ABTA Announces Book Awards

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Since 1982, the American Bridge Teachers’ Association has recognized excellence in instructional bridge writing. Additionally this year, ABTA President Betty Starzec announced the creation of a new category focusing on excellence in bridge writing for newcomers.
“The ABTA wishes to award its first-ever Newcomer Book of the Year Award to Jeff Bayonne for his amazing work, A Taste of Bridge,” Starzec said. “Bayonne’s book effortlessly walks someone completely new to the game through the play of a hand step by step, and it’s magic how much they know when they finish without realizing just how much they learned.”
At its Thursday convention and banquet, the ABTA announced the 2018 Committee’s award selections in three categories.

In the beginner/novice category, the winner of the 2018 ABTA Shirley Silverman Book of the Year Award was a Masterpoint Press publication, Planning the Play – The Next Level by Barbara Seagram and David Bird, this sequel to their 2010 award winning Planning the Play of a Bridge Hand, provides many deals to cover more complex topics including entries, unblocking, the danger hand, crossruffs, maintaining trump control and endplays.
 
The winner in the intermediate/advanced category was Mike Lawrence’s Judgment at Bridge 2, published by Baron Barclay. In the style of his earlier Judgment at Bridge, Mike offers advice on how to become a better player and a more difficult opponent with the main focus on competitive bidding.
 
 
The Technology of the Year award went to Larry Cohen Teaches Bridge, the Video Series. Ten DVDs, each covering a specific topic on bidding, declarer play or defense, offer students a similar experience to attending one of Larry’s seminars. To complete the learning experience, each video includes links to lesson notes and pertinent VuBridge deals. See purchase information at larryco.com.
2018 Award Committee members were Sam Marks, Henry Meguid, Brenda Montague, Karen Walker and Pat Harrington (chair).
ABTA is now taking submissions for its 2019 awards, which will be announced next July. Authors or publishers wishing to submit new works in any of the above categories can get more information by emailing the new Awards Committee chair, Christina Van Leeuwen at butcutthecards@gmail.com. The submission deadline is May 1, 2019.