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Problems Categorised by Composer Here is a list of composers' names. If I have more than one problem for a given composer, clicking on the name will take you the subsection for that composer. If I have only one problem from a given composer, clicking on the name will take you to that problem (though in several cases there will be more to come in the future). A. Adam, H.A. Adamson, Ivar Andersson, Norman Archer, Harry Asher, Ulrich Auhagen, Paul Barden, Stephen Barrett, F.C. Bazett-Jones, Kurt Bendix, Ernest Bergholt, Pietro Bernasconi, Jean Besse, Alan Best, Jean-Marc Bihl, Steven Bloom, Harry A. Boardman, Ian Budden, "Busser", C. Callery, Scott Cardell, Leslie Cass, Saul Cass, George Coffin, Malcolm Christie, J.W. Cromwell Jr., R.S. Crouch, Robert Darvas, Hugh Darwen, André Desmedt, Victor Dupont Jr, Pierre Duruy, David Eddy, Th. F. Egidius, A.C. Enthoven, Lydia Ferrari, L.B. Finlinson, Harold Franklin, E.M. Frankenstein, Walter H. Frohlich, David Galula, Alice Godfrey, Richard Granville, Robert Gray, Nigel Guthrie, C.D.P. Hamilton, Ian Hamilton, V. Hammarstrand, Jonathan Hinden, Paul Hummel, Oswald Jacoby, Edwin Kantar, A. Kitson, S.C. Kinsey, Ĺke Kjillstrom, Vincent Labbé, Julian Lang, Paul Lamford, Robert Lattés, Robert Lemaire, Sidney S. Lenz, Helge Leonhardsen, Damien Lescot, Jinzhou Loo, Paul Lukacs, S. Lurie, F.V. Macomber, Bala Maniam, R.C. Mankowski, J-M. Maréchal, Walter McMartin, Walter McMartin, Steve McVea, Mrs. J. Herbert Mead, Dr. C.T. Millikin, Jock Milton, G.L. Moore, Geoffrey Mott-Smith, Giordano Natucci, C. Nelson, Yong Hao Ng, William Noall, S.M. Nuttall, W.B. Orr, Géza Ottlik, Elizabeth Page, Eugeniusz Paprotny, Beryl Pascual, Ernest Pawle, John Peirson, Frank K. Perkins, A.C. Plackett, Alexander Porges, Julian Pottage, Andrew Prothero, J. von Puttkamer, Jay Reed, Terence Reese, Jeff Richmond, Barry Rigal, Alex Riley, Derek Rimington, James H. Ritch, Jean Roche, Russell Roosen, Knud Rosenlov, Frank Roy, Yngve Sarnqvist, Tim Seres, Alfred P. Sheinwold, Don Smedley, David Solis-Cohen Jr, Israel L. Solomon, Mel Stover, Neil Swift, M.J. Sullivan, Ernest Theiler, Tonći Tomić, Nils Traane, Paolo Treossi, J.W. Turnlof, Maurice Weber, Colin Weir, Larry Weiss, Prof. T.J. Wertenbaker, W.H. Whitfeld, David E. Wilder, Neils Y. Wilson, R.A. Wilson, R.W. Wilson, Wim van der Zijden. Problems by and from Ivar Andersson
Sweden's Ivar Andersson collected hundreds of problems during the first half of the twentieth century and in fact contributed all of the 201 double dummy problems appearing in George Coffin's "Sure Tricks" (1948). These 201 include several ingenious miniatures composed by himself. Unfortunately, it appears that Andersson did not faithfully record the authorship of all the problems in his collection. Like George Coffin, I use "by Ivar Andersson" for problems actually composed by him and "from Ivar Andersson" for those he collected, whose composers must alas remain as anonymous as they were when Coffin published these problems in 1948. CC#3, CC#4, CC#6, CC#7, CC#12, CC#16, CC#17, CC#18, CC#19, CC#20, CC#23, CC#27, CC#28, CC#29, CC#30, CC#31, CC#32, CC#35, CC#36, CC#41, CC#42, CC#43, CC#44, CC#49, CC#53, CC#54, CC#55, CC#57, CC#59, CC#61, CC#62, CC#65, CC#66, CC#82, CC#84, CC#85, CC#87, CC#88, CC#89, CC#90, CC#91, CC#92, CC#94, CC#95, CC#97, CC#98, CC#101, CC#102, CC#103, CC#104, CC#106, CC#107, CC#108, CC#109, CC#110, CC#111, CC#114, CC#115, CC#117, CC#119, CC#120, CC#121, CC#122, CC#123, CC#124, CC#125, CC#128, CC#129, CC#130, CC#131, CC#133, CC#134, CC#135, CC#136, CC#137, CC#140, CC#141, CC#142, CC#166, CC#272, CC#273, CC#279.
