One of the most famous cases of a poltergeist haunting draws a considerable amount of comparison when put right alongside one of the most famous instances of bridge cheating in history.

What on earth does the Enfield poltergeist have to do with the 1975 Bermuda Bowl? First, both can be traced down to a mysterious knocking sound…

Fooled! The Story of the Enfield Poltergeist

The case of the Enfield poltergeist is one of the most famous hauntings of all time – at least, if you’re into that kind of thing.

In 1977, a panic-stricken Penny Hodgson would call police with claims of strange happenings at their 284 Green Street home in Enfield, including furniture that moved across the room, mysterious knocking sounds and general mischief.

Personally, I’ve called the police for an active break-in and received less of a response than Ms Hodgson – and it wasn’t even a ghost…

The mysterious happenings at the Enfield house would continue. Images would surface of objects flying through the air – and experts would scratch their heads about the presumable authenticity of the images and the haunting itself.

Some supposed paranormal experts of the time found themselves utterly convinced that the Enfield poltergeist was entirely real. Some people would even put forth the idea that the poltergeist was caused by a case of telekinesis triggered during adolescence. (I can easily see how this might have formed part of the inspiration for Stephen King’s Firestarter, too…)

Eventually, Margaret and Janet would confess to faking the disembodied knocking by cracking their joints, but for whatever reason they would continue to insist that they only faked “some” of the events.

(Link: The MIrror)

The 1975 Bermuda Bowl: A Cheat by Feet

The 1975 Bermuda Bowl is like the Enfield haunting of bridge.

Italian team players Facchini and Zucchelli were suspected of cheating in one of bridge’s biggest tournaments. But “suspected” wasn’t enough – first, someone had to figure out what they did (and if they did, how they had done it).

immediately, a committee was put together – and they saw just as much puzzling and head-scratching as the experts trying to figure out what or who was behind the Enfield haunting.

Just like the case of the faked haunting, bridge experts were divided: Some were successfully fooled, some were not.

Eric Mlines commented at the time:

“One of the best and most respected players in America taps his foot in moments of stress. Others cross and uncross their legs. Others again fiddle with their pencils. The Italian – and    this is a matter of record; he was under observation for it in England last year – shuffles his  feet about. Is this a cause for reprimand?”

How was it done? Foot-tapping.

All too similarly to the Enfield poltergeist haunting, the cheating pair had used their feet.

This is why tournament play now sees restrictive measures placed under the table – and why I don’t believe in ghosts.