Martin Hoffman (bridge): Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Czech-born British professional bridge player (1929–2018)}} |
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| birth_place = [[Prague]], [[Czechoslovakia]] |
| birth_place = [[Prague]], [[First Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]] |
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'''Martin Joseph Hoffman''' ( |
'''Martin Joseph Hoffman''' (15 November 1929 – 15 May 2018) was a Czech-born British professional [[contract bridge|bridge]] player and writer.<ref name=EBU>{{cite web |url=http://www.ebu.co.uk/biographies/martin-hoffman |title=Martin Hoffman |website=[[English Bridge Union]] |accessdate=12 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://45aid.org/011/ |title=Martin Hoffman |website=Holocaust Survivor's '45 Aid Society |first=Audrey |last=Hoffman |accessdate=11 February 2017}}</ref><ref name=HoPP>{{cite book |title=Hoffman on Pairs Play |first=Martin |last=Hoffman |publisher=[[Faber and Faber]] |date=1982 |isbn=0-571-11750-3}}</ref> |
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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Hoffman was born in Prague, in what was then the [[First Czechoslovak Republic]]. His father and mother were Herman and Toby. He had a younger brother and two sisters. When he was not yet nine years old, he and his brother were sent to stay with his mother's parents in the [[Carpathians]], where they studied the [[Torah]]. After the [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia]], his parents were deported to [[Theresienstadt]] |
Hoffman was born in Prague, in what was then the [[First Czechoslovak Republic]] (which, in the English-speaking world, was often called Czecho-Slovakia). His father and mother were Herman and Toby. He had a younger brother and two sisters. When he was not yet nine years old, he and his brother were sent to stay with his mother's parents in the [[Carpathians]], where they studied the [[Torah]]. After the [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia]], his parents were deported to [[Theresienstadt]], where they died. Hoffman, his brother, and his grandparents went into hiding; but in 1944 they were arrested and transported to [[Auschwitz]]. A ''[[Sonderkommando]]'' advised Hoffman to pretend that he was 18, even though he was not yet 14. He was later moved to the [[Monowitz-Buna]], [[Gross Rosen]] and [[Birkenau]] sub-camps of Auschwitz; and from there he was sent on a [[death march]] towards [[Buchenwald]]. In 1945, he was liberated by American Army troops, who adopted him as mascot, with the honorary rank of sergeant. |
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After the end of the |
After the end of the war, he was relocated to a rehabilitation hostel near [[Windermere]] in north-west England. While on a holiday from there, in [[Torquay]] in south-west England, he was befriended by a family from [[Finchley]], north London; they offered him a job as a [[diamond cutter]], took him in, and taught him to play whist.<ref group=Note>It is unclear whether this was [[whist]] or [[solo whist]]; probably the latter; the game of whist was by then not often played.</ref> He rapidly became addicted to the game. He took up bridge only because some Russian friends asked him to make up a four, and he found the game even more interesting than whist. The diamond trade was not good in the 1950s, and he turned to card-playing for a living; he was a host, that is, a player retained by a bridge club proprietor to make up a table whenever needed but who kept some share of his winnings. He did not play in a [[Duplicate bridge#Pairs game|duplicate bridge]] event until the remarkably late age of 35. He and his partner won the event by a wide margin; and he realised for the first time that this was a game he could succeed in as well as enjoy. From then on, he began to offer his services as a paid partner in Europe and beyond, and became widely known as a formidable competitor. |
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His philosophy of bridge is, "[..] I don't consider systems to be particularly important. It is a mistake, in my opinion, to work out a detailed system and stick to it. If you have the reputation of being a player who always makes the book bid and lead you become easy to play against.<ref name=HoPP /> |