Dr. Ulrich Auhagen is a well known German writer and analyst who has been composing occasional double dummy problems since the early 1960s.
Paul Barden of England emerged on the composing scene in the 1980s and has produced some real scorchers. He has been especially inspired by Geza Ottlik's illustrative (not to say, illustrious) hands in "Adventures in Card Play" by Geza Ottlik and Hugh Kelsey. #317, #5, #31, #339, #348, #411.
F.C. Bazett-Jones of Kendal, England, contributed five problems to George Coffin's Double Dummy Bridge (1966). CC#162, CC#165, CC#287, CC#291.
I have no information on this contributor to Andersson's collection. CC#48, CC#58, CC#67, CC#145, CC#281.
Ernest Bergholt of London, England, was apparently the first-ever collector of double dummy problems. His book, Double Dummy Bridge, was published in 1906. I am rather surprised by this title because I hadn't realised that any game called bridge existed at that time, when surely whist was so popular that the title Double Dummy Whist might have been more appropriate!. The back cover of Coffin's book of the same title tells us that he includes "all the choicest Bergholt problems" but alas he doesn't actually say which these are (and I do not have a copy of Bergholt's book). Only one composition by Bergholt himself, #245, is included. (#64 was collected by Bergholt but not composed by him.)
Switzerland's Pietro Bernasconi, who died in 2001, was the only top class bridge player I am aware of who was also a top class composer of D.D. problems. He contributed all the problems to my column in Bridge Magazine in 1978 and most of the problems in my column in IPBM in 1990. #142, #250, #251, #252, #253, #254, #255, #256, #257, #258, #259, #328, #329, #19, #331, #332, #333, #334, #335, #343, #352, #356.
Jean Besse was one of Switzerland's best known players and writers. He occasionally dabbled in double dummy problems too.
Ace solver Jean-Marc Bihl, France, became a composer of D.D. problems after discovering this web site.
Steven Bloom, U.S.A., became a composer of D.D. problems after discovering this web site. He is a retired professor of mathematics, "with a bent toward the theoretical and impractical". He adds, "This applies in bridge as well." Many years ago he wrote a series of articles for Bridge Today, called "The Tell Principle", discussing a lot of really off-beat bidding ideas, such as transfers in competitive auctions, that have since gained some currency. #508, CP#022, CP#029, CP#033, CP#035, CP#037, CP#040, CP#042, CP#045, CP#046, CP#047, CP#049, CP#050, CP#053, CP#054, CP#057, CP#059, CP#061, CP#063.
Harry A. Boardman, US.A. contributed thirteen problems to George Coffin's Double Dummy Bridge (1966). Coffin gives a date for publication of #228: April, 1918. CC#177, CC#181, CC#204, CC#214, CC#222, CC#224, CC#225, CC#226, CC#228, CC#248.
Ian Budden of England contributed some good problems in the 1980s and recently returned to the art. #48, #273, #275, CP#005, CP#026, CP#030, CP#044, CP#060.
Busser appears to be the pseudonym of some unknown contributor to George Coffin's Double Dummy Bridge (1966). CC#180, CC#184, CC#189, CC#253, CC#254.
England's Leslie Cass has been my most prolific contributor since 1986, and some of his problems are among the most difficult and artful you will ever see. #299, #33, #315, #322, #327, #338, #344, #351, #353, #355, #360, #362, #364, #366, #368, #370, #374, #378, #380, #382, #383, #388, #389, #390, #392, #394, #399, #402, #408, #424, #433, #440, #444, #448, #454, #458, #460, #464, #468, #470, #474, #478, #483, #486, #489, #491, #495, #499, #502, #505, #506, #510, CP#016, CP#018, CP#028. Problems by Saul Cass ("Con Vention")
Saul Cass composed some very fine problems that were published under his delightful nom de plume in his local newspaper in Cardiff. Some of his best problems were sent to me by his son, Leslie Cass, for use in my competition column.
George Coffin of the U.S.A. (1903-1994) was an avid collector and composer of double dummy problems from the 1930s to the 1980s. He published two collections in book form, Sure Tricks (1948) and Double Dummy Bridge (1968). #174, #197, #229, CC#24, CC#38, CC#47, CC#52, CC#75, CC#118, CC#154, CC#156, CC#284, CC#304. See also George Coffin's Collection.
