Product Description
A compendium of advice for the improving player from one of North America's best-known bridge teachers and writers. Each tip is bite-sized -- 3-4 pages in length -- so the reader can dip in briefly and still take away an important idea. As well as the usual sections on bidding, play and defense, the author includes much advice on the psychological aspects of the game, including how to be a good partner. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Review of Frank Stewart's book, "Becoming a Bridge Expert"
More than anything, Frank Stewart challenges you to think. The examples he gives are designed to topple the very paradigms, or "natural plays", that burden our development as bridge players.Many times, after working through a problem, I've thought, "Wow! I never thought of that!".It really opens your eyes.If you're an intermediate player, who wants to improve your game, this book is for you! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Tough and Long
For Intermediate Plus/Advanced players.
Perhaps 350 problems in 24 chapters covering all aspects of defense.You will be exposed to many types/categories of defensive problems.Such as:

- opening leads
- signaling
- inferences from bidding(shape, HCP)
- counting the hand(shape, HCP)
- avoiding end plays
- 2nd hand High
- Ducking
- Giving Declarer a losing option
- Carding technique (pinning/smother play)

Many of the hands took me several minutes to think about.
Not that I could do that at the table, but it helps focus you on what the correct thought processes are.

Very worthwhile book

excellent book in defence
I have improved a lot after I got this book. It's very good for advanced players. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

like "Dormer on Deduction"but for the Defense
While it is a book on defense and covers all the basics (leads, signaling, etc) what really sets it apart is the emphasis on deductive reasoning.

"Why is declarer playing in such a way"?

"What is Declarers shape based on the bidding or lack thereof?"

"Why is declarer playing J from J 9 x in an NT contract against pards opening lead?"


A nice short chapter on deception along the lines of hiding your HCP.If you hold Kxx in the East position and declarer (South) is leading from Dummy you may want to rise with your King, to convince Declarer taht you also have teh Ace (which pard has) and that pard must have the King of another suit (which you have) so he doesn't try a finessse.Nice examples of this from actual play by Benito Garozzo.

Not a book for Low Intermediates, but not expert level either.Intermediates can read it and pick up some things, but you really need to be an advanced intermediate to solve many of these problems.

This is a real sleeper (like the authors "Better bridge for the advancing player") and belongs on your book shelf.Great book on deduction and defense. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

good but not without flaws
The Bridge Book is a solid and highly readable introduction to playing bridge. The strengths of the book include its low price, clear lessons, and many quizzes that allow you to test your comprehension of the material. This is one of the most accessible bridge books I've ever seen. The flaws, however, include a rather clumsy organization of chapters, a small number of less than clear explanations, and a somewhat out-of-date approach. The book was written almost two decades ago and still recommends opening 1 NT with 16-18 points, as opposed to the more modern (but not universally accepted) 15-17 points. These are minor flaws though, and if you tend to play with people who learned the game a number of years ago, The Bridge Book would be a good place to start learning.

A great introductory defense book
This book clearly explains the basics of contract bridge defense, and it does so in entertaining fashion. The book has two great strengths: (1) its presentation of the various lines of defense and their signposts, and (2) the numerous quizzes that help the reader to solidify understanding of the material. Novice to intermediate players should find it useful. Beginners should read Volume 1 first.

I lost my copy, and I would love to read it again!

Simply M-A-R-V-E-L-O-U-S!
The most fantastic book possible for beginners and learners who want to be GOOD PLAYERS, fast!

I was lucky to get a nice, clean copy early on, and refer to it often.Highly recommended, even as a nice thoughtful gift for other new players and friends.

