Boris Schapiro
Encyclopedia
Boris Schapiro was a British international bridge
player. He was a Grandmaster of the World Bridge Federation
, and the only player to have won both the Bermuda Bowl
(the world championship for teams) and the World Senior Pairs championship. He won the European teams championship on four occasions as part of the British team.
, Latvia
(part of Imperial Russia at that time) into a prosperous family of Jewish traders which left at the time of the Russian Revolution
when he was eight years old, and soon settled in England. He was educated at Clifton College
in England and at various universities, including the Sorbonne
in Paris.
After graduating, Boris joined the family horse trading
and meat business. He worked there until, in his forties, he decided to retire and capitalise on his love of gambling by becoming the banker of a baccarat syndicate at Crockford's
, the gaming club in London. During World War II
Schapiro, who was fluent in Russian, German and French, put these linguistic skills to use in the Army
Intelligence Corps.
Schapiro had an early marriage to a Russian woman. He later married a second time, to Helen, in 1970.
in the World Auction Bridge
Pairs Championship. The two players were destined to have great and lengthy careers in the coming world of contract bridge. Schapiro's first recorded victory at contract bridge was in the World Pairs Championship of 1932, also with Jacoby. This was before the foundation of the present World Bridge Federation.
Schapiro's entry into serious competitive bridge in Britain was delayed until the end of World War II
. His partnership with Terence Reese
, which started in 1944, was the basis of his most outstanding period as a player. He was also successful with other partners, the last of which was Irving 'Haggis' Gordon. His bidding in competitive situations was quite outstanding, and his comments featured in bidding competitions in bridge magazines round the world. Bidding judgement and card-play in defence were the strengths of his game.
in 1945/46, partnered by Iain Macleod
. He won the Gold Cup eleven times in all, a record, and his last win came at the age of 88 in 1997/98, a remarkable 52 years after his first and 33 years after his penultimate success.
In 1955 Britain, with Reese and Schapiro, Konstam
and Dodds
, Meredith
and Pavlides
, won the world championship for teams, beating the USA in the final. It is the only Bermuda Bowl
win for a British team.
Schapiro also won the World Mixed Teams in 1962. At the age of 89, he won the World Senior Pairs
of 1998, partnered by Irving Gordon. He was second in the World Olympiad of 1960 and the World Open Pairs 1962. He also represented Britain in the World Olympiad 1964 and the Bermuda Bowl of the same year, which was played early in 1965. He played in ten European Championships, winning in 1948, 1949, 1954 and 1963.
Although the British team had won the Bermuda Bowl in 1955, Schapiro's 1965 experience was altogether different.
in Buenos Aires
, sometimes called the "Buenos Aires affair". Allegedly, he and his partner Terence Reese
were signaling to each other the length of their hearts suit.
American players Dorothy Hayden
and B. Jay Becker felt that the British pair were holding their cards with their fingers arranged in unusual ways. They conferred with Alan Truscott
, the The New York Times
bridge editor, and agreed they would all observe Reese–Schapiro and record how many fingers were visible when each held his cards in each hand.
Comparing their notes with the official hand records seemed to show that the numbers of fingers indicated the number of hearts held. One finger visible meant one heart card. Two fingers together meant two hearts, while two fingers spread in a "V" shape meant five; similarly three fingers denoted three or six hearts and four fingers denoted four or seven. No signal for a heart void was suggested.
Several other eyewitnesses including British team captain Ralph Swimer
became convinced of the truth of the accusations. Later comparisons with hand records seemed to confirm that the code remained consistent when Reese and Schapiro were partners, but disappeared when they played with other partners. The matter was then reported to World Bridge Federation
(WBF) officials for adjudication.
In hearings held immediately, the WBF decided that Reese and Schapiro were guilty, banned them from the remainder of the Bermuda Bowl, and negotiated an agreement with Captain Swimer officially to forfeit all matches previously won during the tournament. The WBF then referred the matter to the British Bridge League (BBL) for further action, if any.
At that time Schapiro averred he would never again compete internationally, but he later played in European and world senior events.
The BBL convened its own enquiry into the matter under the direction of Sir John Foster QC
and General Lord Bourne. After many months taking testimony from eyewitnesses, bridge analysts, and character witnesses, the so-called Foster Enquiry concluded that Reese and Schapiro had not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and therefore acquitted them. Several factors must have played a part in this decision, especially the fact that little or no connection could be made between the claimed signals and the results at the table. Reese and Schapiro had not played especially well in Buenos Aires; Reese commented later that no pair were likely to cheat in a way that did not help them win. A simple system to signal whether a player's cards were good or poor for his bid would be almost certain to yield rich dividends.