R.S. Crouch of England contributed several very fine problems to my column in Bridge Magazine in the 1970s. #181, #192, #201, #203, #221, #244.
Robert Darvas of Hungary is perhaps best known for his brilliant collaboration with Norman de V. Hart, Right Through The Pack, in which every card tells it own story. At this site I have just three D.D. problems composed by him.
Hugh Darwen of England ... that's somebody I know rather more about than any other composer, but I'd better not say too much. I have been composing D.D. problems since 1964. My competition column in the UK monthly Bridge Magazine started in 1966 when I took over on the death of Ernest Pawle. It subsequently moved several times to other British magazines and finally closed altogether in July, 2004. My book, Bridge Magic, mainly a collection of puzzles from Bridge Magazine, was published in 1972. As a composer, I have a special penchant for novel gambit plays. (A gambit is the sacrifice of a winner.) For further information about me, see my Wikipedia entry. #129, #141, #1, #3, #148, #149, #4, #158, #163, #166, #171, #175, #180, #184, #190, #195, #199, #207, #212, #216, #231, #237, #261, #46, #286, #295, #303, #307, #308, #309, #311, #316, #324, #337, #361, #369, #375, #391, #395, #417, #427, #432, #437, #441, #442, #443, #451, #458, #461, #462, #467, #477, #479, #484, #488, #493, #496, #498, #501, #504, #507, #509, #511, #512, CP#001, CP#002, CP#003, CP#004, CP#008, CP#010, CP#013, CP#017, CP#021, CP#023, CP#025, CP#027, CP#036, CP#039, CP#041, CP#048, CP#052, CP#062.
Belgium's André Desmedt Contributed a couple of problems in 1992-93. Problems by Dr. Th. F. Egidius
Dr. Th. F. Egidius of Norway contributed a couple of problems to Bridge Magazine during Pawle's incumbency:
L.B. Finlinson of England contributed a few problems George Coffin's collections.
Alice Godfrey of England contributed some problems to Bridge Magazine during 1970s and 1980s: #185, #209, #219, #233, #263, #283.
Richard Granville of England contributed some mindbending problems to Bridge Magazine during the 1970s and 1980s: #186, #200, #211, #222, #228, #232, #238, #242, #247, #260, #264, #270, #274.
Robert Gray of England contributed some fine problems to Bridge Magazine during the 1970s:
I have no information on this contributor to Andersson's collection.
My college days bridge partner Jonathan Hinden collaborated with me on the first two problems I composed, and later produce a solo effort:
Paul Hummel of the USA contributed these two to Pawle's column in Bridge Magazine in the 1950s:
S.C. Kinsey of Salt Lake City, U.S.A. contributed a number of problems to George Coffin's second collection. CC#183, CC#236, CC#258, CC#259. Problems by Ĺke Kjillstrom
I have no information on this contributor to Andersson's collection, except that he was probably Swedish. CC#93, CC#139, CC#143, CC#144, CC#235, CC#237.
Vincent Labbé is one of France's leading bridge writers. His six bridge books to date (2007), published by Le Bridgeur Editions, include Ne plus jamais chuter de chelem , which was declared best book of the year in France. He co-edits, with Jean-Christophe Quantin, the magazine Le Bridgeur. He is an expert at Scrabble (the French version) and was the francophone world champion in 1980. He creates crosswords for several magazines, in particular for Le Figaroždaily! He is particularly interested in the technical aspects of card play in bridge, especially squeezes. He tells me he "discovered the depth and charm of double dummy thanks to ... Hugh Darwen!"
England's Julian Lang composed some interesting problems, mostly lightweights, in the 1980s. Problems by and from Robert Lemaire
The late Robert Lemaire, of Belgium, was a chess maestro as well as being an avid collector and composer of double dummy problems. When Lemaire died in 1994, his friend, J-M. Maréchal, made a copy of Lemaire's entire collection for me, for which I was extremely grateful. For a while in the year after his death, I included some his light-weights as extra problems in my solving competitions, and explains why there are so many DR1's by Lemaire at this web site. #289, #298, #304, #372, #373, #376, #377, #379, #381, #384, #393, #406, #407, #409, #410, #412, #416, #418, #422, #425, #429, #431, #434, #436, #453, #455.
