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Bridge Cardplay: An Easy Guide - 9. Entries
Whether you are just setting out to discover the wonderful game of bridge, or have played for some time, your success will be limited without a sound understanding of the basic techniques of cardplay. In this series, two of the game's top writers explain clearly the various cardplay skills that you will need. Every booklet contains six chapters - each ending with a short Quiz. The topics covered in this ninth book, on Entries, are: Untangling your tricks Managing entries within a single suit Preserving your entries Entries in the trump suit Reaching a weak dummy Unusual entry situations
Marc Smith (Southampton, UK) is the author, with Barbara Seagram, of the world's best-selling bridge book in the past sixty years, 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know. He has written many other bridge books and played successfully in several international championships. He is a popular online bridge teacher, conducting many classes at all levels of play.
Bridge Conventions in Depth
These wonderful agreements and gadgets turn your everyday bidding system into something personal, something that fits the exact style that you and your partner want to play. And now you can choose from some seventy expert-level ideas to add to your bidding arsenal, quickly and painlessly. In this book you'll find: Basic Conventions — the Rest of the Story: find out how top-level players have turbocharged such standard conventions as Stayman, Jacoby and Texas Transfers, Drury, Weak Jump Shifts, and more. Bread and Butter Conventions: some conventions that are standard with most experts but may not be for you, such as Smolen, Slow Arrival, Italian Cuebids, the best defenses to Multi and Bergen Raises, Retransfers, Clarifying Cuebids, and others. Defensive and Cardplay Conventions: learn more about Trump Suit Preference, Obvious Shift carding, the Slam Spade Double, the Lead-directing Pass, and many more. Fine Arts Conventions: not for the faint of heart, some of these ideas will really make you sit up and take notice. Would you enjoy playing Last Train to Clarkesville, Yellow Rose of Texas, Vacant Doubletons, Double Keycard Blackwood, Trent Weak Two-bids, or the XYZ Convention, for example? Read this book and find out! Critics Viewpoint My favorite for this set of reviews: for once, the title of a book really describes it well. Supposedly for the Intermediate/Advanced player, this is well worth the purchase price for anyone. - BRIDGE magazine This is a worthy addition to the library of any serious bridge player and an indispensable one for budding theorists. - Australian Bridge 'An outstanding book' - ACBL Bulletin 'A treasure chest for experienced players who want to explore new bidding ideas' - American Bridge Teachers' Association
Matthew Granovetter (Cincinnati. Ohio) is perhaps best known as the founder and editor (with wife Pamela) of Bridge Today magazine, now available only in its online edition. A top-class player, he has won National titles and represented the USA at the world level. Several of his books are regarded as modern classics on the game.
Bridge Crosswords
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 <em>New York Times </em>and <em>Los Angeles Times</em>. 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.
Bridge Crosswords 2
Jeff Chen's first book of bridge-themed crosswords, Bridge Crosswords, was widely acclaimed, and his many fans will welcome a second collection. They know what to expect! As before, the difficulty level of the puzzles in this book ranges from Easy (New York Times Monday level) to Challenging (New York Times Thursday/Friday level). Click to play an html sample of the puzzles!
JEFF CHEN is a children's book writer and a crossword puzzle constructor with 50+ puzzles published in the <em>New York Times </em>and <em>Los Angeles Times</em>. 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.
Bridge Endplays for Everyone*
The endplay is an aspect of declarer play at bridge that many players think is beyond them. Yet while endplays can be extremely complex, the basic principles are not. Five years ago, David Bird wrote Bridge Squeezes for Everyone, a book about an even more complex topic that has become a modern classic. Using the same straightforward, conversational style and helpful recaps and quizzes that characterized the earlier book, this new book will take endplays from intimidating to understandable for many readers who have been afraid to attempt to learn them.
David Bird (Southampton, UK) is the world's most prolific bridge writer, with 150 bridge books to his name. Known for the clarity of his writing and explanations, he has won the American Bridge Teachers' Association Book of the Year Award a record nine times. His celebrated humorous fiction series, featuring the cantankerous Abbot, has run for over 45 years.
