82 | March• 2018HOUSE OF CARDSPHOTO (PREVIOUS PAGE): CHRISTIAN ARP-HANSENthegameandturnedprofessionalat
28.In2013,hewasrecruitedbyhis
currentsponsor,RichieSchwartz
(norelationtoRon),aBronx-born
bridge addict who made a fortune at
the racetrack in the 1970s. Brogeland
says Richie Schwartz pays him travel
expenses and a base yearly salary
ofUS$50,000–withbigbonusesfor
strong showings in tournaments.
NotlongafterBrogelandjoinedRi-
chie Schwartz’s team, he learned that
his employer was also hiring Fisher
and Ron Schwartz, about whom he
had heard misgivings from other
players. Over the next two years, Bro-
gelandandhisfiveteammateswona
string of championships.
Nevertheless, Brogeland says he was
relieved when, in the summer of 2015,
Fisher and Ron Schwartz were lured
away by Jimmy Cayne, former CEO
of the defunct investment house Bear
Stearns. “When they changed teams,”
Brogeland says, “I didn’t have to be
faced with this kind of environment
where you feel something is strange
but you can’t really tell.”
Fisher,meanwhile, was enjoying his
positionat the top of the game, where
the lives of many successful young
pros resemble those of globe-hopping
rock musicians. Charismatic and
darkly handsome, Fisher posted Ins-
tagram photos of himself in well-cut
suits, behind the wheel of luxury cars
or partying with an array of people.
There was only one problem: the
persistent rumours that he was aAFEWDAYSLATER,Brogeland
launched his own website, bridge-
cheaters.com. The home page fea-
tured a huge photo of Lotan Fisher
and Ron Schwartz, a young Israeli
duo who, since breaking into the
international ranks in 2011, had
snapped up the game’s top trophies.
They appeared under the tagline
“The greatest scam in the history of
bridge!”
Brogelandpostedexamplesofwhat
heclaimedtobesuspiciouslyillogi-
calhandsplayedbythepair.Healso
laidoutapatternofallegedcheat-
ing and bad sportsmanship going
asfarbackas2003,whenFisherand
Schwartz were in their mid-teens.
For the game of contract bridge,
itwasanearthquakeequaltothe
jolt that shook international cycling
whenLanceArmstrongwasbanned
from competition for doping. Fisher
andSchwartzdeniedallwrongdoing
andhiredlawyerswhodispatcheda
lettertoBrogelandthreateningalaw-
suit and offering to settle if he paid
them US$1 million. In a message he
denies was intended for Brogeland,
Fisher posted to his Facebook page:
“Jealousymadeyousick.Getready
for a meeting with the devil.”B
ROGELAND LIVES INFle-
kkefjord, Norway, with his
wife,Tonje,andtheirtwo
young children. Having
learnedbridgeattheageofeightfrom
his grandparents, he fell in love with