Bridge Bookstore
from Karen's Bridge Library
|
Here's a list of
bridge books and software for beginners through experts.
Use the links below to jump to a list for each
category.
designates my choices as among the best in each category.
|
Search
for books by
topic, title or author.
Follow the links on
this page for
details on recommended titles
or use the box to
search all of Amazon.
Purchases made from links on this page generate a small commission for
kwbridge.com
|
Kindle &
Amazon Fire
Amazon's wireless e-readers and tablets
Bridge
titles on Kindle
|
|
|
Newest books
(published in the last
two years)
Step
by Step: Playing Suit Contracts
Playing
Notrump Contracts (Beginner to intermediate)
By Robert
Berthe and Norbert Lébely.
A introduction
to declaring for novice and intermediate players. Each book features 49
deals, presented with a series of questions and answers that guide the
reader to the solution. Suit
Contracts was winner of
the 2023 Advancing Beginner Book of the Year award from the American Bridge
Teachers Association.
Bridge Cardplay: Easy Guide Series
(Beginner to intermediate)
By
David Bird & Marc Smith. Ten booklets on the essential skills for declarer.
Topics range from the basics (finessing, drawing trumps, establishing long
suits) to more advanced techniques (entry management, holdup plays and safety
plays).
Winner of the 2022 Outstanding Collection - Intermediate award from the
American Bridge Teachers Association.
The Magic of
Defense (Beginner to intermediate)
By Barbara Seagram. Clear instruction and quizzes to teach the basics of
defensive play.
By Dr. James Sternberg and Danny Kleinman. Instructional deals and tips to
improve specific aspects of bidding, defense and declarer play. The books
feature good advice, well-chosen examples and an engaging writing style that
clearly explains the concepts. The authors won the 2022 Outstanding Collection -
Advanced Intermediate award from the American Bridge Teachers Association.
Let's Play Some Bridge
(Intermediate)
By Frank Stewart. The author's analyzes bidding and play problems by emphasizing
logic, inferences and other expert-level thinking strategies.
Twelve Important Bridge Lessons on Declarer
Play
(Intermediate)
By David Bird. Well-written
instruction on valuable skills that can be used at every session of bridge. The
topics range from the basics (when to draw trumps, how to establish long suits)
to more advanced techniques (elimination plays, how to count opponents’
distribution). Winner of the 2023 Intermediate Book of the Year award from the
American Bridge Teachers Association.
Play it Safe (Intermediate)
By Barbara Seagram and David Bird. Tips, techniques and quizzes designed to help declarers guarantee their
contracts. Winner of the 2022 Advanced Book of the Year award from the
American Bridge Teachers Association.
25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know - 2nd
edition (Intermediate)
By Barbara Seagram, Marc Smith and David Bird. The best-selling bridge book of
all time, this new edition has been completely revised and updated with modern
bidding treatments. It features three new chapters, including explanations
of notrump defenses from David Bird.
Also available is an updated edition of the companion
Pocket Guide that provides a quick
reference to the guidelines for all the conventions.
Combining Your Chances
(Intermediate)
By Danny Roth. Clear explanations and good a good selection of
deals that illustrate how to solve declarer-play problems.
Secret Jojo Plays Lebensohl (Intermediate)
By Joanne Waldron. An entertaining and
very thorough guide to the Lebensohl convention, a valuable bidding tool used by
tournament players. The author uses illustrations, stories, poems, quizzes and
many memory aids to explain the uses and help readers retain the information.
A Swiss Teams Challenge
(Intermediate)
By Rakesh Kumar. A series of deals where you're called on to
make bidding and play decisions during a two-day Swiss Teams event. Presented in
quiz format, most of the problems come from actual tournaments.
Insights on Bridge: Book 3
(Intermediate to advanced)
By Mike Lawrence. This is the third installment in Lawrence's Insights
series, which features practical tips and mini-lessons for advancing players.
Winner of the 2023 Intermediate/Advanced Book of the Year award from the
American Bridge Teachers Association.
Why I Lose at Bridge
(Intermediate to advanced)
By Ben Norton. An entertaining and instructive collection of errors made in
pubs, clubs and high-level tournaments by a young English internationalist.
Parrish the Thought: Volume 1
(Intermediate to advanced)
By Adam Parrish. A thorough discussion of preempts and overcalls, including how
to respond to partner and defend against the opponents' bids.
Winner of the 2022
Advanced Intermediate Book of the Year award from the American Bridge Teachers
Association.
Test Your Bridge Judgment
(Intermediate to advanced)
By Barry Rigal. A series of deals and quizzes that guide you through critical
decisions at each stage of the bidding and play. Winner of the 2022 Advanced
Book of the Year award from the American Bridge Teachers Association.
Bridge Outside the Box with Val Kovachev
(Intermediate to advanced)
By Dennis Dawson and Charlie Wilkins. A look at the bidding philosophies and
tactics of a very aggressive bidder. The book features numerous examples of
creative bidding and play.
Sublime Declarer Play: After the Contested
Auction (Advanced)
By Nick Smith. Good tips and an
interesting discussion of how to identify and use inferences to improve declarer
play after competitive auctions.
Method Bridge
(Advanced to expert)
By Matt Granovetter. The author explains a unique visualization process
that uses Method acting techniques. It relies on
picturing distributional shapes to improve on standard counting methods and make it easier to
remember cards that have been played.
Heroes, Icons and Scandals
(General interest)
By Barnet Shenkin. Intriguing stories about the champions,
villains and colorful personalities in bridge history.
Bridge's First Hippie: Book One
(General interest)
By Peter Weichsel. A fascinating
autobiography by a world champion who was coming of age in the
1960s. It starts with his childhood in New York City and focuses on his life and
career as a bridge professional up through age 40. It includes analyses of
many critical deals from championship events. A sequel is planned.
Bridge with Another Perfect Partner
(General interest)
By John Carruthers. A humorous look at bridge mistakes
in a collection of challenging deals.
The Abbot's Senior Moment
(General interest)
By David Bird. The fourteenth book in the humorous series about the arrogant
Abbot and the bridge-obsessed monks of St. Titus. The deals are clever and
instructive, with clearly explained solutions that can be understood by players
of a wide range of experience levels.
Bridge books on Kindle (All levels)
Many new titles and old classics formatted for the Kindle, Amazon's e-reader.
Back to top
Bridge Classics and "Must-Reads"
Five
Weeks to Winning Bridge (Beginner)
By Alfred Sheinwold. This classic has taught millions to play, and it's the
very first bridge book I ever read. I read it in one weekend -- and then
reread it several times. It teaches 4-card majors, but the principles are
easily adapted to a 5-card-major system.
Classic
Book on the Play of the Hand (Beginner to intermediate)
By Louis Watson. This is the oldest and most comprehensive guide to
understanding the cards, with a wealth of information on suit combinations,
basic strategies, end positions and other principles of declarer play. It was
the second book I read, and it was slow going -- it requires careful study,
but what you learn from it is invaluable.
Bid
Better, Play Better (Beginner to intermediate)
By Dorothy Hayden (Truscott). It's interesting that in the promotional quotes
on the back cover of my very old copy, Alan Truscott (the author's future
husband) offered the endorsement "one of the best bridge books ever
written by a woman". Quite an understatement, as this is one of the best
bridge books ever written by anyone, men included. Hayden's clear approach and
sound advice will transform your game. This is an updated version of
this classic.
Commonsense
Bidding
How
to Play a Bridge Hand
How
to Defend a Bridge Hand (Beginner to intermediate)
By William Root. You can't go wrong with any title from this master teacher,
and these are three of his best. Commonsense Bidding is the most
complete guide to basic bidding, published in 1986 but already regarded as a
classic. The How to titles are comprehensive guides to every aspect of
play and defense, with hundreds of hands that clearly demonstrate strategies,
techniques and psychological factors. Each title was named Bridge Book of the
Year (Commonsense in 1987; How to Play in 1990; How to Defend
in 1994).
Complete
Book on Hand Evaluation (Beginner to advanced)
By Mike Lawrence. One of the best books ever written on this subject, from one
of the most readable and popular of all bridge authors. Lawrence offers good
advice on everything from basic counting to expert-level inferences.
How
to Read Your Opponents' Cards (Intermediate to advanced)
By Mike Lawrence. Valuable tips for all bridge players, with great insights
into how experts read subtle clues and signals at the table.
Opening
Leads (Intermediate to advanced)
By Bob Ewen. One of the most thorough and well-written books on the most
difficult aspect of the game. The author covers all the basics -- plus many
advanced topics -- by presenting bidding scenarios and quizzes, with excellent
explanations of how to collect clues from the auction. Lead-directing
bids and doubles are also discussed. Now out of print, but used copies are
available. Also deserving of "classic" status is Mike Lawrence's
Opening
Leads.
Right
Through the Pack (Intermediate to expert)
By Robert Darvas & Norman de V. Hart. A brilliant fantasy featuring
ingenious hands and humor as each card in the deck tells its own tale. Each of
the 52 stories offers shrewd advice for players of all levels. Voted one of
the top three books of all time in the ACBL survey.
Bridge
in the Menagerie (Intermediate to expert)
By Victor Mollo. Humorous tales of the Hideous Hog, Rueful Rabbit and the
other eccentrics at the Griffins Club, from one of the game's most
entertaining authors. Mollo's characters and expert, witty analysis make these
some of the most memorable hands ever published.
To
Bid or not to Bid: The Law of Total Tricks (Intermediate
to expert)
By Larry Cohen. A best-seller that will change the way you evaluate your hands
and make competitive bidding decisions. It contains many advanced topics and
analyses, but the basic principles of "the Law" can be easily
understood -- and successfully used -- by intermediate-level players. 1992
Bridge Book of the Year.
