The Wernher Trophy was donated in 1934 by Sir Derrick J. Wernher and presented to the winners of the National Men's Pairs Championship.

The event was contested at the Summer NABC until 1962 and subsequently at the Spring NABC. From 1969 through 1971, it was contested as a three-session championship.

In 1992 the event became Open Pairs II, a four-session event which consists of two qualifying rounds and two finals rounds.

Wernher (1889-1947) was a resident of London, England and Deal NJ. A leading personality in American bridge in the Thirties, Wernher was president of the American Bridge League (ABL) in 1933, chairman of its Master Plan committee and a member of the board of directors of the American Whist League (AWL).
Wernher placed second in the Asbury Challenge Teams (now the Spingold Knockout Teams) in 1936 and won the Reisinger (played in conjunction with the New York regional) in 1930.

Previous Winners:

1934 David Burnstine, Oswald Jacoby
1935 Edward Cook, Fred French
1936 Dr. Richard Ecker, Fred Kaplan
1937 Edward Cook, John Kunkle
1938 B. Jay Becker, Charles Goren
1939 John Crawford, Oswald Jacoby
1940 Merwyn Maier, Robert McPherran
1941 Joseph Low, Simon Rossant
1942 Robert von Engel, Aaron Goodman
1943 Charles Goren, Charles Solomon
1944 Sigmund Dornbusch, Herman Goldberg
1945 Sylvester Gintell, Lee Hazen
1946 Mitchell Barnes, Waldemar von Zedtwitz
1947 Sol Mogal, Tobias Stone
1948 Fred Hirsch, Samuel Katz
1949 Charles Goren, Oswald Jacoby
1950 Phillip Briggs, Richard Revell
1951 Milton Ellenby, Emanuel Hochfield
1952 Arthur Grau, William Rosen
1953 Harold Harkavy, Bill Root
1954 Douglas Drury, Eric Murray
1955 Douglas Drury, Eric Murray
1956 Paul Allinger, James Jacoby
1957 David Carter, John Hubbell
1958 William Grieve, Ira Rubin
1959 Harry Fishbein, John Gerber
1960 Jack Blair, William Christian
1961 Philip Feldesman, Ira Rubin
1962 Philip Feldesman, Ira Rubin
1963 Sami Kehela, Wolf Lebovic
1964 Ed Don Weiner, G. Gard Hays
1965 Lawrence Rosler, Jeff Rubens
1966 Barry Crane, Peter Rank
1967 Richard Lawrence, Art Price
1968 Kyle Larsen, Edmond Lazarus
1969 Michael Martino, Frank Vine
1970 Richard Kaye, Richard Walsh
1971 Giorgio Belladonna, Benito Garozzo
1972 Steve Robinson, Kit Woolsey
1973 Jack Kennedy, David Hadden
1974 George Slemmons, George Steiner
1975 Harlow Lewis, Art Waldemann
1976 Gerald Caravelli, Larry Cohen
1977 Joseph Fox, Garey Hayden
1978 Larry Kozlove, John Sheridan
1979 Roy Fox, Paul Swanson
1980 Neil Silverman, Peter Weichsel
1981 Warren Rosner, Allan Stauber
1982 David Berkowitz, Harold Lilie
1983 Marty Bergen, Allan Stauber
1984 Mike Lawrence, Peter Weichsel
1985 Ed Manfield, Kit Woolsey
1986 Bob Hamman, Paul Swanson
1987 Darryl Pedersen, George Steiner
1988 Arthur Hoffman, Stephen Shane
1989 Mike Moss, Charles Coon
1990 Steve Sion, Steve Landen
1991 Ken Cohen, Bob Thomas

(became Open Pairs II)
1992 Jeff Meckstroth, Perry Johnson
1993 Gaylor Kasle, Robert Levin
1994 Thomas Peters, John Zilic
1995 Steve Weinstein, Fred Stewart
1996 David Berkowitz, Larry Cohen
1997 Lloyd Arvedon, Allan Falk
1998 Mike Moss, Bjorn Fallenius
1999 Jeff Meckstroth, Eric Rodwell
2000 Stephen Landen, Pratap Rajadhyaksha
2001 Chris Willenken, Ron Smith
2002 Curtis Cheek, Eric Greco
2003 Geoff Hampson, Eric Greco

This event was held at the Summer North American Championships until 1963. A similar event was held at the Spring NABCs 1958-1962 with these winners:

1958 Norman Kay, Sidney Silodor
1959 James Pestaner, John Swanson
1960 Frank Hoadley, Julius Rosenblum
1961 Morton Rubinow, Tobias Stone
1962 Ivan Erdos, Philip Feldesman