Terence Reese

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Terence Reese (born 28 August 1913 in Epsom, died 1996) is a British bridge player, regarded as one of the finest players of all time, and also as one of the most influential and acerbic of bridge writers, with a large output, including several books which remain in print as classics of bridge play. He was one of the designers of the Acol bidding system (named after the Acol Bridge Club in north London), which has become the prevailing bidding system in Britain and many parts of the world.

He played twice for Great Britain in the Bermuda Bowl, winning in 1955, but his second appearance in 1965 was marred by accusations that he and his partner Boris Schapiro were communicating illegally, which is to say cheating. The outcome of the ensuing enquiry was not clear, and Reese wrote a book Story of an Accusation about the affair. He last played international bridge in the 1970 European Championship, but his career as a bridge writer continued unabated.

In his later years, Reese played little competitive bridge, playing Backgammon as an alternative.