This bridge event is a four-session event with two qualifying sessions and two final sessions. The event is restricted only to Life Masters, which was once the highest rank in the ACBL and in many other NCBO's, and was introduced in 1936. The selection of the early Life Masters was based solely on the previous successes and victories in national events although a Masterpoint Program had been devised in 1934.

Prior to the year 1963 the event was restricted to National Masters. Until 1990 the Life Master Open Pairs was played only by male bridge players, but then was restructured as an open event, allowing female bridge players to also participate.

This national bridge event is conducted annually at the Fall North American Bridge Championship, and is also known as the (Bobby) Nail Life Master Open Pairs, named for Mr. Robert George Nail, better known as Bobby Nail, born in the year 1925 and died in 1995, who lived in Texas, United States, and who was inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame at the 2001 Summer North American Bridge Championship, in Toronto, Canada.

Year		Winners and Runners-Up
1961		1. G. Gard Hays, Max Manchester
		2. Martin J. Cohn, Hampton Hume
1962		1. Sam Fuoto, Victor Mitchell
		2. Hal Kandler, Kelsey Petterson
1963		1. Sami R. Kehela, Eric R. Murray
		2. Harry J. Fishbein, Charles J. Solomon
1964		1. Charles Coon, Bobby Goldman
		2-3. Mervin Key, Harold Rackaway
		2-3. Jack Blair, Col. William Christian
1965		1. Paul Soloway, Alex Tschekaloff
		2. Edgar Kaplan, Victor Mitchell
1966		1. Carl J. Hudeck, Ray Zoller
		2. Gaylor Kasle, Ed Theus
1967		1. Harlow S. Lewis, Peter A. Pender
		2. Donald R. Faskow, William L. Flannery
1968		1. Henry Bethe, John Solodar
		2. Don Pearson, John Swanson
1969		1. Chuck F. Burger, James Cayne
		2. Norman H. Fischer, Christopher G. Jeans
1970		1. Ron E. Andersen, Hugh C. MacLean
		2. Curtis K. Smith, E. Lowell Yost
1971		1. Alan Sontag, Peter Weichsel
		2. Stephen W. Robinson, Kit Woolsey
1972		1. Leslie C. Bart, Marc S. Jacobus
		2. Stepehn W. Robinson, Kit Woolsey
1973		1. Edgar Kaplan, Norman Kay
		2. Roxy Violin, Ed Weiner
1974		1. Gerald L. Michaud, George Robert Nail
		2. John Gerber, Daniel Kaim
1975		1. Steve Lapides, Walt Walvick
		2. Marc Culbertson, Robert Visokey
1976		1. Roger Bates, John Mohan
		2. Steve Altman, Thomas M. Smith
1977		1. David Hoffner, David Schroeder
		2. Roger Bates, John Mohan
1978		1. Norm Coombs, Tom Hodapp
		2. Kevin Castner, Michael S. Lawrence
1979		1. Jeff Meckstroth, Eric Rodwell
		2. Zeke Jabbour, Dennis McGarry
1980		1. V. Craig Janitschke, Jan Janitschke
		2. Robert D. Hamman, Paul Swanson
1981		1. Roger Abelson, Mike Levinson
		2. Robert D. Hamman, Donald P. Krauss
1982		1. Robert Lipsitz, Dan Gerstman
		2. Lew Mathe, Harold Buiver
1983		1. Marty Bergen, Larry N. Cohen
		2. Mitch Chandler, Cliff Bishop
1984		1. Per Olov Sunderlin, Peter Pender
		2. Jim Becker, Howard Chandross
1985		1. John Mohan, Roger Bates
		2. Eric Rodwell, Jeff Meckstroth
1986		1. Jim Krekorian, Paul Kiefer
		2. Marty Bergen, Larry N. Cohen
1987		1. Bart Bramley, Lou Bluhm
		2. Leslie West, David Ashley
1988		1. Robert Levin, Larry Cohen
		2. Glen Lublin, Peter Boyd
1989		1. Steve Lapides, Walt Walvick
		2. Peter Weichsel, Roger Stern

Note: The Life Master Men's Pairs was renamed The Life Master Open Pairs in 1990 and was no longer restricted to one sex.

1990		1. Zia Mahmood, Hugh Ross
		2. Tommy Gullberg, Michael Polowan
1991		1. Zia Mahmood, Hugh Ross
		2. Larry N. Cohen, David Berkowitz
1992		1. Mike Kamil, Michael Rosenbert
		2. Jeff Meckstroth, Eric Rodwell
1993		1. Brad Moss, Ravindra Murthy
		2. Ed Nagy, Jeff Polisner
1994		1. Robert Levin, Richard Katz
		2. Michael Polowan, Steve Robinson
		List of Participating Teams
1995		1. John Sutherlin, Bart Bramley
		2. Mark Itabashi, Gene Simpson
1996		1. Walter Schafer, Ron Smith
		2. Michael Schreiber, Curtis Cheek
1997		1. Kerry Smith, Jeff Schuett
		2. Dennis Kasle, Garey Hayden
1998		1. JoAnna Stansby, Lew Stansby
		2. Ron Smith, Richard Schwartz
1999		1. Paul Soloway, Steve Catlett
		2. Lew Stansby, JoAnna Stansby
2000		1. Jill Meyers, Steve Garner
		2. Zia Mahmood, Chuck Burger
2001		1. Piotr Gawrys, Jacek Pszczola
		2. Zia Mahmood, Sidney Lazard
2002		1. Eric Greco, Geoff Hampson
		2. Larry N. Cohen, Steve Weinstein
2003		1. Jo Morse, Kyle Larsen
		2. Fred Gitelman, Jay Borker
2004		1. Richard Pavlicek, Rich Pavlicek Jr.
		2. Mark Aquino, Jonathan Green
2005		1. Zia Mahmood, Jill Meyers
		2. Robert Levin, Louk Verhees Jr.
2006		1. Steve Garner, Howard Weinstein
		2. Paul Hackett, John Armstrong
2007		1. Bjorn Fallenius, Zia Mahmood
		2. Michael Prahin, Alex Perlin
2008		1. Nikolay Demirev, Ralph Katz
		2. Eric Rodwell, John Diamond

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