His philosophy of bridge is, "[..] I don't consider systems to be particularly important. It is a mistake, in my opinion, to work out a detailed system and stick to it. If you have the reputation of being a player who always makes the book bid and lead you become easy to play against.<ref name=HoPP /> |
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He was for many years called the best duplicate pairs bridge player in Europe, if not the world.<ref>{{cite |
He was for many years called the best duplicate pairs bridge player in Europe, if not the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/aug/18/zia-mahmood-bridge-martin-hoffman |title=Who is the best pairs player in Europe? |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |first=Zia |last=Mahmoud |authorlink=Zia Mahmoud |date=18 August 2011 |accessdate=12 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/08/bridge-495/ |title=Bridge |first=Janet |last=de Botton |authorlink=Janet de Botton |magazine=[[The Spectator]] |date=6 August 2016 |accessdate=12 February 2017}}</ref> |
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His autobiography, ''Bridging Two Worlds'', which includes many terrible details about his Holocaust experiences, was originally circulated privately, but has been published by Masterpoint Press. |
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==Accomplishments== |
==Accomplishments== |
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* [[Crockford's Cup]] winner: 1981 |
* [[Crockford's Cup]] winner: 1981 |
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* Spring Foursomes winner: 1969 and 1976 |
* Spring Foursomes winner: 1969 and 1976 |
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* Brighton Pairs, Harold Poster Cup: 1970 1987 and 2011 |
* Brighton Pairs, Harold Poster Cup: 1970, 1987 and 2011 |
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* Easter Congress Guardian Trophy winner: 1969 1976 and 1982 |
* Easter Congress Guardian Trophy winner: 1969, 1976 and 1982 |
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* National Pairs winner: 1966 |
* National Pairs winner: 1966 |
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* [[Hubert Phillips]] Bowl winner: 1970 |
* [[Hubert Phillips]] Bowl winner: 1970 |
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* [[Tollemache Trophy]] winner: 1967 |
* [[Tollemache Trophy]] winner: 1967 |
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* ''Master Bridge'', a televised programme by [[Channel 4]], winner: 1982. The other contestants included [[Omar Sharif]], [[Zia Mahmood]] and [[Rixi Markus]] |
* ''Master Bridge'', a televised programme by [[Channel 4]], winner: 1982. The other contestants included [[Omar Sharif]], [[Zia Mahmood]] and [[Rixi Markus]]. |
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==Publications== |
==Publications== |
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* {{cite book |title=Hoffman on Pairs Play |first=Martin |last=Hoffman |publisher=[[Faber and Faber]] |date=1982 |isbn=0-571-11750-3}} |
* {{cite book |title=Hoffman on Pairs Play |first=Martin |last=Hoffman |publisher=[[Faber and Faber]] |date=1982 |isbn=0-571-11750-3}} |
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* {{cite book |title=More Tales |
* {{cite book |title=More Tales of Hoffman |first=Martin |last=Hoffman |publisher=[[Faber and Faber]] |date=1983 |isbn=9780571131464}}<ref group=Note>The title parodies that of ''[[The Tales of Hoffmann]]'', opéra fantastique by Jacques Offenbach.</ref> |
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* {{cite book |title=Play It Again Sam |first1=Terence |last1=Reese |authorlink1=Terence Reese |first2=Martin |last2=Hoffman |date=1 April 1986 |publisher=Baron Barclay Bridge Supplies |isbn=9780910791212}} |
* {{cite book |title=Play It Again Sam |first1=Terence |last1=Reese |authorlink1=Terence Reese |first2=Martin |last2=Hoffman |date=1 April 1986 |publisher=Baron Barclay Bridge Supplies |isbn=9780910791212}} |
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* {{cite book |title=Imagination and Technique in Bridge |first1=Patrick |last1=Jourdain |authorlink1=Patrick Jourdain |first2=Martin |last2=Hoffman |date=30 June 2003 |publisher=[[Batsford Books]] |edition=reprinted |isbn=9780713485646}} |
* {{cite book |title=Imagination and Technique in Bridge |first1=Patrick |last1=Jourdain |authorlink1=Patrick Jourdain |first2=Martin |last2=Hoffman |date=30 June 2003 |publisher=[[Batsford Books]] |edition=reprinted |isbn=9780713485646}} |
