The Extra Edge in Play
by Terence Reese and Julian Pottage

Master Point Press, ISBN 1-894154-97-5, US$16.95 from www.masterpointpress.com

The main theme of this book seems to be that you shouldn't settle for second-best, so that even if you think that you might have conceived a pretty good plan to start with, you should strive to see if there is anything better. That's a fairly tall order, with the majority of us having trouble getting off the ground at all, so to speak, and while I am not convinced this book will make demon declarer-players of us all, it does offer a pretty good insight into some of the things we should be looking out for.

The book consists of seventy-six problems first promulgated by Terence Reese (I think) but with the text somewhat updated by Julian Pottage to make sense in the modern age. So you are given the bidding, some comments on the same and whether it is good or bad, and an initial analysis to help you on your way. Then it is up to you. You make your mind up, turn over the page and either smugly go on to the next problem or consider giving up the game.

Here is a problem I particularly liked:

K Q 6 5   Q 10 8 3   K 6 5   K 4     A J 10 8 4 3   4   10 7 2   J 10 5   7   A 6   A J 9 4 3   9 8 6 3 2     9 2   K J 9 7 5 2   Q 8   A Q 7

West	North	East	South
2	Pass	Pass	3
Pass	4	End

After a weak-two bid from West, you arrive in 4 and West leads the J. There are three aces missing and unless East turns up with a singleton trump there is a huge risk of a spade ruff. Can you see a way to try and divert the opposition from their rightful path?

Probably the best way is to win the A at trick one and lead the 9! What will West make of that? Almost surely he will play you for a singleton spade and switch to the 10, hoping to find his partner with A-Q-J-x. Of course he won't, and your clever ruse has cut the opposition's communications. (Can you see that if your opponents are playing reverse count you should lead the 2 and hope that East's singleton is lower than the nine?)

This is certainly no book for beginners, nor does it claim to be, and I think even 'intermediate' players might find it hard going. And although I thought most of the hands were great, some of them were frankly far too hard - much like Diabolical Sudoku! - and while they might make for a great intellectual debate in the bar afterwards, I am sure nobody would ever get them right at the table. Never mind, this is a polished product, well written and well presented, and as today's youth might say, 'well challenging.'

Dave Huggett

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