The Lone Wolff Speaks-- Book Review 

By Jared Johnson  ScoreCard Editor 

The Lone Wolff, Autobiography of a Bridge Maverick by Bobby Wolff (Master Point Press, Toronto) chronicles the career of one of the game’s top players.  

Wolff  has multiple world championships to his credit and is also a former president of The American Contract Bridge League and the World Bridge Federation.  

Being involved in and being an expert at both the playing and administrative sides of bridge gives Wolff a unique perspective and a rich history to write about. Sometimes unpleasant and occasionally even scandalous issues are largely ignored by some of the regular bridge publications, but Wolff tackles all the topics, from the minor to the major, from the pleasant to the not-so-pleasant head on. 

Wolff has been a tireless promoter of the highest ethics in the game and unfortunately just as in any sport, indoors or outdoors, there is the occasional cheating scandal. 

And, of course, when you have taken strong stands on important issues you sometimes make enemies, and Wolff himself has sometimes been the target of scurrilous and baseless attacks. 

It makes for interesting reading. 

And of course, Bobby Wolff and former regular partner Bob Hamman, were for years, one of the stellar partnerships worldwide. As a pair, they were part of the renowned Nickell team that won Spingold after Spingold after Spingold (four in a row from 1993 to 1996), arguably the most prestigious national team championship each year. 

“The Breakup” was almost the bridge world’s equivalent of the splitting of Simon and Garfunkel, leaving everyone asking the same sorts of questions, “How could they break up? They were so good, so successful together. They’ll never be as good apart.” Wolff doesn’t duck the controversy in this book. 

But as with Simon and Garfunkel, although they have gone their separate ways, both Wolff and Hamman have continued to have considerable levels of success with other partnerships and teams. 

One might even argue that on some topics, Wolff has a bit of an axe to grind. 

But without a little of that, it wouldn’t be as fascinating. 

In the early 1990s, the ACBL selected someone with virtually no familiarity with the game of bridge to run the organization. In retrospect, his tenure is fairly widely regarded as disastrous, but a lot of the details are coming out only now in Wolff’s book. Wolff was instrumental in his ouster, and considers it one of his most important contributions to the world of bridge. 

More than one bridge controversy over the years has been swept under the rug by certain higher-ups. Those who have been playing tournament bridge for decades will no doubt read many parts of this book and be thinking, “Oh yeah, I remember hearing a little about that, but you could never find out what was really going on. It seemed like everyone was trying to keep it a secret.” Now Wolff tells you what was really going on. 

A lot of bridge books, especially the ones that simply teach you the game, can sometimes be a bit bland. This book is not bland. Wolff doesn’t pull any punches, friend or foe. And he might make a few more enemies with this book. 

But you will be hard put to find any bridge book, even a few of the other autobiographies out there, written with more commitment and passion. For serious players, it’s the best bridge book of 2008.