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* {{cite book |title=Bridge: Defence in Depth: How to Beat Cast-Iron Contracts |first=Martin |last=Hoffman |edition=reprinted |date=2003 |publisher=[[Batsford Books]] |isbn=9780713481853}} |
* {{cite book |title=Bridge: Defence in Depth: How to Beat Cast-Iron Contracts |first=Martin |last=Hoffman |edition=reprinted |date=2003 |publisher=[[Batsford Books]] |isbn=9780713481853}} |
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* {{cite book |title=Bridge For Money |first1=David |last1=Bird |authorlink1=David Bird (bridge writer) |first2=Martin |last2=Hoffman |isbn=9780953873753}} |
* {{cite book |title=Bridge For Money |first1=David |last1=Bird |authorlink1=David Bird (bridge writer) |first2=Martin |last2=Hoffman |year=2002 |publisher=Finesse Bridge |isbn=9780953873753}} |
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* {{cite book |title=The Wei of Good Bridge |first1=Kathy |last1=Wei |authorlink1=Katherine Wei-Sender |first2=Martin |last2=Hoffman |date=1 March 2003 |edition=reprinted |publisher=[[Batsford Books]] |isbn=9780713488012}} |
* {{cite book |title=The Wei of Good Bridge |first1=Kathy |last1=Wei |authorlink1=Katherine Wei-Sender |first2=Martin |last2=Hoffman |date=1 March 2003 |edition=reprinted |publisher=[[Batsford Books]] |isbn=9780713488012}} |
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* {{cite book |title=Inspired Cardplay |first1=David |last1=Bird |authorlink1=David Bird (bridge writer) |first2=Martin |last2=Hoffman |date=1 May 2003 |publisher=[[Cassell (publisher)|Cassell]] |isbn=9780304365869}} |
* {{cite book |title=Inspired Cardplay |first1=David |last1=Bird |authorlink1=David Bird (bridge writer) |first2=Martin |last2=Hoffman |date=1 May 2003 |publisher=[[Cassell (publisher)|Cassell]] |isbn=9780304365869}} |
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* {{cite book |title=Bridging Two Worlds |first1=Martin |last1=Hoffman |publisher=[[Masterpoint Press]] |date=2019 |isbn=978-1-77140-199-9}} |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{reflist|group=Note}} |
{{reflist|group=Note}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Martin}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Martin}} |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:1929 births]] |
[[Category:1929 births]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:2018 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Auschwitz concentration camp survivors]] |
[[Category:Auschwitz concentration camp survivors]] |
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[[Category:British contract bridge players]] |
[[Category:British and Irish contract bridge players]] |
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[[Category:British people of Czech-Jewish descent]] |
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[[Category:Contract bridge writers]] |
[[Category:Contract bridge writers]] |
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[[Category:Sportspeople from Prague]] |
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{{WPCBIndex}} |
Latest revision as of 09:46, 7 April 2024
Martin Hoffman | |
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![]() | |
Born | |
Died | 15 May 2018 | (aged 88)
Occupation | Bridge player |
Notable work | Hoffman on Pairs Play |
Martin Joseph Hoffman (15 November 1929 – 15 May 2018) was a Czech-born British professional bridge player and writer.[1][2][3]
Biography
[edit]Hoffman was born in Prague, in what was then the First Czechoslovak Republic (which, in the English-speaking world, was often called Czecho-Slovakia). His father and mother were Herman and Toby. He had a younger brother and two sisters. When he was not yet nine years old, he and his brother were sent to stay with his mother's parents in the Carpathians, where they studied the Torah. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, his parents were deported to Theresienstadt, where they died. Hoffman, his brother, and his grandparents went into hiding; but in 1944 they were arrested and transported to Auschwitz. A Sonderkommando advised Hoffman to pretend that he was 18, even though he was not yet 14. He was later moved to the Monowitz-Buna, Gross Rosen and Birkenau sub-camps of Auschwitz; and from there he was sent on a death march towards Buchenwald. In 1945, he was liberated by American Army troops, who adopted him as mascot, with the honorary rank of sergeant.
