The Rodwell Files Wins!

Sometimes it seems like I have too many blogs I want to write.  Today is one of those days.  I am busy watching the World Championships, one of my favorite pastimes and we have just had word about the winners of the various IBPA awards.  I will speak more about each of these topics but in this blog I just want to talk about the Rodwell Files.

Eric Rodwell with co-author Mark Horton have won the IPBA Book of the Year Award for the Rodwell Files.  The IBPA, International Bridge Press Association, gives out an award each year to a book that they deem to be the best bridge book published that year.  Here is what they said in the press release.

The Master Point Press Book of the Year Award

Winner: The Rodwell Files

Authors: Eric Rodwell and Mark Horton

This year’s candidates were of unusually-high quality in terms of originality of material. Nevertheless, one book was adjudged by the jury of Patrick Huang (Taiwan), Fernando Lema (Argentina), David Morgan (Australia), PO Sundelin (Sweden), Ron Tacchi (France) and Paul Thurston (Canada) to be superior to the others.

They go on to quote the following (from the book description)

The original ‘Rodwell File’, the collection of notes on which this book is based, has been in existence for more than twenty years, but it is only now that the author is prepared to allow his ‘secrets’ to become public knowledge.

First, he describes and explains the process for deciding on a line of play — using concepts such as +L positions, tightropes, trick packages and Control Units as well as exploring more standard themes such as counting winners, losers, and distribution. Included here too is a checklist of ‘defogging questions’ to get you back on track when your analysis gets bogged down. Then he moves on to a host of innovative ideas in card play, strategies and tactics that can be used by declarer or defenders, each one illustrated with real-life examples from top-level play.

There are several other fine books on this year’s shortlist.

Wladyslaw Izdebski, Roman Krzemien and Ron Klinger, Deadly Defence

Krzsyztof Martens, Guide Dog, Part I & II

Victor Moillo, The Hog Takes to Precision

Barry Rigal, Breaking the Bridge Rules, First Hand Play

Eric Rodwell and Mark Horton, The Rodwell Files

Peter Winkler, Bridge at the Enigma Club

Beside’s The Rodwell Files Master Point Press has 4 of the 6 books selected this year. That makes us feel very proud.  More about the many other interesting words in a future blog.