Spring 2009 Titles from Master Point Press

Well spring is just around the corner (despite that pesky groundhog seeing his shadow!) and to kick off the changing season, Master Point Press has three new titles to add to its catalogue.  Let me tell you a little bit about them.

1. Somehow we Landed in 6NT by David Bird

What better way to beat those winter blues than to pick up a good book.  And this is the perfect choice: part fact, part fiction, well written and funny, all with the added excitement of a slam contract.  Read on:

Can you make twelve tricks?

The stories and anecdotes in this collection have one thing in common: in every case the contract is 6NT!

The first half of the book features the world’s finest players at work, tackling all manner of 6NT contracts — some commendable, some truly awful.  You will have a chance to plan your play in these contracts yourself, before learning what fate befell the orignial declarer.

The second half of the book contains humorous short stories, featuring many of David Bird’s well-loved characters: the bridge-crazy monks of the St. Titus Monastery, the nuns of St. Hilda’s Convent, and the Rabbi and his entourage.  There is further action from Cholmeley School, from the missionaries whose main task in life is to convert the Bozwambi tribe to the Acol bidding system, and even some tales involving Robin Hood, the Sheriff of Nottingham and the much-maligned Sir Guy of Gisburne.  Although some of these stories have been published in bridge magazines around the world, none of them have previously appeared in book form.

David Bird (Southampton, UK) is one of the world’s best-known bridge authors, with more than eighty books to his credit.  Recent titles for Master Point Press include Bridge Endplays for Everyone and 25 Ways to be a Better Defender (with Barbara Seagram).

2. Bridge Behind Bars by Julian Pottage and Nick Smith

Yes the title says it all, this is a bridge novel set against the backdrop of a prison!  This makes for a unique novel filled with colorful characters and very interesting bridge hands.  Here’s a small excerpt:

“There was a loud metallic thud as the outside door closed behind Timothy Newman.  So this is my new home then, he thought.  Prison.  Clink.  The slammer.  Prison is no place for an ordinary, law-abiding, middle-class guy like me, he reflected.  Not even Great Yarborough Prison.”

But it turns out that prison life in Great Yarborough has a silver lining for Tim — bridge.  An expert player, he finds that his ability earns him unlooked-for respect amongst his fellow-prisoners, many of whom pass their ‘time’ at the card table.  This is a bridge novel filled with unusual characters and great deals — and a bridge game that gives new meaning to the term ‘cut-throat’!

Julian Pottage (Wales) is well-known as one of the world’s best creators of problem hands.  His previous Master Point Press books include the award-winning Play or Defend? This is a first book for Nick Smith (UK).

3. A Bridge to Inspired Declarer Play by Julian Laderman

Many of you will remember A Bridge to Simple Squeezes which was named 2006 ABTA Book of the Year.  Julian Laderman returns with a book on declarer play filled with insights to inspire novice and intermediate players toward expert play.  The book contains two appendices on probability, as well as quizzes to help its reader practice identifying the key features discussed.  Here is the official word:

Every bridge player learns basic cardplay techniques: finesses, eliminations, endplays, loser-on-loser, and so forth.  The trick is to know which technique to use on each particular deal.  What features of a bridge hand lead an expert to select the correct line of play from all those available?  The carefully chosen examples in this book will help advancing players recognize those features and take action accordingly.

Dr. Julian Laderman is a New York math professor who writes a bridge column in The Bronx Journal.  His first book, A Bridge to Simple Squeezes, was named 2006 Book of the Year by the American Bridge Teachers’ Association.

So curl up with your favorite warm beverage (or if you are lucky enough to live in a warmer climate, head on down to the beach with a chair/blanket) and one of these great new additions to our collection.