Many problems by leading American expert Sidney S. Lenz (1873-1960) appear in George Coffin's collection . Lenz produced several books on both card play and bidding in the 1920s and 1930s. CC#1, CC#2, CC#8, CC#15, CC#21, CC#25, CC#37, CC#51, CC#73, CC#76, CC#79, CC#80, CC#81, CC#83, CC#269.
R.C. Mankowski of London, England, contributed 21 problems to George Coffin's second collection, Double Dummy Bridge (1966). His first one here, a six-carder, was described by Coffin as Mankowski's best. CC#158, CC#164, CC#172, CC#179, CC#192, CC#208, CC#215, CC#216, CC#217, CC#218, CC#219, CC#220, CC#231, CC#242, CC#243, CC#251, CC#252, CC#257.
J-M. Maréchal of Belgium is a Grand Master Problemist and a prolific composer of mostly not too difficult problems. He has been continuously active in the D.D. field since the 1960s: #172, #189, #206, #20, #14, #215, #282, #363, #377, #387, #396, #405, #415, #420, #428, #446, #459, #463, #487, #492, #494, #497, CP#011, CP#020.
I have no information on this American composer, who contributed one problem to each of George Coffin's two books.
England's Steve McVea composed some interesting problems in the 1980s and early 1990s. #301, #318, #323, #326, #336, #337, #341, #350, #435.
Scotland's Jock Milton was a bridge writer who composed a few D.D. problems for my Bridge Magazine column in the 1970s:
S.M. Nuttall of England contributed a few fine problems to the Bridge Magazine column in its early days:
Hungary's Géza Ottlik is the well-known author (with Hugh Kelsey) of "Adventures in Card Play", a series of fascinating studies that, although not double dummy problems in themselves (though some of them could perhaps have been used as such) have been the inspiration behind several problems by various composers.
Commander Ernest Pawle, who died in 1966, is the all-time most prolific composer of double dummy problems. His best ones were published as competition puzzles in Bridge Magazine from 1949 to 1966, in the column that I took over after his death. During the same period Pawle contributed an easier problem every week to The Times. Some of his problems appear in George Coffin's Double Dummy Bridge (1966) and those that did not also appear in Bridge Magazine are reproduced here in the Coffin collection. #6, #7,
#8, #9, #10,
#11, #12, #13, #15, #16,
#17, #21, #22,
#24, #25,
#26, #27, #28,
#29, #30, #35,
#36, #37, #38,
#39, #40, #41,
#42, #43, #44,
#45, #49, #50,
#51, #52, #53,
#54, #55, #56,
#57, #58, #59,
#60, #62, #63,
#64, #65, #66,
#67, #69, #71,
#73, #74, #75,
#77, #78, #79,
#80, #81, #82,
#83, #84, #87,
#89, #90, #91,
#92, #94, #95,
#96, #97, #98,
#99, #101, #102,
#104, #105, #106,
#107, #108, #109,
#110, #111, #112,
#113, #115, #116,
#117, #118, #120,
#121, #122, #123,
#124, #125, #126,
#127, #128, #130,
#131, #132, #133,
#134, #136, #137,
#138, #140, #143,
#144, #146, #147,
#169, #176, #235, #268, #400, CC#157, CC#160, CC#178, CC#196, CC#200, CC#211, CC#232,
CC#239, CC#240, CC#264, CC#265, CC#267, CC#270, CC#274, CC#275, CC#276, CC#277,
John Peirson of England contributed two problems to the Bridge Magazine column in the 1970s. The second was rated DR8, as also was a third problem (#310) when it reappeared, corrected, in 1988.
Several problems by Frank K. Perkins of Boston, Massachusetts, USA appear in George Coffin's collection.
Alexander Porges of Yonkers, New York, USA contributed a couple of easy 7-carders to George Coffin's second collection.
Julian Pottage of England is a columnist in Bridge Plus who has contributed several D.D. problems to my competition column there. He is an author and coauthor of several books on single-dummy play. #349, #469, #476, #490, #500, CP#009, CP#012, CP#015.
Andrew Prothero of England composed his first problem in 1975 but it wasn't until the 1990s that he gained a reputation for consistently composing very difficult problems. #224, #276, #398, #403, #423, #438, #452, #2, #475.
Several miniature problems by Jay Reed of Prescott, Arizona, USA appear in George Coffin's collection . CC#5, CC#171, CC#176, CC#188, CC#210.
Jeff Richmond of USA contributed some problems in the early 1990s and has resurfaced recently to contribute some competition problems for this site. #342, #018, #346, #354, #367, #371, CP#19, CP#34.
