5 comments about Eddie Kantar Teaches Modern Bridge Defense.

1. Kantar today is more noted as a bridge instructor than a bridge player. But one must remember that he is both and his latest book demonstrated both the instructional and practical sides. It is (as usual) clear, concise and ro the point. I like Kantar's prose, his ease of explanation and the way he sets just the right tone. Of course, he discusses the bid, the opponent and, most important, keeping track of the play while counting the cards (the one thing that separates the professional from the amateur). Good book with tons of examples.



2. This is a great book on defense, because Kantar covers almost every intermediate situation comprehensively and give you black and white rules for every situation. He doesn't in this book consider varied leading/signalling conventions but just gives one way to play, but that's fine as he explains his method clearly and shows why he recommends everything he does. I'd recommend it to every player.



3. Kantar is exceptionally readable, with a sense of humor which makes a difficult subject enjoyable. He goes through much material, but quite thoroughly and clearly. It's a book that needs to be studied - not merely read - but a good student will gain enormously from Kantar's work.



4. The book focuses on leads, signals (Attitude, Count, Suit Preference), and how to card (what card to play in 2nd or 3rd spot), rather than general defensive principles.
   
   The content is excellent, well presented (humorous!!), and best of all, has lots of quizzes. None of this skimming a section and figuring you know it, the quiz will let you find out for certain.
   
   2 warnings:
   
   1) make sure your partner is using the same techniques, otherwise you may get worse results. Its not that the ideas in the book are radical, they are mainstream. But if pard doesn't understand your signal, they may do something weird and you will be worse off.
   
   2) The book is a bit technical (5 situations where this is a suit preference signal. If Dummy wins with a Q then signal count, otherwise ... If you can see the X in dummy then pard will know to do this, else that, etc.
   You will need to reread it several times, and probably make notes.
   
   VALUABLE STUFF, but ONLY as part of a partnership that understands each other.



5. I found this to be the best book to improve bridge for an intermediate player. I've read it four times and learned from each chapter each time. Since one plays defense on half the hands, it provides the best time investment to improve one's bridge play. It is also an entertianing read. I have recommended it to the bridge players I mentor.

No comments about Defense in the 21st Century, 2nd Edition: The Heart Series (Acbl Bridge; Heart).

5 comments about Why You Lose at Bridge.

1. S. J. Simon's Why You Lose at Bridge remains (since its original 1945 publication) the best text on improving one's partnership available anywhere at any price. Read it. Practice what you learned. Watch your partnerships improve. Read it, again ...

   If you have a standing partnership, read it together. Even the most capable professionals may well (re)discover ways to improve their game as they absorb Simon's words of wisdom. Improve your partnership, and your game improves. Simon sez ...




2. Entertaining and informative,especially for rubber bridge players.
   A bit old fashioned now but the message gets across loud and clear.
   A must for all bridge fanatics.



3. Everyone with any interest in bridge should read this book. The bridge hands are interesting and instructive, but the characters are what make the book great.



4. The bridge-bidder's arsenal is usually full of "gadgets": non-literal bids meant to convey or suggest information that might escape the normal bidding sequence. Even by the time this 1940s book appeared, "scientific" systems by leading bridge "experts" were all the rage. Who would disagree with scientific "experts"? After all, you can't fight progress.
   
   WHY YOU LOSE AT BRIDGE dares to differ. S.J. Simon, author of this enduring little volume, shows us the genuine odds behind competitive bidding and play and explains things the highly regarded experts of his day didn't know -- or didn't want us to know.
   
   [Note: the following two grafs assume some bridge experience.]
   Would you almost automatically double a competitor's bid of "Six Spades" (12 of the 13 card tricks) if you had two "quick tricks" in your hand? Think about it, Simon warns. If the opponents have even a one-in-three chance of winning, your unthinking double will give them between four and six times the number of points for making contract considering vulnerability. Besides, when they hear your double the declarer will figure you for the two Aces and act accordingly. Watch out for the sure things that really aren't.
   
   And sometimes (usually, the author implies) the scientific gadgets aren't worth it. At one tourney, following tortuous symbolic bidding, one partnership came to a contract of four spades and went down one. How had the author and his partner bid that "impossible" hand? Like this: South - 1 NT; North - 3 NT. Simple and literal.
   
   After offering a bracing immersion in what I all "unlearning," Simon spends the second half of the book on the psychology of bridge, starting with the times a partner or opponent starts what he calls "trancing" -- mulling things over. Chapter Eleven, "The Logic of Luck," typically illustrates Simon's curmudgeonly attitude. We could almost blame him for the high-British-arch tone of his writing, except that he is always right!
   