Also recommended:
I
Fought the Law of Total Tricks by Mike Lawrence and Anders Wigren. The
authors offer evidence and examples that take issue with the theory of The Law of
Total Tricks. Advanced and expert-level players will find excellent bidding
strategies here.
Card
Play Technique: Or the Art of Being Lucky (Advanced to
expert)
By Victor Mollo & Nico Gardner. Considered by many to be the best book ever
written on card play, this time-honored book teaches techniques you can apply to
both declarer play and defense.
The
Secrets of Winning Bridge (Advanced to expert)
by Jeff Rubens. Interesting and very detailed discussions on hand evaluation, matchpoint play and
many topics that are covered only lightly in other books.
Killing
Defence at Bridge (Advanced to expert)
By Hugh Kelsey. Brilliant advice on how to solve problems on defense, with
many very difficult quiz hands. Also recommended is the sequel, More
Killing Defence.
Bridge
Odds for Practical Players (Advanced to expert)
By Hugh Kelsey & Michael Glauert. The leading book on bridge
probabilities, now in its 7th printing. The authors provide short explanations
of the theories and detailed examples of how to calculate odds and solve
problems at the table.
Matchpoints
(Advanced to expert)
By Kit Woolsey. The best book ever written on expert-level matchpoint strategy
and tactics. The author tells you up front that you probably won't agree with
all his ideas, but they will definitely make you think -- and improve your
matchpoint decisions.
Adventures in Card Play (Expert)
By Hugh Kelsey and Geza Ottlik. This is a reprint of a classic that is
one of the most challenging bridge books ever written. The deals are
ingenious, sometimes spectacular, and the analysis is very deep and detailed.
Bridge Squeezes Complete: Winning Endplay Strategy (Expert)
By Clyde Love. This is a new edition of the time-honored, expert-level treatise on squeeze play.
It's definitely not light reading, but worth the time and study for serious
players.
Why
you Lose at Bridge (All levels)
By S. J. Simon. Meet the Unlucky Expert, Mr. Smug, Mrs. Guggenheim and other
now-famous characters in a book with simple, entertaining advice on how to attain the best
results possible. Published in 1946 and reprinted in 1996, this was voted the
#1 book of all time in the December 1994 ACBL Bulletin survey.
The Official ACBL Encyclopedia of Bridge
(All levels)
Edited by Brent Manley. A thick volume packed with information on people,
conventions, card combinations, bridge terms, history and just about anything
else you might ever want to know about bridge. This is the 7th edition, updated in late
2011.
Back to top
Basic books for beginners and learners
A Taste of Bridge
By Jeff Bayone. A series of six lessons based on the beginner
course taught at the largest club in North America -- the Honors Bridge Club in
New York City. Bayone keeps it simple and emphasizes how to have fun learning
and playing. Winner of the 2018 Newcomer Book of the Year award from the American Bridge Teachers
Association.
Startup Bridge and Beyond
By Lynn Berg. A
long-time bridge teacher adds a personal touch to this discussion of how to play
duplicate bridge, develop a partnership and deal with mistakes. Winner of the
2019 ABTA Beginner Book of the Year award.
How to Play and Win at Bridge
By David Bird. A complete tutorial for learners, plus features for players of
all skill levels -- bridge history, reference material, features on famous
players, bridge on TV and video, computer and online bridge. Formatted for gift
giving -- hard cover 256 pages and more than 700 illustrations and photographs.
Win at Bridge: A Teach Yourself Guide
By David Bird. A beginner's guide with quick-start introductions to key
principles, interactive quizzes and self-tests. The author offers additional
articles on a companion website to help learners track their progress.
Quiz Book Series:
Declarer Play at Bridge
Defensive Play at Bridge
Bidding at Bridge
By David Bird & Barbara Seagram. Good explanations of the basics. Each
section contains a brief introduction on a specific topic, followed by problems
that allow readers to practice their new skills.
Declarer Play at Bridge was named the 2013 Book of the Year by the
American Bridge Teachers' Association.
How
to Play Winning Bridge
By David Bird. A teaching course and guide to all things bridge, this
hard-cover volume includes a history of the game and its champions, a beginner
tutorial, sample games, rules and reference sections. A majority of the later
chapters are written for intermediate and higher-level players.
Gary Brown's Learn to Play Bridge
By Gary Brown. Designed for newcomers, this well-organized manual offers
an easy, step-by-step approach and a refreshing writing style. Named 2007 Book
of the Year by the American Bridge Teachers Association.
Tournament Bridge Series:
Beginner
Intermediate
Notrump contracts
By Ken
Casey. Four books that focus on basic strategies for tournament play. A fourth
volume in the series,
Tournament Bridge for Advanced Players, offers more advanced
instruction. Available in
paperback and Kindle editions.
Larry Teaches Modern Bidding (Kindle versions):
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
Vol. 3
By Larry Cohen. Basic instruction on opening bids and responses, opener's rebid,
responder's rebid and competitive auctions. Winner of the 2021 Beginner Book of
the Year award from the American Bridge Teachers Association.
I Love Bridge
By Mimi David. A workbook for bridge teachers and learners who want to teach
themselves how to play. This is the first in the three-volume "Valentine" series
that includes Intermediate and Advanced Bridge texts plus a teacher's manual.
Playing a Bridge Hand: Just the Basics
By Mary Ann DuFresne. A how-to book for beginners who want to learn more about
planning the play, managing entries, building tricks and eliminating losers.
Goren's
New Bridge Completete
By Charles Goren. The original "bible" for the Standard American
5-card-major system, this classic was updated in 1985 and remains a solid
reference for beginners and advancing players.
Club and Diamond
Series
Opening
the Bidding Bridge
Basics 3: Popular Conventions
By Audrey Grant. "Bidding in the 21st Century" series, which includes updates
of instructional books used in American Contract Bridge League teaching
programs. The Club Series manual teaches bidding; the Diamond Series teaches
play of the hand. Other titles by Audrey Grant are
here.
Five Steps to Simplify the
Defense
Five Steps to Simplify Entries
By Audrey Grant. Two booklets with clear instructions, examples and practice deals on
how to win extra tricks as defender and declarer. Simplify the Defense
was named the 2020 Beginner Book of the Year by the American Bridge Teachers
Association (ABTA).
Newcomer's Guide: A Stress-Free Introduction to Duplicate Bridge
By Brian Gray. The basics of duplicate play,
including game formats, bridge laws, etiquette and procedures. The author
includes lots of how-to tips on filling out convention cards, using bidding
boxes, using scoring equipment and more. Available in Kindle and hard-cover
editions.
Bridge: All You Need to Know to Get Started
By Mark Horton. A comprehensive guide to the basics, presented in a handy spiral
hardback format with full-color graphics and large hand diagrams. The lessons
start with material for absolute beginners and progress to more advanced topics.
Bridge
for Dummies
Bridge for Dummies (Large-print edition)
By Eddie Kantar. An entertaining, detailed introduction to the basics of
bidding and play. 1997 Bridge Book of the Year. The large-print edition features
updated information on the latest bidding techniques and an expanded section on
playing bridge online.
Introduction
to Declarer Play
Introduction to Defense
By Eddie
Kantar, with Barbara Seagram. More than 50 years after their first publication,
these classics have been revised and updated to reflect modern methods of play
and bridge education. Kantar offers comprehensive instruction and an
entertaining writing style that makes learning fun. Both volumes include some
advanced material. Both books were named winners of the Legacy Award in the ABTA's 2020 Book of the Year contest.
Bridge
Basics Five-Card
Majors
By Ron Klinger. Two volumes with succinct lessons that teach the basics of the
standard bidding system used by most players in North America.
Teach Your Child Bridge
By Ron Klinger. Designed for adults who want to introduce bridge to children.
The book presents a simplified ACOL system (popular in the UK) with lessons, graphics and teaching
tips.
Bridge for Club Players: Book Zero
By
Geoff Lacy. Subtitled "Starting the game", this is the first of three books for
newcomers. It explains the basics of bridge and provides the background needed
to enter your first club game.
The
Fun Way to Serious Bridge
By Harry Lampert. Now in its 20th printing, this is a sound introduction to
the basics, with lots of illustrations and a pleasant writing style. The tips
here are valuable for learners and for party-bridge players who want to make
the transition to duplicate bridge.
The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Bridge
By Anthony Medley. A comprehensive lesson book for learners, with good
explanations of the logic behind bridge bidding. Each chapter has many quiz
hands.
A First Book of Bridge Problems
A Second Book of Bridge Problems
By Pat O'Connor. Fifty declarer and defensive problems, presented in approximate
order of difficulty. The emphasis is on planning the play at the first trick.
A First Book was named 2012 Bridge Book of the Year by the American Bridge Teachers Association.
Demystifying Defense
By Patrick
O'Connor. Instruction in basic defensive concepts with 40 forty problems that
demonstrate how to think through each trick.
ABC's
of Bridge
By William Root. Clear descriptions of the basics from this
award-winning teacher.
Learn
Bridge in Five Days Bridge
for Bright Beginners
By Terence Reese. Bidding summaries and fundamentals of offensive and
defensive bidding and play.
An
Introduction to the Science of Bidding: Bridge with Brian
By Brian Richardson. A beginner's text that will appeal to those who
eventually want to play duplicate bridge. In addition to the basics, the
author teaches weak two-bids, Jacoby transfers and other popular conventions.
The Times Beginner's Guide to Bridge (Beginner)
by Andrew Robson. A complete course that starts with the basics and teaches
essential skills. The book includes many practice hands and discussions of how
to improve your memory and communication with partner.
Beginning Bridge
By Barbara Seagram & Linda Lee. This learner's manual covers every aspect of
the game -- bidding, declarer play, defense and scoring -- with
user-friendly tips, stories and quizzes.
