Our Story
Linda Bishop Love - is an "A" category player who can play any convention without looking at her notes. She has played bridge 8 days a week since 1980 and currently plays in five bridge clubs in Austin. Linda hasn't really been kicked out of a club, but one hot summer day in Texas she was told to put her clothes back on.
Brenda Zejdl Love - is Linda's twin and is a lower category player (on a good day). She's too embarrassed to say how long she's been playing bridge. She needs notes to play one convention. Brenda lives in Prague and plays in two local clubs; once a week with another senior lady friend and once a week with her Pro, a professional bridge player. Brenda hasn't been kicked out of a club yet but some of her partners wish they would.
Brenda's Bio
DEDICATIONS
Brenda Zejdl Love dedicates this book to her son, Clinton Harwell, and to Mark Zejdl, her third husband, but if Mark divorces her for playing too much bridge, then she dedicates it to her fourth and possibly her fifth husband.
Brenda also dedicates this book to her ALZA family who I wish would learn to play bridge:
Joseph Jussen, Matilda Nieri, Ana Leech, Lida, Alejandro, Peter, Charles and Eli Zaffaroni, Ernest Mario, Martin Gerstel, Gonzalo Silviera, Emily Kelley, and Tom King.
Linda Bishop Love dedicates this book to her husband, Charles Bishop, and children, Matthew, Dana and John who did without her while she was addicted to bridge, her twin who made her help write it, and her dog, Lucy, to whom she taught bridge but who now thinks she’s too good to play with either her or Brenda. Charles, after 30 years of refusing to learn bridge, decided to offer Lucy doggie treats if she would partner with him.
Linda also dedicates this book to her six bridge partners for tolerating her antics over the last few decades and now she even adores them more that they have all gratuitously agreed to help edit this book.
Thank you Joani, Anita, Ellen, Angela, Anne, and Marlene!
INTRODUCTION
How do you know you are getting too old to play bridge? You look forward to playing dummy so you can catch a nap. If you haven’t guessed already, be warned, this book is rated “PG” for Psycho Grannies.” The authors are seniors and insist on their right to be funny, sarcastic, or even NASTY whenever we feel the urge.
The information and tips in this book are intended to enlighten new players to the options available as they enter into this diverse world of bridge. We have included tips to help refine and simplify conventions and signals for novice players. It is primarily written for the Standard American System.
Some of the information may be redundant since we assume this book will be used more for reference purposes. In addition to tips for beginners, we focus on bridge players who have waited until retirement to learn to play. There are two types of senior bridge players. The ones like Brenda, who waited until retirement to learn bridge and have started to see their standings either stagnate or drop, and seniors like Linda who have played for 40 years and can play blindfolded! (Confidentially Linda can be a bridge snob and refuses to play competitions with Brenda, her favorite twin, unless she improves her game, dramatically). So Brenda, who lives on a different continent, hired a Professional coach, Milan Macura, to improve her game in hopes of one day being good enough to partner with her in a tournament.
This book is a collaboration between these two types of players. It is not designed to teach bridge but rather is a compilation of tips (resulting from Brenda’s repeated errors). Players interested in a specific convention, improving defensive or offensive play are encouraged to supplement their research with books that focus on that one subject. These books can be found through referrals and internet searches. We reference a few books and websites popular in 2020 but remember that they may change with the passing of time. An acquaintance with the basic bridge vocabulary is needed to understand the terminology in this book. We have tried to limit the use of bridge terminology to the very basic ones in our Glossary.
Good Luck!!!
COVER ARTIST
Melissa Bishop Frazier (daughter of Linda Love Bishop) was born in Austin, Texas in 1980. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy in 2003. It was at this point in her professional development that Melissa began to focus on the arts, including photography, computer arts and illustration. These avenues took her love for art therapy into an age old trade: tattooing. Today, Melissa is a professional tattoo artist on the central coast of Oregon. Her work on skin took her on many journeys across western central and northern America, as well as various parts of Europe. Melissa is the author of “Ladies & Ink: Female Tattooists from Around the World.” She currently owns and operates Sea Serpent Saloon in Nye Beach Newport, Oregon where she and her daughter, Mercy Rose, deeply enjoy the nautical lifestyle.