   WHY YOU LOSE AT BRIDGE is a tremendous book for bridge beginners, perhaps even more so for intermediates and even the more experienced players trying to cope with a new partner. Of course, this WAS the 1940s so the author assumes that major suits (Hearts and Spades) can be bid upon with only four of them in hand as opposed to today's more prevalent "five-card major" approach. And I have to wonder what Simon would make of today's bidding in general.



5. WHY YOU LOSE AT BRIDGE is a true evergreen. Read it once when you are a beginner. It is truly hard to find such concise guide how to advance rapidly from the basics. Or, like me - after all it first appeared before I was born - rediscover it if you want to improve faster. Players at all levels will find something fresh and stimulating while reading it. Many books dwell for long pages on the intricacies of the complex game of bridge, but this book really focuses on the essentials, on how to think at the bridge table, and how to remain realistic, especially if you are playing with different partners. And if you have an established partnership, read it together. Walking the fine line between being too aggressive or too conservative is the key to success in bridge, and this book has good advice on how to fine-tune your approach. The pages on competitive bidding are pure gold. The reader will find practical gems like dealing with preempts and psychic bids or playing 4-3 fits - just to name a few - which are as important to the matchpoint and team players today as they were for rubber bridge in the forties. To wrap it up, read and re-read it! And it's fun, the characters are memorable and the boards excellent and thought provoking.

5 comments about 25 More Bridge Conventions You Should Know.

1. I'm considering whether to buy this book since I enjoyed the earlier book but there is NO information provided. This is NOT like Amazon. Clicking on the Table of Contents brings up a supposedly earlier version of this book that has nothing to do with advanced bridge conventions.
   
   If anyone knows how to find out which conventions are described in the book, you would do a great service by letting the rest of us know.



2. Terrific reference book. Covers Forcing No Trump, responding to preempts, Snapdragon Doubles, Unusual v. Unusual, Puppet Stayman, 1430 RKC, Q bidding, and many others. The good thing about this book is that it covers ALL aspects of each convention, from the first bid to all follow-up bids and responses.



3. 
   Section 1 Learn these first
   
   Chapter 1 Cappelletti Defense to 1NT
   Chapter 2 Flannery Two Diamonds
   Chapter 3 Bergen Raises
   Chapter 4 Responding to Three-bids
   Chapter 5 Four-Suit Transfers
   Chapter 6 Gambling 3NT
   Chapter 7 D.O.N.T. Defense to a Strong 1NT
   Chapter 8 Namyats
   
   
   Section 2 More complicated
   
   Chapter 9 More About Stayman
   Chapter 10 Exclusion Blackwood
   Chapter 11 Ingberman
   Chapter 12 Weak Jump Shifts
   Chapter 13 Support Doubles
   Chapter 14 Fit-showing Jumps
   Chapter 15 DOPI, ROPI and DEPO
   Chapter 16 Puppet Stayman
   
   
   Section 3 Sophisticated stuff
   
   Chapter 17 Inverted Minor Raises
   Chapter 18 Leaping Michaels
   Chapter 19 The Forcing 1NT
   Chapter 20 Ace-and-King (Italian) Cuebidding
   Chapter 21 Unusual over Unusual
   Chapter 22 SOS and other Redoubles
   Chapter 23 Pick-a-slam 5NT
   Chapter 24 Snapdragon Doubles
   Chapter 25 Multi-colored Two Diamonds



4. Excellent teaching and refer book. Discusses in detail all the exceptions for each of the conventions that most books do not cover.



5. The format of this book makes it easy to understand and learn the conventions. Explanations are clear. Examples abound. There are even mini tests to insure that you "get it".
   
   The series was recommended by our bridge teacher, so it is esteemed by professionals as well as by amateurs.
   
   I only wish I could put this under my pillow and absorb it by osmosis when I'm sleeping.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to improve his or her bridge game.

5 comments about The Fun Way to Serious Bridge.

1. As one of the other reviewers noted, there is a dearth of good introductory bridge books. This book is not bad, but it is very busy and focuses on memorizing rules -- not a good thing, despite the numerous cartoons designed to help you remember. The book is a bit childish and might be good for teaching a kid, I can't see an adult using this to learn with though.
   
   Most of the other books are at least slightly better. Root's ABC's of Bridge is more thorough and less busy, and Penick's Beginning Bridge Complete will get you playing much quicker. But even these books are heavy on memory work and light on teaching you to think. Furthermore, because all of these books are focusing on memorizing instead of thinking things through, they frequently "simply" modern bidding to make it "easier" to learn. Doing this however, destroys the logic behind the bidding, making it almost impossible for a beginner to learn.
   
