Bridge books reviewed - 20

In “Step-By-Step Discarding” Danny Roth covers the complex field of what to discard and, perhaps more importantly, why.

"Step by Step: Pre-empts" by Alan Mould extensively covers aspects of pre-empts at the two, three and four level.

"Step by Step Cardplay in No Trumps" by Robert Berthe and Norbert Lebely is an excellent intermediate-level guide to playing NoTrump contracts, with concise explanations and numerous example hand and problems.

"Step by Step: Card Play in Suits" by Brian Senior takes the reader through 60 hands of progressive difficulty and is designed so that any intermediate player who works systematically through the hands will be rewarded by a dramatic improvement in his/her standard of play.

"Step by Step Slam Bidding" by Alan Mould is an intermediate level book covering various aspects of slam bidding. Topics include Blackwood, cue bids, splinters and quantitative slam tries.

"Step by Step Overcalls" by Sally Brock Guides you through the thought process of when, and what to overcall. 4-card overcall, lead-directing overcalls, jump overcalls; it's all covered in detail.

"Step by Step Signalling" by Mark Horton explains the more popular signalling methods and then puts the reader through a series of problems that get progressively more difficult. The book is aimed at the improver - advanced player.

In "Step-By-Step: Planning the Defence" English and British International Raymond Brock explains the most important principles of defence and shows how partners can cooperate to the maximum.

Deception is an essential part of a declarer's armory. In "Step-By-Step Deceptive Declarer Play" by Barry Rigal describes methods by which you can deceive the defenders.

Deception is also an essential part of the defenders' armory. In "Step By Step: Deception in Defence" Barry Rigal emphasizes the opportunities of deception for the intermediate player.

In "Hand Evaluation in Bridge" English international Brian Senior explains how to judge your playing strength and make the appropriate bid to convey this to your partner.

"The Mammoth Book of Bridge" by Mark Horton includes hundreds of illustrated hands and covers a wide range of topics - from bidding systems and conventions to declarer-play tips to a history of the World Bridge Championships. The book also includes information on bridge software and advice on playing duplicate, IMPs and online sites.

"Winning Contract Bridge" by Edgar Kaplan is an excellent book with timeless advice from one of the game's greatest players and authors. It is in reality two complete books in one volume - a basic course for beginners and less experienced players and an advanced section with insights into expert-level strategy and psychology.

"The Losing Trick Count: A Book of Bridge Technique" by Dudley Courtenay was originally published in 1935. It is a detailed manual of the timeless techniques used by leading contract bridge tournament players. There are numerous examples of expert bidding and play, with an interesting selection of hands from tournament play.

"Imagination and Technique at the Bridge Table: How to Succeed That Extra 10 Per Cent of the Time" by Patrick Jourdain and Martin Hoffman is a collection of difficult defensive problems with unexpected twists. The problems and analyses demonstrate how to assess the situation, picture the unseen hands, and decide if an unusual solution is needed depending upon the bidding and play so far.

"Bridge Master: The Best Of Edgar Kaplan" is a collection of Kaplan's very best articles from Bridge World magazine, published after his death in 2004.

"Win at Bridge in 30 Days" by David Bird aims to help bridge players develop a sound technique. Bidding and play are taken in turns, two lessons on facing pages for each of the thirty days.

"Bridge Squeezes Complete" by Clyde Elton Love is a classic, expert-level treatise on all types of squeeze play. The book is definitely not light reading but it's worth the time and study for serious intermediate - advanced players. This classic book has been revised and updated in 2010 by Linda Lee and Julian Pottage (see review to the right).

With respect and appreciation for Clive Love's original accomplishment, Linda Lee and Julian Pottage have revised the book, making it more accessible for today's reader.  Little is now “left as an exercise for the reader.”  A substantial number of new examples have been added, bringing to light the areas of trump squeezes, entry squeezes and non-material squeezes.

"Tales from the Bridge Table" by John Clay is a guide to the essence, history and origins of the game of bridge. It examines its social and psychological functions, as well as discussing its rules and providing tips on winning.

"How You Can Play Winning Bridge with Blackwood" allows you to Read and learn some of the thinking processess used by the inventor of the Blackwood Convention.

"Man vs Machine - The Bridge Match of the Millennium" by Marc Smith is the story of Zia Mahmood playing a match against the computer program recognised as the best in the world, Matt Ginsberg's GIB. The bridge was of a very high standard, surprising the cynics, and the result was in doubt until the very end.

"Spotlight on Card Play: A New Approach to the Practical Analysis of Bridge Hands" by Robert Darvas and Paul Lukacs is a new reprint of the classic 1960 masterpiece. This well-organized book presents common play problems and then leads the reader to each solution through a series of questions and answers where an alalysis is given.