2 comments about Duplicate Bridge.

1. If you're looking for in depth strategy and complex bidding systems for winning duplicate bridge, this is NOT the book you seek. If, however, you are looking for a quick read before you go to your first duplicate game, or if you are saddled with the task of organizing an impromptu tournament to "try something new", you won't regret purchasing this book. Furthermore, it will give you a firm foothold from which to explore the more detailed books on strategy and bidding.



2. I'm just learning how to play and score in Duplicate Bridge. This is a very helpful book and would recommend it to anyone new to Duplicate. It's an easy read.

3 comments about The Fun Way to Advanced Bridge.

1. Valuable tips on counting, refining your bidding, and advanced declarer play. It is hard to imagine a better and more entertaining way of improving your game.



2. Not as good as his beginners' book, but this is still worthwhile. Seems like Lampert needed to write an intermediate book between this one and the beginners' guide. Enough gems in it to make it a good purchase.



3. For beginners looking to improve their Bridge skills, there are much better books out there (see bellow). This book is just a hodge-podge of childish cartoons and rules to memorize. It does not teach you to think and it will not help you be a better player over the long run. Once you can play bridge it is much better to start getting specific books on the areas you want to improve.
   
   For basic play and defense, nothing beats Kanter's Introduction books. For more advanced card play Mollo and Watson are the classics. Bill Root has a great set of Problem books and Kanter and Dorothy Truscott have great books on defense and play of the hand respectively. If you are pressed for cash, you can probably get buy with just Kanter's two volume set from Masterpoint Press (Modern Bridge Defense and Advanced Bridge Defense) and Dorothy Trustcott's Winning Declarer Play. But if you have the money you really should start with the Kanter's two "Introduction" books and follow up with Mollo; doing so will teach you to think at the table and will make tackling the more advanced books by Kanter and Truscott much easier.
   
   If you need a book to help improve your bidding skills you should try the Dorothy Truscott's classic -- Bid Better Play Better. That book will teach you how experienced players think about bidding and will really take you game up a notch.

1 comments about The Complete Book of Duplicate Bridge.

1. this book might be a little outdated, but i did some research and the experts regard it as essential to one's collection. i havent used it as much as i expected, but i guess convention books are more interesting to me at this point. but, i'm glad to have it around, and might find i learn a whole lot if i can find time to devote to it!

No comments about More Commonly Used Conventions in the 21st Century, 2nd Edition: The Notrump Series.

2 comments about "Diamond Series" An Introduction to Bridge: Play of the Hand.

1. This is an elementary book on Play of the Hand. Watson's Classic Book on Play of the Hand is much better. This book is part of the ACBL Beginner Series and has bidding reviews. The ACBL has finally realized that their bidding system in the Club Series and Diamond Series is outdated. The books are being rewritten. I would wait until the new edition is published and only buy this book as part of a class taught by an ACBL Certified instructor.



2. If you are new to bridge I highly recommend purchasing all four of Audrey Grant books in the ACBL Series... CLUB, DIAMOND, HEART AND SPADE. She is unquestionably the best bridge teacher for a novice. In layman's terms she is able to explain and unravel the mysteries of bridge. If you begin with the club book and progress through the series as they increase in difficulty... club, diamond, heart and spade you will be able to teach yourself how to become proficient in bridge painlessly. Her books are written in lesson formats... and they are used by many people who instruct bridge classes i.e. adult ed. Buy one... I'm sure you'll add the other three to your library. I also highly recommend her "Bridge at A Glance" pocket guide which is a quick synopsis of bidding and the appropriate respones thereof. I bought many bridge books before I stumbled upon Audrey Grant and wish I had found her books first! Good luck!

2 comments about The Encyclopedia of Card Play Techniques at Bridge.

1. Originally published in France in 2005, The Encyclopedia of Card Play Techniques at Bridge is an in-depth guide to the card game of bridge featuring over 800 deals and diagrams. The Encyclopedia of Card Play Techniques at Bridge is not intended for beginners, but rather intermediate to advanced bridge players seeking to improve their skills. The step-by-step, play-by-play discussions are sure to offer insights to even the most veteran gamers, in this absolute "must-have" resource for bridge enthusiasts.



