Alfred Sheinwold
Encyclopedia
Alfred Sheinwold (January 26, 1912 – March 8, 1997) was an American
bridge
player, administrator, international team captain and prolific author of books about bridge. He was, with Edgar Kaplan
, co-developer of the Kaplan-Sheinwold
bidding system. Among other administrative assignments that he accepted, Sheinwold chaired the American Contract Bridge League
(ACBL) National Laws Commission from 1964 to 1975, and the ACBL Appeals Committee from 1966 to 1970. He also was the Editor of the ACBL Bulletin from 1952 to 1958.
, England
and emigrated to the United States
as a young man. He soon became well known as a bridge writer and editor, and started work as an editor for Ely Culbertson
's magazine The Bridge World
in 1934, where he held the posts of technical editor, then managing editor, and then senior editor. After Edgar Kaplan
purchased The Bridge World, Sheinwold became one of four expert members on the rotating directorship of the Master Solvers Club, from 1967–1980. Sheinwold occasionally wrote Bridge World articles under the pseudonym Saxon Fairwood (Saxon for the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred; Fairwood as a pseudo-translation of "Schein Wald," sunny (or fair) for Schein, wood for Wald).
During WWII
, Sheinwold interrupted his bridge career to serve as Chief Code and Cipher Expert in the Office of Strategic Services
for the United States.
bidding system, Sheinwold was particularly successful in national level tournament bridge in the United States. He won the Chicago
event (subsequently known as the Reisinger) in 1958 and the Spring National Men's Teams
in 1964, was on the runner-up team for the Vanderbilt
(also 1958), and had many regional wins.
South, Sheinwold, played 6. West led the 5 and East followed suit with the 2 as Sheinwold let dummy's J win. To cater for a 4-2 break in both red suits, Sheinwold led dummy's 2 (!) to the second trick.
Now, Sheinwold could subsequently take dummy's Q, ruff a low diamond, pull trumps and get to dummy with the K to run the diamonds. The likely 4-2 diamond split means that playing even one top diamond before ruffing a low one upsets the communication between the two hands: this forces declarer to rely on a spade finesse or a low-percentage throw-in.
, and also the 1975 US team that placed second in the same event, one that was marred by scandal.
Sheinwold had written an article prior to the 1975 Bermuda Bowl, published by Popular Bridge, that predicted that the Italian Blue Team
would not play as effectively once bidding screens were in place. However, in a different article, he also stated that he did not question the honesty of Italian bridge experts. The Italians were of course upset by the former, notwithstanding the apparently contradictory latter.
It was particularly unfortunate, then, that an American newspaper reporter saw one member of an Italian pair, Facchini and Zucchelli, tapping his partner's feet with his own in a suspicious manner. Impartial observers from the World Bridge Federation
(WBF) were brought in and confirmed the behavior. After deliberation by the tournament officials, the players in question were severely reprimanded but allowed to continue in the tournament.
In protest, the American team threatened to withdraw from the tournament – the final – if forced to play against the Italian pair, unless ordered to do so by the ACBL
. They were ordered to play, as most, including themselves, anticipated they would be. The Italians prevailed over the Americans in the finals.
After initially hearing of the allegations regarding the Italian pair, Sheinwold had to make a difficult decision as to informing Lew Mathe, at the time the President of the Board of Directors of the ACBL. Sheinwold decided to defer informing Mathe, so as not to compromise the investigation. After learning of Sheinwold's decision, the Board removed Sheinwold from a panel of future captains and publicized that action in a fashion that many at the time found petty. Sheinwold then resigned as Chairman of the ACBL's Laws Commission.
Sheinwold was vindicated in 1977 when, during an affair involving cheating allegations against an American pair, Richard Katz and Larry T. Cohen, Mathe spoke in public regarding supposedly secret negotiations. The Bridge World wrote at the time:
"A member of the ACBL Board apologized to Freddy Sheinwold for having criticized team-captain Sheinwold's failure, in the Bermuda scandal of '75, to notify Mathe, then League President, immediately after hearing about the Italian pair. 'You were 100% right not to tell him', the Board member said ruefully."
bidding system. Sheinwold's smooth, encouraging writing style made him the most popular bridge author of his time.
, California
at the age of 85.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
player, administrator, international team captain and prolific author of books about bridge. He was, with Edgar Kaplan
Edgar Kaplan
Edgar Kaplan was an American bridge player and one of the principal contributors to the game. His career spanned six decades and covered every aspect of bridge. He was a teacher, author, editor, administrator, champion player, theorist, expert Vugraph commentator, coach/captain and authority on...
