I think I must have read every bridge book published between 1970 and 1990, at a time when I ate, slept and dreamt about the game, which was never completely out of mind in any waking hour.

And I would devour them – I remember going to New York City for a meeting, picking up Alan Sontag’s The Bridge Bum as I arrived, going to a late dinner with my clients and then meeting with them at 9am the next morning having had no sleep as I read the book from cover to cover. And for a lot of my fellow bridge addicts there was nothing really unusual in that!

The Bridge Bum was undoubtedly my favourite book of all time, and what led me here is that I am now reading one which threatens to supplant it at the top of the leaderboard, Bridge – A Love Story, by the indomitable Zia Mahmood.

Zia and I go back a long way – we both played in London while studying to be Chartered Accountants and both qualified in 1971, but the big difference was that while I started off working in the profession Zia, as he proudly admits in the book, never did another day’s normal work in his life, as he had already decided to pursue bridge as a profession.

And what a great choice it was, as he went on to become one of the best ever at the game, and based on the past 12 months’ results it would be hard to think of another current number one, a position he has occupied before.

So while he spent £500 in buying a second- hand E-Type Jag to go with his flash new lifestyle I was spending £120 on a second- hand Mini Cooper S, and both would often be parked outside the same bridge club!

We’ve kept in touch ever since, often playing poker and golf together in London, and last week at the end of our round at Sunningdale he presented me with a copy of the new book – I started reading it on Tuesday and am nearly done.

The book is a fascinating read as it is mainly about bridge but is also a bit of a life story, and for me so much of it was familiar and rekindled memories of what now seems another world where, until my family came along, I only had one real focus.

I urge you to read it and if you want a copy, message me at the e-mail below and I’ll get you one signed by Zia and get it to you in early November when I return from my next London trip – it comes in soft cover and we can sort out payment later.

With all of the above I have to bring you a Zia hand! This is not from the book, but is one of my favourite Z hands as it has magic spread all over it.

The hand is from the European Open Pairs in Ostend, where Zia and partner January Jansma finished second. Zia looks certain to fail in four hearts doubled but, as so often, he managed to throw a smokescreen over proceedings, totally hoodwinking his hapless opponents.

See the hand and the bidding in Figures 1 and 2.

East had his double, with two Aces and a singleton opposite an opening hand.

West led the Ace of spades and Zia knew East held a singleton, not only because West had bid and rebid spades but also because of East’s double of the final contract. Zia smoothly dropped his king under the Ace (key play).

Now perhaps West should smell a rat, because it was unlikely his partner would have three spades and never support. But at the table West not unnaturally presumed Zia’s King was singleton. He switched to a diamond at trick two.

Zia tried dummy’s King of diamonds, East winning the Ace and returning a diamond. Zia won the Queen, ruffed a diamond (bringing down West’s Jack) and cashed the Ace-King of clubs, discarding his two spades (as East-West winced).

Needing to pick up hearts for one loser, Zia was confident West held no more than one heart card – East would not have singletons in both majors. The question was this: was West’s singleton heart the Queen, or the Ace, or the ten?

Can you see how Zia helped to resolve the issue? Instead of leading the normal low heart from dummy, he led the Jack.

Now any human East would cover with the Queen holding hearts, Queen-ten. So when East played the ten, Zia knew to rise with the King, playing East for hearts Ace-ten. West’s Queen was felled and the doubled game made!

As the great Freddie Mercury so aptly sang, It’s a kind of Magic. Or it is Zia?

• David Ezekiel can be reached on davidezekiel999@gmail.com

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Friday, September 22

1. Richard Gray-Wendy Gray

2. Jane Smith-Margaret Way

3. John Burville-Diana Diel

Monday, September 25

North/South

1. Diana Diel-Patricia Siddle

2= Betsy Baillie-Tim Mardon

2= C Lloyd-Jennings-Aida Bostelmann

East/West

1. Rachael Gosling-Jane Smith

2. Sheena Rayner-Molly Taussig

Tuesday, September 26

1. Rosemary Smith-Carol Eastham

2. Jamie Sapsford-Jane Downing

3. Jean Schilling-Barbara Elkin

Wednesday, September 27

North/South

1. Kathleen Keane-Greta Marshall

2. Richard Gray-Wendy Gray

East/West

1. Patricia Siddle-Diana Diel

2. Sheena Rayner-Jane Smith

Thursday, September 28

1. Molly Taussig-Dianna Kempe

2. Charles Hall-Peter Donnellan

3. John Glynn-Rachael Gosling