Quick Facts
Biography
Roy Welland (born October 2, 1962) is a wine connoisseur and world class bridge player. He lives in New York City and is married to Christal Henner, a champion bridge player in her own right; they have two sons.
Biography
Early life
Welland was born in Madison, Wisconsin and raised in Evanston, Illinois. His father taught mathematics at Northwestern University. In 1980, he moved to New York to pursue a career on Wall Street and became an options trader. Over time, he became a wine enthusiast and amassed a wine collection of over 150,000 bottles.
Bridge career
Roy Welland began playing bridge in 1986 when he won the American Contract Bridge League's (ACBL's) Rookie of the Year Award; he went on to win numerous national championships. In 2004, he was on the team chosen by the United States Bridge Federation to represent the country in the World Team Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey. In March 2007, he won the Mott-Smith Trophy.Later that year, he won the Player of the Year Award for best performance in the 2007 national events.
Bridge accomplishments
Awards (3)
| Year | Award | Event Type | Level |
| 1986 | Rookie of the Year Award | Masterpoint Race | National (Rookies) |
| 2007 | Mott-Smith Trophy | Masterpoint Race | National |
| 2007 | Player of the Year Award | Masterpoint Race | National |
Wins (10)
| Year | Tournament | On Team/Played With | Event Type | Level |
| 2001 | Cavendish Invitational Teams | Welland | Teams | N/A |
| 2001 | Reisinger Trophy | Welland | Teams | National |
| 2003 | European Open Bridge Championships | Welland | Teams | World |
| 2003 | Spingold | Welland | Teams | National |
| 2005 | Cavendish Invitational Teams | Welland | Teams | N/A |
| 2005 | Victor Mitchell Open Board-a-Match Teams | Björn Fallenius (partner), Chip Martel, Lew Stansby, Cezary Balicki, Adam Żmudziński | Teams | National |
| 2006 | Open Swiss Teams | Henner-Welland | Teams | National |
| 2006 | Warren Buffett Cup | United States  | Point-a-Board Teams/Pairs/Ind. | U.S. & Europe |
| 2007 | Vanderbilt National Knockout Teams | Henner-Welland | Teams | National |
| 2007 | Silodor Open Pairs | Giorgio DuBoin  | Pairs | National |
| 2013 | Vanderbilt National Knockout Teams | Auken | Teams | National |
Runners-up (6)
| Year | Tournament | On Team/Played With | Opponent in Final/Winner | Event Type | Level |
| 2000 | Spingold | Welland | Meltzer | Teams | National |
| 2005 | USBC | Welland | Ekeblad | Teams | National |
| 2005 | World Transnational Open Teams Championship | Spector | Schneider  | Teams | World |
| 2006 | Cavendish Invitational Teams (Tied for 2-3) | Welland | Abdou | Teams | National |
| 2007 | Grand National Teams | District 24 | District 9 | Teams | National |
| 2008 | Spingold | Welland | Gromov  | Teams | National |
| 2008 | Warren Buffett Cup | United States | Europe  | Point-a-Board Teams/Pairs/Ind. | USA & Europe |
| 2010 | Reisinger Trophy | Smirnov | N/A | Board-a-Match | National |
| 2012 | Reisinger Trophy | Auken | N/A | Board-a-Match | National |