RICHARD FREEMAN

Presenter: Nick Nickell, a friend of Freeman's for 30 years and his bridge partner for 20 years. Like Freeman, Nickell is a Bermuda Bowl champion and has a long string of major North American team victories over the past half dozen years.

Hall of Famer: Freeman was famous long before he made it to the top in the bridge world. When he was just a kid, he was the mathematics expert on the Quiz Kids show. He would perform incredible math feats, solving problems in his head while mathematicians tried to work them out on paper.

Bob Hamman wrote in his autobiography that Freeman started college when he was only 15. Freeman took issue with that - he graduated from college at 15. Old-time tournament directors remember his amazing speed in scoring a game - nobody could compete with him. He is also a fabulous bridge player and one of the fastest and most accurate analysts in the game.

When Freeman took the podium, he said that he considers bridge to be more than a game, more than a sport - "it broadens your perspective." He credited his wife Louise with teaching him how to win.