Alan Truscott

Alan Fraser Truscott (16 April 1925 – 4 September 2005) was a bridge player, writer, and editor. 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 from 1964 to 2002.

Britain

Truscott was born in Brixton, south London, and showed early prowess at chess. He attended Whitgift School in Croydon and served in the Royal Navy for three years around the end of World War II. From 1947 he studied at the University of Oxford, 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. He 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 organizing 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 his only international championship outside the British Isles.

America

According to Maureen Hiron, bridge columnist for The Independent of London, in New York City "he 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 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 as bridge editor of The New York Times 1 January 1964. Frey, Truscott, and the editorial board led by Morehead completed the first Encyclopedia later that year.

Alan Truscott had three children Frances, Fraser and Philip with his first wife Gloria Gilling. That marriage was dissolved 1971 (Hiron) and in 1972 he married the American bridge expert and internationalist Dorothy Hayden, born Johnson, a former math teacher and actuary, who had four children from two previous marriages.(Alder)

Dorothy Truscott continued to compete at the highest levels after their marriage, winning all four of her world championships and achieving the world number one rank among women.(Alder) She had written "two best-selling bridge books" in 1969 and 1970 and they later wrote two books together.

Alan Truscott wrote thirteen books himself. He died of cancer at their vacation home in New Russia, New York, near Lake Champlain. Mrs. Truscott 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 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.

New York Times articles

Even after 1980, there was significant coverage of the Buenos Aires affair in the New York Times bridge columns by Truscott and his successor Phillip Alder.

• Alder, Phillip. "Cheating Scandal From '65 Rears Head Again" — David Rex-Taylor's communication on 40th anniversary. New York Times, 20 Jun 2005. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
• Truscott, Alan. "BRIDGE; Schapiro's Death Recalls An Accusation of Cheating" — Schapiro died "at the beginning of this month" at 93. New York Times, 14 Dec 2002. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
• Truscott, Alan. "Bridge; A Captain Whose Team Was Caught Cheating" — 1965 British captain Ralph Swimer died recently at 85. New York Times, 12 Mar 1998. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
• Truscott, Alan. "Bridge" — Reese died two weeks ago at 82. New York Times 12 Feb 1996. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
• Truscott, Alan. "Rixi Markus, 81, Bridge Grandmaster and Author" — Markus supported Reese and Schapiro. New York Times, 6 Apr 1992. Retrieved 2010-12-22.

Bridge accomplishments

Honors

• ACBL Hall of Fame, Blackwood Award 2001

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

• Index of New York Times articles by Alan Truscott. When first linked here, that listed 6587 hits for "bridge" from 19 February 1981 to 5 March 2005; it lists 6532 hits for "Alan Truscott" and 6272 for "by Alan Truscott". Phillip Alder continues the "Bridge" column so its number of hits continues to increase. Truscott estimated that his byline appeared more than 12000 times. That implies about half before 1981, which suggests a 7-days-weekly column.
• 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, ISBN 0668038365)
• ISBN 0-312-29090-X (paper).
• 236 pp.
• 292 pp.
• 399 pp.

External links

• Citation at the ACBL Hall of Fame
• Alan Fraser Truscott international record at the World Bridge Federation.
• Alan F. Truscott at Library of Congress Authorities, with 17 catalog records

Obituaries

• Alder, Phillip. "Dorothy Hayden Truscott, 80, Bridge Champion and Author, Is Dead". The New York Times, 7 Jul 2006.
• Hiron, Maureen. "Alan Truscott, bridge player and columnist". The Independent, 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.
• "Alan Truscott". The Telegraph, 6 September 2005.
• "Alan Truscott". TimesOnline - The Times, 9 September 2005. (subscription required)

Games columns about Truscott

Bridge columns featuring Alan Truscott by his successor Phillip Alder:

• Alder, Phillip."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, Phillip."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, Robert."Chess; Wary of 'Hotshot' Youngsters? Then Steer Clear of Radjabov" — friendly remarks by fellow columnist and recreational tennis player, with chess column that does not feature Truscott. The New York Times, 18 September 2005.