Inside the Bermuda Bowl

Price: $19.95 CDN

Category: Books
Author: John Swanson

244 pages - Paperbound
1998 - John Swanson
ISBN: n/a

Front Cover:

Inside the Bermuda Bowl
A Behind the Scenes Look at the Team Trials and Bermuda Bowl Events

Back Cover:

John Swanson has been a tournament bridge player for over 40 years. During his active playing days, he won two Vanderbilt Team of Four titles, two Grand National Team titles and finished near the top in many other National Team events. His teams won nine consecutive Trial matches of 128 boards or more to qualify as the ACBL representative to four Bermuda Bowl World Championships. John, with partner Paul Soloway and teammates Billy Eisenberg, Bob Hamman, Eddie Kantar, and Bobby Wolff, won the title in 1977.

Inside the Bermuda Bowl is his account of those events. There are great stories and interesting bridge hands. Many of the hands are presented as problems so that the reader can compare his or her judgment against the best in the world. There are personal glimpses of some of the greatest players of all time and details of the biggest cheating scandals the game has seen.

John Swanson takes you on a tour of the World Championships in a way that not many have seen. There is more to bridge than bidding and taking tricks. There is everything from preparation to politics to a darker world that comes to light under John's scrutiny. This book is fascinating reading. It will raise eyebrows everywhere. I enjoyed it.

Mike Lawrence

John Swanson has been one of my best teammates and fiercest opponents. Our win in the 1977 "Thrilla in Manilla" and our loss in Bermuda in 1975 were about as high and low as a bridge player can go. His account of the "Foot Soldier Scandal" is right on the money.

Bob Hamman