An Honors Book from Master Point Press Bridge partnerships can be fun. We all know that. Of course, they can also be difficult, maddening, disappointing, and frustrating. We all know that, too. But when the players of these partnerships are also spouses - well that's when things can get downright tricky - and only some of us know that. In this book, Kathleen Vishner shares with you the highs and lows of learning duplicate bridge while partnering with her ever-patient husband, Andy. Follow his attempts to teach her the game himself (not a good idea) and share the emotion that somehow escaped his notice when Kathy played her very first game. Come on along and experience again for yourself the initial shock of a penalty double or the bewilderment at the sheer number of rules that can be unwittingly broken. Peek behind the scenes to see the workings of some fabulous bridge clubs, and get the inside scoop on what directors really think of "slow play." And for you teachers out there - helpful "Hints" throughout the book will remind you of the beginner's mindset and suggest techniques to help students learn and become more comfortable with the game. Many illustrative bridge hands pinpoint typical areas of confusion and explain the reasoning behind the many misunderstandings of a less experienced player. This book tells a delightful story, always punctuated with humor, and one that can be appreciated by bridge players of all experience levels. So take off your shoes, put up your feet, and enjoy the read. KATHLEEN VISHNER (Arizona) received her degree in Philosophy and was fortunate to be hired at the local Whataburger. Finding advancement opportunities limited (and rent monies short), she reluctantly changed career paths and became-of all things-a Certified Public Accountant. Thousands of business reports and countless financial statements later, Kathy gleefully retired and now spends time in more whimsical pursuits-like learning bridge. She lives in Green Valley, Arizona with her husband, Andy, and their two perfect cats, Bob and Annabelle.

Twenty years ago, Kantar set about distilling his bridge wisdom into a trilogy of books for the intermediate player, one each on Bidding, Play and Defence. Each consisted of several hundred short tips, and the author believes that any reader who absorbs even a fraction of them will improve his or her game by at least 25%. The tips in this book have been completely revised and updated by the author in the light of modern bidding, and a number of new tips have been added.

110 hands to practice responder's rebid. Each section includes an analysis of what has opener told you, to ensure users fully understand the auction progression prior to responder's rebid. An excellent review of workbooks one through four

265 hands to practice responding and rebidding after an opening bid, or overcall, of 1 no trump. Includes a thorough discussion of both the concepts and mechanics of Stayman and Jacoby Transfer.

145 hands to practice opening, responding and rebidding auctions beginning with a Weak Two or Preempt. Includes a thorough discussion of the importance and methodology of counting tricks, as well as a discussion on the impact of vulnerability on bidding.

110 hands to practice opening, responding and rebidding auctions beginning with a Strong Two Club opening bid. Includes a discussion of strong hands which should not open Two Clubs as well as complete practice with the Two Diamond Waiting response.

The Bridge Rookie is your basic rule book that presents a set of problem-solving guidelines for the novice bridge player.

Beyond Roman Key Card Blackwood! Easley Blackwood introduced and developed the Blackwood Convention. Eddie Kantar then expanded the Blue Team's Roman Blackwood into the Roman Key Card Blackwood that has dominated expert circles for the past half century. Variable Key Card Blackwood may be the next logical step. VKCB allows partnerships to address many problems that neither Blackwood nor Roman Key Card Blackwood solves, while keeping the auction low enough to avoid bad slams. And, better yet, it is relatively easy to use. Suppose you have enough power for slam but only the J732 in trumps, in support of partner's five-card suit. You also know that partner has only one of the top three honors. If the honor is the ace, the slam seems good. If it is the king, the slam is not so good. Using VKCB, partner can tell you which honor he has. What about holding 8732? Now you need partner specifically to have the ace and the jack. VKCB has a solution for that problem as well. In fact, you might also find out about a particular side king, all before committing to a slam and without any cuebidding. VKCB solves your problem without going past the safety of the five-level. KEN REXFORD (Ohio) is a Master Point Press author known for his contributions to bidding theory. His first book, Cuebidding at Bridge, introduced the bridge world to a modern approach to Italian cuebidding. His most recent books for Master Point Press are Modified Italian Canape System, New Frontiers for Strong Forcing Openings, Really Unusual Notrump (R.U.N.T.), and Overcalling Opponent's 1NT.

An intermediate-level discussion of declarer play in the game of bridge, this book focuses on the power of the trump suit. Its subjects include trump and situations where you need to unblock in the trump suit or to put a defender on lead with a trump. The reader will learn how to make maximum use of the entries provided by the trump suit, and how to perform a trump safety play or a trump avoidance play. Two other important topics are how to make your contract against a bad trump break and how you can survive a forcing attack on the long-trump holding. Later chapters explain how to play contracts with fewer than eight trumps at your disposal, and also how to conjure extra tricks from the trump suit. Every couple of chapters or so, there is a 9-problem quiz section.

Winner of the 2012 ABTA Book of the Year Award. 65 hands to practice cuebidding Aces and Kings. Includes responding to cuebids and the concept of mild slam try. Does not include use of technique to cuebid voids or singletons.

60 hands to practice asking for help as well as responding to a Help Suit Game Try. Includes practice identifying when, and how, to respond with an alternate suit when lacking help in the requested suit.

How to bid a minor after partner's No Trump opener? Four Suit Transfers will solve those problem hands.

A conventional double to make a game try after you and partner have found a major suit fit.