In The Story of an Accusation (1966), Reese went through every single hand presented by the 'prosecution'. He argued both that the bidding was clear by the principles of the Acol bidding system
they were using and that they might have used information about the heart suit in several ways, had it been available. Truscott also wrote his account, concentrating on the eyewitness observations and reaching the opposite general conclusion. Neither side changed its opinions and a considerable rift developed in the bridge world.
There had been and continued to be other accusations of cheating in high-level bridge. In 1975 two members of the Italian national team were accused during the Bermuda Bowl knock-out, again by members of the American team. Soon after, world championship team events and some others addressed the opportunity for illegal signaling between partners by introducing screens that prevent partners from seeing each other (one screen divides the table diagonally).
and owner of Valderrama Golf Club
, who had been a witness for Reese and Schapiro at the BBL enquiry; Omar Sharif
, the Egyptian film star and bridge player; Prince Khalid Abudullah of Saudi Arabia
, a family friend; and many personalities from the bridge and casino worlds.
from 1968 until his death in 2002. Despite his facility with language, Boris was never really interested in writing; his output was two small books, and it is likely that his newspaper column was often ghosted. He made his mark as a player and a personality.
His standard greeting to females, "What about a spot of adultery?", is mentioned in every biographical note and obituary, and reveals his sense of humour. When his team played an exhibition match at Leicester
, the wife of the Chief Constable
organised a cocktail party
for the team to meet the locals. The players were invited to sign and comment in the Visitors book, and Schapiro wrote the catchphrase after his signature. Dimmie Fleming defused the situation by signing next, drawing an upwards arrow and writing, "But will he ever be adult?"
Another anecdote, apparently true, had his then partner, Terence Reese, picking up their collection of trophies from Schapiro's flat in a pillow-case. Stopped in the street by a policeman, Reese said "They're mine, and what's more there's someone living nearby who can verify it." When Boris answered the door he sized up the situation and said quick as a flash, "I've never seen this man in my life!"
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. He was a Grandmaster of 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...
, and the only player to have won both the Bermuda Bowl
Bermuda 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...
(the world championship for teams) and the World Senior Pairs championship. He won the European teams championship on four occasions as part of the British team.
Life
Schapiro was born in RigaRiga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
(part of Imperial Russia at that time) into a prosperous family of Jewish traders which left at the time of the Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
when he was eight years old, and soon settled in England. He was educated at Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
in England and at various universities, including the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in Paris.
After graduating, Boris joined the family horse trading
Horse trading
In the original sense, Horse trading is the buying and selling of horses, also called "Horse Dealing". Due to the difficulties in evaluating the merits of a horse offered for sale, the selling of horses offered great opportunities for dishonesty...
and meat business. He worked there until, in his forties, he decided to retire and capitalise on his love of gambling by becoming the banker of a baccarat syndicate at Crockford's
William Crockford
William Crockford was a London gambling club proprietor.Crockford was born in London in 1775, the son of a fishmonger, and for some time himself carried on that business. After winning a large sum of money either at cards or by running a gambling establishment, he built a luxurious gambling house...
, the gaming club in London. During World War II
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...
Schapiro, who was fluent in Russian, German and French, put these linguistic skills to use in the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Intelligence Corps.
Schapiro had an early marriage to a Russian woman. He later married a second time, to Helen, in 1970.
Bridge career
At ten, Schapiro started playing bridge for money at school. His first major tournament was in 1929, when he went to the USA to partner Oswald JacobyOswald Jacoby
Oswald Jacoby was an American contract bridge player and author, considered one of the greatest bridge players of all time. He also excelled at, and wrote about, other games including backgammon, gin rummy, and poker.Born in Brooklyn, he was taught to play whist at the age of six and played his...
in the World Auction Bridge
Auction bridge
The card game auction bridge, the third step in the evolution of the general game of bridge, was developed from straight bridge in 1904. The precursor to contract bridge, its predecessors were whist and bridge whist....
Pairs Championship. The two players were destined to have great and lengthy careers in the coming world of contract bridge. Schapiro's first recorded victory at contract bridge was in the World Pairs Championship of 1932, also with Jacoby. This was before the foundation of the present World Bridge Federation.
Schapiro's entry into serious competitive bridge in Britain was delayed until the end of World War II
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...
. His partnership with Terence Reese
Terence Reese
John Terence Reese was a British bridge player and writer, regarded as one of the finest of all time in both fields...
, which started in 1944, was the basis of his most outstanding period as a player. He was also successful with other partners, the last of which was Irving 'Haggis' Gordon. His bidding in competitive situations was quite outstanding, and his comments featured in bidding competitions in bridge magazines round the world. Bidding judgement and card-play in defence were the strengths of his game.
