Bridge Books for 2019 – your gifting list is now complete!
By Alex J. Coyne
It seems like 2019 is a damn good year for bridge books. Whether you’re looking to fill your collection with a few more bridge fiction titles, books on improving your bidding and play or bridge memoirs, you’re sure to find something in this year’s newly released (or about to be) that suits your reading list. Here’s a look at 2019 in bridge books including new releases by Master Point Press the IBPA MPP Book of the Year shortlist, and the ABTA Book Awards.
2019 Releases by Master Point Press
The following books are all recent releases available from Master Point Press, already out there.
Nick Smith
Bridge Literature was first published in 1993, and it’s been out of print for a while. For existing fans who’d like to pick up a copy (or for anyone who hasn’t discovered this gem of bridge fiction yet), it’s undergoing another release. Bridge Literature contains bridge-related stories and parodies that’s as diverse as ranging from Charles Dickens through to the Bible – and it’s absolutely worth it for any fans of fiction.
Don’t Be Fooled! Countering Deception at Bridge
Danny Roth
Bluffing is an art that’s mostly associated with poker, but of course, it’s also just as much of a concept within bridge. In Don’t Be Fooled!, author and bridge player Danny Roth takes a closer look at how to counter common deceptive plays, just what they’re leading you towards and how to counter them from there. It’s a fascinating book on an often unexplored topic.
David Bird
Robin Hood’s Hold Up is both weird and wonderful, and one of the few rare books out there that transposes the game of bridge into a fairytale universe where, oddly, it seems to fit like it was there from the start. The book explores Robin Hood from a different angle entirely, taking the reader through 32 different stories where bridge takes the lead.
Dave Caprera
Sleeping on the Couch details the journey of a card-playing couple – and manages to show everyone that bridge is far more than just a card game. It’s a way of life.
Also …
Bridging Two Worlds by Martin Hoffman
Santa Fe Precision by Dennis Dawson
Misplay More Hands with Me by Mark Horton
Upcoming Titles from Master Point Press
As for these, here are a few upcoming titles from Master Point Press to add to your wish list.
Bill Treble
If you’re looking for more advanced bridge instruction than your average book, Bill Treble’s Winning at Matchpoints deserves to be on your list.
Barbara Seagram & David Bird
In Planning the Defense, Barbara Seagram and David Bird – both great bridge authors in their own right – take you on a journey to boost your bridge play. Also available, and also set to be released around the same time, is Planning in Defense: The Next Level, a more advanced continuation of the chapters.
Useful Probability for Bridge Players
Julian Laderman
Probability makes the world go ‘round, and there are plenty of books about probability and poker – but yet not enough about probability and bridge. This title by Julian Laderman promises to be the answer. This is even a great book to buy for anyone in a scientific or mathematical direction, even if they don’t play bridge yet!
Introduction to Declarer Play: Second Edition
Eddie Kantar
Eddie Kantar is a veteran of bridge teaching, writing and play – and the second edition of Introduction to Declarer Play promises to be a great addition to your library. Also available, and also by Eddie, is the second edition of Introduction to Defense.
Introduction to Defense: Second Edition
From the Bridge World Bookshelf
Eric Rodwell’s Bidding Topics – Book 2
This book, carrying on the tradition of Eric Rodwell’s Bidding Topics
Professional Competitive Bidding Part 2: Battle of the Titans
by Krzysztof Martens • Marek Wojcicki
We present agreements that world class pairs use in particular bidding sequences.
Detecting Cheating In Bridge (Includes Invaluable Tips To Improve Your Game)
by Nicolas Hammond
Hammond shows how sophisticated modern software and statistical analysis can detect cheating players without the need to review hundreds of hours of videos.
IBPA MPP Book of the Year Shortlist
The International Bridge Press Association annually awards a Book of The Year co-sponsored by Master Point Press. Here is the 2019 shortlist of ten titles. The full shortlist is available on BridgeWinners.
- On the Other Hand: Bridge Cardplay Explained by David Bird & Larry Cohen
On the Other Hand: Bridge Cardplay Explained is a great advanced bridge strategy title – and at the same time, it makes you wonder just how much David Bird writes; he has several books on this list!
- Close Encounters 2: Bridge’s Greatest Matches by Eric Kokish & Mark Horton
Enjoyed the first of Close Encounters? Follow Eric Kokish and Mark Horton as they run through some of the greatest matches ever played in bridge for the second book in the series.
- When to Bid Notrump (And How to Play It) by Adam Parrish
Every bridge player should know their way around notrump bids and what to do with them: This title by Adam Parrish is a great start for anyone – whether you’re a beginner or a more seasoned player.
- Enterprising Bridge Tales: The Next Generation by Marc Smith
What happens when you combine science fiction and space travel together with bridge? Certainly a fascinating universe – another great title to add to your collection if you love weird and wonderful bridge fiction.
- Under the Table: The Case Against the Blue Team by Avon Wilsmore
The famed Blue Team cheating scandal is perhaps one of the most famous (and definitely most embarrassing ones) to date. In this book, Avon Wilsmore takes a much closer look at the scandal itself, the rest of the game and how the scandal finally came to light.
And the Winner is
- Master of Bridge Psychology: Inside the Remarkable Mind of Peter Fredin by Jeppe Juhl
Master of Bridge Psychology follows Danish journalist Jeppe Juhl as he takes a closer look at the plays, personality and psychology behind player Peter Fredin. If you love biographies and profiles, this is the right title for you. From the Masterpoint Press Website: This may be the funniest bridge biography you will ever read. Peter Fredin of Sweden won the 2009 European Pairs championship, and is a multiple medalist in events at the world level. His style and approach to bridge owe more to psychology than to the mathematics of the game, something that often lands him in unusual situations at the table. Being one of the world’s best card players, he can generally find a way to extricate himself. Danish journalist Jeppe Juhl, a close personal friend of Fredin, has collected some of Fredin’s best and worst moments into a book that offers superlative entertainment for any bridge player.
ABTA Book of the Year
No listing is quite complete without including the annual Book of the Year awards presented by the American Bridge Teachers’ Association. These awards are given to books published between May and May. Here are the 2019 winners.
Beginning Book of the Year
Lynn Berg
Startup Bridge and Beyond
Intermediate Book of the Year
David Bird and Larry Cohen
On the Other Hand: Bridge Cardplay Explained
Advanced Book of the Year
Mike Lawrence
Insights on Bridge: Moment in Bidding, Book 1
Bridge Book Reviews from A New Bridge Magazine
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Photo by João Silas on Unsplash