The Backwash Squeeze and Other Improbable Feats: A Newcomer's Journey into the World of Bridge

by Edward McPherson

There is one card game that towers above all others as the most intelligent, intricate, and psychologically absorbing ever to be invented. It has a rich history. It's played and loved by some of the world's most famous and influential people. And it's not the one that's currently on television twenty-four hours a day. In 1925 Harold Stirling Vanderbilt invented modern bridge, and a national craze was born. In the 1930s, bridge was even bigger than baseball. Its devotees would eventually include the Marx Brothers, George Burns, Wilt Chamberlain, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who played to unwind before the Normandy invasion. Today bridge players number about twenty-five million in the U.S. alone; current celeb-rity addicts include Warren Buffett (who goes by the online handle "T-Bone"), Bill Gates, Hugh Hefner, Sting, a sitting Supreme Court justice, and the guys from Radiohead. In this spirited homage, Edward McPherson recounts the history of the game while attempting to master its deep mysteries in time to compete at the North American Bridge Championships in Chicago. Barely able to shuffle cards let alone play bridge, he sets out to discover why the game became and remains such a popular pastime, stopping in Dallas, Kansas City, Gatlinburg, Gettysburg, Las Vegas, and London. He focuses on a handful of professionals and eager but fumbling amateurs, and the characters he meets convince him that in a game that pits mind against mind, close attention to the cards often reveals much about those sitting at the table. He attempts to learn from bridge's devoted fans—from white-haired grannies and international playboys to teenage pros and billionaires—how its legacy can be preserved for future generations. And along the way, he picks up a playing partner of his Tina, a New York octogenarian with sharp card skills and energy to burn. Insightful, funny, and steeped in respect for bridge, The Backwash Squeeze and Other Improbable Feats is an affectionate view of a grand game by an outsider trying to make his way into the inner circle.

Genres: Nonfiction

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Mike Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing look at the world of modern-day bridge and its history, this book most likely will appeal primarily to those familiar with the game. I enjoyed the look into the eccentricities of the various bridge clubs in New York and elsewhere, but particularly liked the ongoing tale of his quest to play in the national tournament with Tina, his eighty-three year old partner.

I've been playing bridge for about 40 years now and am still fascinated by the game in both forms: rubber and duplicate. I think Edward McPherson got it right when he reported that, for many, the allure of bridge is that of a puzzle we'll never completely solve (and with 635,013,559,600 possible different hands, one can see why!). But to paraphrase Tina, I'd read this again!

[Katie Bissmeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pace was a bit all over the place and the author sometimes took his role as narrator too far when speaking to his own experience learning/attending bridge events. Overall though it was an informative read and would be of interest to anyone who likes the game.

[Rob Preece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bridge is one of the great games--perhaps the greatest. In addition to intellectual rigor similar to that of Chess or Go, it offers a partnership aspect and the uncertainty of not having full information. Conceptually, a game like Chess, where all information is available to everone, could be solved. Sure, it's harder to solve than tic-tac-toe, but it could be. Bridge can't, because each deal is unique and, even if it isn't, you'll never know until the end that it happens to be the same as a previous deal.

THE BACKWASH SQUEEZE tells about author Edward McPherson's largely mercenary approach to the world of bridge in which he sets out to learn the game and write a good. I don't know if he learned the game but he did write a fairly amusing book. McPherson combines his own story of learning and playing the game with historical notes on where bridge came from, when it reached its peak of popularity, with interviews from some of today's top name names in professional bridge (interestingly, Hamman is missing from Bermuda cup action this year and Justin Lall is part of the team which replaces his... both were featured in BACKWASH).

My own introduction to the world of duplicate bridge wasn't that long ago (at least not by the standards of those who play bridge) so I can read McPherson's comments and insights and grin. I, too, remember the first tournament I went to... remember thinking, where do all these people come from, what do they do when they're not playing bridge. I remember being reluctant to play at a tournament because I was new to duplicate and was certain that there was some special ability required... the secret handshake I didn't yet have. I like to think that I've never been as casually cruel to caddies as McPherson points out, but I found his discussions of tournament caddies to be among the stronger parts of his story. And the concern over whether bridge is dying is always timely.

I would have liked BACKWASH more if I'd cared about the characters. Sure, this is non-fiction, but I wanted some emotional involvement with McPherson or his partners. BACKWASH was a bit too cool, too New York superior for me to completely love it. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, though.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but it's hard to know what the intended audience is.

The first thing you should know is that this is not a "learn to play" or "improve your bridge" book. There's not a single hand in it. It is instead the author's story of his own experiences learning to play and then traveling around the world playing in tournaments and rubber games and interviewing famous players. You don't really have to know a thing about the game itself in order to enjoy this book.

But does someone who is not already a bridge player want to read about the world of bridge players? I don't know. (I don't know because I am in fact a bridge player.)

On the other hand, someone who is already a player, at least a tournament player, is likely already to know much about the world McPherson describes here. Having said that, there were many things I didn't know about, but then I very seldom play in tournaments.