Planning the Play of a Bridge Hand
By Barbara Seagram. Good instruction on the basics of declarer play, including
suit establishment, finessing and ruffing losers. It also focuses on how
declarer forms a plan for the entire hand. Planning the Play: The Next Level is
a companion volume that covers more advanced techniques.
Planning the Defense
By Barbara Seagram and David Bird.
A step-by-step guide to all aspects of defending a bridge hand -- making a plan,
signaling, discarding and counting points, tricks and distribution.
The Road Across the Bridge: A Relaxed Tuition in the Art of Bridge
By Bryan Stephens. An introduction to the bare basics of cardplay, followed by
instructions for playing Minibridge, then "real" bridge. The later chapters
cover simple conventions and playing tactics, interspersed with
humor and commentary.
Wait-A-Minute Bridge
By David Stevens. Subtitled "A Complete System for Bridge Beginners and
Advancing Players", this book uses a stop-action format to encourage the reader
to think through bidding, play and defense problems.
Defending at Bridge: A First Course
By Bill Treble. A well-written overview of the basics of defense.
Eight lessons and many practical examples explain opening leads, signaling,
second- and third-hand play, discards and other topics. Named 2017 Book of the
Year by the American Bridge Teachers Association.
Bridge
in 3 Weeks
By Alan Truscott. A comprehensive, 21-day course for absolute
beginners. The basics are presented in an short, easy steps, with a
handy index for quick reference.
Bridge is for Kids
By Patty Tucker. Beginner lessons written for children.
Bridge for Beginners & Beyond
By Karen Walker. The 18th edition of a self-teaching textbook for learners and
advancing players who want to tune up their skills. This revised edition
features a chapter on the popular 2-over-1 bidding system. Lessons begin with the
bare basics and progress to more advanced topics, including tips on how to add
popular conventions to your system. Order direct from the author through this
link.
Back to top
For advancing players
Bridge:
Tips and Techniques from the Masters
Various contributors. This heavy volume is an edited compilation of
several bridge books, most by English authors, including Tony Sowter, Brian
Senior, Sally Brock and Tony Forrester. It includes 4249 diagrammed deals in
sections on bidding, defense and declarer play.
Shark's Pointers
By
Mark Aquino. Interesting deals, humorous anecdotes and advice for advancing
bridge players.
Counting at Bridge: The Easy Way to Improve
Your Game
By
Diane Aves. An introduction to the critical skills of counting and card reading.
The emphasis is on basic techniques and concepts for newer and advancing
players.
Matchpoint
Tricks
By Ib Axelson & Villy Dam. A series of declarer-play problems with a
theme of finding extra tricks and a discussion of how to determine when it's
necessary to risk your contract.
Almost the Only Bridge Book You'll Ever Need: Volume 1 &
Volume 2
By Randy Baron. Two books with
essays, tips and instruction on how to be a better partner and have more fun
playing bridge.
By Marty Bergen. Modern advice and interesting ideas
-- all with a good dose of humor -- on how to evaluate bridge hands, tune up
your bidding and make at-the-table decisions. Points,
Schmoints was named 1996 Bridge Book of the Year. Declarer
Play the Bergen Way was 2005 Bridge Book of the Year.
Winning Duplicate Tactics
By David Bird. Good explanations of duplicate scoring and how to make
critical decisions in pair and team games -- how to choose contracts and when to
be aggressive vs. conservative, take risks, play for overtricks.
(entire series). By David Bird, Tim Bourke & Marc Smith. Named 2002 Bridge Book of the Year, this "Bridge Techniques" series
teaches the most important aspects of card play. Each 64-page book features
specific techniques, example hands and explanations of the strategies from
declarer's and defenders' points of view.
Suit
Contracts Defensive
Plays
Notrump
Contracts
By David Bird, Brian Senior & Sally Brock. Three volumes in the
"Essential Bridge Plays" series. Each 160-page book describes
standard techniques and advanced strategies. Bird's Notrump
Contracts was named 2003 Bridge Book of the Year by
the American Bridge Teachers Association.
52
Great Bridge Tips 52
Great Bridge Tips in Declarer Play
Another
52 Great Bridge Tips
52 Bridge Mistakes to Avoid
By David Bird. Each volume offers a series of weekly tips,
designed to keep bridge enthusiasts entertained and occupied for the whole
year.
Bridge
Squeezes for Everyone
Bridge
Endplays for Everyone
By David Bird. Straightforward explanations of two declarer-play strategies
and techniques, written in a conversational style with excellent quizzes and recaps.
Off-Road
Declarer Play
By David Bird. A unique book that explores unusual ways to play a bridge hand,
with explanations of why and when such techniques may be necessary. The
methods include strategies for creating entries, surviving bad trump breaks,
executing "elopements" and inducing the defenders to help you.
What's your line? 100 Instructive Bridge Problems
By David Bird. One hundred problems covering a wide range of card-play
techniques. Each is presented in a two-hand format with solution and full deal,
bidding tips and points to remember.
Defensive Signaling at Bridge
By David Bird. A good discussion of the purpose and types of defensive signals,
with examples, quizzes and recommendations. Also included is an analysis of the
methods used by eight world-class pairs.
Ten
Ways to Improve Your Bridge
Ten More Ways to Improve Your Bridge
By David Bird. Each book offers an analysis of ten topics in bidding and play,
ranging from cuebids to special doubles to creative fit-showing bids. The
sequel includes tips on adding helpful conventions (Jacoby
2NT, Lebensohl and three forms of keycard Blackwood).
Clever Plays In The Trump Suit
By David Bird. An instructional book on declarer-play with a focus on managing
the trump suit -- unblocking, endplays, safety plays, avoidance plays, entry
management, playing Moysian fits and other techniques.
Winning Duplicate Tactics
By David Bird. Good explanations of duplicate scoring and how to make critical
decisions in pair and team games -- how to choose contracts and when to be
aggressive vs. conservative, take risks, play for overtricks. Named 2015 Book of
the Year by the American Bridge Teachers Association.
On the Other Hand: Bridge Cardplay Explained
Defense on the Other Hand
By
David Bird & Larry Cohen. A unique approach to cardplay instruction that
presents 100 pairs of similar deals that require different solutions. Each pair
is analyzed by both authors. Winner of the 2019 and 2020 ABTA Intermediate Book of the
Year awards.
Bridge Entry Techniques
By
David Bird. A comprehensive discussion of how to manage entries to partner's
hand when declaring and defending. More than 150 instructive deals cover
everything from finessing to avoidance plays to coup positions.
So You Think You Can Play Bridge
By
Peter Blekinsop and Ray Hassall. A puzzle book with 100 challenging hands for
declarer and defender.
Matchpoints Versus IMPs
By Augie Boehm. Matchpoint (pair) and IMP (team) events use different scoring
systems and require different strategies. This book offers sound advice on how
to develop your personal style and make successful bidding and play decisions at
each form of scoring. Links to the preface and table of contents are
here.
Demon
Defense & Demon Doubling
Wielding the Axe
By Augie Boehm. Thorough discussions of the risks and rewards of penalty
doubles and tips for defending doubled contracts.
Private
Sessions: A Bridge Education
By Augie Boehm. A focus on how to think at the bridge table. The author offers
ideas for improving your memory, visualizing layouts, evaluating hands, timing
your bids and plays, and becoming a successful declarer.
Three
Notrump in Depth
By Augie Boehm. A treatise on how to bid, play and defend
"everyone's favorite contract." Part I offers a wide range of
easy-to-use bidding tools to help you and partner discover when to choose 3NT
and when to avoid it. Part II covers play and defense of 3NT contracts.
Bridge Smarts: Path to Bridge Success
By Augie Boehm. An interesting and original approach to teaching the nuances of
hand evaluation. The book includes numerous exercises and quizzes that explain
how to make inferences and think through a problem. Named 2016 Book of the Year
by the American Bridge Teachers Association.
Countdown
to Winning Bridge
By Tim Bourke & Marc Smith. A highly recommended book with detailed tips
and techniques on how to develop the critical skill of counting a bridge hand.
If you can count to 13, this book is sure to improve your defense and declarer
play. The content is also available in an interactive CD-ROM
version.
Leading
Questions in Bridge
By Sally Brock. Answers to a wide range of opening-lead questions: Active or passive? Lead partner's suit
or your own? Lead trumps? Be deceptive? These and other issues are covered in
an approachable book aimed at players who want to improve this important
skill.
Tricks of the Trade
By Larry Cohen. A
compilation of the author's articles in The Bridge World magazine. They cover
how to recognize recurring situations, channel mental processes and understand
cause and effect at the bridge table.
How
to Play Like an Expert (without having to be one)
By Mel Colchamiro. A light-hearted discussion for advancing players
who want to make expert-level decisions. Its advice comes with anecdotes,
quizzes and lots of bidding gimmicks.
Spotlight
on Card Play
By Robert Darvas & Paul Lukacs. An updated reprint of a 1960 title, this
well-organized book presents common play problems and leads the reader to each
solution through a series of questions and answers.
Bridge Outside the Box with Val Kovachev
By
Dennis Dawson and Charlie Wilkins. Originally from Bulgaria, Val Kovachev is a
creative, aggressive player with a long history of successes. The authors offer
entertaining deals that illustrate his unique approach to the game.
Dormer
on Deduction
By Albert Dormer. Practical advice on how to use logic and different
types of reasoning to enhance your card play and enjoyment of the game.
Bridge With Bells and Whistles
By Mary Ann Dufresne & Marion Ellingsen. This book reviews basic bidding
concepts, then suggests and explains refinements to help novices progress to the
next level. The recommendations include several popular conventions for
advancing players. Winner of the 2011 Book of the Year award from the American
Bridge Teachers Association.
Coming Back to Bridge
By
Paul Goldfinger. Those who haven't played for a few decades are often amazed at
how much the game has changed when they start to play again. This book
summarizes the key changes in bidding systems, conventions, alerts and other
aspects of bridge that will help returning players modernize their skills.
