A Bestiary of Bridge

During a recent game of bridge on Yahoo, my partner stammered that he had a Yarborough (p 56). Ah, I thought: he has no card higher than a nine and he is well-read! He has read Kilpatrick's Bestiary of Bridge. I scurried to dig through my summer stash of reading material to find this wonderful and amusing commentary on the nature of beasts and the best of bridge. I find bridge players to be introspective and certainly those of us who love the game will find our personality somewhere within the forty short descriptions of beastie bridgers. I am wavering between the Yakkity Yak (p88, not yet married to the Yakkity Yak, as suggested by Kilpatrick) and the Little Old Lady (p39) who's aura of vulnerability is fleeting and whose game is kin to a deadly lion kill. Readers of this short and amusing essay will leave the games early to find themselves and their favorite conventions addressed. Bridgers..welcome to Kilpatrick's "animal kingdom" analogy of your games and of those with whom you partner!