The Principle of Restricted Talent

"The funniest bridge book I've ever read."

"Very entertaining (an instructive) reading. Don't be put off if some of the bridge humor you've read previously didn't seem very humorous: even allowing for different tastes, I suspect there will be few readers who fail to find these stories funny or the bridge deals interesting."

"A witty and delightful book. The bridge deals are exceptional, with some unusual twists and turns along the way."

“The general plot line of the book disturbs me. A "robot" has been constructed to play bridge and while his knowledge is monumental, and he may very well be the best technician in the world, he sneers at the human race and never misses a chance to insult his partner and his opponents. His creator is a pompous windbag with delusions of grandeur about his own game. Sould like an unpleasant combination that would get old very quickly. But, wait. As I began to read (not finished yet) I found that there were sympathetic characters, that the hands were interesting, and the robot is occasionally bested because he has no understanding of human nature. Bridge is not all technical. The author’s style have meshed, and the hands are good...”

"Interesting characters, subtle humour, technical brilliance - The Principle of Restricted Talent is one of the most enjoyable bridge books I have read in a long while."

"Great fun - the hands are very good."

"Chthonic is poised to replace Victor Mollo's legendary Hideous Hog as the world's most obnoxious expert player. For quality deals combined with fun settings, this is about as good as bridge books get."

"Wickedly funny... the title is hilariously on-target. The deals are fascinating, and frequently presented in a fashion that makes it unclear whether declarer or the defense will prevail."

"Great hands, hilarious stories. If you like the Hideous Hog and the Abbott, you will love Chthonic. What a pity they can't play together. Highly recommended."

"I Robot, I Bridge Player. Chthonic, the world's greatest bridge player, is a robot. However, like Mr. Spock., Chthonic is seemingly also part human, since he seems to have the same over-sized ego as many human bridge players. The bridge world meets the Terminator. Stay tuned."

"Recommended for its good bridge hands and its humour."

"The star of this fictional book is Chthonic (pronounced thah - nik), a bridge-playing computer. He (and the authors go to lengths to explain why 'he' is more appropriate than 'it') is in many ways a brilliant bridge player. Only one thing exceeds his prowess as at the table (well, two if you count his ability in the post mortem). This is his contempt for all things human. The deals are generally of the type that you cannot see from the first trick or two how the play will develop. This provides a good setting for a discussion between two humans on how the play ought to go, only to find themselves outdone by the infernal Chthonic who knows the answer.Jeff Rubens explains in his foreword how the Chthonic stories meet his exacting standards for humorous bridge writing. The bidding and play are technically sound, the deals will interest accomplished or improving players and there is a high ratio of bridge to total content. Certainly, with 60 deals in the book, I agree on the last point and there is no doubt that the difficult level presents sufficient challenge. A few of the auctions suggest that the authors have, perhaps, used a little artistic licence on the first point! Readers may be alarmed if they reach chapter 10 (entitled 'The Executionee's Song') that the days of Chthonic are at an end. Perhaps the clue is the word 'executionee' rather than 'executioner', implying that Chthonic must have survived to tell the tale."