Bridge Entry Techniques
The Essence of Bridge Planning This book is packed with techniques and tips on the subject of entry management, both for declarer and the defenders. A clear understanding of this topic is vital when the dummy goes down and you stop to plan your campaign. Part I contains 69 instructive deals on entries from declarer's point of view. The featured topics include: creating entries, destroying entries, finesse entries, sacrifice entries, ducking, holding up, blocking, unblocking, overtaking, avoidance play and forcing the defenders to assist you. Part II contains 43 deals where the defenders use similar techniques on their own behalf: maintaining communication, creating and destroying entries, blocking, unblocking, hold-ups, preventing a duck, overtaking honors, entry coups, Morton's Fork and avoiding an endplay. Part III contains 24 entry problems for declarer, followed by 16 problems for the defense. Reviews David Bird maintains a consistently high quality. The coverage is exhaustive, though (thanks to the author's appealing writing style) not exhausting. Keep them coming, Mr. Bird! -The Bridge World
David Bird (Southampton, UK) is the world's most prolific bridge writer, with 150 bridge books to his name. Known for the clarity of his writing and explanations, he has won the American Bridge Teachers' Association Book of the Year Award a record nine times. His celebrated humorous fiction series, featuring the cantankerous Abbot, has run for over 45 years.
Bridge in 3 Weeks
A comprehensive, 3-week, day-by-day bridge course for the beginner by the bridge editor of The New York Times.
Alan Truscott (April 16, 1925 — September 4, 2005) was a bridge player, author and columnist. He wrote the daily bridge column for The New York Times for 41 years, from 1964 to 2005. <p>Truscott was born in Brixton, London, and showed early prowess at chess as well as bridge. He attended Whitgift School, and served in the Royal Navy towards the end of World War II. He studied at the University of Oxford from 1947, playing for the university at both chess and bridge. He was a member of the British team (along with Terence Reese and Boris Schapiro) that won a bronze medal at the European bridge championships in 1951, aged only 26. In 1958 he was a member of the British team that finished second, and in 1961 his team won the gold medal in the same event at Torquay. Truscott's team also finished third in the 1962 Bermuda Bowl held in New York City. He was also involved in the investigation of a cheating scandal at the Bermuda Bowl in Buenos Aires in 1965. A pair of British players (Reese and Schapiro) were accused of using their fingers to pass information about their cards by an American pair (B. Jay Becker and Dorothy Hayden). Truscott believed the British pair were guilty. They were subsequently adjudicated guilty by the World Bridge Federation authorities at the tournament in Buenos Aires. The British Bridge League (BBL) then convened its own inquiry, and several months later the BBL acquitted them. Truscott later published a book on the affair, entitled The Great Bridge Scandal. Reese published his own version of events in The Story of an Accusation. Truscott wrote 13 books on bridge, and was executive editor of the first three editions of The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge. <p>He had three children (Frances, Fraser and Philip) with his first wife Gloria, but they divorced in 1970. He married his second wife, Dorothy Hayden, an American mathematician and international bridge player who was one of the original accusers in the Buenos Aires affair, in 1972. He died at his holiday home in the Adirondacks.
Bridge in the Menagerie
Victor Mollo’s Bridge in the Menagerie is on any list of the all-time top ten books on the game. The stories it contains, originally published in Bridge Magazine and The Bridge World, found a world-wide audience in book form. Everyone can relate to the characters (the Hideous Hog, the Rueful Rabbit, Oscar the Owl, and the rest), the bridge hands are brilliant, and the stories themselves hilarious. This is the book against which all subsequent attempts at bridge humor are measured. Bridge in the Menagerie has been out of print for some time, and is reissued now with illustrations by bridge cartoonist Bill Buttle.
Bill Buttle (1940-2020) was a former dentist who took up drawing cartoons post-retirement. His 'Two's a Crowd' and 'Double Bill' features have been syndicated in newspapers across Canada. Bill's bridge humor was familiar to North Americans since it appears regularly in the ACBL's monthly Bridge Bulletin (circulation approx. 200,000). Read our exclusive interview with Bill Buttle on Teachbridge.com -- http://teachbridge.com/author-spotlight/bill-buttle/
Bridge Literature
First published in 1993, and long out of print, Nick Smith’s Bridge Literature is an anthology of literary parodies that for the most part appeared first in magazines such as English Bridge and International Popular Bridge Monthly. Characters from Shakespeare, Marlowe, the Bible, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, Thomas Hardy, Lewis Carroll and George Orwell all make their appearances at the bridge table in a collection that will be enjoyed as much for its reimagining of classic books as the ingenuity of its bridge settings.