Teach
Me To Play: A First Bridge Book
By Jude Goodwin & Don Ellison. A unique way to introduce bridge to
children, full of cartoons, activities and quizzes. 1988 Bridge Book of the
Year.
Improve Your Declarer Play: Five Steps to Simplify the End Play
By Audrey Grant. Clear instructions, examples and practice deals on
how to use endplays and throw-ins to win extra tricks as declarer.
2-Over-1 Game Force
By Audrey Grant & Eric Rodwell. All the basics of Two-Over-One system and
the Forcing Notrump convention, with color-coded bidding charts, summaries,
exercises and examples.
The Impact of Opening Leads Against No Trump Contracts
By Audrey Grant. Instruction and practice deals that focus on how to improve
your opening leads to notrump contracts and how the lead affects decisions later
in the play.
How
the Experts Win at Bridge
By Burt Hall, Lynn Rose-Hall and Larry Cohen. Insight into how experts think
at the table, with interesting explanations of how to adopt their strategies
and techniques. 1997 Bridge Book of the Year.
Better Signaling Now
By Mark Horton. Based on the acclaimed Step by Step
Signaling, this revised edition includes explanations and evaluations of signaling methods
popular among today's experts. Every chapter
features practical examples of defensive plays by the world's top players.
The Rabbi's Rules: Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Bridge Game
By Mark Horton. Real-life deals featuring the bridge-playing rabbi, Leonard
Helman, and a wealth of tips on bidding and play.
Bridge
Master vs. Bridge Amateur
By Mark Horton. A collection of deals that illustrate the difference between
expert players and would-be experts. The examples illustrate common decisions
in bidding, play and defense where the amateur will often go wrong, but the
expert never will.
Misplay
These Hands With Me
Misplay More Hands with Me
Misbid These Hands with Me
Misdefend These Hands with Me
By Mark Horton. Written in the style of Terence Reese, these entertaining books lead the
reader through logical but ultimately unsuccessful lines of play that were
taken on actual deals from top-level events. The analysis then focuses on clues
that should have led declarer to the winning line. All the deals are
taken from high-level play.
Mammoth Book of Bridge
By Mark Horton. This new book 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. It also
includes information on bridge software and advice on playing clubs,
tournaments and online sites.
Deadly Defence
The Deadly Defence Quiz Book
By Wladyslaw Izdebski, Roman Krzemien & Ron Klinger. Two books that offer insights into how to become a deceptive defender and recognize
special defensive situations.
Kantar
for the Defense: Volume 1 and
Volume
2
By Eddie Kantar. Each volume has 100 challenging defensive problems,
with excellent, easy-to-follow explanations of the logic behind the
recommended plays.
New
Approach to Play and Defense: Volume I and
Volume
2
By Eddie Kantar. Instructional quiz hands in an interesting format --
each is presented first as a declarer-play problem, then as a defensive
problem. Volume I was 1986 Bridge Book of the Year.
Eddie
Kantar Teaches Modern Bridge Defense
Eddie
Kantar Teaches Advanced Bridge Defense
By Eddie Kantar. Kantar's newest volumes of defensive tips, with some
new ideas that can benefit players of all levels. Modern
Bridge Defense covers basic concepts (leads, signalling, discarding,
etc.). Advanced
Bridge Defense offers a thorough exploration of counting the hand,
making inferences, falsecarding, using lead-directing doubles and other
strategies. Named 1999 Bridge Books of the Year by ABTA.
Eddie
Kantar Teaches Topics in Declarer Play
By Eddie Kantar. The author offers very detailed analysis of specific topics
in declarer play, including finesses (when and how to take them, and
equally important, when to avoid taking them), endplays, eliminations,
issues with entries, suit establishment and counting.g.
Take All Your Chances at Bridge
Take All Your Chances 2
By Eddie Kantar. Great advice, lots of examples and an entertaining writing
style from this prolific and popular author.
The theme is finding
and combining as many lines as possible to optimize the chances of making
a contract.
Defensive Tips for Bad Card Holders
By Eddie Kantar. From one of the bridge world's most popular authors comes a
collection of 578 tips that will improve defensive play. This new edition is
based on Kantar's 2004 book, but has been completely revised and updated to
reflect modern bidding. It also includes many new tips.
Treasury
of Bridge Tips
Take
Your Tricks
By Eddie Kantar. Each book offers hundreds of easy-to-understand
tips, strategies and "rules" to improve your bidding, declarer play
and defense.
Gamesman Bridge
By Eddie Kantar. You'll find Kantar's classic wit, wisdom and excellent bridge
lessons in this reprint of a 1972 title.
Winning
Contract Bridge
Competitive
Bidding in Modern Bridge
By Edgar Kaplan. Two excellent books with timeless advice from one of the
game's greatest players and authors. Winning is two complete books in
one volume -- a basic course and an advanced section with insights into
expert-level strategy and psychology. Competitive Bidding was the first
complete treatment of defensive bidding, offering sound, timeless advice that
can improve any player's judgment.
The
Bridge Philosopher
Return
of the Bridge Philosopher
By James Kauder. "Bridge with a bite" -- a series of bridge
problems with logical answers and connected stories, presented with acerbic
commentary by the title character.
Bridge
Conventions Complete
By Amalya Kearse. A comprehensive, 1100-page encyclopedia that covers hundreds
of conventions and treatments. It doesn't have information on newer
conventions (last printing was in 1990), but it's still a valuable addition to
any bridge library.
Sharpen Your Bridge Technique
By Hugh Kelsey. Subtitled "How to think like an expert", this is
an insightful and well-written discussion of
card reading, probabilities, deceptive plays and many other expert
techniques, including mental rehearsal, concentration and relaxation.
Match
Point Bridge
By Hugh Kelsey. An excellent introduction to the thought processes and
strategies that affect success in matchpoint events. The book also includes
expert-level analysis that will benefit players of all skill levels.
Logical Bridge Play (Master Bridge Series)
By Hugh Kelsey. A new printing of an excellent guide to how experts reason out
the best line of play or defense. The book teaches the reader how to make the
correct inferences and deductions and how to assess timing issues.
Improve Your Bidding Judgment
The Thin Fine Line
The Right Bid at the Right Time
By Neil Kimelman. A discussion of bridge bidding rules and how to determine
when they do and do not apply, especially in competitive auctions.
365
Winning Bridge Tips
By Danny Kleinman. A collection of simple, common problems that often
cause trouble for advancing players.
Card
Play Made Easy: Volume I Volume
II Volume
III Volume
IV
By Ron Klinger and Andrew Kambites. A series with instructional tips and
quizzes designed to make you a brilliant declarer. Each volume focuses on a
specific declarer-play technique -- safety plays and endplays (Vol. I),
playing suit combinations (Vol. II), trump management (Vol. III) and timing
and communication (Vol. IV).
By Ron Klinger. The Master Bridge Series, written by
an Australian who is one of the game's most popular teachers and authors.
By Ron Klinger. Supplements to the Master Bridge
Series, these "fast-fact" reference guides offer rules, guidelines
and lists in a handy, flip-open format.
Defending Doubled Contracts
Playing Doubled Contracts
By
Ron Klinger. Quiz books of problems from major national and international championships. The stakes are
high and in almost every case, you have the chance to do better than the
experts did at the table.
50 Great Puzzles on Declarer Play
50 Great Puzzles on Defence
By Ron
Klinger. Quiz deals with detailed explanations of the possible solutions.
The Power of Pass
By Ron Klinger and Harold Schogger. A discussion of the types of problems where
Pass is the winning call. Included are many real-life deals from all levels of
competition.
Five to Five Hundred: On the road to
becoming a Life Master
By Tim Kohl and Bob Jiobu. The authors cover a wide range of topics that can
help novices improve and attain the rank of Life Master. Topics include attitude
and mental preparation, partnership issues, recommended agreements and tips on
making decisions at the table.
Winning IMPs
Swing Deals
By Rakesh
Kumar. Practical tips and a clear, engaging writing style make these good
choices for advancing players who want to improve their results in team play. The
author emphasizes bold bidding, careful declarer play and "thoughtful" defense.
Swing Deals analyzes more than 100 deals
that generated big scoring swings.
Useful Probability for Bridge Players
By Julian Laderman. All bridge players need a good understanding of
odds and percentages. Laderman has
successfully
turned this dry subject into an accessible and even entertaining learning
experience. The book starts with a
simple analysis of bridge maxims and suit splits, then progresses to more
complex topics. Included are many real-world examples, plus helpful ideas on how
to play the odds when making bidding decisions.
A Bridge to Inspired Declarer Play
By Julian Laderman. A thorough discussion of the thought processes declarer uses
to plan the play. Named 2009 Book of the Year by the American Bridge Teachers
Association.
The
Fun Way to Advanced Bridge
By Harry Lampert. A sequel to The
Fun Way to Serious Bridge, this entertaining volume features tips on
counting, refining your bidding system and developing advanced declarer
skills. Named 1985 Book of the Year by the American Bridge Teachers Association.
Hand of the Week: 52 Bridge Stories
By Joel
Martineau. This title follows the bidding and play (or defense) of a year's
worth of weekly hands. The author explains how and why the expert declarers and
defenders made their decisions as each hand develops.
Thinking About Bridge
By
Paul Mendelsohn. Subtitled "A thought-based approach to declarer play, defence
and bidding judgement", this book focuses on how to stop relying on memorization
and develop thinking skills to solve problems.
121 Tips for Better Bridge
By Paul Mendelsohn. A guide for social bridge players who want to refine their
skills. It includes solid advice, many example hands and a reader's test.
All
52 Cards
By Marshall Miles. A clear discussion of counting, card-reading and other
techniques experts use to reconstruct concealed hands at the bridge table.
