The Lone Wolff: Autobiography of a Bridge Maverick

by Bobby Wolff

As a multiple world champion, and former president of the World Bridge Federation, no-one is better placed than Bobby Wolff to discuss the big issues that face the game today. Wolff talks authoritatively about cheating at the top level of the game, destructive bidding systems, sponsorship, professional players, as well as other issues.

Genres: Biography

287 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2008

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Patron of the Game! I obtained this book from Bobby Wolff, himself, and he autographed it for me. It is the story of his life, and especially of his life in the world of the card game known as Bridge. Unlike most books about Bridge, this one is not rife with hand diagrams and analyses. It is, rather, an autobiographic narrative that is both well-written, and well-edited. The editing was accomplished by Bobby's wife, Judy Kay-Wolf, who did a remarkable job of making Bobby's story cohesive, logically organized, and easy to read. There are virtually no editing errors at all to be found in the book.

Bobby's story begins with his youth in San Antonio, Texas, and continues to the time of the publishing of this book in 2008 after Bobby and Judy had moved to their current home of residence in Las Vegas, Nevada. It includes the stories of how, in 1968, he became a founding member of the "Dallas Aces" professional Bridge team that set about to reclaim the world team Bridge title from the legendary "Italian Blue Team.” It took several years, but the team did manage to win the World title. In fact, Bobby has won several World Bridge titles, including the Bermuda Bowl (seven times), and once each of the World Mixed Teams, the World Open Pairs, the World Open Teams, and the World Senior Teams.

In addition to his achievements as a player of the game of Bridge. Bobby has contributed much, much more to the game than just winning games and tournaments. He has served, for example, as President of both the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), and the World Bridge Federation (WBF). His focus has been on Ethics and Fairness in the game, and he has made significant contributions in the way that competitions are resolved. He also promotes the game to the World’s youth as much as he is able. He has had a lasting effect on the game and the way it is played and scored worldwide

If you think you might enjoy reading a book about the relatively recent history of the game of Bridge, and especially about how it is played at an International level, then this is the book for you. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and recommend it highly, awarding it all five of the five stars available for this review.