Bridge, Zia ...and Me [Paperback]

Michael Rosenberg (Author), Zia Mahmood (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1999

One of the world's top bridge players chronicles his career from his early days growing up in the UK to his position today as one of the world's best. Rosenberg and the flamboyant Zia Mahmood, who also now lives in the US, are one of the world's best partnerships. Here we learn how they first met and started playing together. There are fascinating and funny anecdotes from Rosenberg's own career, his all-time favorite hands, and tips and ideas that will help the reader improve his own game. Finally, the author discusses some of the thorny ethical issues that plague today's tournament scene, and offers his own ideas on how to solve them.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Master Point Press (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894154045
• ISBN-13: 978-1894154048
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,513,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Needs a sixth star, January 8, 2003

By 

Voracious reader (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bridge, Zia ...and Me (Paperback)

Are there new things to say about the game of bridge that can be articulated and of practical use to the aspiring player? Michael Rosenberg proves there are. He resolutely refuses to tackle the mundane or already said; his ideas bristle with verve and originality. This from one of the few who can lay claim to being the world's greatest card-player. Whether he is discussing ethics, reminiscing, or laying bare the raw but brilliant deductive technique with which he plays the game, Rosenberg is scintillating. I urge you to buy this book, then look at his series of articles on his thought processes during the World Par Tournament, published in the US magazine, Bridge Today. You will be astonished.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Most readers will probably prefer Zia's book., December 23, 2002

By 

Kevin P. Costello (Riverside, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bridge, Zia ...and Me (Paperback)

This book is rather heavy on the theory and "interesting" hands and light on the biography and interesting stories. A great deal of space is given to an exceedingly dry discussion of Rosenberg's view on the ethics of (among other things) not taking advantage of your partner bidding in proper tempo (!).

It should be noted that this book is pitched at a higher level than most other bridge books (the hands which are interesting to a par contest champion tend to be much more complicated than the usual). Also, Rosenberg's explanations of some concepts can get confusing at times (the phrase "always play the nine unless you must" never made sense to me until I read Zia's book).