Originally published in 1935, this is a detailed manual of Bridge technique, 'As Used by the Leading Contract Bridge Tournament Players, with Examples of Expert Bidding and Expert Play'. Contents Include: Part 1 - Expert Bidding - What Every Expert Knows - Valuing the Hand - The Opening Bid of One - Responses to Opening Bids of One - Rebidding - Specialized Opening Bids and Responses - Defensive Bidding - Penalty Doubles and Sacrifice Bids - Slam Bidding - Psychic Bidding - Examples and Drills - Part Two - General Principles - Declarer's Play - Defensive Play - Advanced Play - A Series of Fine Hands

The Bridge Movements Encyclopedia. Duplicate Bridge Schedules, History and Mathematics is an essential book for tournament directors as well as bridge players curious about the history of the game of duplicate bridge. This comprehensive volume supplies you with all the movements ever thought of and many hundreds of new ones. Included for each movement are the variations, modifications, origins, authors and history of its development. Each movement is then assessed for its measure of quality, called calibre. The author presents a brand new event type, the Scissor movement - run like any Howell movement. In this type of event the players play as pairs as usual, but also have their teammates as another pair, never meeting each other. This allows the event to be scored both as teams and pairs, producing a winning team and a winning pair. Duplicate bridge players will find the history of their favorite game most intriguing. The book delves into the lives of well-known figures such as John T. Mitchell and Edwin C. Howell. When did they live, what did they contribute to bridge, and what were the politics of their time? In addition, many lesser-known historical figures are examined for their contributions to the development of duplicate movements. For the mathematically inclined there are plenty of interesting oddities. The mathematics of balance of movements, giving the measure of quality, is thoroughly discussed. The controversial debate over movement quality, along with its history, is presented through the ideas and opinions of players and mathematicians. IAN McKINNON is a mathematician, expert bridge player, tournament director, author and computer professional. Through circumstance, around 1970, he started tournament directing at a major bridge club in Sydney which eventually led to him being the senior Tournament Director within the Australian Bridge Federation during the 1970s. He produced his first book, Bridge Directing Complete, in 1979. All those years of experience, and the last ten years of intense research and computer programming, have resulted in this book.

After some years using published material to teach newcomers the rudiments of bridge bidding, the author became somewhat disillusioned with the approach advocated in the majority of beginning bridge texts. The matters that particularly concerned him were related to the view espoused by many bridge teachers that it is important to keep all bidding 'natural' so as not to confuse beginners. The author felt that if confusion exists, it is likely to be the teaching approach that causes the confusion, rather than the subject matter itself.The proponents of this 'natural' bidding approach, decline to teach beginning students Jacoby Transfer Bids, Weak Two Opening Bids and, in some cases, Stayman. The reason often given is that teaching 'natural' bidding is difficult enough for beginning bridge students, and we should not confuse them by teaching them conventions or treatments that say something different. These same teachers seem to see no inconsistency in their approach of saying, when the students are doing a second (or third) class with them - "oh, remember when I told you that when your partner makes an opening bid of 1NT and you have 7 points and a five card ♥ suit, that you should bid 2♥? Well, I want you to forget that, because I am going to teach you now that, with that same hand, you should bid 2♦." The author has two problems with that approach. Firstly, it seems to downplay the ability of students to understand these specific bids. The author contends that it is most likely that this is a 'teaching failure' rather than a 'learning failure' The author has found that once students fully understand that it is desirable to have the strong hand as Declarer, most of them have little problem understanding the rationale behind Jacoby Transfer Bids. Putting the bids in context seems to make the task of learning Transfer Bids much easier. Secondly, if teachers are hoping to encourage their students to become duplicate bridge players, it makes sense for them to be using a bidding system that other players are using. As almost all duplicate bridge players use Stayman, Jacoby Transfer Bids and Weak Two Opening Bids, the author's students are introduced to these bids in their first series of lessons. And it is important to note that an understanding of these 3 aspects of bridge bidding will not prove to be a disadvantage in social bridge. The theme throughout the book is one of providing clear, consistent guidelines for a relatively simple modern approach to bidding. The author repeatedly emphasizes that once newcomers have a reasonable understanding of basic bidding, they, and their partner, can 'tweak' the approach taught in this text. The author is an avid duplicate bridge player and encourages all of his students to try that form of the game. However, the reality is that many bridge players enjoy the game in its more social form, and have no real desire to go past that form of the game. This is perfectly understandable, and the bidding style taught in this text is consistent with either form of the game. This book is organized into nine Chapters.CHAPTER 1 - The Basics.This Chapter is really 'Ground Zero'. It recognizes that some people who wish to learn to play bridge have had little, if any, experience of playing card games. The text introduces students to the absolute basics: -the suits -the rank, or hierarchy, of suits-how to count points-what is a 'game' in bridge-dealing-arranging the cards in your hand-the process of bidding-the process of playing-scoring.In this first, very basic, Chapter, students have a hand of bridge to play. At the end of the Chapter there is a brief test to enable students to check their mastery of the material provided in the text. Clearly not all students "need" this Chapter. Nevertheless as the purpose of the book is to provide a text to enable ALL students to be introduced to the wo

This book covers basic bridge principles relating to all three aspects of bridge - bidding, defending and declaring a hand. I have imparted ideas that I have learned in over twenty years of playing high-level tournament and rubber bridge.