So, if you assume that most non-bridge players don't want to bother with a book about the bridge world and learning to play the game and that most bridge players already know about the bridge world, who's left to read this book? Which is too bad, in a way, because it is entertaining.

[Scott Weeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

If ever a book demanded its own sequel, it is The Backwash Squeeze. Some 15 years after it first came out, poker is more popular than ever, and when the Squeeze was published, online (and IRL) poker was already making a severe dent in the bridge world. Likewise the Covid pandemic of 2020, which saw the closure of bridge clubs like Honors in Manhattan, described in the book as the "Death Star" of Manhattan bridge clubs. How has the club scene changed? How has online bridge play changed? Is there a resurgence of bridge popularity, or is it still going down to poker? How has the author fared with bridge? And what of Tina? WHAT OF TINA?

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting story—definitely better suited to a magazine article than a full-length book. The concept was solid, but it became far too tedious with all the detailed accounts of tournaments. I didn’t finish it.

[Dani]

I really enjoyed this story about bridge.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful mini-history this book is! The book is a combination of a history of the world of competitive bridge, a history of the game, and a bit of insight into how a beginner enters the competitive bridge arena. Having played at a couple of the clubs in New York and in one beginner's tournament, much of the description was familiar. Still, the author is a good writer and managed to keep the different pieces of the book interesting and readable. I would have liked a bit more technical detail about some of the hands that he witnessed -- I'm not sure if the author left out more bridge discussion in an effort to make the book accessible to non-players or if he just doesn't really have enough bridge knowledge to talk through the analysis of hands that he witnessed.

I'm not sure whether the book would have much appeal to readers who have never played bridge. I'm probably not a good judge of whether the descriptions are too technical. It seems that the best audience for this book is casual bridge players and those with an interest in card games.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warm. A journalist tells the story of bridge, its one-time universal popularity, and the culture that surrounds it today. His first-person stories of playing in beginner tournaments with a group of mostly retired people have very warm descriptions of the personalities that he encountered. And then there are the cut-throat players, the tournaments, the clubs, the teachers, the duplicate game's intricacies and managerial roles. A very fun view into a subculture, and an entertaining travelogue. And when we watch classic movies in my house, in virtually every one there is some mention of bridge in the dialogue, if not an actual game. And we call out "bridge!"

[Jimt43 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another (in the long line of books, how do I pick these???) in which the author has one or (in this case) two pretty good anecdotes but somehow gets talked into writing a 319 page book. This might be the source for a few blogs, but not a book. Having played tournament bridge at a pretty high level myself, I was looking for some really interesting insights. Alas, other than the two anecdotes, there was none. I wonder how I figure out about this type of book before starting it????

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Competitive bridge as told by a total neophyte bridge player/journalist. Little too much time spent away from the game, dissing podunk towns hosting tournaments, etc. Don't think we actually learn in the text what backwash squeeze is…But a good continuation of the competitive intellectual games series (crossworld, word freak)

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little book, but more about the subtitle than the title. He never really explains what a backwash squeeze is, even, as he doesn't really understand it when he reads about it! Still, I enjoyed reading about someone taking a bridge-y journey similar to my own along with a little history of the game.

[Susan Mock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if you knew nothing about bridge, and sometimes that seems the case with me, he tells a wonderful tale of his first year learning bridge and traveling the bridge "circuit". He interviews the living legends of the game and they are a fascinating group. It was hard to put this book down. I really enjoyed it.

[Kathi Derevan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little story about a writer who takes up bridge so he can write a book. The best part is about his 83-year-old partner. You probably wouldn't like it if you have no interest in bridge. For me it made we want to play again.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

After this entrance into the world of competitive bridge, I can't figure out if I'm interested in playing or if I never want to even consider it, in fear of the addiction that seems to take hold. Maybe, if there were somebody around to teach me/play with me...any takers?

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-fiction account of a journalist's foray into the world of duplicate bridge. Cleverly told and well-researched. Covers international and national tournaments. Even talks about the culture of the caddies. A delight.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'm not sure about this book... it was in a weird pop-journalistic style that just doesn't sit well with me... it made me wish i were playing bridge rather than reading about it... but, no regrets.

[Mitzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a beginner to Duplicate Bridge (6 months now) and I found this book very informational and entertaining. Also an easy read. Well done!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story about a newbie getting into the bridge world

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly interesting take on the world of bridge, although for my tastes the author spends far too much time on the travelogue aspects.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting story if you're interested in the world of Bridge, but not already familiar with it. It got me to go check out a club here in Manhattan.

[Ange · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like name droppers this is the book for you. I did like the author as a person. And find the book interesting and informative. And it was really fun reading about Ahren.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

goes on too long but an enjoyable exploration of bridge that made me want to take a class.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit tedious in the amount of detail he provides, but interesting in roviding some context and thoughts about the future of the game.