Nick Smith (Oxford, UK)is a Grand Master and England international as well as the author of numerous novels and plays. Among his books are Bridge Literature, More Bridge Literature, Bridge and the Romantics and, with Julian Pottage, Bridge Behind Bars.
Bridge Master Versus Bridge Amateur
Why aren't you an expert bridge player? What makes a bridge expert, and why does he or she always come out on top compared to the average club player? No, it's not the ability to execute esoteric squeezes and endplays — they simply don't come up enough to account for the way the experts consistently win against weaker opposition. It's much more basic than that. This book contains a collection of deals that illustrate the difference between the expert player and the would-be expert. These illustrate the kinds of decisions that will come up in every club game, situations in bidding, play and defense where the amateur will often go wrong, but the expert never will. A study of the concepts in this book will take the reader a long way from amateur status towards actually becoming an expert player.
MARK HORTON (UK) travels the world writing about bridge. Editor of BeBridge magazine and of the Daily Bulletins at World and European Championships, he is also the author of nine previous MPP titles.
Bridge Mix: Chocolate-covered contracts and plenty of nuts
Think Douglas Adams with a dash of Victor Mollo, and get ready for a wild ride! Whether you look at this as a novel, or as a linked series of short stories, it represents the arrival of a brilliantly imaginative new writer of bridge fiction. Fast-paced, crazy, funny, full of great bridge deals in settings that vary from a major bridge tournament through ancient Egypt to outer space, this book takes the reader on a breakneck journey that will not soon be forgotten.
Paul Holtham lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. This is his first book.
Bridge on a Shoestring
A fictionalized account of growing up as a bridge player in Toronto in the 1960s and 1970s, based closely on the author’s own experiences. Great characters, great stories, great bridge hands – what more could you want?
(Toronto) has represented Canada several times in world championships, having won both the Canadian Team Championships and the Canadian Senior Team Championships. While he has been a prolific contributor to bridge magazines in Canada over the years, this is his first book.
Bridge Outside the Box with Val Kovachev
Val’s bids are sometimes outrageous, but he always bases them on logic. He believes in following his logic wherever it may lead, not in following a bunch of ‘rules’. Val takes more risks than most players. His goal is to push opponents out of their comfort zones and help his partner find the best lead, even if at some risk. He makes as few bids as possible to reach the final contract, never describing his hand more than necessary. You will find yourself trying to guess what action Val is about to take next, and you’ll wait for the outcome with bated breath. Your imagination expands as you gasp, then smile at the sheer audacity and cheekiness of some of his bids. Add some spice to your bridge game by choosing a few of Val’s approaches to incorporate into your own game. Learn how to be the lion in your bridge jungle!
Zia, usually known by that name alone, is arguably the most recognizable bridge player of our times. Born in Pakistan, he has homes in London and New York, and now represents the USA in international competition. His tournament success include numerous North American championships and six world championship medals (including a gold in 2009). He writes a regular bridge column in <em>The Guardian</em> and his autobiography, Bridge My Way, as a bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic.
Bridge Over the Rainbow
A sequel to If I Only Had a Heart, once again featuring Dorothy, the Tin Man and the rest of the gang at the Over the Rainbow Bridge Club. Some of these stories have appeared in BRIDGE magazine, and in Australian Bridge, but all are collected here in book form for the first time. Bill Buttle's illustrations add to the fun.
Bill Buttle (1940-2020) was a former dentist who took up drawing cartoons post-retirement. His 'Two's a Crowd' and 'Double Bill' features have been syndicated in newspapers across Canada. Bill's bridge humor was familiar to North Americans since it appears regularly in the ACBL's monthly Bridge Bulletin (circulation approx. 200,000). Read our exclusive interview with Bill Buttle on Teachbridge.com -- http://teachbridge.com/author-spotlight/bill-buttle/
Bridge Problems for a New Millennium
In this quiz book, British author Julian Pottage has compiled a set of challenges that will test the reader's ability both as declarer and on defense. The hands are organized by theme, so readers are able to concentrate on a particular aspect of card-play if they wish.
