Alan Fraser Truscott (16 April 1925 – 4 September 2005) was a British-American

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

player, writer, and editor. He wrote the daily bridge column for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' for 41 years, from 1964 to 2005, and served as Executive Editor for the first six editions of ''

The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge ''The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge'' (OEB) presents comprehensive information on the card game contract bridge with limited information on related games and on playing cards. It is "official" in reference to the American Contract Bridge Leag ...

'' from 1964 to 2002. Alan and Dorothy Truscott

Britain

Truscott was born in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

, south London, and showed early prowess at

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

. He attended Whitgift School in Croydon and served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

for three years around the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. From 1947, Truscott studied at

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, which he represented at both chess and bridge. With Oxford partner Robert d'Unienville, he was on the British team (along with Terence Reese and Boris Schapiro) that won a bronze medal at the 1951 European Bridge League championships, age only 26. Truscott represented Britain in the same event twice more, finishing second with partner Maurice Harrison-Gray in 1958 (again along with Reese–Schapiro) and first with partner Tony Priday in 1961. He was in charge of organising the 1961 rendition hosted by Torquay in Devonshire, England. As European champions that British team finished third in the 1962 Bermuda Bowl held in New York City. The 1961 European Teams was Truscott's only international championship outside the British Isles.

America

According to Maureen Hiron, bridge columnist for ''The Independent'' of London, in New York City "(Truscott) fell in love with one of the scorers, in particular, and America in general, and decided to cross the Atlantic." Richard L. Frey, the

American Contract Bridge League The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) is a governing body for contract bridge in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. It is the largest such organization in North America having the stated mission "to promote, grow and sustain the ...

publications director, recruited Truscott to help edit the ACBL's membership magazine and its '' Official Encyclopedia of Bridge'', whose first edition was underway. Truscott moved to New York City, then the ACBL headquarters, and succeeded

Albert Morehead Albert Hodges Morehead, Jr. (August 7, 1909 – October 5, 1966) was a writer for ''The New York Times'', a bridge player, a lexicographer, and an author and editor of reference works. Early years Morehead was born in Flintstone, Taylor Count ...

as bridge editor of ''The New York Times'' 1 January 1964. Truscott wrote a bridge column for ''The New York Times'' daily until March 1994, and then three times a week until April 2005, when he retired due to poor health, for a total of some 12,750 columns. Frey, Truscott, and the editorial board led by Morehead completed the first edition of ''

'' in 1964. Truscott would be the executive editor of the encyclopedia until his death. Alan Truscott had three children, Frances, Fraser and Philip, with his first wife, Gloria Gilling. That marriage was dissolved in 1971 and in 1972 he married the American bridge expert and internationalist Dorothy Hayden, née Johnson, a former math teacher and actuary, who had four children from two previous marriages. Alan Truscott wrote thirteen bridge books, including two with his wife, Dorothy, and one with Phillip Alder. He died of cancer at their vacation home in New Russia, New York, near

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

. His widow died the following year.

Buenos Aires affair

As ''New York Times'' correspondent, Truscott covered the 1965 contract bridge world championship Bermuda Bowl in Buenos Aires and became a chief witness in a cheating scandal where Terence Reese and Boris Schapiro, representing Europe, were accused of using their fingers to pass information about their cards. The initial accusers were the American partnership of B. Jay Becker and Dorothy Hayden; the two confided their suspicions to Truscott, a close friend of Hayden's (and later her husband), and to John Gerber, then captain of the USA team. After an investigation, Reese and Schapiro were judged guilty by the

World Bridge Federation The World Bridge Federation (WBF) is the international governing body of contract bridge. The WBF is responsible for world championship competitions, most of which are conducted at a few multi-event meets on a four-year cycle. The most prestigio ...

authorities at the tournament in Buenos Aires. The British Bridge League (BBL) convened its own inquiry, and next year judged them not guilty by the "reasonable doubt" standard. Both Truscott and Reese published books on the affair, ''The Great Bridge Scandal'' and ''The Story of an Accusation''.Reese, Terence (1966). ''The Story of an Accusation''. London: Heinemann. LCCN 67075048. 244 pages. (US edition, 1967). New York: Simon & Schuster. LCCN 67017872. 246 pages.

Bridge accomplishments

Honors

* ACBL Hall of Fame, Blackwood Award 2001"Induction by Year"
. ''Hall of Fame''. ACBL. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

Winner

* North American Bridge Championships (3) ** Mixed Pairs (1) 1989 ** Master Mixed Teams (1) 1985 ** North American Swiss Teams (1) 1987 * European Championships (1) ** Open Teams (1) 1961 * British Championships (2) ** Masters Individual (2) 1953, 1958

Runners-up

* North American Bridge Championships (2) ** Master Mixed Teams (1) 1972 ** North American Swiss Teams (1) 1994 * European Championships (1) ** Open Teams (1) 1958

Publications

The New York Times articles by Alan Truscott
* 224 pp. * 272 pp. * 232 pp. * 32 pp. * 32 pp. * 32 pp. * 32 pp. * 32 pp. * 159 pp. * 99 to 133 pp. * 331 pp. * 26 pp. * 224 pp. * 252 to 260 pp. * 152 pp. * 133 pp. * 220 pp. * (New York: Arco Pub. Co., 1996, ) * (paper). * 236 pp. * 292 pp. * 399 pp.

References

External links

* * * * ;Obituaries * Alder, Phillip

''The New York Times'', 7 July 2006. * Hiron, Maureen

''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 10 September 2005. * Jourdain, P. D
"Alan Truscott (1925–2005)"
English Bridge Union. * Pollak, Michael
"Alan Truscott, Times Bridge Editor Since 1964, Dies at 80"
''The New York Times'', 5 September 2005.

'' The Telegraph'', 6 September 2005.
"Alan Truscott"
TimesOnline – ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', 9 September 2005. ;Games columns about Truscott Bridge columns featuring Alan Truscott by his successor Phillip Alder: *Alder, Philli
"Bridge; A Life of Cards Began With a Missed Slam at 15"
— biography with Alder's illustration of restricted choice, one subject of Truscott's original writings. ''The New York Times'', 8 September 2005. *Alder, Philli
"BRIDGE; Playing in a European Fishbowl To Faintly Heard Applause"
— biographical leftovers with one deal played by Truscott. ''The New York Times'', 10 September 2005. Chess column by his fellow Robert Byrne: *Byrne, Rober

— friendly remarks by fellow columnist and recreational tennis player, with chess column that does not feature Truscott. ''The New York Times'', 18 September 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Truscott, Alan 1925 births 2005 deaths Contract bridge writers British non-fiction writers American contract bridge players Bridge players from London The New York Times columnists People from Brixton People educated at Whitgift School Writers from New York City British emigrants to the United States Royal Navy personnel of World War II American encyclopedists British male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers Male non-fiction writers