Analyses the correct percentage play of common suit combinations, classified according to the cards which are missing.

52 hands presented as problems. Discusses the proper way to play each combination. Each hand concludes with further analysis.

Covers players, history, rules, and bidding conventions.

Did you ever notice how the bridge experts always seem to know where every card is? How their finesses always seem to succeed? How their guesses are nearly always perfect? This book won't teach you to play quite that well, but it will introduce you to some very simple techniques that the experts use on play and defense. As declarer or defender, counting the hand is the one thing that will help you the most. But how do you keep track of all those cards? This book will show you how - explaining the tricks of the trade, and helping anyone who can count to thirteen to become a much better player. Full of practical examples of how to apply the information you get from counting, this book is sure to improve your game.

Teach Yourself VISUALLY™ Tricks. Trumps. Auctions. Contracts. Bridge is a challenging game, but you can quickly grasp its basics with this guide that shows how it's played. Teach Yourself VISUALLY Bridge covers everything from evaluating a hand and bidding it through playing the cards and scoring the results—guiding you play by play and trick by trick. With this book and with practice as declarer or defender, you"ll quickly be playing your bridge cards right. Maybe you"ll even make a slam—doubled, redoubled, and vulnerable! Concise lessons show you the keys to successful play and are ideal for quick review Text helps to de-mystify bridge rules, lingo, and traditions Each strategy or tactic is clearly explained Graphics help you visualize concepts and build your bridge skills Helpful tips provide additional guidance

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.