   INSTEAD OF THIS BOOK, you should get Alan Truscott's Bridge in 3 weeks, the absolute best book, and the *only* one I'd recommend. The writing is superb, which you would expect from the Bridge editor of the NY Times. The book focuses on teaching you to think at the table and will get you playing the game quickly. More over because this book focuses on logic instead of memorization, it actually teaches you to bid and play in the way that most actual players do, making it easier to advance beyond the book.



2. I am a bridge player of long experience, and this is the best book for beginners I ever saw.



3. Tells you in ordinary terms what to bid, why, & when to use a bid. Very easy to understand, even for conventions. Great for beginners and intermediate bridge players.



4. For anyone planning to teach someone to play bridge, this is an excellent first book to use. I teach bridge classes at a retirement park and always encourage the students to buy it if they enjoy humor and are planning to learn the game to play for fun. It's easily understood and contains lots and lots of cartoons to illustrate the concepts.



5. I have played bridge on and off ( mostly off ) for 45 years having learned Goren years ago. This simple and easy to use book is a great tool to remind me of all of the basics I have forgotten or never learned. It also takes the reader up to the level of most casual players. Fastest reference I have found on the subject and I have given a dozen copies out to friends who agree and use it regularly.

2 comments about Bridge: 25 Ways to Be a Better Defender (25).

1. It is an excellent book. The subject is difficult to define a set
   of rules. However, this book tries perhaps too hard to force a variety of conventions which leads to some confusion. Nevertheless, the book is very useful and should be on the bookself with other bridge books.



2. Defence is the hardest part of the wonderful world of bridge. As in all their books, these writers offer tips that are not only first rate but understandable for the accomplished player as well as someone trying to learn the game and everyone in between.

5 comments about Bid Better Play Better: How to Think at the Bridge Table.

1. This is a new, updated edition of one of the greatest bridge books of all time. Teaches you how to think like a bridge player. Much of the material is aimed toward advanced beginners and intermediates, but even new players will benefit from her clear approach and practical advice.



2. This book explains bridge in a simple manner and the information that my partner and I (she lives in Dallas and we play on Bridge Base Online) have utilized from this book has improved our game, and our understanding of it. It is in sync with the bridge lessons I have taken from my genious and excellent educator bridge teacher Bob Hinkle in Tucson Arizona.



3. Thank goodness Dorothy Hayden wrote this classic BEFORE " for Dummies" became the obvious title for any non-text book one might read to learn ANYTHING. Yet, that is really what this book is about. Reading (and practicing what you learn by reading) will indeed develop "card sense" where once there was very little (or none). After you have the basics of our amazing game in hand, this book can help you take another step toward mastery.
   
   If you're up on modern bidding methods, you'll feel a temptation to skip the "old" material on bidding. Don't do it. Unless you're expert enough to design a complete bidding system from earth, air, fire, and water; the presentation of the fundamentals herein will help you improve both your understanding of Standard American (or 2/1) biddng methods AND your grasp of the foundation of your own bidding methods (even if you bid differently). That foundation will help you intelligently incorporate (or reject) new methods as your personal biddng methods and style mature.



4. I was looking for a book without a lot of blather. This is it. It's straight forward and simple. I can sit down and read a particular section and get the idea quickly. No cute stories or long-range examples covering 50 years. I'm happy.



5. Dorothy Hayden Truscott's BID BETTER, PLAY BETTER has been in print for over twenty years, and no surprise. This is a generous and well-explained guide to correct evaluation of the hand, with an emphasis on "reading" what your partner and opponents are holding; Ms. Truscott excels in making us read the context of the bidding process. And this book offers sound strategies for the playing of the hand as well.
   
   This is not my very favorite book for rank beginners (in my opinion BRIDGE FOR DUMMIES by Eddie Kantar is actually quite good and more comprehensive), but it is really meant for developing players -- advanced beginners and intermediates. Those who would forego Ms. Truscott's no-nonsense prose style might instead consider S.J. Simon's WHY YOU LOSE AT BRIDGE. Like BID BETTER, PLAY BETTER, it deals with how not to form bad bridge habits or how to chuck them a-borning, but its take on bridge-playing is more social and Simon's prose style is appropriately quite droll.

5 comments about How to Play a Bridge Hand: 12 Easy Chapters to Winning Bridge by America's Premier Teacher.

1. "How to Play a Bridge Hand" is the definitive primer on declarer play. No, it does not teach advanced play technique like backwash squeezes or smother plays. What it does is provide a novice to intermediate player an overview of every aspect of dummy play. The discussions attempt to identify every common card play situation, and the quizzes reinforce this material. If it seems dry at times, that's only because Root apparently wanted to pack as much teaching into as little space as possible - and he succeeds admirably.
   
   This is a must-read book for anyone wanting to begin to improve their dummy play.



