Curtis Scott Cheek was born on February 15, 1958 in Huntsville in Northern Alabama where he attended the University of Alabama but now lives in Las Vegas with his second wife Phyllis Harris Cheek (pictured) also an excellent player. He was previously married for 15 years to Icelandic-born champion Hjordis Eythorsdottir.

He studied at University Place Elementary in his hometown and he has a degree in Electrical and Electonics Engineering and he had a normal life for 15 years working in aerospace engineering, specifically Ballistic Missile Defense. He decided to take a few months off of work to play bridge. That few months are not yet finished!

He was captain of the U.S. national player who won the silver medal in the 2011 Bermuda Bowl.

He has won several titles on the American circuit including the Wernher (2002), the Reisinger (2006) and the Vanderbilt (2012).

In 2012 he was a member of the U.S. team that won the Buffett Cup and in 2017 he won the Yeh Cup.

In 2019 he received the Sidney H. Lazard Jr. Sportsmanship Award, prize which he spontaneously renounced the following year following the emergence of some illicit behaviors sustained during the bridge on line.

He left us prematurely on December 24, 2024 while he was at his home in Las Vegas.