Pinhas, born in 1947 in Poland, learned to play
bridge at the age of nine.
A prodigy, he made his debut on the Polish team at the age of just 19. A multi-talented man, Pinhas has achieved success in fields as diverse as high-tech, management and bridge.
He earned a B.Sc. in Physics from Tel Aviv University and from 1974 to 1992 worked at various engineering and management positions for Tadiran Electronics Industries, then the largest Israeli electronic company.
His last position at Tadiran was General Manager of the Communications Systems Division, which was engaged in designing and producing military and civilian communications and computer equipment.
He has 25 years of experience in electronic technologies, microelectronics, electro-optics, C3I systems, Ballistic Missile defense, military communications systems, consumer radio technologies, manufacturing, logistics & TQM methods for the electronics industry.
In 1992, Pinhas founded RDC Communications, which has become a worldwide leader in wireless data communications, selling its products in over 20 countries. At RDC, he held various management positions, including President and CEO, Executive Director, and VP Marketing and Sales. He has considerable experience in marketing electronic products and services in the U.S., Europe and the Far East.
Since moving to Israel in 1972, Pinhas has played many times for the Israeli Open Team. Partnering Sam Lev, he was a member of the Israel team that finished behind Italy at the 1975 European Teams Championship in Brighton, England, thus qualifying for the Bermuda Bowl in Monte Carlo the following year.
In Monaco, Pinhas's Israeli team finishing third in the round robin, falling just 5 VPs short of a place in the final. That consistent performance earned the Israelis the Bronze medals, and in the following week they finished eighth in the World Teams Olympiad, held in the same venue.
Pinhas gave up serious bridge for many years, but his passion for the game has not died. His career experience convinced him that an Internet company dedicated to bridge could succeed and he developed a plan for e-bridge, then set out to make it work. The company is still very young but its plans are ambitious and Pinhas has renewed his involvement with the game after all.
His first gold medal in a World Championship event came as non-playing captain of Team e-bridge, which carried off the World Transnational Mixed Teams title at the 2000 World Teams Olympiad in Maastricht. Over the years, Pinhas has won many prestigious bridge tournaments, often partnering the mercurial Lev.
He has also held many public positions in the Israeli Bridge Federation, including Sport Captain of the Tel Aviv Branch and member of the National Team Selection Committee. Pinhas is married and has two sons. He lives in Tel Aviv, although he splits his time these days between Israel and the e-bridge US office in New York City.
The last success include a silver medal at the European Senior Teams Championships in 2002 and a gold medal in the European Teams Championship in 2007 followed by a bronze medal in 2009. In 2015 he won the Maccabi Pairs Games.