A master class in Bridge for the player who wishes to improve.

"Bridge Is a Conversation" is a guide to bridge fundamentals for players who already have an understanding of the basics of the game and the desire to improve their competitiveness at the bridge table. The goal is not to teach how bridge systems are built, nor to describe their content, but rather to clarify how to use them the way the best players in the world do and to offer an alternative to simply "playing by the book." You will find the game much more interesting, challenging, and enjoyable than you ever dreamed it could be. The principles in this book are valid regardless of the bidding system used. In sixty years of playing bridge, author Gerard Cohen has observed many games of bridge, and he brings that knowledge to this guide. His observations of how his partners, opponents, and others play that make them outstanding are key to the thoughts included here. He looked for patterns, drew conclusions and developed general concepts that those who haven't reached the top level yet can learn and apply for a chance at competing with the best. Take your bridge game to the next level with "Bridge Is a Conversation."

Having doubled the opponents, you now have to find the best way of enforcing your call. Are the odds so close that defeating the contract is the over-riding priority? But if the opponents' intention were to deprive you of a certain game you should be looking to inflict severe penalties. These are the sort of questions that will face you in this quiz book of bridge problems. The deals have been chosen from major national and international championships. In almost every case you have the chance to do better than the defenders did at the table. As long as you tackle the problems with zeal and determination, your own defence is bound to improve, even if you do not find the best answer every time.

Try a hand at bridge and outsmart your opponents Bridge is the most popular card game in the world and, as any player will tell you, is simply the best card game ever. Whether you're new to the game or a long-time player looking for new tricks, this new edition of Bridge For Dummies walks you through the intricacies of the game and arms you with tried-and-true tips and strategies for being a better player and beating your opponents from the very first draw. Covering not only traditional contract bridge, but other popular variations of the game including ACOL, Rubber, and Duplicate Bridge this hands-on, friendly guide takes the guesswork out of this beloved game and arms you with the knowledge and know-how to make your game mates your minions. From knowing when and how high to bid to bringing home the tricks when you end up in a trump contract, it'll take your bridge skills to the next level in no time! * Strategize with your bridge partner * Confidently play bridge in clubs and tournaments * Use basic and advanced bidding techniques * Find bridge clubs and tournaments all over the world Are you ready to trump the competition? Success is a page away with the help of Bridge For Dummies.

The opponents have doubled your contract and you have to decide how best to play the hand. Are you aiming to make your doubled contract? Is there a possibility of doubled overtricks? These are attractive objectives, but often they are not realistic. Should you accept that you will not make your contract and limit your losses as best you can? Obviously it is better to go one down than three or four down and it is important not to panic just because of the double. If you have sacrificed against the opponents' game or slam, which would have made, it is vital that your loss does not exceed the value of their contract. This quiz book contains problems taken from major national and international championships. In most cases you have the opportunity to outperform the actual declarers. No matter how you do, seeing the logic and technique behind the right play will no doubt improve your own standard.

Bridge is a superb card game, perfect for keeping your memory sharp, played by millions around the world. This Fast Fact Finder is a guide and summary to the basics of bridge for the beginner and novice player, enabling players to check quickly important points in bidding and play. It is designed to be used in conjunction with Basic Bridge and Acol Bridge Made Easy, both by Ron Klinger. 'Many games provide fun, but Bridge grips you. It exercises your mind. Your mind can rust, you know, but Bridge prevents the rust from forming' Omar Sharif

Just about every bridge player over forty has read Victor Mollo's Bridge in the Menagerie, a book that is on any list of the all-time top ten on the game. Towards the end of his life, Mollo continued to write stories about the same well-loved characters (Hideous Hog, Rueful Rabbit, Oscar the Owl and the rest), but they appeared in various magazines around the world, and if you weren't a subscriber, you didn't get to read them. This is the fourth and final collection of these lost Menagerie gems, collected for the first time in book form. Previous titles in this series: Bridge in the Menagerie; The Hog Takes To The Precision; Diamonds are the Hog's Best Friend; Swings and Arrows.

Ten years after their award-winning Planning the Play of a Bridge Hand (August 2009, ISBN 978 1897106 51 8), Seagram & Bird tackle the hardest part of the game: defence. Using the same step-by-step approach, they guide the reader through the minefield of signalling, making a defensive plan and, above all, counting - points, tricks and distribution.