Twenty years ago, World Bridge Champion Eddie Kantar set about distilling his bridge wisdom into a trilogy of books for the intermediate player, one each on Bidding, Play and Defence. Each consisted of several hundred short tips, and the author believes that any reader who absorbs even a fraction of them will improve his or her game by at least 25%. For this new edition, the bidding tips in the book have now been completely revised and updated by the author in the light of modern developments, and a number of new tips have been added.

In 2004, Julian Pottage's 'Play or Defend?' was the IBPA Book of the Year. An unusual problem format, it gave the reader all four hands and challenged them to analyze the deal and decide whether they wanted to play or defend. This sequel comprises 72 problems, presented in the same unique fashion, and will appeal to the same readership.

CROSSWORDS WITH A BRIDGE FLAVOR Now bridge players who enjoy crosswords can combine their favorite pastimes! For this book, New York Times and Los Angeles Times crossword constructor Jeff Chen has designed 52 brand-new crosswords with bridge-themed clues and solutions, providing hours of challenge and fun. The puzzles in this book range from Easy (N.Y. Times Monday level) to Challenging (N.Y. Times Thursday level). JEFF CHEN is a children's book writer and a crossword puzzle constructor with 50+ puzzles published in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. He's been playing bridge for ten years but still couldn't identify a squeeze or a Deschapelles Coup opportunity even if it came up and bit him on the bottom.

BECOME A BETTER DECLARER - AND EDDIE KANTAR PROMISES IT WILL BE RELATIVELY PAINLESS! The problems in this book are not for experts - they are, however, for those whose ambition is to become better bridge players. They involve the everyday cardplay maneuvers that you have to master if you are going to improve as a declarer. As you work through this book, you will encounter more than one example of each theme - endplay, avoidance play, etc. This is intentional - it is important to recognize these situations, and by the end of the book you will be able to do just that. You are making progress if you get a problem wrong the first time its theme appears, but spot it the next time it comes up. And if you have a friend who keeps going down in cold contracts, you could not do him/her a better favor than to give them a copy of this book.

This work focuses on the opening and bidding of the major suits at duplicate bridge. It represents a cohesive and complete system that gets the partnership off to a good start on most contracts as the consideration for the score sheet is best initiated with concern for the majors--before notrump or the minors.

Travel and Teach at Sea Learn how to break into the wonderful world of teaching bridge on luxury cruise ships. This little book covers everything you need to know from finding an agent and making a lesson plan to packing the right clothes. " A must read for any bridge teacher who wants to teach on cruise ships." Barbara Seagram

LEARN DECLARER PLAY FROM AN EXPERT This classic book, a bestseller for more than forty years, has been updated for this edition by Gail Greenberg, a frequent partner of Dorothy Truscott, and like her a World Champion. Dorothy had a unique ability to make complex bridge concepts simple to understand, and everything here, from the basics to the most complicated squeeze or endplay, is described in an interesting and easy-to-follow way. In addition to the technical material, the reader will also learn when and how to use deceptive tactics to give the opponents a chance to make mistakes. Each chapter has many sample hands to test and challenge the reader. Dorothy Hayden Truscott (1925-2006) was the top-ranked woman bridge player for many years. She won four World titles and twenty-eight National titles including the Life Master Pairs and the Blue Ribbon Pairs. She also came in second in the Bermuda Bowl and placed third in the World Open Pairs, the highest finish ever by a woman. Dorothy was a World Bridge Federation Grand Master, and was elected to the Bridge Hall of Fame in 1998. She is the author of the classic bridge book Bid Better, Play Better, and she co-authored several books with her husband Alan Truscott. Among her contributions to bridge theory are splinter bids and DOPI.

Whether you're an advanced beginner, an intermediate or an advanced player, this valuable book can help you win more frequently and gain greater personal satisfaction from contract bridge. This is a book on the play of hands, full of wise counsel; it will entertain experts and help them teach others. EDDIE KANTAR (Santa Monica, CA) is one of the most popular and prolific bridge writers in the world. A winner of two World Championships, and a member of the Bridge Hall of Fame, his many books include Modern Bridge Defense, Advanced Bridge Defense, the hilarious Kantar on Kontract, and of course, Roman Keycard Blackwood. His work appears regularly in many bridge magazines around the world.

Bridge Philosopher 3 by James S. Kauder He's back That old curmudgeon, the Bridge Philosopher, is back for a third try at explaining the art of dummy play. He claims that he is losing his memory, but he hasn't lost his ability to reason or to analyze a bridge hand in an instant. And, as usual, he has cogent (often biting) comments to make about the sad state of affairs in the world at large: the rising cost of living; unfunded Social Security liabilities; dysfunctional political parties. He unashamedly (in fact, somewhat proudly) admits to personal weaknesses of one sort or another: diet; neatness; relationship issues; and all around dissatisfaction with the world. Learn a little; laugh a lot. He isn't the only one who isn't getting any younger.

Canadian expert Roy Hughes' first book, Building a Bidding System (2005; ISBN 9781897106 02 5), has become a must-read for expert pairs looking to develop effective constructive bidding methods. Now Hughes turns to the theory and practice of competitive auctions, a critical component of the modern game. Beginning again by establishing what the bidding system needs to accomplish, Hughes goes on to discuss every type of contested auction, and recommends useful methods and agreements from which the reader can select. This is a state-of-the-art discussion, covering many topics in detail that have at best seen cursory treatment in print up to now.

When God created the No-Goods, which He called Man, He also taught them bridge. You'll watch Him, J.C., Sister Mary (who never draws trump) and Brother Bill (who recites smutty limericks) play out over 50 bridge hands, some of which require divine inspiration if the best play is to be found.