Benjaminised Acol, better known as ‘Benji Acol’ — and its variant ‘Reverse Benji’ — is one of the most commonly played bidding systems in Britain. So popular, indeed, that it’s easy to forget that ‘Benji’ was a real person — the Scottish international Albert Benjamin, who died nearly 15 years ago at the age of 96. He invented his system — a combination of weak and strong two-level opening bids — in the early 1970s, and had no idea how popular it would become. Not many people can boast that their name is cited thousands of times a week up and down the country. It must have been tempting for Benjamin to exclaim: ‘That’s me!’, but he was a modest chap and never did.
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His fellow Scottish international, Ross Harper — a renowned lawyer — partnered him occasionally, and I’ve always remembered a story Ross told me.
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