camrose Trophy Selections: 1962 1964 1966 1967 1969 1970 1971 1972 1974 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 and 1983

Gold Cup Winner: 1957 1964 1974 and 1976

Crockfords winner: 1967

Spring Foursomes Winner: 1967 and 1977

Tollemache Cup winner: 1953 1954 1959 1961 1964 and 1966