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.

'Life's tough being an ace.' On everyone's list of all-time favorite bridge books is Right Through the Pack by Robert Darvas and Norman Hart. Published just after the end of World War II, the book presents 52 tales using exquisite deals, one for each of the cards in the deck. Now, decades later, Julian Pottage has collected 104 deals - two for each card in the pack. He presents each story through the eyes of the cards, paying homage to Darvas and Hart. Keeping the intermediate bridge player in mind, Pottage takes extra care to have the cards educate while entertaining the reader. "The deals are excellent and the setting pleasantly reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland." - David Bird

ADVANCED / EXPERT Anybody can make straightforward contracts. THE ART OF DECLARER PLAY is about how to handle the rest. If you already have a good grasp of declarer-play technique, the blocking and unblocking plays, the eliminations and the squeezes, then this is the book for you. Bourke and Corfield begin where most of the other books finish, and reveal what goes on inside the mind of an expert, explaining how to anticipate the likely distribution, how to use logic and visualization, how to listen to the cards, and many other ways to make 'impossible' contracts. By understanding the thought processes that lead to a successful strategy in the most challenging of contracts, you will be able to replicate them for yourself, and bid with the confidence that comes from expert-level declarer play. If you want your cardplay to improve out of all recognition, If you want to learn the secrets of expert-level technique, If you are not afraid to challenge yourself, Then read on...

Be Right by Not Doing Wrong The inimitable Professor Gaston Gitane-Gauloise demonstrates his unique Inverted Bridge Teaching Method, showing you by example what not to do in Bridge, thereby allowing you to improve your game by avoiding the commonplace (and some not-socommonplace) errors to which all are prone. In his humble and self-deprecating manner Professor GG-G wheezes his way into your bridge acumen, and improves it. MIKE DORN WISS is also the author of the acclaimed book Shadow in the Bridge World. Nowadays he divides his time between summers in Victoria, Canada and winters in Thailand, assiduously avoiding any hint of the snows under which he was weaned in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

A perfect addition to your 2/1 system, Two-Way Checkback allows you to differentiate between weak, invitational and strong hands. Replace New Minor Forcing with a more sophisticated tool.

Playing 2/1 Game Force system, learn how to set a game forcing auction.

Accelerate your game by adopting the 2/1 Game force System. This volume provides a good basic start of the bids and conventions useful when adopting 2/1.

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

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.

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

Planning the Play of a Bridge Hand, by the same author team, (978 1897106 51 8), was named the 2010 Book of the Year by the American Bridge Teachers' Association. Building on the success of that title, this book gives the near-beginner a chance to practice the principles on which sound defensive play is based, from the opening lead onwards. This is not just a series of problem hands, however. Each section contains a brief introduction of its topic, and the ideas are reinforced with carefully explained solutions and helpful tips throughout.

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

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.

How to bid those pesky 5-4 major suit hands after opening NT bids. 23 pgs.

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

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 the modern game of bridge, the majority of auctions are competitive, and every improving player needs to acquire the tools to handle this kind of bidding. This textbook covers the basic building blocks of competitive bidding (takeout and negative doubles, pre-empts, overcalls, competing over their no-trump openings and dealing with competition over your own, forcing pass auctions, the Law of Total Tricks). It describes a number of useful conventions and gadgets with which the reader needs to be familiar, and suggests other optional treatments for partnership discussion. There are reviews and quizzes, and the final chapter is a quiz covering all the material.

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.

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.

Start playing a winning system.

Not since the introduction of Precision has a new bidding system created such an immediate impact as Fantunes, the unique methods of Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes, the world's number one ranked pair.

The Italians have several world championship wins to their name, and their system has played a major role in that success. This book delves into the system, explaining how it works and just as importantly, why it works. Two words best describe Fantunes: natural and fun. It is the definitive text for those who would like to try an innovative and proven new bidding system.

Bill Jacobs has won many Australian national championships, the most recent three playing Fantunes, and has twice represented his country at Open level. He regularly provides astute vugraph commentary on Bridge Base Online. For the last ten years, he has been editor of the monthly bulletin of the Victorian Bridge Association.

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.

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.