- "The characters of Reese and Schapiro were very different. At the bridge table Reese was the cold calculating machine, driven by logic, but witty and good-natured away from it, though with an acerbic phrase when needed. Schapiro was the player of flair; excitable, always on the move, irascible at the table and often grumpy away from it. He did not mellow with old age. At the 1999 European Senior Teams, opponents who called the referee in a vain attempt to protect Schapiro's partner from verbal abuse were told there were special dispensations in standards of behaviour for any competitor over the age of 90."
Major tournament successes
Schapiro won many tournaments. His first major win at teams was Britain's Gold CupGold Cup (bridge)
The Gold Cup is the premier open Britishcontract bridge competition for teams of four. It was first contested in the 1931/32 season, making it one of the oldest contract bridge tournaments anywhere...
in 1945/46, partnered by Iain Macleod
Iain Macleod
Iain Norman Macleod was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Early life:...
. He won the Gold Cup eleven times in all, a record, and his last win came at the age of 88 in 1997/98, a remarkable 52 years after his first and 33 years after his penultimate success.
In 1955 Britain, with Reese and Schapiro, Konstam
Kenneth Konstam
Kenneth W. Konstam , often known as 'Konnie', was an English international bridge player, and in 1955 was one of the only British team to win the Bermuda Bowl. He won more European Open teams championships than any other British player.Konstam, educated at Oundle School, was employed for a time in...
and Dodds
Leslie Dodds
Leslie William Dodds was an English international bridge player and, by profession, an import-export merchant. He was a member of the British team which won the Bermuda Bowl in 1955...
, Meredith
Adam Meredith
Adam 'Plum' Meredith was a British professional bridge player. His origin was in County Down, Ireland. He was a key member of the British team which won the Bermuda Bowl in 1955. He won the European Championship in 1949 and 1954, and also played in 1955, 1957 and 1959...
and Pavlides
Jordanis Pavlides
Jordanis T. Pavlides was a British contract bridge player who won the British Bridge League Master Pairs in 1948, the Gold Cup in 1949, the European championship in 1954, and the Bermuda Bowl in 1955. He also represented Britain in the European championships of 1955...
, won the world championship for teams, beating the USA in the final. It is the only Bermuda Bowl
Bermuda 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...
win for a British team.
Schapiro also won the World Mixed Teams in 1962. At the age of 89, he won the World Senior Pairs
World Senior Pairs Championship
The World Senior Pairs Championship is one of the competitions held as part of the World Bridge Championships. This Pairs competition was initiated in 1990 and is held every four years. Prior to 2005 both members of each pair had to be at least 55 years of age...
of 1998, partnered by Irving Gordon. He was second in the World Olympiad of 1960 and the World Open Pairs 1962. He also represented Britain in the World Olympiad 1964 and the Bermuda Bowl of the same year, which was played early in 1965. He played in ten European Championships, winning in 1948, 1949, 1954 and 1963.
Although the British team had won the Bermuda Bowl in 1955, Schapiro's 1965 experience was altogether different.
1965 Bermuda Bowl accusation
Schapiro was accused of cheating in the 1965 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...
in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, sometimes called the "Buenos Aires affair". Allegedly, he and his partner Terence Reese
Terence Reese
John Terence Reese was a British bridge player and writer, regarded as one of the finest of all time in both fields...
were signaling to each other the length of their hearts suit.
American players Dorothy Hayden
Dorothy Hayden Truscott
Dorothy Hayden Truscott was the top-ranked woman in bridge for many years and authored or co-authored books on the game.-Career:...
and B. Jay Becker felt that the British pair were holding their cards with their fingers arranged in unusual ways. They conferred with Alan Truscott
Alan Truscott
Alan Fraser Truscott was a bridge player, author and columnist. He wrote the daily bridge column for The New York Times for 41 years, from 1964 to 2005 and served as Executive Editor for all six editions of The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, 1964 to 2002.- Britain :Truscott was born in Brixton,...
, the The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
bridge editor, and agreed they would all observe Reese–Schapiro and record how many fingers were visible when each held his cards in each hand.
Comparing their notes with the official hand records seemed to show that the numbers of fingers indicated the number of hearts held. One finger visible meant one heart card. Two fingers together meant two hearts, while two fingers spread in a "V" shape meant five; similarly three fingers denoted three or six hearts and four fingers denoted four or seven. No signal for a heart void was suggested.
Several other eyewitnesses including British team captain Ralph Swimer
Ralph Swimer
Ralph Swimer was an international bridge player who was best known for being the nonplaying captain of the British team at the 1965 Bermuda Bowl in Buenos Aires, during which there was a great deal of controversy surrounding the British team due to allegations of cheating.An obituary on him was...
became convinced of the truth of the accusations. Later comparisons with hand records seemed to confirm that the code remained consistent when Reese and Schapiro were partners, but disappeared when they played with other partners. The matter was then reported to 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) officials for adjudication.
