Andrew Kambites

I went on a walking holiday immediately after finishing my maths degree. I was the only one of the four who didn't play bridge. Carol (who is now my wife) told me this was antisocial. I became hooked on bridge, and gave up chess. Carol now tells me I am antisocial because I play too much bridge. You can't win!

I enjoyed my time as a maths teacher but I could always see myself at some stage using bridge to generate income. I programmed computers (the BBC Bridge Companion and the Saitek Pro Bridge Professor). My association with Pat Husband (who ran EBUTA - now EBTA) led to opportunities in writing. I have been privileged to write as co-author with such outstanding talents as Eric Crowhurst, the late Hugh Kelsey and Ron Klinger. I became an EBU director and worked hard at developing a suitably large stomach.

I like organising things and particularly enjoy working with people, hence I spend almost as much time training club directors as actually directing for the EBU. I admire the large numbers of people who in the desire to help their club strive to cope with the seemingly obscure jargon of the law book: when it is explained that most of it corresponds to common sense and natural justice anyway they find it much easier. All aspiring players would benefit from knowing and understanding the laws also.

My most successful period as a player was in the mid 1980s, particularly 1984 when I won the Spring Bank Holiday Knockout Teams (a 3-day national knockout competition: 6 rounds of 32 boards in a format which was meant as a second :Spring Foursomes) and the Pachabo within a fortnight of each other Progress was interrupted by a long and severe family illness, which stopped me from playing bridge for ten years, and focused my priorities in life, but I managed to persevere with writing and directing until the crisis passed. Perhaps my bridge writing helped keep me sane during this period.

Now I am retired from teaching, I have a wonderful wife and two happy and successful grown-up sons. I love playing bridge but I will never allow it to dominate my life. For some time I have worked with First for Bridge in running bridge holidays. I also really enjoy teaching juniors and take huge pride that five of my students from Stroud have represented England at under-20 level in the past few years, two of them (Ben Handley-Pritchard and John Atthey) winning the 'Young Player of the Year award in consecutive years. I try to keep fit with tennis and table tennis but however much I talk about my graceful style and lightening reflexes, nobody seems to believe me.

I do have some fairly distinctive views about how people can improve their bridge. Huge numbers of players think they can improve their game by adding loads of conventions to their system. They rarely discuss the detail and potential hazards. I think most players would play better if they played NO conventions at all. By all means play lots of system if you enjoy it, but don't delude yourself it makes you better. Most people could improve their game hugely by improving their concentration, temperament and partnership psychology.

Ambitions (probably totally unachievable) : I would love to be able to sing without everybody present stopping and staring at me. Also I live in hopes of being able to persuade certain members of the England under 20 squad that their complicated and often home-made bidding gadgets make them worse rather than better players

Stranded on desert island with : George W Bush. Maybe I would have the courage to strangle him before he leads the world into a global and ecological catastrophe and there would be nobody there to hold me to account

Return as a : Ferret. Then I could properly deal with rabbits who so often sabotage me at the bridge table.

Job: Probably a barrister. I do a lot of tribunal work for the Citizens' Advice Bureau and find it very rewarding.

Holiday : I love places like the Lake District . However I find that inflation is a major problem. Every time I climb a mountain it is 500 feet higher than the previous time.

Admire : Nelson Mandela. Totally without bitterness after so many years of repression and injustice

Book : My last book was 'Yes Prime Minister' for the umpteenth time.

CD : Pointless really. Nothing in my car ever works! My favourite piece of music is Verdi's Requiem.

4 people : Brian Jones (Scientific Officer for British Intelligence Service), Dr David Kelly (Weapons adviser) , Greg Dyke (Ex director general of BBC), Robin Cook (ex foreign secretary). They could answer a lot of my questions on a certain topical war.

Ideal night out : A good concert

Few people know : I am really quite sane despite all appearances to the contrary.

My disgusting spade game in a Nicko match had some life breathed into it when a club was led to a and a club was returned. I won , ruffed a club, cashed the K K Q throwing three hearts and then I persevered with a fourth diamond, discarding my last heart. East tried to cash b but I ruffed, cashed a and led my last club. West could make his trump trick now or later.

Suppose instead of playing the fourth diamond I had returned to my hand with a and led a club. West ruffs with ,0, enters East's hand with a and East's last diamond promotes a second trump trick for the defence. The diamond loser-on-loser play prevented the trump promotion.

Like many of my better plays (not to mention some that I failed to find at the table) this found its way into the Prize Play competition in English Bridge

Tollemache Cup winner: 2007