After the end of the war, he was relocated to a rehabilitation hostel near Windermere in north-west England. While on a holiday from there, in Torquay in south-west England, he was befriended by a family from Finchley, north London; they offered him a job as a diamond cutter, took him in, and taught him to play whist.[Note 1] He rapidly became addicted to the game. He took up bridge only because some Russian friends asked him to make up a four, and he found the game even more interesting than whist. The diamond trade was not good in the 1950s, and he turned to card-playing for a living; he was a host, that is, a player retained by a bridge club proprietor to make up a table whenever needed but who kept some share of his winnings. He did not play in a duplicate bridge event until the remarkably late age of 35. He and his partner won the event by a wide margin; and he realised for the first time that this was a game he could succeed in as well as enjoy. From then on, he began to offer his services as a paid partner in Europe and beyond, and became widely known as a formidable competitor.
His philosophy of bridge is, "[..] I don't consider systems to be particularly important. It is a mistake, in my opinion, to work out a detailed system and stick to it. If you have the reputation of being a player who always makes the book bid and lead you become easy to play against.[3]
He was for many years called the best duplicate pairs bridge player in Europe, if not the world.[4][5]
His autobiography, Bridging Two Worlds, which includes many terrible details about his Holocaust experiences, was originally circulated privately, but has been published by Masterpoint Press.
Accomplishments
[edit]These include:[1]
- Crockford's Cup winner: 1981
- Spring Foursomes winner: 1969 and 1976
- Brighton Pairs, Harold Poster Cup: 1970, 1987 and 2011
- Easter Congress Guardian Trophy winner: 1969, 1976 and 1982
- National Pairs winner: 1966
- Hubert Phillips Bowl winner: 1970
- Tollemache Trophy winner: 1967
- Master Bridge, a televised programme by Channel 4, winner: 1982. The other contestants included Omar Sharif, Zia Mahmood and Rixi Markus.
Publications
[edit]- Hoffman, Martin (1982). Hoffman on Pairs Play. Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-11750-3.
- Hoffman, Martin (1983). More Tales of Hoffman. Faber and Faber. ISBN 9780571131464.[Note 2]
- Reese, Terence; Hoffman, Martin (1 April 1986). Play It Again Sam. Baron Barclay Bridge Supplies. ISBN 9780910791212.
- Jourdain, Patrick; Hoffman, Martin (30 June 2003). Imagination and Technique in Bridge (reprinted ed.). Batsford Books. ISBN 9780713485646.
- Hoffman, Martin (2003). Bridge: Defence in Depth: How to Beat Cast-Iron Contracts (reprinted ed.). Batsford Books. ISBN 9780713481853.
- Bird, David; Hoffman, Martin (2002). Bridge For Money. Finesse Bridge. ISBN 9780953873753.
- Wei, Kathy; Hoffman, Martin (1 March 2003). The Wei of Good Bridge (reprinted ed.). Batsford Books. ISBN 9780713488012.
- Bird, David; Hoffman, Martin (1 May 2003). Inspired Cardplay. Cassell. ISBN 9780304365869.
- Hoffman, Martin (2019). Bridging Two Worlds. Masterpoint Press. ISBN 978-1-77140-199-9.
Notes
[edit]- ^ It is unclear whether this was whist or solo whist; probably the latter; the game of whist was by then not often played.
- ^ The title parodies that of The Tales of Hoffmann, opéra fantastique by Jacques Offenbach.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Martin Hoffman". English Bridge Union. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ Hoffman, Audrey. "Martin Hoffman". Holocaust Survivor's '45 Aid Society. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
- ^ a b Hoffman, Martin (1982). Hoffman on Pairs Play. Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-11750-3.
- ^ Mahmoud, Zia (18 August 2011). "Who is the best pairs player in Europe?". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ de Botton, Janet (6 August 2016). "Bridge". The Spectator. Retrieved 12 February 2017.