Wales) is best known as a bridge problem constructor, and his many awards include IBPA Book of the Year. His most recent book for MPP was <em>Defend or Declare?</em>
Bridge Squeezes Complete: Winning Endgame Strategy
This book was first published in 1959, and quickly became one of the classics of the game. Generations of bridge players have learned the fundamentals of squeeze play from Love. The original version has been out of print for some time, however, and it is now being republished in its first revision in 50 years. In its new modernized form, the concepts and terminology are much more accessible, and the book includes a number of squeeze concepts that have been discovered since the first publication. Don't forget to add the Bridge Squeezes Complete - Practice Hands free download to your shopping cart. To read more from author Linda Lee about this edition visit her blog post A Special Relationship at BridgeBlogging.com.
Linda Lee (Toronto, Canada) is a retired project management executive who now spends much of her time playing bridge and writing about the game. A multiple Canadian champion who has represented her country several times at the world level, her blog <a href="http://linda.bridgeblogging.com">http://linda.bridgeblogging.com</a> is one of the most popular bridge blogs on the net. Her books range from beginner texts to a revised and updated edition of Clyde Love's classic <em>Bridge Squeezes Complete</em>.
Bridge Squeezes for Everyone
Did you always think squeezes were too difficult? Or perhaps you know the basics but now you want to learn about more complex and advanced squeeze positions? If you fit either of these categories, or even if you just want to improve your understanding of an important aspect of declarer play, this book is for you.
David Bird (Southampton, UK) is the world's most prolific bridge writer, with 150 bridge books to his name. Known for the clarity of his writing and explanations, he has won the American Bridge Teachers' Association Book of the Year Award a record nine times. His celebrated humorous fiction series, featuring the cantankerous Abbot, has run for over 45 years.
Bridge the Silver Way
This new collection of David Silver's humorous bridge stories will be welcomed by his many fans around the world. This time with the assistance of Australian bridge hand connoisseur and collector Tim Bourke, the redoubtable Professor Silver again ventures into the realms of literary parody. Astute readers will recognize versions of the works of Hemingway, Dickens, and other literary giants, while movie buffs will enjoy the bridge versions of Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and Star Trek: TNG. And when the professor takes on Death himself in the ultimate post-mortem analysis, you just know who's going to come out a winner.
Tim Bourke is a world-renowned collector and creator of interesting bridge hands, which he regularly supplies to authors such as David Bird and David Silver. He also personally owns what is probably the world's largest bridge library and is often consulted as an expert on matters of bridge bibliography. He lives with his wife Margaret, an Australian international player, in Canberra, Australia.
Bridge with a Twist
Co-winner of the 2022 International Bridge Press Association Book of the Year award. A witty and informative look at the world of bridge – its language, its history, and some of its techniques. • Are pigeons more intelligent than some bridge players? • What do a wooden man, a grandfather, a daydreamer and a donkey have in common? • Did Zia really go nine down in 3NT? Interesting, Educational and Amusing suggests the modest author Brilliant, Fascinating and Hilarious! writes the seasoned publicist Destined to be ranked as a classic, alongside its prequel, Oliver Twist Reviews "The material delves into bridge lore and wonderful old stories,This work will not improve the technique of an intermediate-level player, but there is considerable instruction among the 53 short articles and essays; The topics vary, but none will lull you to sleep.and [this book] will not disappoint." -- The Bridge World, May 2021 "If you are seeking a gift for a bridge player for the holiday season, you need look no further than Bridge with a Twist, by Simon Cochemé. A lot of research has gone into this book. It is witty and very informative. It is certainly the funniest bridge book that I have read – it had me laughing out loud – and after all, laughter is the best medicine."-- Ron Klinger
Simon Cochemé is a recent winner of the Alan Truscott Memorial Award for his humorous bridge writing. A regular contributor to various magazines, he has also captained several England teams in international competition.
Bridge with Another Perfect Partner
Bridge with a Perfect Partner, by P. F. Saunders, was published in 1976. Many read and delighted in Saunders’ articles in Bridge Magazine (U.K.), and Saunders’ character Wilson, according to the flyleaf of the book, is “... an austere character, whose scholarly discourses are enlivened by frequent flashes of mordant wit.” The anonymous narrator comments, “He is very kind in explaining, when I go down in a contract, just how I could have made it and, when he goes down, just how my bidding misled him.” We’ve all played with partners like that, though few of them have had Wilson’s devastating, articulate wit. In this sequel, one of the world's top bridge journalists takes the reader through a brilliant series of deals, collected from tournaments all over the world. The style is highly reminiscent of Sanders' original and will give its readers just as much pleasure. Reviews "The best bridge book I’ve ever read! I would recommend John’s book to all advanced and expert bridge players. This is required reading for anyone who wants to improve their declarer play; it rivals Watson’s Play of the Hand and Love’s treatise on squeezes. Expert and deceptive defence is also illustrated. Intermediate players should also read this book, as they will certainly garner some benefit. Finally, the tongue and cheek writing style adds the right amount of humour to the escapades with “Selby” (the perfect partner) and John." -- David Deaves, The Kibitzer
John Carruthers is one of Canada’s top players, an ACBL Hall of Famer and former editor of the International Press Association’s Bulletin. He is the current chair of the ACBL Hall of Fame Committee.