, co-developer of the Kaplan-Sheinwold
Kaplan-Sheinwold
The Kaplan-Sheinwold bidding system was developed and popularized by Edgar Kaplan and Alfred Sheinwold during their partnership, which flourished during the 1950s and 1960s. K-S is one of many natural systems...
bidding system. Among other administrative assignments that he accepted, Sheinwold chaired the American Contract Bridge League
American Contract Bridge League
The American Contract Bridge League is the largest contract bridge organization in North America. It promotes the game of bridge in the United States, Mexico, Bermuda, and Canada, and is a member of the World Bridge Federation...
(ACBL) National Laws Commission from 1964 to 1975, and the ACBL Appeals Committee from 1966 to 1970. He also was the Editor of the ACBL Bulletin from 1952 to 1958.
Early years
Sheinwold was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a young man. He soon became well known as a bridge writer and editor, and started work as an editor for Ely Culbertson
Ely Culbertson
Ely Culbertson was an entreprenurial American contract bridge personality dominant during the Thirties and Forties. He played a major role in the early popularization of the game, and was widely regarded as "the man who made contract bridge"...
's magazine The Bridge World
The Bridge World
The Bridge World , the oldest continuously published magazine about contract bridge, was founded in 1929 by Ely Culbertson. It has since been regarded as the game's principal journal, publicizing technical advances in bidding and the play of the cards, discussions of ethical issues, bridge politics...
in 1934, where he held the posts of technical editor, then managing editor, and then senior editor. After Edgar Kaplan
Edgar Kaplan
Edgar Kaplan was an American bridge player and one of the principal contributors to the game. His career spanned six decades and covered every aspect of bridge. He was a teacher, author, editor, administrator, champion player, theorist, expert Vugraph commentator, coach/captain and authority on...
purchased The Bridge World, Sheinwold became one of four expert members on the rotating directorship of the Master Solvers Club, from 1967–1980. Sheinwold occasionally wrote Bridge World articles under the pseudonym Saxon Fairwood (Saxon for the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred; Fairwood as a pseudo-translation of "Schein Wald," sunny (or fair) for Schein, wood for Wald).
During WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Sheinwold interrupted his bridge career to serve as Chief Code and Cipher Expert in the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
for the United States.
National tournaments
During the period of the development of the Kaplan-SheinwoldKaplan-Sheinwold
The Kaplan-Sheinwold bidding system was developed and popularized by Edgar Kaplan and Alfred Sheinwold during their partnership, which flourished during the 1950s and 1960s. K-S is one of many natural systems...
bidding system, Sheinwold was particularly successful in national level tournament bridge in the United States. He won the Chicago
Reisinger
The Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
event (subsequently known as the Reisinger) in 1958 and the Spring National Men's Teams
Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams
The Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
in 1964, was on the runner-up team for the Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt Trophy
The trophy is awarded for the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams national bridge championship held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(also 1958), and had many regional wins.
Card play
Sheinwold is credited with the following at-the-table play, reprinted by José Le Dentu:South, Sheinwold, played 6. West led the 5 and East followed suit with the 2 as Sheinwold let dummy's J win. To cater for a 4-2 break in both red suits, Sheinwold led dummy's 2 (!) to the second trick.
Now, Sheinwold could subsequently take dummy's Q, ruff a low diamond, pull trumps and get to dummy with the K to run the diamonds. The likely 4-2 diamond split means that playing even one top diamond before ruffing a low one upsets the communication between the two hands: this forces declarer to rely on a spade finesse or a low-percentage throw-in.
Captaincies of international note
Sheinwold was often sought as captain by US teams that were pursuing national and international championships. He captained the 1985 US team that won the Bermuda BowlBermuda Bowl
The Bermuda Bowl is a trophy awarded to the winners of the Open series in the World Team Championship in contract bridge and is named for the site of the inaugural tournament held in 1950...
, and also the 1975 US team that placed second in the same event, one that was marred by scandal.
Sheinwold had written an article prior to the 1975 Bermuda Bowl, published by Popular Bridge, that predicted that the Italian Blue Team
Blue team (bridge)
The Blue Team represented Italy in international contract bridge tournaments, winning sixteen world titles from 1957 through 1975. From 1964 to 1969 and during a 1972 comeback, the team comprised three regular pairs: Walter Avarelli–Giorgio Belladonna, Pietro Forquet–Benito Garozzo, and Massimo...
would not play as effectively once bidding screens were in place. However, in a different article, he also stated that he did not question the honesty of Italian bridge experts. The Italians were of course upset by the former, notwithstanding the apparently contradictory latter.