Victor
Mollo's Bridge Quiz Book
By Victor Mollo. A recently updated collection of some of the late
author's best problems for intermediate and advanced players.
Step
by Step: Preempts
Step
by Step: Slam Bidding
By Alan Mould. Excellent intermediate-level guides for improving your accuracy
in two important areas of bidding.
Bridge:
Defending Together Bridge
Unravelled
By Freddie North. Defense and declarer-play problems with a focus on
inferences, common themes and partnership defense skills. The explanations
include example hands and revision quizzes.
When to Draw Trumps
When to Bid Notrump (and how to play it)
By Adam Parrish. Instructional books with good advice and many example
hands.
The
Fall of the Cards
By Donald Parson. A 2002 reprint with 100 provocative bridge hands
and a cast of fictional, historical and mythological characters.
Bridge Secrets: Don't Miss A Trick
By Julian Pottage. This pocket-size book features concise, easy-to-understand
tips on a wide range of bridge topics -- from devising a bidding system to
reading your opponents' cards.
Play
or Defend: 68 Hands to Test Your Bridge Skill Defend or Declare? 72 Deals to Test Your Bridge Skill
By Julian Pottage. Unique problem books where you're shown all four hands and
asked whether declarer or defenders should prevail with best play. A fascinating
challenge for the advancing player. Play or Defend was named 2004 Book of the Year by the International
Bridge Press Association.
A Great Deal Of Bridge Problems
By Julian Pottage. Almost 200 practical and interesting play problems
with excellent analyses. 2008 IBPA (International
Bridge Press Association) Book of the Year.
By Julian Pottage. Instruction, examples and quizzes
that demonstrate how to bid, play and defend a wide range of hands.
By Julian Pottage & Marc Smith. Each chapter
features a "golden rule", with good descriptions of how and when to
use each technique, how it works, and when the rule should be broken.
Thinking
on Defense: The Art of Visualization in Bridge Matchpoint
Defense
By Jim Priebe. Instruction and examples on choosing defensive strategies
and visualizing declarer's possible hands.
By Terence Reese. These classics were out of print
for many years, but are now available in attractive new volumes reprinted in
2001 and 2002. All offer valuable instruction and fascinating, often
brilliant, analyses for advancing players.
Breaking the Bridge Rules: First Hand Play
By Barry Rigal. Knowing when to break the guidelines for bidding and play is one
of the marks of an expert player. This is the first of a planned four-book
series that focuses on situations where you need to do something that seems to
go against the old advice, but is the killing lead or play.
Deceptive Declarer Play
Deceptive Defense
By Barry Rigal. Subtitled "The Art of Bamboozling at Bridge" --
how to use deceptive carding to take more tricks as declarer and defender.
Plan
Before You Play
By Howard Ringel. Fifty instructive deals that focus on how an expert
analyzes the opening lead and plans the play of the hand.
Things
Your Bridge Teacher Won't Tell You
By Dan Romm. The author discusses bridge techniques and some intangibles --
adaptability, psychology, partnership skills -- that are necessary to become a
winning bridge player. The emphasis is on when to ignore rules and use your
judgment to find the best bid or play.
5-Card Majors: 2-over-1 and All That
by Neil Rosen. The British author makes a case for the advantages of the
Standard American 2-over-1 bidding system and encourages his countrymen and
other Acol System players to make the switch. Includes step-by-step
instructions, quizzes and suggestions for adding optional conventions.
How
to Play a Bridge Hand
How
to Defend a Bridge Hand
By Bill Root. Two comprehensive guides to every aspect of play and defense,
with tips on strategy, technique and psychology. Hundreds of example hands
clearly demonstrate the principles. Each was named Bridge Book of the Year (How
to Play in 1990; How to Defend in 1994).
Modern
Bridge Conventions
By Bill Root & Richard Pavlicek. Explains many of the major conventions
used by modern players in a more readable (but not as comprehensive) format
than Kearse's Bridge
Conventions Completete. If you're just beginning to add new conventions to
your system and want to know which are most valuable, this is an excellent
choice.
Combining Your Chances
By
Danny Roth. The first in a series of six books
on skills and techniques for the play of the hand.
Don't
Be Fooled: Countering Deception at Bridge
By Danny Roth. A
discussion of false cards and other deceptive plays by your opponents, the
situations where they're most likely to occur and counter-measures you can take
to nullify the threat.
By Danny Roth. Valuable
books that concentrate on developing your judgment and decision-making skills.
Roth explains the most common causes of errors and provides clear, readable
explanations of how to recognize the dangerous situations and correct your
technique.
How
Good is Your Bridge? was named 2008 Book of the Year by the American
Bridge Teachers Association.
By Barbara Seagram, David Bird, Marc Smith, Paul
Thurston & others. All books in the "25" series offer clear,
simple explanations of practical aspects of bidding and play. Each book has
good material on the basics and includes tips and ideas for more advanced
players. The first edition of 25
Conventions was ABTA's 1999 Book of the Year.
25 Steps was 2003 Book of the Year. The Pocket Guides are condensed versions
of the full books.
By Barbara Seagram & Linda
Lee. The "Practice Your Bidding" series, featuring simple
explanations and many examples for each bidding tool. Each of the CD-ROM
versions combine three volumes into one interactive CD.
Planning the Play: The Next Level
By
Barbara Seagram. A sequel to
Planning the Play of a Bridge Hand, this new
volume focuses on the use of more advanced techniques. It covers safety plays,
avoidance plays, trump control situations, dummy reversals and endplays.
American Bridge Teachers Association's 2018 Book of the Year.
Barbara's Bridge Tips
By Barbara Seagram. Advice
and examples on bidding, play and defense, summarized from lessons the author
has been offering to her students over the last 20 years. Winner of the 2021
Intermediate Book of the Year award from the American Bridge Teachers
Association.
Should I or Shouldn't I?
By Marc Smith. Good instruction on trump management, with an emphasis on the
types of deals where you need to delay drawing trumps or take special care when
leading the suit. The author gives a step-by-step instructions for how to spot
these situations at the table and learn the proper techniques for handling them.
Attack and Defense: Winning Cardplay at Bridge
By
Marc Smith. A revised and enlarged edition of the author's 2002 book on how to
make more hands when declaring and beat more of the opponents' contracts when
defending.
By Frank Stewart. Highly readable books, each with
excellent advice on constructive bidding, logical thinking and card reading. Stewart
also offers ideas on developing your "table presence" and
understanding other psychological
aspects of the game.
Matchpoint Offense: Kick it Up a Notch
Matchpoint Defense: Kick it Up a Notch
By Stuart Terry, Walter Toombs & Bo Asserson. Two titles that present strategies
and techniques designed to help readers improve their performance in pair games.
Winning at the Club
By
Matthew Thompson. Practical advice and examples that focus on the strategies
that work best in club-level play.
Playing 2-over-1: The Rest of the Story 
By Paul Thurston. A sequel to the popular 25 Steps to Learning 2-over-1,
this book covers more sophisticated agreements and conventions to enhance
a basic 2/1 bidding system.
Getting Into The Bidding: A Bridge Toolkit
By Bill Treble. Explanations and recommendations of useful conventions and
treatments for competitive bidding. The book also provides an overview of the
fundamentals of preempting, making overcalls and using various types of doubles.
The Big Payoff: Slam Bidding at Bridge
By Bill Treble. The author covers many useful agreements and conventions that
can improve slam bidding. The book also offers tips for judging slam situations
and dealing with competition, plus several quiz hands.
Winning at Matchpoints
By Bill Treble.
An overview of how matchpoint scoring works and strategies that will help you
succeed in pair events. The book includes tips on bidding, play and defense and
many example deals.
Winning
Declarer Play
By Dorothy Hayden Truscott. Well-written, often humorous, advice for beginners
who know the fundamentals and want to reduce their mistakes.
Your Bridge to Conventions
Winning Bridge Conventions
By Patty Tucker. Collections of booklets on popular bidding systems and
conventions, including 2/1 Game Force, Weak Two Bids, Jacoby Transfers, Inverted
Minors, Good/Bad 2NT, Serious 3NT and many others.
Surviving Duplicate Bridge: The first 23.69 points
By Kathy Vishner. The author shares the highs and lows of learning duplicate
bridge with her husband as her partner. She also includes tips on how bridge
teachers can help students become more comfortable with the game.
How NOT to Play Bridge
By Mike Dorn Wiss. A humorous and instructional discussion of how to avoid
common errors at the bridge table. The character of Professor Gaston Gitane-Gauloise demonstrates his unique Inverted Bridge Teaching Method, showing
you by example what not to do when playing bridge.
Back to top
For experienced players
Better
Bidding with Bergen Vol. 1 (Uncontested Auctions)
Vol.
2 (Contested Auctions)
By Marty Bergen. Bergen outlines his personal recommendations for conventions
and treatments, many of which are now widely used by tournament players. Read
these books with your partner. You'll need to choose your agreements carefully
and discuss them at length, but you'll find that many of his gadgets are
practical, powerful weapons.
Inspired
Cardplay
By David Bird & Martin Hoffman. An exploration of twelve critical areas
of declarer play and defense. The authors show how expert plays that appear to
be inspired guesses are actually the result of careful logic.
Winning Notrump Leads
By David Bird & Taf Anthias. An unusual look at the common problem of
finding the best lead to a notrump contract. The authors analyzed more than
100,000 computer-generated deals and came up with interesting, often surprising,
recommendations.
15 Winning Cardplay Techniques
By David Bird & Tim Bourke. A summary of 15 useful techniques for declarers,
with numerous instructional deals to illustrate the variations.
Expert Hand Evaluation
By Augie Boehm. The author emphasizes "outside-the-box" thinking to develop
judgment, solve bidding problems and evaluate borderline hands.
