Do you remember the first few times you played bridge? To get you started, a friend probably gave you a few helpful hints -- perhaps one of the ones listed to the left. There are many such general guidelines for bridge players -- some of them valuable, some not. But these are the Bridge Myths, not the Bridge Rules -- because they all have exceptions and none should be followed blindly. In reading this book you will get to see what it is about each guideline that makes it so useful; more importantly, you will also learn to recognize the times when you should ignore it. DECLARER'S MYTHS - Draw trumps straight away - Hold up an ace - Win as cheaply as possible - Play low in second seat - Eight ever, nine never - Ruff losers in the dummy - Finesse whenever you can - Play on your longest suit first - Lead towards high cards - Ruff the defenders' winners - Lead low to a trick - Run your longest suit - Leave the big decision until last DEFENDER'S MYTHS - Third hand high - Return partner's suit - Cover an honor with an honor - Second hand low - Capture an honor with an honor - Lead through strength - Discard from your weakest suit - Score a ruff when you can - Never give a ruff-and-sluff - Split your honors - Follow low when a trick is lost - Don't ruff partner's winner David Bird, who lives near Southampton, England, has written more than 100 books on the game. Despite spending much of the year travelling, he still finds time to write new stories every month for a host of magazines around the world, usually featuring his best-known characters, the monks of St. Titus Abbey. He is also a regular commentator on BBO broadcasts of top-level competitions.

Another title in the best-selling '25' series, from award-winning author and master teacher Barbara Seagram, and using the same popular format as earlier books. Other titles in the series have revolved around bidding; this one deals with the play of the cards as declarer, a major topic in beginner and intermediate bridge lessons. As usual in this series, basic ideas on the strategies and tactics available to declarer are covered comprehensively in the early part of the book, while in later chapters, more advanced players will find ideas and topics that challenge their own understanding of the game.

The squel to ... 25 bridge conventions you should know--Cover.

To be successful, a bridge player has to think like a detective, tracking down the distribution of the unseen hands. Although many players are oblivious to them, the tell-tale clues are there, just waiting to be noticed. They are there, just waiting to be noticed. They are there in the auction and in the opening lead. Every time a defender plays a card, declarer receives information. Similarly, everything that declarer does can be turned to advantage by alert defenders. There is even vital intelligence to be gained by thinking about what a player does not do! In this book, you will learn where to look for these clues, and more importantly, how to draw the correct inferences from them. From there, it is only a short step to making bids and plays based on those inference, and thereby becoming a much better player.

So you tend to be dealt very bad hands. I know exactly you feel! But, facing the facts of life and recognising that it is not your fault, you are going to have to accommodate this failing and improve your defence. It is a hard part of the game; even in international competitions, the standard of defensive play is, to put it kindly, modest. Yes, you will get plenty of reports of brilliances involving spectacular switches, deceptions, unblocks and discards of honours. But for every one of those, there are countless others in which the display would disgrace any beginners' class. I am going to assume that you are a regular club or tournament player who knows the basics of defence but who comes unstuck when it comes to situations where you have to work the hand out in detail. This book will help you to improve dramatically in this area. -- Danny Roth.

Even social bridge can be like a roller coaster, where partners rocket up and down together from euphoria to 'you idiot' - while club and tournament bridge are worse still. Indeed, when a married couple play bridge together, they tend to drag the marriage along with them - for better or worse. For the answer to the social dilemma of how to survive bridge games with your spouse, read this book. You will learn to deal with such situations as premarital bridge, bridge with another couple, disaster recovery, romantic weekends, mid-life crises and even children as the critical phases of a bridge marriage are subjected to Ms. Teukolsky's witty and engaging analysis and advice. Roselyn Teukolsky Before her retirement, Roselyn Teukolsky taught math and computer science at Ithaca High School in upstate New York. She is married to her favorite bridge partner, and they have two daughters. Formerly a regular contributor to various bridge magazines, she is working on a novel that has nothing to do with bridge.

This is an unusual problem book in the style of Diosy's There Must Be a Way, in that the reader is shown all four hands and asked whether declarer or defense should prevail with best play. A fascinating challenge for the advancing player.