Card games: Bridge Books

Book SynopsisIf your answer is 'YES' to the following three questions, this is the PERFECT book for you: 1. Have you read A Bridge to Simple Squeezes? 2. Did you see merit in the structured approach introduced in that book for executing simple squeezes? 3. Do you feel that in spite of your great effort you are still not finding squeezes? In this book, Still Not Finding Squeezes?, the structured approach is applied to the 39 squeeze examples that David Bird and Tim Bourke created for their book, Test Your Bridge Technique: The Simple Squeeze. These examples will give you the experience you need to include squeezes in your arsenal.

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Book SynopsisTo discover which opening lead is best from a given West hand against a particular auction, the authors use computer software to generate 5000 deals that match the North-South bidding. (The West hand remains the same and the other three hands are chosen randomly.) The software then plays these deals automatically, seeing which of the 13 possible opening leads works best at both IMPs (rubber bridge/Chicago) and match-point pairs. By analysing the results, the authors pass on to the reader the secrets of finding the best lead against notrump contracts on a wide range of different auctions.

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Book SynopsisWeak two-bids are well ensconced in the bridge world and are now part of any beginning program of lessons. They are, however, in that class of "most abused" conventions. An understanding of all the important tools that are at your fingertips will serve you well in making these decisions at the table. This book will walk you through the solutions to the problems you meet every day in offensive and defensive situations, delving into the more intricate aspects of the weak two-bid.

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Book SynopsisAn Honors Book from Master Point Press. Author Ken Rexford has developed an intriguing new approach to overcalling 1NT openings that may revolutionize this area of bridge. If you are unhappy with Cappelletti, DONT, Brozel, and the like, this book introduces you to a new approach for tackling the opponent's 1NT opening, with an entirely new way to handle one or two-suited hands. Can your current approach tell partner whether you have a strong or a weak overcall at the two-level? Can you tell partner which suit of your major-or-a-minor is longer? Can you identify the specific minor with your major, again at the two-level? All of these are possible using Ken Rexford's methods. Imagine describing more hands than the Woolsey defense handles, all with easy but novel methods that fit (unlike Woolsey) into the ACBL's General Convention Chart! You can also use these methods to improve your response structure to your own openings and in other auctions. Imagine hearing a Four Diamond overcall of partner's Two Clubs opening and being able to describe any one suit at game or any two-suited holding, all without giving up a cooperative double. Impossible? Not with this new technique. Can you show one or both minors and slam interest after a 2NT opening, and tell partner which specific minor you have, at the three-level? Yes, using Rexford's methods.

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Book SynopsisR.U.N.T. - the Really Unusual No Trump Master Point Press author Ken Rexford provides the first authoritative description of the R.U.N.T. Convention. R.U.N.T. is actually a two-way overcalling structure to distinguish a very sound takeout double from a weak three-suited takeout by way of an artificial 1NT overcall - preempting and intervening in the auction safely and effectively. Do you find a 4-3-3-3 hand with three Jacks a reason to sleep, or is this as good a reason to bid as any? You know who you are. Do you secretly enjoy declaring Two Clubs doubled, trying to find a fifth trick before the opponents find their ninth trick, instead of defending a boring 3NT? If you find it amusing to interfere with as many auctions as possible, this book is for you. Rexford introduces you to this effective and proven two-way overcall structure. With more advanced versions of the convention, you can add a very strong option, making the 1NT overcall almost a Multi type of takeout. After all, bridge is supposed to be fun, right?

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Book SynopsisStart 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.

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Book SynopsisWinning Notrump Leads was a ground-breaking and very well-received book that used the power of computers to determine which opening leads work best against a variety of auctions at notrump. Using enhanced software, the authors now turn their attention to suit contracts. They generate millions of random deals, retaining those that match the chosen auction, for example 1S-2S-4S. By playing these deals automatically against each of the 13 possible opening leads from a given hand, they are able to discover which lead is most likely to beat the contract (also the best lead at matchpoint pairs). The authors provide insightful commentary to each result, answering timeless questions such as: When should I lead a trump? When is a doubleton a good opening lead? Should I lead differently against a partscore? Should I make an aggressive or a passive lead? Should I lead an ace against a small slam? Which leads work best against a grand slam? By using the number-crunching computer power available nowadays, there is no longer any need to rely on general opening-lead guidelines passed down by our ancestors. We think you will be surprised by many of the discoveries made during this investigation! DAVID BIRD (top) and TAF ANTHIAS were contemporaries at Cambridge University, both reading mathematics. They carried out research and development on software systems for over 30 years at IBM's UK Laboratories. In the 1970s they formed a successful bridge partnership, winning a number of national events. David is now one of the world's top bridge writers with 116 books to his name. Taf moved on to the USA, where he became a vice president of Cisco Systems. They have joined forces on this ground-breaking book.

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Book SynopsisTravel 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

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Book SynopsisWhether 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.

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Book SynopsisBECOME 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.

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Book SynopsisLEARN 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.

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Book SynopsisWant better results? Try better declarer play! Have you noticed that good bidding doesn't always mean good results? Sometimes you don't make your perfectly-bid contract. Sometimes other declarers make an extra trick or two. If it's time to get serious about better declarer play, this is the perfect 'how to' book. You'll find it's surprisingly easy to: -- Count your winning and losing tricks. -- Master three basic techniques for eliminating losers. -- Manage your entries. -- Set priorities. What to do first, second, and so on? -- Plan the play. You'll work through plenty of practice deals in this simple guide to better declarer play. You'll also find quizzes at the end of every chapter to test your new-found skills. With a little practice, you'll soon be getting the results you deserve!

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Book SynopsisAre you a lucky player ? It is no co-incidence that the best players are lucky players. You can become a "better" player by improving your bidding system with your partner and by improving your play technique, however this will not make you a lucky player. How can you become a lucky player and a winner? In this book, illustrated with hands from actual play, the author demonstrates how to become a lucky player. Lucky players evaluate their trick winning potential, recognise and grab opportunities, maximizing their score over all the likely distributions of the cards.

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Book SynopsisBe 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.

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Book SynopsisLike the author's first book (A First Book of Bridge Problems, named Book of the Year for 2011 by the American Bridge Teachers Association), this sequel comprises 50 problems in declarer play and defence for the beginning or near-beginning player, presented in approximate order of difficulty. The problems are slightly more advanced than those in the first book. Experienced players recognize certain standard situations without having to work them out. This does not apply to novices who spend a lot of mental effort on them. The aim of the book is to get novices to develop their recognition of these situations. The idea is to present bridge hands as the reader would encounter them playing at the table. Unlike in a textbook, where topics are introduced systematically, there is no clue as to what type of play is required.

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Book SynopsisThe same authors' previous book, 'Declarer Play at Bridge: a Quizbook', was named the 2013 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 practise the principles on which sound bidding is based, from the opening bid onward. This is not just a series of problems, however. Each section contains a brief introduction to its topic, and the ideas are reinforced with carefully explained solutions and helpful tips throughout.

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