The Art of Declarer Play
By Tim Bourke. A unique look at how experts think through the play of a bridge
hand. The chapters and examples explain how to anticipate the likely
distribution, use logic and visualization, "listen" to the cards and other ways
to make what appear to be mpossible contracts. Named 2014 Book of the Year by the International
Bridge Press Association.
Bridge at the Edge
By Boye Brogeland. An "over-the-shoulder" look at almost 200 deals the author
played in World and European Championships. Brogeland also discusses his
partnership bidding methods and his approach to the mental side of the game.
Complete
Book of Bols Bridge Tips
By Sally Brock (editor). This special gift edition features winning articles
from the annual Bols Bridge Tips contest. The practical, insightful advice
comes from almost 100 of the best bridge writers in the world.
100
Bridge Problems: Using Poker Tactics in Contract Bridge
By Mike Cappelletti Sr. An interesting set of bridge problems that are solved
by the author's unique approach to planning the auction, judging his opponents
and using deceptive
bidding. The late author was a poker columnist for Card Player magazine.
To
Bid or not to Bid: The Law of Total Tricks
Following
the Law
By Larry Cohen. Named 1992 Bridge Book of the Year, the first title is so
widely read that it revolutionized modern competitive bidding. It contains
many advanced topics and analyses, but the basic principles can be easily
understood and used by intermediate-level players. The sequel clarifies
and reinforces some of the most important principles of "Law"
bidding.
Larry
Cohen's Bidding Challenge
By Larry Cohen. Bidding problems and expert analysis of hands played at the
prestigious invitational tournament at The Hague. An optional tear-out section
at the back can be used by partners who want to practice bidding the hands
before reading Cohen's analysis.
The
Losing Trick Count: A Book of Bridge Technique
By Dudley Courtenay. Originally published in 1935, this is a detailed manual
of technique "as used by the leading contract bridge tournament
players". The chapters offer numerous examples of expert bidding and
play, with an interesting selection of hands from tournaments.
Optimal Hand Evaluation
By Patrick
Darricades. The author offers research to demonstrate the flaws of the 4-3-2-1
honor point count. He proposes a new evaluation method that assesses the
combined value of both partners' hands. The discussion includes more than 100
example hands.
A
Compendium of Double Dummy Problems
By
Hugh Darwen. A collection of 1000 double-dummy problems, originally published
from 1896 to 2005.
Santa Fe Precision
By Dennis
Dawson. A simplified version of the big-club system played by Jeff Meckstroth
and Eric Rodwell.
You
Have to See This
There
Must Be A Way
By Andrew Diosy. Two very challenging collections, each with 52 diabolical
play and defense problems where the "obvious" answer is usually
wrong. Diosy analyzes each deal from declarer's and defenders' perspectives,
with a trick-by-trick description of how each side can counter the other's
strategies.
Partnership
Agreements
By Clarke Fairbrother. A guidebook that's designed to take a partnership
through the process of developing a bidding a system. It covers conventions,
treatments and system agreements in detail both Standard American and
2-over-1 systems in detail, along with many conventions. The included
Partnership Agreements Checklist offers an organized outline for discussing
agreements and conventions.
Card Pro Bridge Bidding System
By
Ron Feldman. A new bidding system designed to improve on natural systems that
use "convenient minor" openings. Suit opening bids show unbalanced hands with
5+-card suits or three 4-card suits. The author also assigns new meanings to
opener's rebids and notrump opening bids.
Bridge
with the Blue Team
By Pietro Forquet. A collection of 140 of the most spectacular hands
played by the legendary Italian Blue Team. The book also includes a summary of
the Italian bidding systems and accounts of Blue Team triumphs world
championships.
Master
Class: Lessons from the Bridge Table
By Fred Gitelman. This is the first book from the world-class player who
developed the popular Internet bridge club Bridge Base Online. The
over-the-shoulder format offers insights into the author's thinking on dozens
of hands from actual play. There's also a focus on bridge personalities, and
the author includes many interesting observations about his partners and
opponents.
Battling the Best: My Journey Through the 2014 Reisinger
By Sartaj Hans. Expert-level account of the author's experiences in one of the
toughest of all ACBL team events. The detailed hand analyses focus on technique,
psychology and strategies for playing in board-a-match events. Named 2017 Book
of the Year by the International Bridge Press Association.
Standard
Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century
Advanced
Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century
By Max Hardy. A reference set for the 5-card-major system, with a thorough
discussion of modern bidding trends and expert treatments, plus some new
ideas.
Better
Signaling Now
By Mark Horton. This text discusses the modern options for defensive signaling
and helps you construct a system that suits your partnership style.
Based on a previous book by the same author, this revised edition incorporates
new ideas from experts Tim Bourke and Sandra Landy.
The
Bridge Magicians: Spellbinding Plays from the Polish Stars
By Mark Horton & Radoslaw Kielbasinski. Many bridge hands and analysis,
along with personal insights into the group of Polish experts who have had
incredible international successes over the past ten years.
The Mysterious Multi: How to Play It, How to Play Against It
By Mark Horton. Everything you would ever want to know about the Multi 2D
convention, which is used to describe a weak two-bid in an undisclosed major.
Card
by Card: Adventures at the Bridge Table
Further Adventures at the Bridge Table
By Roy Hughes. Many interesting and challenging hands, where you watch an
expert declare and defend, with opportunities to make your own decisions at
critical points in the play.
The Contested Auction
By Roy Hughes. A thorough, expert-level discussion of every type of competitive
auction, with recommendations for useful conventions and agreements. Winner of
the 2012 Book of the Year Award from the International Bridge Press Association.
Building
a Bidding System
By Roy Hughes. A detailed discussion of bidding theory and the principles that
govern the design of an effective system. The author offers creative ideas and
clear explanations of concepts that have not been covered extensively in other
books. Runner-up for the Bridge Book of the Year award from the International
Bridge Press Association.
Card
Reading: The Art of Guessing Right at the Bridge Table
By Eric Jannersten. An excellent guide to gathering clues from the bidding and
drawing inferences from the play, with a good selection of challenging
problems. Also recommended is Jannersten's Play
It Safe - And Win, which offers good advice on how to play fairly
difficult hands.
Polish Club 2020: Standard and
Expert
By
Krzysztof Jassem. Full details on the latest version of the Polish Club bidding
system.
Moments
of Truth at the Bridge Table
Logic,
Intuition and Instinct at the Bridge Table
Serendipity
in Bridge: Two-Brain Bridge
By R. Jayaram. Three volumes that offer insights into expert thought processes
as you play example deals from major tournaments held in India. Written in a
conversational style, the books stress logical and creative thinking and offer
some unique ideas about the value of using "gut feelings" to make
decisions.
Imagination
and Technique at the Bridge Table
By Patrick Jourdain & Martin Hoffman. 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 or psychological
solution is needed.
Patrick Jourdain's Problem Corner
By Patrick Jourdain. A collection of challenging declarer-play problems from the
author's regular column in BRIDGE Magazine in the UK.
Roman Keycard Blackwood: The Final Word
By Eddie Kantar. The fifth edition of the definitive book on the
convention used by almost all serious players. Revised and updated, this new
version contains leading-edge ideas and is full of examples, quizzes and
practice hands. A must for the tournament player.
Bridge
Master: The Best of Edgar Kaplan
By Edgar Kaplan. A "greatest hits" collection of Kaplan's articles
from Bridge World magazine, published after his death in 2004.
The
Art of Card Reading at Bridge
Bridge
Strategy at Trick One
By Fred Karpin. Two classics, with thorough analyses of the principles and
excellent example deals.
Kelsey
on Squeeze Play
By Hugh Kelsey. All four of Kelsey's squeeze-play books -- Simple
Squeezes, Strip Squeezes, Double Squeezes and Triple Squeezes --
unabridged, in one valuable volume.
Bridge
for the Connoisseur
By Hugh Kelsey. Analysis of 58 interesting and instructional deals, many
featuring blunders and brilliancies from international tournaments.
The
Notrump Zone
By Danny Kleinman. A good discussion of the principles and concepts
that apply to notrump auctions, with many challenging concepts and system
recommendations. The author covers all 1NT ranges and offers excellent
discussions of how they affect your other system bids.
A Bridge to Simple Squeezes
Still Not Finding Squeezes?
By Julian Laderman. An award-winning instructional book and its sequel offer how-to's for executing various types of squeeze
plays as declarer.
Good, Better, Best
(Advanced to expert)
By Jan Eric Larsson. What's the best bidding system? The author attempts to
answer that question with mathematical analysis, computer simulations and
artificial intelligence to compare bidding systems and conventions.
Bridge Probability and Information
Never a Dull Deal: Faith, Hope and Probability in Bridge
By Robert MacKinnon.
Practical mathematics for bridge players, featuring the principles of probability and how to apply them at the
table. The two volumes include discussions of vacant spaces, restricted choice,
conditional probability and how
divisions of one suit affect the odds of other suit divisions.
The Setting Trick: Practical Problems in Bridge Defense
By Ian McCance. A book of problems in defensive cardplay by a top Australian
expert. The deals come from real events, providing the reader the unique
experience of being up against a declarer who will not always play
perfectly.
Interesting Deals, Fascinating Facts
By Trevor
Mathews. A collection of deals that pose challenging problems in card play.
Presented as quizzes, all the deals were played by the author and his partners
and have stories behind them.
Win
the Bermuda Bowl with Me
By Jeff Meckstroth & Marc Smith. A fascinating look into expert thinking
as one of the world's best players competes in the Bermuda Bowl world team
championship. The format gives readers the opportunity to make their own
decisions at critical stages in each deal and compare their solutions with
what the author did at the table.
Inferences
at Bridge
By Marshall Miles. The author shows how to collect vital clues from the
bidding and play to make logical conclusions about the unseen hands. He
includes many common situations where even advanced players will often miss
the correct inferences. Remembering just one or two of the ideas explained
here will improve any player's results.