Get your game off on the right foot! Learn to THINK bridge.
I recommend this to all beginning bridge players and will recommend to all my students. Frank presents the material in a logical fashion along with a thought process that will get you going in the right direction. Bridge ismore than memorizing the basics. Learn how to "think"bridge fromFrank's easy to follow explanations. IngridH at OKbridge ... Read more

Product Description
Some of Frank Stewart's opinions about the current state of bridge:

The standard of play has declined.
There's been an explosion of professionalism in tournaments.
An influx of foreign experts is dominating U.S. tournaments.
In Bidding, system is supplanting judgement. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

One great chapter, then reactionary - fizzles out
Had high hopes for this after reading the Bridge World review, which named his opinions on what's happened in the ACBL in the past 20 years, along with memories of several of his previous books which I liked.Stewart indeed has cogent things on these points (standard of play has declined, more professionalism in tournaments, many more foreign experts in major US events, bidding has replaced judgment), and a few more, generally spot-on commentary I haven't seen in the literature before.

However, that chapter runs twelve pages, leaving 251 more.In the rest, Stewart has some good things about discipline, otherwise it falls short.The play narratives almost all of which on the theme of reconstructing opponent's hands were good until the pattern became obvious.The Mollo-esque character vignettes just plain didn't work for me.But the worst were his bidding-style opinions.How can high card points (though he cloaks that by calling them "values") have such a stranglehold on the evaluation and judgment facilities of such a good player?How can single possible bad results influence his thinking so much?How can he pass off issues with partnership agreements, specifically those on whether fast arrival shows a minimum, as problems inherent to 2/1?If this is how the expert mind really functions, the standard of play has worsened at the top as well as in the middle.If this is NOT how the expert mind works, than it is seriously misleading to claim to advancing, literarily-impressionable players, that it does.

In all, the first chapter may be worth half the purchase price.I'm not sure, though, that even for Stewart fans, such as I was before this debacle, the other half is there.

Good but not great about the Bridge World
I love this book, althought Frank doesn't say as much about the World of Bridge as I was hoping to get.

Entertaining, instructive
I found 'World of Bridge' a fun read.Frank Stewart's thoughts, judgments, and recollections make for good entertainment.The book is not the traditional 'how to' but rather sample hands covering bidding and play as he remembers hands from his past and present.Overall, I feel I'm a better player having read World of Bridge. ... Read more

Product Description
Written by the same author/designer team who produced Skyscrapers, this book is a spectacle of stone, steel, wood and concrete portrayed in a unique and imposing size--page spreads open up to a full yard. All the world's great bridges are dazzlingly presented and described, from the ancient Roman Pont du Gard to London's Tower Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Tsing Ma Suspension Bridge in Hong Kong. 200 photos.Amazon.com Review
In her follow-up to Skyscrapers, Judith Dupré has taken her initial concept and turned it on its side. Bridges,like its predecessor, is a large-format hardcover book that opens to animpressive span a yard across. The format lends itself well to thematerial, displaying the many exquisite panoramic shots of bridges in full splendor. The impressive black-and-white photographs convey the majesty, elegance, and beauty of these structures.

Bridges is more than a picture book, however. Dupré presents a chronological collection of more than 45 bridges, from early Roman aqueducts to the most recent accomplishments of this century. Each bridge is accompanied by text that, together with the photos, provides the reader with informative background, anecdotes, and cultural and historical context. For fact seekers, the relevant names and numbers are readily accessible. For the parents of inquisitive children, "cantilever" will roll from the tongue as easily as "tension" and "torsion."

Dupré quietly proclaims in her introduction, "The unassuming poetry of bridges reveals itself to those who would see them." The author manages toconvey this very poetry by giving us the tools to understand the power and grace of the bridge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Impressive Views ofthe Most Important and Notable Spans
Bridges: A History of the World's Most Famous and Important Spans
this book is not a comprehensive coverage of bridging history nor of engineering development; it is something far more than a routine catalog either.
It aspires to more than those goals.
Instead it intends to show major works through the centuries. The format is double landscape so that each structure ia covered on two facing pages equivalent to that of four standard 11 x 8 1/2 landscape format. This format allows the widest possible imagery to be used. Since many modern bridges have no walkways or perhaps one day a year for a bridge walk, these views can seldom be experienced by the every-day passerby or the enthusiast.
All in all it fulfills its goals of inspiring and encouraging the enthusiast while highlighting the major works through the centuries.

