Canadian Master Point … Very First One

This month we are providing the very first edition of Canadian Master Point magazine for free download.   It will be available some time on Tuesday October 27th.  Eric worked extra hard to bring this one to you.  He decided it was special so he got hold of all of the pictures and he and Sally scanned them in.  He even worked on keeping the ads wherever possible too.

The magazine started as an idea that Ray and I discussed in late 1991.  We had only just come back to bridge after about a 15 year absence while we raised our children.  We were astounded at how much had changed in those 15 years although all the same people seemed to be there, just a bit older.  We also thought that Canada had a lot of bridge talent (we still do) and that we should have a showcase for bridge ideas that was focused on Canadian players.  In prior years Ray and I had worked on the Kibbitzer, the Ontario Unit magazine so we had some idea about what was involved although the technology had changed a lot.  In the Kibbitzer days Ray and I had typed the contents on an IBM Selectric typewriter which allowed proportional spacing.  Ray would lay out the magazine by cutting and pasting the contents in columns onto the master pages which would go to the printers.

When we started Canadian Master Point we thought we would begin locally and then expand out.  I think even at the very beginning it was our hope to distribute the magazines across Canada.   To keep costs to a minimum we decided to distribute via bridge clubs.  But we started by distributing the magazine only in Southern Ontario.  So we could at first, just deliver bunches of magazines by car ourselves.  As we expanded we sent them to drop off points, often a volunteer, who would deliver them to the bridge clubs.

All of the work was done by volunteers, all of the contributors were volunteers and the advertising money paid for the printer.  Many advertisers like Joe Seigel, Barbara Seagram and Irving Litvack were there to help us out and stayed with us the whole time.

The CMP Editorial Board: Ray, Linda, Maureen, Shelagh

We formed an editorial board which changed from time to time, Maureen Culp was a constant along with Ray and I.  Shelagh Paulsson was one of the founding board members. Shelagh and I later played on a Women’s Team together in the World Championships in Istanbul.

Fred Gitelman was a wonderful supporter.  He wrote an article for every issue for free even though he was trying to make a career as a bridge professional.  There were many other wonderful supporters and a lot of them are featured in that firstt issue, including John Carruthers, David Lindop, Michael Shoenborn and Tom Dawson, the District bridge historian.   John and David need no introduction but in case you aren’t familiar with “The Shoe”, he is a lovely man and a most talented bridge player who most recently represented Canada in Sao Paolo on our Senior Team.

Ed Bridson started a  two part story called The Silence Of The Slambs about his team’s victory in the Canadian Team trials held that year in Winnipeg.  One thing he discusses is something I have had on my mind in recent years which is how much fate can determine the results of a match, especially a very important one and as you may guess slams have a very important role to play in the result and Hannibal Lecter did have a role as well.

John Carruthers, NPC of the Canadian Venice Cup team talks about the 1991 Yokohama World Championships, a very expensive affair with geishas and $8.00 coffee (1991 – $8.00 wow)

One of my very favorite David Silver stories appears in this article called a Board For The Board.  I produced the deal for David.  I was told that he needed a hand which could be played in many different contracts and have many different results.  David’s story is very funny.  (Now by the way I have been replaced by the talented Tim Bourke, as supplier of hands for David).

David Lindop wrote an article for the magazine on the Intra-Finesse and by way of true confessions in 1991 I have never heard of this play before reading his article.  He gives a lot of interesting hands from his own play.

Ray has a story of Willie Karwaser.  Willie was a popular local player, quite under rated.  Unfortunately some years later Willie died at a very young age after spending most of his last years taking care of his ailing mother and playing bridge of course.

Ray writes an interesting story called Twenty Years Ago about some bridge columns he wrote as the bridge columnist for the Toronto Star magazine.  When he was doing this I remember that some days Ray would turn to me and say ”I need a hand” desperate for some material.  I always had one, of course.

Fred Gitelman’s article is about Computers and Bridge.  He predicts how in the next few years (by 1997) bridge playing programs will progress.  Will they ever be able to beat humans?  See what Fred says.  Fred had started a little company with Sheri Weinstock called Bridge Base Inc. which was selling Base III, advertised as a hand generator, hand editor, hand movies, double dummy solver, end position  solver and suit combination solver.

That and more in the free download.  Full of nostalgia for us.  You will be able to download the magazine for free at www.ebooksbridge.com