By Marshall Miles. Designed for serious tournament players, these books offer
interesting analyses of bidding decisions and approaches. Miles discusses
current thinking, poses original ideas and recommends methods that will be
successful over the long term.
Bridge:
Case for the Defence
By Victor Mollo. A reprinted instructional book, with
excellent analysis of many difficult defensive problems.
Card
Play Technique: Or the Art of Being Lucky
By Victor Mollo & Nico Gardner. A 2003 reprint of a previously
hard-to-find classic that's considered by many to be the best book ever
written on card play.
Easier
Done than Said: Brilliancy at the Bridge Table
By Prakash Paranjape. A collection of brilliant plays from real life, with
well-written explanations of the logic behind each decision. The problems
range from "technically simple" to extremely complex, with a focus
on plays that are difficult to find, but easy to execute.
Hocus
Pocus More
Hocus Pocus Focus
on Hocus Pocus
By Julian Pottage & Erwin Brecher. Challenging bridge problems, math brain
teasers and logic puzzles.
Back
Through the Pack
By Julian Pottage. An homage to Right Through the Pack, one of the most
popular and successful bridge books of all time. The author uses the same
theme as Darvas did in the original, where all 52 members of the deck of cards
tell their stories.
The
Mistakes You Make at Bridge
By Terence Reese & Roger Trezel. This is an update of a classic that
offers an illuminating look at the three types of mistakes -- costly, common
and forgivable -- made by bidders, defenders and declarers. The new edition
was updated by Ron Klinger to include more modern bidding theories.
Positive
Declarer Play at Bridge Positive
Defense at Bridge The
Extra Edge in Play at Bridge
By Terence Reese & Julian Pottage. Expanded and updated versions of
Reese's originals, these books focus on planning the play and finding an
advantage. Each book presents a wide range of problems, many of them quite
difficult.
Accurate Cardplay
Imaginative Cardplay
By Terrence Reese and Roger Trezel. Edited and updated by Mark Horton, these two
volumes are a compilation of eight highly rated booklets that have long been out
of print.
Accurate Cardplay includes these titles from the original series:
Safety Plays in Bridge, Blocking and Unblocking Plays in Bridge, Elimination
Play in Bridge, and When to Duck and When to Win in Bridge.
Imaginative Cardplay includes Master the Odds in Bridge, Snares and
Swindles in Bridge, Those Extra Chances in Bridge and The Art of Defense
in Bridge.
Defend
with your Life
By Terence Reese & Eddie Kantar. A classic and very challenging quiz book.
Kantar says anyone who correctly solves at least 60 percent of the 75 problems
has the right to consider himself an expert defender.
The
Most Puzzling Situations in Bridge Play
Squeeze
Play Made Easy
By Terence Reese. Excellent instruction on the techniques needed to handle
common but difficult problems in the play. Reese groups the problems by theme so
you can study different variations of the same situation.
New Frontiers for Strong Forcing Openings
By Ken Rexford. A new approach for bidding strong hands, featuring two forcing
opening bids (2C and 2D) to describe distribution early in the auction. The
author discusses how to use cuebids, relays and pattern bids to reach the best
contracts.
Really Unusual Notrump
Overcalling Opponent's 1NT
By Ken Rexford. The first title describes an aggressive two-way overcall structure that uses an artificial 1NT to show a light takeout.
The second title discusses the author's complex system for showing a wide range
of hands over the opponent's 1NT opener.
The Rodwell Files
By Eric Rodwell. A technical analysis of innovative ideas in card play for
declarers and defenders. The author also discusses common mistakes and how to
mentally prepare for competition.
Bidding Topics
By Eric Rodwell. An in-depth discussion of agreements that can improve
constructive and competitive bidding. The nine chapters each start with the
basics and progress to expert agreements. Included are full details on two
conventions invented by the author -- Support Doubles and Serious 3NT. Named
2017 Advanced Book of the Year by the American Bridge Teachers Association.
The
Bridge World's Test Your Play
By Jeff Rubens. This "workout for the mind" is an extremely
challenging collection of 100 of the author's favorite hands from the
magazine's popular column.
Test
your Play as Declarer Vol. 1 & Vol.
2
By Jeff Rubens & Paul Lukacs. Two internationalists teach you how
to analyze and play out a wide range of difficult hands. Updated and reprinted
in 2003.
Playing
with the Bridge Legends
By Barnet Shenkin. The author puts you at the table with Meckstroth-Rodwell,
Martel-Stansby, Garozzo-Belladonna and many more of the world's top pairs. The
chapters feature lots of hands and analysis, with detailed personal insights
into the players' successes (and disasters).
Probabilities
& Alternatives in Bridge
By Antonio Vivaldi & Gianni Barracho. A thorough overview of when and how
to calculate odds and percentages at the table, with an interesting focus on
situations where you should instead rely on imagination, deduction and
inference.
The Amazing Queen
By Clement Wong. An
entertaining collection of 100 deals where queens are featured in bidding, play
and defense problems.
Partnership
Defense
By Kit Woolsey. The author provides a good overview of basic signaling
strategies, but adds an expert spin with excellent discussions of more
sophisticated methods. They include masking the defenders' communication,
deceptive signaling and new ideas for suit-preference signals.
The
Language of Bridge
By Kit Woolsey. This is an interesting and sophisticated discussion of
communication at the bridge table. Woolsey offers valuable insights about how to
make better use of the limited vocabulary of bridge bidding and improve the
messages we send with bids and the play of the cards. He includes numerous
example hands and clear, logical analysis.
Named 2018 Book of the Year by the International Bridge Press Association.
Back to top
By Mike Lawrence
Lawrence, one of the most popular authors today,
has a unique, "table-side" writing style that appeals to almost every
reader. Most of these titles are aimed at intermediates, but all contain
material that can benefit players of any skill or experience level. Every title
here is a
Play
Bridge with Mike Lawrence -- Perhaps my all-time favorite bridge book,
this hand-by-hand account of a tournament session shows you how an expert
thinks and how to develop that elusive quality called "table feel".
Play
a Swiss Teams with Mike Lawrence -- Good tips and insights into the
thinking processes, strategies and techniques the author uses in a
team-of-four event.
Judgment
at Bridge -- Subtitled "What Went Wrong", this is an
easy-to-understand discussion of many neglected areas of bidding and defense,
with good recommendations on how to avoid common mistakes.
Judgment at Bridge 2: Be a Better Player and More Difficult Opponent -- The original Judgment at Bridge, now a classic, is the
basis for this 232-page volume, which includes new material that deals with
modern bidding. Lawrence also offers opinions on conventions you should consider
adding and those that should be removed from your system. It's all written in
the straightforward, conversational style that has made Lawrence one of the most
popular of all bridge authors. Winner
of the 2018 Book of the Year Award from the American Bridge Teachers
Association.
Insights in Bridge: Moments in Bidding
Insights in Bridge:
Bid, Play & Defend (Book 2)
By Mike Lawrence.
The first in a
series of books designed to turn aspiring players into good players. This book's
mini-lessons feature situations and problems that haven't been covered in other
books. Even experienced players will find valuable advice here. Winner
of the 2019 ABTA Advanced Book of the Year award.
Mike
Lawrence's Opening Leads -- An outstanding and quite complex
discussion of how to analyze the auction, evaluate alternatives and choose the
best suit and card for your opening lead. Copies are available from the
author's web site.
How
to Read Your Opponents' Cards -- A classic with valuable tips
for all bridge players and interesting insights into how experts read subtle
clues and signals at the table.
Complete
Book on Hand Evaluation -- One of the best books ever written on this
subject, with good advice on everything from basic counting to expert-level
inferences.
The Complete Book on Overcalls in Contract Bridge (updated 2009
edition) -- A classic must-read for anyone who wants to improve competitive bidding.
The Complete Book on Balancing
(updated 2012 edition) -- Comprehensive advice on how and when to keep the
bidding open, including details on helpful conventions and expert treatments.
The Complete Guide to Passed Hand Bidding (2011 edition) --
Originally published in 2989, this book focuses on how to evaluate your hand, make
competitive decisions and use conventions to improve your passed-hand
auctions. Also available in a recently updated
Kindle version.
Complete
Guide to Contested Auctions -- An interesting, easy-to-follow
explanation of the judgment and weapons you need to win in competitive
auctions.
The Complete
Book on Takeout Doubles
(updated 2012 edition) -- This may sound like a topic for beginners,
but even the most experienced players will find valuable ideas here. Lawrence
covers all the tools and evaluation skills you need to improve your
takeout-double auctions, with many expert tips. An update of the 1995 Bridge Book of the Year.
Double!
New Meanings for an Old Bid -- Expert-level agreements and
gadgets that will improve your competitive bidding.
Dynamic
Defense -- A look at how experts think when defending a hand, with
advice that even beginners can use successfully.
Falsecards --
A thorough
examination of the many ways you can legally mislead your opponents with falsecards as a defender or declarer. This is a revised and updated version of
the definitive work on this topic.
I
Fought the Law of Total Tricks -- Lawrence and co-author Anders Wigren
offer evidence and examples that take issue with the theory of The Law of
Total Tricks. Very interesting reading for advanced players.
Bidding
Quizzes I: The Uncontested Auction -- Many examples and quizzes to
teach you how to improve the accuracy of your constructive bidding.
How
to Play Card Combinations -- Teaches you how to play the odds, spot
problems and take more tricks as declarer or defender.
Partnership
Understandings -- A workbook for use in partnership discussions, with
questions (and answers) on all key aspects of your bidding system.
Workbook
on the Two-Over-One System -- A great practice book for pairs who want
to refine their methods with this popular bidding system.
Bridge Tips Series:
Bidding
Competitive Bidding
Cardplay -- Revised, updated compilations of the author's previously
published
pamphlets on bidding and card play.