Magical books
I had a copy of this book in 2000 and lent it to a friend, but could not remember who.I found it when visiting the USA for the first time.It is simply the most magical and beautiful book in my collection, and from the front cover picture on the Internet, purchasers cannot see that it opens out and spans very very wide, just like a bridge in itself.I missed this book terribly, it is one of my treasures, so I was delighted recently to find that I could still buy it on Amazon.It will never be lent out again! I love the black and white photographs of all the world's most interesting bridges.Anyone would learn a great deal from it, and architects and surveyors would find it fascinating.

So often we don't even realize what we're driving on
Every day we traverse bridges in our daily lives, scarcely to give them thought. Dupre pulls back the veil and brings highlight to these engineering feats. From the simple to the revolutionary, we are brought on a tour of bridges through time, and around the globe. The superlatives are here: the longest suspension bridge, highest, oldest. But it's not a book about the superlative; it's about what moves us forward in our quest for technology, and for our ability to move across space in a timely manner. It highlights those bridges that mean something to us: where the Romans said "let's make a permanent way of moving water." Where politics came into play and tried to prevent bridges that we can't imagine not being there like the Golden Gate Bridge. Bridges become important to history such as the ones over the Rhine during the World War. And sometimes when we make mistakes and things don't work out like we planned - the most spectacular example being the Tacoma Narrows Bridge that lasted all of 4 months.

But as she shows in her book "Skyscrapers," there is an intertwining of form and function, and where man built up in buildings, he builds out via bridges. The book's design even emphasizes - where Skyscrapers was an extremely tall and thin book, Bridges goes for width, to try and bring the spans into the range of the printed page. Yet so often, the task is not possible, and even on the wide pages the bridge disappears into the distance.

The book looks at the engineering involved, but does not dwell on it. Rather it celebrates how the improvement of engineering practices have been able to move man forward. A veritable love poem to something that we often take too much for granted.

"Bridges" "Skyscrapers" "Churches"
"Bridges" was the first of the uniquely-designed, well-written books by Judith Dupre' that I discovered."Skyscrapers" then became a 'must-have' and now I'm eagerly awaiting publication of her "Churches" - these books contain marvelous black and white photo collections of subjects around the world, with a succinct and intriguing text about each.They invite repeated perusals, and I keep them, in their handsome jackets, where I can see and enjoy them again and again.Often, when I have a few moments, I like to reflect on the historical descriptions of these wonderous man-made miracles and re-study the photos. Of special interest may be the structures which one in fact has seen, perhaps many times.The books are well-indexed and provided with suggestions for further reading.

A bridge lover
I was a little disappointed in this book in that it really doesn't get into much detail about any of the bridges which are discussed.It's more of a "coffe table" book without out much informative depth.Nothing to really sink your teeth into.However, if you're not already familiar with any of the bridges covered in the book, or you're not a nut for bridges, then this book is a great introduction to a few of the most beautiful bridges to be seen.One neat thing that I did really like is that it is a very wide book which allows you a little better perspective of the true size of some of the bridges - you get long pictures instead of little ones of each bridge.That was kind of cool!My 5 yr old son loves "reading" this book to me! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Unknown Gem
Fun and excellent book on bidding fundamentals.Not simple stuff like what do you respond with 6-9, etc.Instead it shows bidding sequences and asks you to figure out pards hand shape.There are some good play problems requiring visualization and deduction, (rather than advanced squeezes).The book will expose gaps in your knowledge of fundamental bidding.This is far more valuable than studying new conventions.

A GREAT book for Intermediates.

I bet many of you "advanced" players would get a lot of this BASIC and FUNDAMENTAL material wrong.

... Read more

Product Description
An informative sourcebook demystifies the intimidating web of medical jargon, offering essential information about what is needed to reduce anxiety and bills while explaining symptoms, treatment options, and nutritional guidelines. ... Read more

Product Description
Sherlock Holmes stories are intermingled with interesting and instructive bridge hands in matches pitting Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson against Harry Skurry and Betty Castle.Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Not a very good book, not a great way to bid a bridge hand
I am writing this review as a counterweight to some of the other reviews that find something here to praise.Credentials:I have played with 2/1 since the early seventies, when it was called Walsh, after one of its primary developers; occasionally playing the system but far more often against it.I have never cared for this approach to bidding, so it makes it easier for me to be critical of one of the system's principal advocates.

