Bridge | 22 August 2019

Terence Reese’s concentration at the bridge table was legendary. Most people know the story of how Boris Schapiro once wagered £50 that Reese wouldn’t notice if a naked woman entered the room and walked around while he was playing. Somehow, he found a willing woman — and won his bet.
 
I’d always assumed the story was apocryphal, but an incident at TGR’s recently got me wondering. A few of us were playing rubber bridge, and the club’s manager, Artur Malinowski, offered to bring us coffee. He returned holding four steaming mugs, but somehow began losing his grip. ‘Help!’ he shouted. Like everyone else, I didn’t notice. He shouted again. Still, we were all too absorbed. Then came a desperate third cry, and we finally looked up — in the nick of time.
 
Artur is not a man who is often ignored. Far from it: he’s a formidable talent who usually dominates the room.