EDITORS
Milan Macura - Macura won a gold medal at the 2009 First World Youth Congress in Istanbul and is winner of several National Czech Championships. He is president of the Czech Bridge Federation and classified as a World Master in bridge. He has a Master's degree in Statistics in the University of Economics in Prague. He currently lives in Prague and is a professional bridge player and coach. He hosts a live YouTube broadcast every Thursday where you can challenge him with bridge hands found on FunBridge’s Exclusive tournaments. https://milan-macura.wixsite.com/bridge
Tom Schrecker - Tom is an avid bridge player, skier, publishing entrepreneur and philanthropist. He holds a degree in history from Oxford University. He currently lives in Prague.
Jeff Tang – Jeff is the editor of bridgebum.com, a reference website for bridge players. He worked and directed games at OKbridge.com when it was the first online service for playing live.
Richard Pavlicek - Some of the enclosed jokes were created by Richard Pavlicek (Florida, USA) who kindly granted us permission to share in this book. Visit his website “For Bridge Players” (www.rpbridge.net) which is widely considered the best bridge resource on the net.
Edvard Outrata - Edvard has played bridge since childhood. He graduated from the Univ. of Economics, Prague in 1959. He moved to Canada in 1969 but returned to Prague in 1993. He was chairman of the Czech Statistical Office and later elected one of four vice-presidents of the senate. He co-founded the senate Club of Open Democracy. He was also president of the European Movement in the Czech Republic and VP of the International Movement based in Brussels.
Alexis Aldridge - Alexis is a retired university professor living in Prague. She earned a Ph.D. in comparative literature from The University of Michigan and has been teaching, writing and editing in the humanities for decades. So, she does know something about good writing…but almost nothing about bridge. To her credit, her own research during this editing process has her up to a level where she could bridge without further instructions.
Doyle Dodson - Doyle is a retired Chief Cryptologic Technician Warrant Officer, USN from 1958 to 1978. He is also a retired HS Spanish Teacher, at Cushing High School, Cushing, Oklahoma from 1983 to 1999. Doyle attended Oklahoma University from 1963 to 1965; majors in Math & Physics. He graduated Oklahoma State University in 1983; majors in Spanish and English. He currently resides in Lago Vista, Texas with wife of 59 years, Vickie Dodson.
Joanie Powell – Was born and raised in New York where she attended Catholic school. Here, for 13 years, the nuns drummed into her head the importance of proper English, grammar, punctuation, and the written
word. After graduation she moved to Santa Monica, California where she purchased an early Apple II computer and started a word processing business. Her clients were predominately Ph.D. candidates, physicians, and psychoanalysts. Upon retirement, she learned to play bridge. The best part of her game??? Meeting Miss Linda. Love you.
OUR GRACIOUS CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
BOARD OF EDITORS
The following people were assigned specific chapters for review according to their expertise.
Stephen Olson – Stephen is a bridge player and Director of the Centex Bridge Club in Georgetown, Texas.
RNDr. Jan Klima, CSc – Theoretical physicist graduated from Charles University, Prague. The quantum physicist, writer, translator of English fiction and – last but not least – devoted bridge player for over fifty years.
Margaret Rauch – Spent most of her life outside her native UK as a staff member of Radio Free Europe, finally retiring in Prague as Director of Administration. Margaret is an enthusiastic, sometimes frustrated, bridge player who only came to the game after retirement. She definitely appreciates her patient partner.
Mark Weiss - Mark is a former principal of Ryan, LLC, and was previously an Administrative Law Judge at the Texas State Comptroller’s office. He graduated with a J.D. from the University of Texas Law School.
Anita Cokins - Anita is a Ruby Life Master and also a Las Vegas tournament poker player. She has partnered with bridge pros like Mildred Breed in tournaments and is involved in local Texas politics.
Anne Cullen - Anne is a Ruby Life Master who traveled the USA and Europe with her husband playing golf and bridge. She has played bridge long enough to remember when ladies wore elegant attire to bridge clubs.
Marlene Brandt - Marlene is also diligently working toward her life masters. She lives in Austin, Texas.
Angela Lennon - Angela is a Bronze Life Master and has played bridge for many years. She lives in Austin, Texas.
Ellen Meyer - Ellen is a Ruby Life Master who lived in Saudi Arabia for 25 years and once hosted Mike Lawrence as a house guest.
Book Signings
Index to Sections of the Convention Card
FRONT OF CARD
BACK OF CARD