I suspect that most bridge players who pick up this book are motivated by pressure from your peers to adopt 2/1.Newer players may be following the advice of others who tell them they need to understand the system to compete against it.If so, you probably don't have much choice but to learn enough of it to argue the system's merits, or lack thereof.Hardy's 2/1 book is not particularly good for either objective.It would be better to look to a writer who has a better sense of what is essential and what is not. The primary virtue of Hardy's book is actually shared by any system book - if you and your partner have both read it, you will know what your own bids mean and sometimes what your partner or opponent is doing, unlike the majority of players, who only think they do.

If you read a good book on bidding systems like the book on Romex by George Rosenkrantz - the book is superb, the system is quirky - or Kaplan and Sheinwold [on the K-S system], or even the original Four Aces book published in 1932, you will find out a lot more about actual bridge than you will in Hardy's book.The two over one system is sort of like a sleek hull that has acquired an accretion of barnacles to the point that the vessel barely makes headway.Max Hardy loves every barnacle.

If you are not committed to playing 2/1, you can step back and see that the gimmicks attached to gimmicks really are an indication that the fundamental idea behind 2/1GF does not work very well.The cost to accuracy in bidding caused by adopting a strong two-over-one response is much higher than inexperienced players usually realize.The limit hand of 10-12 points occurs opposite an opening bid far more often than a game forcing bid.The Walsh-Hardy method does not bid these as well as old-fashioned standard techniques.

Accurate game decisions occur when you can assess side-suit fits.Everyone understands this when they consider help-suit or short-suit game tries over a simple major suit raise but most players forget the principle when their partner has a limit raise.Even players who avoid the complexities of 2/1 tend to use some sort of bulk-strength-showing bid like invitational jump bids or Bergen raises, rather than using a technique that reveals which cards are "working" or what values are duplicated.

Supposedly, the cost of the system is compensated by the freedom to make low-level exploratory bids on those rare occasions when two opening bids accrue to the same side of the contest.Even this strength of the system is suspect:Partners who take this idea seriously tend to meander about with good hands, revealing helpful information to the defenders, rather than honing in on their own goal quickly.Two-over-one tends to assign systemic meaning to simple jump bids in forcing auctions [usually a splinter raise or a fragment bid], so it is difficult for either partner to unambiguously show that their hand has extra values without an improved fit.The notion that "fast arrival" can clarify the issue is mistaken.The partner of the fast arriver may have substantially more than a simple game force but be un-inclined to show it because their partner has pre-empted them.Most system players have discarded strong jump-shift responses to play Bergen raises and pre-emptive jumps so they cannot really clarify when they have an extraordinary hand.

If you have the option, I recommend that you avoid this system.If you cannot avoid the system, I recommend that you avoid this book.

excellent disxussion and tutorial on the subject
Clearly, this is a great book for either the expert or the novice (previously stuck in the world of SAYC) trying to move into the world of better bidding.

A must read for all serious 2/1 bidders
Max Hardy's book is considered, by most bridge teachers and experts, to be the bible for the 2/1 game force bidding method.It comprehensively covers every aspect of an entire bidding system encompassing 2/1 GF, 1NT forcing and all of the supporting conventions necessary to make up a bidding system to address all hand possibilities.Quite frankly, it isn't easy to read, because each paragraph contains a nugget of knowledge which must be carefully digested by the reader.But, it's a must read for anyone who wants to keep up to date on the most exciting innovations in bridge bidding over the last decade.After having read through the entire book twice, I keep my copy at my bedside, and fall asleep reading a randomly selected section.Each time, I discover another nuance which enhances my bridge bidding repertoire.

Learn to play the Two Over One System
Today's most popular bidding style thoroughly explained.

