No trump contracts provide the nuts and bolts of bridge card play. Without a trump suit lurking in the background, where small cards can pop up unexpectedly and ruff your winners, the play is simplified and becomes all about the correct handling of the suits. This does not imply that no trump play is easy--far from it. There are difficult decisions to be made all along the line: should you take a finesse? which is the danger hand? when is it right to hold off? In this groundbreaking book, renowned bridge author David Bird helps you to answer these questions and to comprehend the reasoning as to why certain decisions are taken. Each independent principle is thoroughly examined and the reader is then invited to test their own understanding of the concept by answering a number of puzzles typical of those that arise in practical play.

Forty years ago, in 1980, Robert Berthe and Norbert Lébely put the finishing touches on two books that would revolutionize the teaching of bridge cardplay: the first two books in the Step by Step series (Pas à Pas in the original French). Based on an innovative yet clear and easily-understandable pedagogical approach involving the reader in a series of questions and answers, the series has allowed hundreds of thousands of readers over the years to absorb techniques known to be arduous and complex. Now available in English for the first time, this edition reflects the updates made by Lébely in 2020. He did the revision alone, as Robert Berthe had passed away in 2016. The first part of the book teaches the techniques by leading the reader step by step through a series of examples. The second part consists of problem deals where what has been learned can be applied and reinforced.

Many players feel trepidation when faced with playing a no-trumps contract. In this book Ron Klinger shows you how to approach such contracts without fear. The correct lines and logical thinking are explained clearly and you will not only make your contracts, but also score overtricks as well. This book is about the strategy of succeeding as declarer when you play no-trumps. The first section deals with the approach you should adopt before you even play a card from dummy. Then follow heaps of practical examples, problems for you to solve, deals that arose in major competitions where the very best players did not always find the right answer. Most importantly, the solutions include the logic behind the right play, the clues to locate the missing cards and ideas on how to induce opposition error when you have no legitimate chance for success. In this book, Australian expert Ron Klinger shows you how to come out on top more often. Where you might have felt reluctance when playing no-trumps, you will emerge with a new sense of confidence. No-trumps will no longer hold any fears for you.

"It's generally accepted that defense is the most difficult part of the game. Audrey's latest book takes a look at defending against notrump contracts with a focus on the opening lead and how it impacts the subsequent defense. The book covers: the oldest maxim, fourth highest from longest and strongest...and why it has stood the test of time; when to lead partner's suit...and which card to lead; why you should avoid leading the opponents' suit...and what to do if you can't; what to lead from a sequence...and why it matters; when to lead the 'top of nothing'; when it's time to 'take the tricks and run'; there are 16 practice deals. The book is for the advancing player."--Publisher's description.

Winning 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.

Most bridge books teach you the rules. They don't teach you to think. This book teaches you to analyze the bid process, understand the meaning of the leading the first card and communication with your partner. There is no substitute for thinking. Bridge video games are built on implementing these rules and most of the times you win the computer. Why you win the computers? Because it programmed to play according to the rules. An example of a bad rule is the "third-hand-play high" rule. In my book, there are many examples that if you implement that rule automatically, you lose. There is no substitute for thinking, and my book guides you how to do so.

Each book in the Test Your Bridge Technique series is a collection of bridge problems which provide a fun way to practice and develop your skill in an important cardplay technique at bridge. These books are designed to add an extra dimension to the detailed instruction contained in the Bridge Technique series (Bird and Smith).