Bridge | 23 March 2017

Everyone knows him, but hardly anyone can pronounce his name — which is why Jacek Pszczola is universally called Pepsi. He’s Polish, of course, but lives in the US, and is one of the world’s most successful — and popular — bridge pros. He does, however, have one very disconcerting habit. As soon as he’s dummy, he opens a dog-eared crime thriller and starts to read — it doesn’t matter who he’s partnering, or how important the tournament. The first time I saw him do this, he was sitting opposite a client and I thought it was incredibly rude. But she didn’t seem to mind — and nor, it turns out, does anyone else. Clearly, that’s because neither Lee Child nor Michael Connelly nor John Grisham has ever put him off his game, or indeed stopped him from becoming a world champion. As soon as he puts his book down, his mind is as sharp as ever.