Canada's Jean Roche contributed two problems to the Bridge Magazine column in the late 1960s:
I have no information on this contributor to Ivar Andersson's collection. CC#40, CC#45, CC#99, CC#116, CC#126, CC#132, CC#138, CC#238.
Frank Roy of the U.S.A contributed several easy problems to George Coffin's Double Dummy Bridge (1966). Problems by Alfred P. Sheinwold
Sheinwold was a celebrated American author, analyst and player who also dabbled in double dummy problems. His compositions appearing here are from Ivar Andersson's collection. CC#77, CC#151, CC#155, CC#175.
England's Don Smedley is our leading Grand Master Problemist. He composed several very fine problems in the 1970s before return to his first love, chess problems: #194, #32, #209, #212, #215, #220, #227, #231, #245, #263, #265, #285, #290, #347.
I have no information on this contributor to Andersson's collection, except that he came from Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. CC#46, CC#69, CC#86, CC#100, CC#113, CC#152, CC#223.
Australia's famous writer and deviser of par contests, M.J. Sullivan, contributed several problems to the Bridge Magazine column in the 1970s: #193, #204, #217, #221, #488, CC#233.
Norwegian Nils Traane, USA resident, contributed many fine problems to the Bridge Magazine column over more than 25 years. Some problems by him appear in George Coffin's second collection, Double Dummy Bridge. #86, #150, #156, #160, #182, #191, #210, #214, #225, #234, #248, #266, CC#295, CC#298, CC#302.
Paolo Treossi is a currently active composer from Italy.
Dr. Maurice Weber of England collaborated closely with Ernest Pawle in the 1950s and made a welcome return to the scene when I took over the Bridge Magazine column in 1967. His favourite theme is the delicate trump situation. He was still composing problems in 2000 and died in March, 2006. #23, #27, #29, #44, #50, #51, #68, #151, #4, #164, #168, #173, #198, #216, #223, #233, #249, #286, #291, #386, #457. Problems by Prof T.J. Wertenbaker
Prof. T.J. Wertenbaker of Princeton University, New Jersey, U.S.A. contributed many problems to George Coffin's Double Dummy Bridge (1966). CC#168, CC#170, CC#173, CC#174, CC#182, CC#190, CC#194, CC#198, CC#205, CC#209, CC#229, CC#260.
Prof. W.H. Whitfeld of Cambridge, England, was a noted mathematician, some of whose problems appeared in the very first book of double dummy problems, Double Dummy Bridge by Ernest Bergholt, published by De La Rue in 1906, 20 years before the invention of the game, contract bridge, that was to supersede the "auction bridge" that had been invented in 1903 or 1904, in turn superseding something called "bridge whist". Whitfeld was composing double dummy problems before the turn of the twentieth century. Of course, double dummy problems are equally applicable to all versions of bridge, and also to whist, because the rules of card play are the same in each case. I am most grateful to Wolf Klewe, who sent me the entry for Whitfeld, which I have copied here, from William Butler's Whist. CC#14, CC#39, CC#56, CC#76, CC#153, CC#187, CC#195, CC#230, CC#256, CC#261.
Captain Neils Y. Wilson of London, England, composed some fascinating problems some time during the early part of the twentieth century, his problems finding their way into the collections of Ivar Andersson, George Coffin, and now mine. Unfortunately many of his compositions appearing in the Andersson/Coffin collections have turned out to be cooked, including ones that Coffin found particularly fine. #414, CC#9, CC#33, CC#34, CC#63, CC#68, CC#71, CC#78, CC#96, CC#112, CC#146, CC#148, CC#149, CC#150, CC#206, CC#241.
I have no information on this contributor to George Coffin's Double Dummy Bridge. Six of his problems are published in that book but all but two of them have been exposed as cooked by my computer. The two survivors are quite nice, though.
American composer R.A. Wilson contributed a handful of problems to Pawle's Bridge Magazine column during the 1960s:
American composer R.W. Wilson contributed several problems to George Coffin's Double Dummy Bridge (1966). CC#202, CC#212, CC#221. CC#234, CC#263, CC#268, CC#278, CC#283, CC#288. Problems by Wim van der Zijden
Dutch composer Wim van der Zijden has composed a large number of problems since 1980, including some very difficult ones with novel themes. #47, #280, #284, #292, #293, #294, #302, #305, #306, #313, #319, #320, #397, #401, #404, #421, #430, #447, #449, #456, #465, #471, #482, #485. |