2. Covers of play via example for each technique. Each example is to the point with minimum verbiage. Range is encyclopedic. Good reference.

4 comments about Right Through The Pack.

1. Literally! Each one of the cards in the pack has a story to tell. The play ranges from amusing to wonderful. Right through the Pack is probably in everyone's top ten all-time bridge books.



2. Great book to read for any level bridge player (or at least I think so, since I am a beginner). The bridge was a side note to the the stories, but if you like good stories and a little bridge this is a great book for you.



3. The "plot" of the book is each of the 52 cards in a deck telling of a bridge hand where they were the critical card. Most of the hands teach a subtle point of play (to my casual bridge skills) such as forcing an opponent to lead into your tenace position to avoid the finess and squeezing the opponents (both beyond my skills). I got an appreciation for how much more there can be in a hand. The other hands are just plain hysterical. I won't spoil them by revealing too much, but imagine bidding and making seven hearts missing both the ace of diamonds and the ace of hearts! The chapters are short which makes reading a chapter or two before I go to sleep easy - my kind of book. I have a long list of books in progress, but this one quickly jumped to the top of the list to finish.



4. This book is in the pantheon of bridge books. It's the one classic book that is often mentioned in other bridge books, including other classics.
   If you also want my opinion: that's no coincidence. The writing is superb (unlike in, oh 99% of bridge books). The hands are well chosen, a few oddities are thrown in, but most seem realistic, and the analysis manages to bring out the beautiful depths hidden in them without the endless double-dummy over-analysis so common in bridge literature. This book is recommended for players of all level. Admitedly beginners will be overwhelmed by many of the analyses and plays, but this is one of the most entertaining introductions to the finer points of bridge.

2 comments about The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge.

1. The Official Encyclopaedia of Bridge is an excellent all-round bridge reference. It provides everything you could possibly want to know about bridge. Biographies are well-researched, conventions explained in detail. Obscure coups, endplays, squeezes are provided and explained with diagrammed examples. A great number of pages are dedicated in card combinations and deals with this subject is dealt in a comprehensive and complete manner, a first in bridge literature. I thoroughly recommend this book, my only slight complaint is that the book is getting slightly out of date and perhaps it is time for new edition. Bridge in the internet has grown tremendously between now and the time of print and this subject has only received little coverage in this edition.



2. a decent reference. i have only two things to complain: it's too north-american oriented (for example, there is no explanation for 'polish club' or for 'standard french system') and it doesn't have any website or electronic contact for updates/comments etc.

2 comments about The Secrets of Winning Bridge.

1. Jeff Rubens's ageless book is on every expert's short list of the greatest bridge books ever written and should be in every player's library. Read once, it will be remembered forever. This edition is a bargain price. His ideas about hand evaluation are treasured gems sure to raise any player's understanding and enjoyment of the game, and Ruben's advice on duplicate, Swiss Teams, partnerships and conventions are among the best in the literature.



2. this is perhaps one of the best books on Bridge ever written, it is a classic, I recommend it for beginners and advanced players alike

2 comments about Cue-Bidding to Slams (Master Bridge Series).

1. Very good book on very difficult subject. It explains in details cue bidding and RKC Blackwood techniques for slam bidding. You will also find fully explained examples on every chapter. For my partnership this book has done a lot. One star is missing because there is no system proposition to adopt in partnership.



2. Cue Bidding is very important in slam bidding. Many intermediate level players and below only use Blackwood and they are missing out on an important technique.
   
   The author explains how to use cue bidding and gives many examples of both reaching good slams with a lot fewer than 33 points or staying out of bad slams despite holding 33+ points (not necessarily HCP).
   
   In addition to standard cue bidding (first round controls) teh author presents some other techniques such as mixed cues (1st and 2nd round) and multi cues and denial cue bidding.
   
   The only knock I have against some of Klingers books are he presents conventions that are not standard, and perhaps not as good as others. For example, he presents SCROLL, a method used by Australian Expert Tom Seres. Who uses that convention? No one. But overall, this is a great book.
   
   (Klinger also has a great 4 volume set of books Card Play Made Easy on Declarer play technique)