In hearings held immediately, the WBF decided that Reese and Schapiro were guilty, banned them from the remainder of the Bermuda Bowl, and negotiated an agreement with Captain Swimer officially to forfeit all matches previously won during the tournament. The WBF then referred the matter to the British Bridge League (BBL) for further action, if any.
At that time Schapiro averred he would never again compete internationally, but he later played in European and world senior events.
The BBL convened its own enquiry into the matter under the direction of Sir John Foster QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
and General Lord Bourne. After many months taking testimony from eyewitnesses, bridge analysts, and character witnesses, the so-called Foster Enquiry concluded that Reese and Schapiro had not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and therefore acquitted them. Several factors must have played a part in this decision, especially the fact that little or no connection could be made between the claimed signals and the results at the table. Reese and Schapiro had not played especially well in Buenos Aires; Reese commented later that no pair were likely to cheat in a way that did not help them win. A simple system to signal whether a player's cards were good or poor for his bid would be almost certain to yield rich dividends.
In The Story of an Accusation (1966), Reese went through every single hand presented by the 'prosecution'. He argued both that the bidding was clear by the principles of the Acol bidding system
Acol
Acol is the bridge bidding system that, according to The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, is "standard in British tournament play and widely used in other parts of the world". It is named after the Acol Bridge Club, previously located on Acol Road in London NW6, where the system started to evolve...
they were using and that they might have used information about the heart suit in several ways, had it been available. Truscott also wrote his account, concentrating on the eyewitness observations and reaching the opposite general conclusion. Neither side changed its opinions and a considerable rift developed in the bridge world.
There had been and continued to be other accusations of cheating in high-level bridge. In 1975 two members of the Italian national team were accused during the Bermuda Bowl knock-out, again by members of the American team. Soon after, world championship team events and some others addressed the opportunity for illegal signaling between partners by introducing screens that prevent partners from seeing each other (one screen divides the table diagonally).
Sequel
The Buenos Aires affair removed at a stroke the central activity of Schapiro's life. It took years for Boris to be rehabilitated in world bridge, although he was always held in high esteem in Europe. Unlike Reese, he eventually returned to international bridge competition, and did so with considerable success. His 90th birthday party in London was attended by Jaime Ortiz-Patino, the President Emeritus of the WBFWorld 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...
and owner of Valderrama Golf Club
Valderrama Golf Club
The Valderrama Golf Club is one of the best known golf clubs in Europe. It is located in the resort of Sotogrande, San Roque in the Andalusia region of Southern Spain, a few miles from Gibraltar, and has a single 18 hole course, along with a 9 hole par 3 course.Valderrama was constructed in 1974...
, who had been a witness for Reese and Schapiro at the BBL enquiry; Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films including Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won two Golden Globe Awards.-Early life:...
, the Egyptian film star and bridge player; Prince Khalid Abudullah of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, a family friend; and many personalities from the bridge and casino worlds.
Bridge writing
Schapiro was bridge correspondent of The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
from 1968 until his death in 2002. Despite his facility with language, Boris was never really interested in writing; his output was two small books, and it is likely that his newspaper column was often ghosted. He made his mark as a player and a personality.
Boris anecdotes
There are dozens of 'Boris stories'. His conversation at the bridge table was both a delight and a nuisance, depending on your point of view.His standard greeting to females, "What about a spot of adultery?", is mentioned in every biographical note and obituary, and reveals his sense of humour. When his team played an exhibition match at Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, the wife of the Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
organised a cocktail party
Cocktail party
A cocktail party is a party where cocktails are served. Women may choose to wear what has become known as a cocktail dress.Although many believe the inventor of the cocktail party to be Alec Waugh of London, who in 1924 found a need for this pleasant interlude before a dinner party, an article in...
for the team to meet the locals. The players were invited to sign and comment in the Visitors book, and Schapiro wrote the catchphrase after his signature. Dimmie Fleming defused the situation by signing next, drawing an upwards arrow and writing, "But will he ever be adult?"
Another anecdote, apparently true, had his then partner, Terence Reese, picking up their collection of trophies from Schapiro's flat in a pillow-case. Stopped in the street by a policeman, Reese said "They're mine, and what's more there's someone living nearby who can verify it." When Boris answered the door he sized up the situation and said quick as a flash, "I've never seen this man in my life!"
Further reading
- Reese, Terence (1966): The story of an accusation.
- Truscott, Alan (2004): The Great Bridge Scandal: the most famous cheating case in the history of the game (second edition). Toronto: Master Point Press, ISBN 1-894154-67-3.