A sophisticated book for relatively advanced players
Being unsatisfied with my level of understanding of the two over one bidding system (after a friend taught the basics to me), I read this book, which everyone told me was the authority on the subject.I found in this book a fairly complete description of a system a level or two more sophisticated than what I had previously played.Max Hardy tries to convey a great deal of information to the reader, so the text is somewhat dense and must be read slowly and carefully.Furtheremore, despite its length, the book doesn't always cover certain situations in as much depth as I would like.On a possibly related note, Max Hardy assumes that the reader has a good knowledge of standard bidding.Hence, my earlier disappointment at the lack of depth in some cases may reflect more my own lack of knowledge than any deficiency on Max Hardy's part (this is the first book I have read describing an entire bidding system).

In short, if you're interested in learning two over one, you really should read this book.Eventually.If you're a fairly inexperienced player, first finish learning standard bidding and then be prepared for a slow but informative read. ... Read more

Product Description
This bio-bibliography traces the stylistic development and defines the musical personality of one of the major British composers of the first half of the 20th century. Frank Bridge's works, enjoying renewed interest since the late 1960s, are the subject of careful research in this volume which includes a complete list of works and performances, featuring many premiere arrangements and orchestrations, as well as a substantial discography cataloguing commercially produced sound recordings. Excerpts from current reviews of contemporary performances of Bridge's work highlight the annotated bibliography, signaling a fresh look at this critically appreciated artist. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Fascinating History
Covers the history of all non-interstate bridges across the Delaware with photos of nearly every edition of every bridge. The background information and stories of how each bridge came to be are engrossing and full of interesting detail. I expected to skim this book for information on bridges I was familiar with and ended up reading it cover-to-cover. ... Read more

Product Description
Plays Two:
The Dissolution of Dominic Boot
'M' is for Moon Among Other Things
If You're Glad I'll Be Frank
Albert's Bridge
Where Are They Now?
Artist Descending a Staircase
The Dog It Was That Died
In the Native State

Introduced by the author, this second collection of work by Tom Stoppard contains his radio plays, written between 1964 and 1991. These plays reflect the full range of Stoppard's gifts as well as his craftsmanship and versatility. His work for radio complements (and sometimes prefigures) his work for the stage.

Included in this volume is In the Native State, which became the stage play Indian Ink.

Albert's Bridge won the Italia Prize and In the Native State won a Sony Award.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A mixed collection, but a must-have for Stoppard fans
Let's face it; if you're looking at Volume Two of a collection, you're already a fan. This is a collection of short radio plays, mainly from early in Stoppard's career. Some are minor classics (Dominic Boot, Albert's Bridge) and others are forgettable. However, all of them show the true Stoppard spark, wit and intellect. Don't expect work of the same quality as the major plays, and you'll be happy. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a collection of at "Frank Stewart's elbow" pieces. He'll always be south and you'll sit beside him and hear his thoughts as he bids and plays 70 deals in competition. You can make your own decisions as you go along and see if your auctions match his. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

like "Play These Hands With Me" by Terence Reese
The reader is presented with a number of declarer or defense hands and listens to Frank Stewarts thinking process as the card play unfolds.

I consider it soewhat advanced because the reader must draw some non-trivial inferences on the opponents shape or strength.Visualization is important, as these are not simple "count your winners / their losers" type probelms.There are few squeezes, just mentions as an alternative line of play.

Some will find the authors bidding very conservative.These days many people under 65 would bid on some of the hands the author passes on.

Its still a great book, because almost all the correct plays can be found by counting and drawing inferences. ... Read more

Product Description
Millwood Publishing; Spokane, WA144 pages includes index ... Read more

Product Description
Concentrating on defensive play in bridge, this book covers all aspects of play from opening leads, second, third and fourth-hand play, timing, signalling, cutting communications and counting to inferential and deceptive play. ... Read more

Product Description
Sherlock Holmes stories are intermingled with interesting and instructive bridge hands in matches pitting Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson against Harry Skurry and Betty Castle. ... Read more