2. The book covers a great deal of material, but it was a bit disappointing regarding the explanation of certain plays. It is certain very thorough as for examples, it offers a very wide view of possible holdings and explains very well why a cartain play works in that circumstance, but doesn't explain which guidelines to follow to decide when to adopt such a play. The material covered is though very much, and anyone that thinks he/she could derive the rule from the example, would find the book very plesurable. On the other hand, if you wanted a really good book by Bill Root, try Commonsense Bidding and Modern Bridge Conventions. I haven't read his book on defence, but that looks promising as well



3. Root's book is concise and effective, there is no superfluous flowery statements in this book and everything presented here is what you need to winning bridge.
   A polished book, you will like it, but be sure you have some very basic bridge knowledges before reading it!



4. To get anything out of this book you need to have a litle practical experience first. A pure Novice will not get as much out of the book.
   With several months experience, you will appreciate this book a lot more. Its slow going, but thats necessary because this is a technical subject. After reading it, you will forget quite a lot of it. Try reading it again a year later. Then it will sink in much better.
   
   
   For thiose who gave this book a bad review becaus eit was too advanced for them - the problem is with you, not the book. You are not yet at the level to use this book effectively. To read this book as a novice/weak player will not help so much. You need the experience to give you a frame of reference.
   
   After reading this book you can advance to the harder books like teh Card Play Made Easy series and Mollos Card Play Technique.



5. This book was recommended by my bridge teacher. It has great hands to practice with clearly stated answers.

5 comments about How to Read Your Opponent's Cards: The Bridge Experts' Way to Locate Missing High Cards.

1. It takes a fair amount of work and effort to apply the techniques presented in this book. But it's time well spent. If you can master these skills you will be a very good club player. Be aware that its slow going as you have to follow every card play and think about whats going on.

   Why didnt the West lead hearts when he opened 1 Heart? Hmmm, probably because West doesn't have AK or KH, so the honors are split. That means East has 3 or 4 high card points. Since East already showed up with teh Queen of clubs, its liekly he's empty, else he would have raised Wests 1 heart opener. Therefore take the finesse against Wests Queen of Diamonds.

   The amazing thing is after a while I was able to play almost every honor in all the hands.

   This works, just takes effort to apply it. Spend your tiem counting HCP, and distributions, and you will become a solid player. You don't have to study 5 books on Sqeezes, 8 books on bidding, etc. Concentrate on the basics and you will greatly improve.




2. If you're looking for a book on deduction and card reading overall in bridge, you may want to look at other books on the topic. If, however, you are looking for a great book on how to think as declarer, this is the one you want. Lawrence shows a number of inferences and techniques that are not obvious until one has had them explained. For instance, when a player does not lead from a suit in which you are missing the AKQ, that player likely does not hold AK or KQ. The idea of "card placing by assumption" is not so much card reading as it is proper play technique.
   
   Lawrence has expanded tremendously on this topic in his "Counting at Bridge" software, but this book still provides great insight into how experts think about dummy play. Any novice or intermediate player will benefit.



3. One key difference between intermediate bridge players and strong players is that intermediate players play their own cards well, while strong players play their own cards plus the opponents' cards well, as well. This book will teach you the critical skill of card location: how to determine which cards your opponents are holding based on what they bid (or didn't bid) and what they've led (or haven't led).
   
   This book is small, but you're not buying based on word count. The knowledge is dense, with plenty of examples given as quizzes to help teach the material. Plan on reading the book carefully.



4. Imposible to do so with no item received



5. It looks like it's filled with insight. The only problem is the pages are not properly bound and as I turn them, they fall out of the book.

5 comments about The Club Series: Introduction to Bridge - Bidding.

1. Audrey Grant's books - like Introduction to Bridge are exceptional. They are best used in a bridge class/training session where an instructor can lead and help the student through the the basics of bridge learning. The value of Audrey Grant's books are that they present a system of bridge which has revolutionized modern bridge.



2. I've been considering returning to contract bridge after a 10 year hiatus and wanted to brush up on my bidding. I was looking for an intermediate/advanced overview of American Standard. This is a basic textbook obviously designed to be used in a classroom with a teacher. You will get basic bidding techniques and some recommendations on play. You won't get any conventions past Blackwood, Gerber or Stayman. Transfers, Unusual Notrump and the like aren't covered. If you're a beginner, this is a good starting point, though it would be best to use it with an instructor. If you're an intermediate or advanced player. Look elsewhere.



3. This is a great book for those interested in learning about Bridge. We are using it along with an instructor and it is great. Highly recommend it.



4. It makes sense. No cryptic assumptions by the author. Discussion of every possibility, how to react, AND WHY. One of the best "tutorials" i have read in my life.
   I started to learn bridge with one friend teaching a group of three. Made no sense. I bought this book, got pulled into the chapters, and at our next practice, i was leading half the session and teaching everyone.



5. 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!