It was particularly unfortunate, then, that an American newspaper reporter saw one member of an Italian pair, Facchini and Zucchelli, tapping his partner's feet with his own in a suspicious manner. Impartial observers from the World Bridge Federation
World Bridge Federation
The World Bridge Federation is the world governing body of contract bridge. The WBF is responsible for world championship competition, most of which is conducted at a few multi-event meets on a four-year cycle...
(WBF) were brought in and confirmed the behavior. After deliberation by the tournament officials, the players in question were severely reprimanded but allowed to continue in the tournament.
In protest, the American team threatened to withdraw from the tournament – the final – if forced to play against the Italian pair, unless ordered to do so by the ACBL
American Contract Bridge League
The American Contract Bridge League is the largest contract bridge organization in North America. It promotes the game of bridge in the United States, Mexico, Bermuda, and Canada, and is a member of the World Bridge Federation...
. They were ordered to play, as most, including themselves, anticipated they would be. The Italians prevailed over the Americans in the finals.
After initially hearing of the allegations regarding the Italian pair, Sheinwold had to make a difficult decision as to informing Lew Mathe, at the time the President of the Board of Directors of the ACBL. Sheinwold decided to defer informing Mathe, so as not to compromise the investigation. After learning of Sheinwold's decision, the Board removed Sheinwold from a panel of future captains and publicized that action in a fashion that many at the time found petty. Sheinwold then resigned as Chairman of the ACBL's Laws Commission.
Sheinwold was vindicated in 1977 when, during an affair involving cheating allegations against an American pair, Richard Katz and Larry T. Cohen, Mathe spoke in public regarding supposedly secret negotiations. The Bridge World wrote at the time:
"A member of the ACBL Board apologized to Freddy Sheinwold for having criticized team-captain Sheinwold's failure, in the Bermuda scandal of '75, to notify Mathe, then League President, immediately after hearing about the Italian pair. 'You were 100% right not to tell him', the Board member said ruefully."
Bridge author
Sheinwold may be best known for his syndicated newspaper column, which ran for more than 30 years. (Frank Stewart, Sheinwold's collaborator for several years, took over the column following Sheinwold's death.) But he also prepared the AutoBridge hands and discussions, and authored Five Weeks to Winning Bridge, which sold more than a million copies – phenomenal sales for a book on a card game. He was principal author of The Kaplan-Sheinwold System of Winning Bridge, the first extended description of the Kaplan-SheinwoldKaplan-Sheinwold
The Kaplan-Sheinwold bidding system was developed and popularized by Edgar Kaplan and Alfred Sheinwold during their partnership, which flourished during the 1950s and 1960s. K-S is one of many natural systems...
bidding system. Sheinwold's smooth, encouraging writing style made him the most popular bridge author of his time.
Death
Sheinwold died of a heart attack in Sherman OaksSherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California
Sherman Oaks is an affluent district in the San Fernando Valley area of the city of Los Angeles, California. In contrast to much of the Valley, the area is relatively urbanized, with commercial skyscrapers along Ventura Boulevard as well as scattered throughout...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
at the age of 85.
Wins
- North American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge Championships are three annual bridge conventions sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League . The "Spring", "Summer", and "Fall" NABCs are usually scheduled in March, July, and November for about eleven days. They comprise both championship and side contests of...
(2)- ChicagoReisingerThe Reisinger national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Reisinger is a board-a-match event.-History:...
(now Reisinger) (1) 1958 - Men's Board-a-Match TeamsMitchell Board-a-Match TeamsThe Mitchell Board-a-Match Teams national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1964
- Chicago
- Other notable wins:
- Goldman Pairs (1) 1955
Runner-ups
- North American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge Championships are three annual bridge conventions sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League . The "Spring", "Summer", and "Fall" NABCs are usually scheduled in March, July, and November for about eleven days. They comprise both championship and side contests of...
(2)- VanderbiltVanderbilt TrophyThe trophy is awarded for the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams national bridge championship held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1958 - Master Mixed TeamsChicago Mixed Board-a-MatchThe Chicago Mixed Board-a-Match teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The event is a board-a-match team event....
(1) 1959
- Vanderbilt
See also
- List of bridge people
- Alfred Sheinwold comments on his time working for Ely Culbertson in an interview with Audrey GrantAudrey GrantAudrey Grant is a Canadian professional educator and contract bridge expert, known for her "simple and humorous" approach to teaching bridge....
- Edgar Kaplan comments on his playing and writing partnership with Alfred Sheinwold in an interview with Audrey Grant