Bridge with Bells and Whistles
There are plenty of bridge books for serious players, and also a number of books for raw beginners. However, very little has been published for the player who has completed the Basic course and is now ready to add a few ‘bells and whistles’ to his or her game. This book conducts a thorough review of all the bidding ideas and concepts encountered in a Beginner course on bridge, and takes the reader beyond them, gently but firmly. The reader’s ideas on bidding will be refined, and a number of useful conventions suitable for this level of player are described and recommended. The material is written by two very experienced teachers, and includes features such as end-of-chapter reviews and quizzes to help reinforce the concepts. For Bridge Teachers: Be sure to download your free lesson plan, The Magic of Singletons and/or purchase additional teacher support materials for Teaching Bridge with Bells and Whistles.
MARY ANN DUFRESNE (Florida) is a retired U.S. government project manager. She lives in Weeki Wachee — mermaid country — with her beloved menagerie of furry dependents, and is a full-time bridge teacher.
Bridge Without a Partner
Welcome to Wonderland In this bridge novel, Friday, a bridge professional, inherits Zelda, an enigmatic student, from another professional. Although warned about her lack of ability, he nonetheless chooses to accept the challenge of helping her to become a life master. Marvel at Zelda’s inventiveness, follow her development at Friday’s guiding hand, but most of all, enjoy their wacky adventures. This is a treat you cannot afford to miss.
Ken Eichenbaum (Ohio) has been playing duplicate bridge since 1968 and has won numerous regional titles, including the 1987 State of Ohio pairs championship. He has been a guest lecturer at many regionals. Previous works include <em>Bridge Without a Partner</em>, <em>Keys to Winning Defense</em>, and two stage plays, <em>The Wizard of Odds</em> and <em>Annie Count Your Trumps</em>, both of which have been performed at Bridge Week in Pasadena.
Bridge, Probability and Information
While firmly rooted in sound mathematics, this is a book that aims to be accessible to any bridge player. It develops the ideas of probability and information theory and applies them to bridge in a way no previous author has done. Concepts such as Vacant Spaces, Restricted Choice, and how splits in one suit affect the probabilities in other suits, are discussed in depth. Readers will emerge with a much better understanding of how to apply these ideas at the table, and with some very practical rules and advice that will make them more successful players. Be sure to also add the supplementary material free download to your shopping cart. Love
Robert F. MacKinnon (Victoria, Canada) is a retired mathematician whose work has appeared in a number of bridge magazines. He has written two bridge novels, including the remarkable <em>Samurai Bridge</em>, as well as the best-selling (!) <em>Bridge, Probability and Information</em>. He conducts a blog on the mathematics of bridge on <a href="http://www.bridgeblogging.com">www.bridgeblogging.com</a>.
Bridge, Zia...and Me
One of the world's top bridge players chronicles his career from his early days growing up in the UK to his position today as one of the world's best. Rosenberg and the flamboyant Zia Mahmood, who also now lives in the US, are one of the world's best partnerships. Here we learn how they first met and started playing together. There are fascinating and funny anecdotes from Rosenberg's own career, his all-time favorite hands, and tips and ideas that will help the reader improve his own game. Finally, the author discusses some of the thorny ethical issues that plague today's tournament scene, and offers his own ideas on how to solve them.
Michael Rosenberg (New Rochelle, NY) is a stock options trader on the rare occasions he is not playing bridge. Michael has two gold medals in world competition, as well as numerous national titles, and his partnership with Zia has been one of the world’s best for the best part of two decades. He grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, and is still the youngest player ever to win the Gold Cup, Britain’s premier teams event. His wife Debbie is a US international player who has won the world Women’s Pairs title.
