I’ve known Matt a long time. He and Pam moved to Cincinnati while I lived there, and I actually took my first formal bridge class from him at the Cincinnati Bridge Club. The class was on counting, and it really opened my eyes to how experts thought about the game. Matt and I have also shared a bond as playwrights and theater aficionados.
I’ve always enjoyed Matt’s books. He wrote a couple of bridge murder mysteries that are a lot of fun. And I love his and Pam’s book on Obvious Switch, A Switch in Time.
Matt’s new book, Method Bridge, published in 2024, is a great fit for me, as it relates bridge to theater—specifically the Method acting technique. Matt’s application of the Method to bridge is “designed to apply your past experiences without thinking too much.” On its surface, this exactly what I’m trying to avoid! “Go with your first instinct—don’t double check!”
But really what Matt’s “method” is doing is speeding up the simple parts of thinking so you have more time and energy to focus on the important part. “The method is designed to eliminate your tedious brain power and help you jump over the problem to reach the core of it.” That’s something every bridge player can use.
Method Bridge touts itself as “a book about shapes.” “You never, ever, count to 13 in this method.” It’s all about recognizing the shapes and being familiar with them. There is a chapter devoted to each of the common shapes—4432, 5431, etc. It reminded me a little bit of Right Through the Pack, where each card in the deck gets a story in which it gets to be the hero.
There are tips and tricks of how to think about the different shapes. For example, 4441—the “rattlesnake” (I’ve never heard it called that!)—“is better for defense than offense, because declarer’s suits are not breaking.”
Here’s a helpful tidbit from the 5431 chapter. You’re in a 5-3 fit and worry about a 4-1 split. Which opponent is more likely to have length? “If the opponents did not bid, the hand to the left of the five-card suit is more likely to hold the length! He might have overcalled or made a takeout double if he held a singleton.”
I know all the basic shapes and usually recognize them quickly. I have a tool I’ve been using to practice identifying them more quickly. But since reading this book I’ve found myself thinking more in terms of shapes. “Declarer just showed out, spades are 5431.” “Declarer has 5 hearts and 4 diamonds in addition to that singleton spade, so they’re 5431.” I think it is speeding up that part of my thinking.
I really enjoyed this book, and it helped clarify some aspects of my thinking and visualization. I hope those of you who read it enjoyed it, too.
March’s book is Thinking on Defense by Jim Priebe.
In April, I’m going to read Hugh Kelsey’s classic Killing Defence at Bridge.
Is there anything about 4-by-3s?
I used that expression when taking a class with Regena Edwards in the Washington Bridge League.