Back to top
General interest for all skill levels
If I Only Had a Heart
Bridge Over the Rainbow
Double, Double Toil and Trouble
By Alex Adamson & Harry Smith. Humorous
stories featuring the adventures of Dorothy, the Tin Man and
other characters at the fictional Over the Rainbow bridge club in Oz.
Accompanying the bridge hands and stories are many illustrations by Bill Buttle.
Scotland's Senior Moment
By Alex Adamson
& Harry Smith. A unique, behind-the-scenes account of the
authors' experiences in the World Senior Team Championships in Bali.
Deadly Endplay
Shades of Gray (Pemberton Bridge Club Mystery)
By Ken Allan. Bridge novels featuring murder, cheating and other crimes, set
at a duplicate club in a small town in rural Ontario.
I
Love This Game
By Sabine Auken. An entertaining personal
account of the German team's comeback in the 2001 Venice Cup. Focusing on the
final 16 deals, the author describes the hands in detail and offers an
instructional discussion of bidding and carding methods, conventions and how to
develop team chemistry. Named 2006 Book of the Year by the International Bridge
Press Association.
Vulnerable
in Hearts
By Sandy Balfour. Subtitled "A Memoir of Fathers, Sons and Contract
Bridge", this hardcover is a touching and humorous history of the
author's family and the game of bridge in pre-WWII Scotland, England and South
Africa.
By David Bird. Part history and part
instruction, these books feature spectacular feats (and blunders) of top
players from around the world. The deals are presented as quizzes so you can
test your skill against the experts.
Bridge
Hands to Make You Laugh and Cry
By David Bird & Nikos Sarantakos. Funny and heartbreaking stories of
bad luck and disasters at the bridge table, with a good discussion of how to
avoid the calamities suffered by others.
By David Bird & Tim Bourke. The celebrated series
about the bridge-playing monks of St. Titus. The stories are highly
entertaining, with many well-chosen and instructive hands. Considered by
many to be Bird's best series.
By David Bird. More titles from this prolific author,
who combines bridge and humor. All feature eccentric characters who find
themselves playing challenging and fascinating bridge hands in unusual
settings.
Masterpiece Deals: A Gallery of Beautiful Card Play
By
Augie Boehm. A collection of deals featuring masterful and sometimes very
unusual lines of play, with explanations of expert reasoning.
Big Deal: A Memoir from the Wonderful World of Bridge
By August Boehm. Entertaining stories about the author's experiences as an
expert bridge player. The tales feature colorful characters,
bridge-playing celebrities and interesting playing venues -- from high-level tournaments
and cruises to seedy money clubs and prisons.
Out of Hand and Off the Fairway
By Bill Buttle. A volume of one-panel cartoons that lampoon bridge, bridge
players and golfers.
Sleeping on the Couch
By Dave
Caprera. Dave and his wife are bridge partners who often disagree about the best
bid or play on a deal. The author offers detailed analyses of the different
solutions, but, as the title suggests, usually loses the arguments.
Bridge with Another Perfect Partner
By
John Carruthers. An homage to the P. F. Sanders classic "Bridge with the
Perfect Partner". It features witty analysis of many entertaining deals.
Bridge Crosswords
Bridge Crosswords 2
By Jeff Chen. One of the nation's top
crossword constructors is also a bridge player, and he combines his talents in
puzzles with clever clues and entertaining themes. Each book has 52 bridge-themed puzzles
that range from easy to challenging.
Bridge
Below the Belt
By Larry Cohen and Liz Davis. A bridge novel set at a Miami bridge club, with
egocentric pros and eccentric clients as the main characters.
My Favorite 52
By Larry Cohen and Linda Lee. Fifty-two bridge hands that are amusing, instructional and
sometimes spectacular. They were originally presented in Cohen's CD-ROM software
with the same title.
Cook
and Deal
By Dorothy Cook. A unique gift that's a combination of a cookbook (the recipes
are great) and a selection of interesting and challenging bridge hands.
Death in Duplicate
By Carole Coplea. A mysterious illness strikes the members of the faculty
duplicate club at a small college. The local detective suspects murder, and all
the players are suspects.
Standard
Bidding with SAYC
By Ned Downey & Ellen Pomer. A thorough, well-organized discussion on
how to play "Standard American Yellow Card", the popular bidding
system used by players in online clubs.
The 8 of Clubs Was Good? Food for the Bridge Player's Soul
By Elizabeth Flynn. A chronicle of a new bridge player's struggles to learn
the game and her experiences at her local club. Also included are recipes for
dishes to share with other players.
Bridge
Player's Bedside Book
By Tony Forrester. An entertaining collection of stories, tips, quizzes,
jokes, bridge trivia and famous hands, including classics from some of the
game's greatest writers. Designed by the author to be a "jolly good
read", this hardcover edition makes a nice gift for players of all skill
levels.
Gaining
the Mental Edge at Bridge
By Kim
Frazer. An Olympian shares the mental techniques that brought her success and
can be used at the bridge table. Included are practical ways to maintain focus
and concentration, calm nerves, deal with distractions and avoid mental errors.
Murder
at the Bridge Table
The
Bridge Team Murders
I
Shot My Bridge Partner
By Matt Granovetter. Bridge murder mysteries featuring interesting characters
and a good selection of well-analyzed bridge hands.
Ace
on the River: An Advanced Poker Guide
By Barry Greenstein. This isn't a bridge book, and it's much more than a
poker book. The author, who is a bridge player, offers an interesting
discussion of attitudes, strategies and psychology that can be applied to any
competitive endeavor.
At
the Table
By Bob Hamman & Brent Manley. A fascinating look at the life and bridge
career of the world's top-rated player, Hamman's autobiography offers insights
that will help you improve your game. Right after I read it, I started
thinking differently about my overall strategy -- and discovered that I was
bouncing back better from my bad results.
On the Slam
The Unkindest Cut: A Bridge Club Mystery
By Honor Hartman. Set in the Texas Hill Country, these novels feature sleuth
Emma Diamond and a full cast of bridge-playing victims and suspects.
Over Hoffman's Shoulder: A Year in the Life
of a Bridge Pro
By
Martin Hoffman and Marc Smith. Once one of the world's best pairs players,
Hoffman was known for his imaginative bidding and brilliant cardplay. In this
book, he relives some of his most spectacular deals and shares his thought
process at every bid and trick.
Bridge Mix: Chocolate Covered Contracts and Plenty of Nuts
By Paul Holtham. A series of humorous, fast-paced short stories featuring many
interesting bridge deals. The story settings include a bridge tournament,
ancient Egypt and outer space.
Close Encounters: Bridge's Greatest Matches (1964-2001) &
(2003-2017)
By Mark Horton
and Eric Kokish. Two volumes that feature memorable matches for
national and world titles. They include accounts of critical deals in close
matches, comebacks and overtime
victories, along with insights into how the game has changed over the
years.
The Blue Team in the History of Bridge
By
Marc Horton and Maurizio Di Sacco.
A behind-the-scenes look at the Italian team that dominated world championships
for fifteen years. The story is told through the translated diaries of the team
founder and captain, Carl Alberto Perroux
The
Hands of Time: The most exciting bridge deals ever played
By Mark Horton. A collection of brilliance and blunders from famous
matches played from 1931 to 2004.
Canada's
Bridge Warriors
By Roy Hughes. This is the fascinating account of the three-decades-long
partnership of Eric Murray and Sami Kehela, one of the best pairs in the world.
The book tells the story of their triumphs and heartbreaks, highlighted by
their legendary battles against the Italians in the world championships. Named
2007 Book of the Year by the International Bridge Press Association.
Master of Bridge Psychology: Inside the Remarkable Mind of Peter Fredin
By
Jeppe Juhl. An entertaining biography of Swedish champion Peter Fredin,
featuring memorable deals from international tournaments. Named 2019 Book of the
Year by the International Bridge Press Association.
Classic
Kantar: A Collection of Bridge Humor
Kantar
on Kontract
By Eddie Kantar. Kantar is not only one of today's best bridge writers,
he's also one of the funniest. In this collection, he pokes fun at experts,
confesses his disasters at the table, tells stories from his famous home
bridge game, and recounts his misadventures as a world traveler. These will
entertain players of all skill levels.
The
Jack Who Would Be King
By Jim Kaplan. Subtitled "To Life Master and beyond", this is an
account of the author's quest to make Life Master. His travels take him to
five continents for play with many colorful partners.
The
Bridge Philosopher
Return
of the Bridge Philosopher
By James Kauder. Two volumes featuring a curmudgeonly title character and
funny, instructional stories on a wide range of bridge topics, from gripes
about ACBL to how to think like a bridge expert.
By Phillip & Robert King. The first six titles
are novellas that combine fiction, witty satire and first-rate bridge hands.
The last title is a new collection of Menagerie bridge adventures based on
Mollo's characters. All very entertaining.
Right Through the Pack Again
By Ron Klinger. An homage to the classic by Robert Darvas, with 52 clever
stories, one from each card in the deck. Named 2009 Book of the Year by the
International Bridge Press Association.
The
Principle of Restricted Talent
Persistent
Human Bridge Errors
By Danny Kleinman & Nick Straguzzi. A collection of clever stories
about the exploits of Chthonic, a fictional bridge computer.
The
Principle of Restricted Talent was named 2005 Book
of the Year by the International Bridge Press Association.
Bumblepuppy Days: The Evolution from Whist to Bridge
By Julian Laderman. An interesting exploration of the origins of the world's
most popular card game. The author traces the history of whist, auction bridge
and contract bridge with a focus on the fascinating characters who played the
games.
Northern
Lights
Ray and Linda Lee, editors. A compilation of bridge humor, puzzles, people
stories and features originally published in Canadian Masterpoint
magazine.
Grand Slam Murders
Playing the Devil
By R. J. Lee. Two
mysteries featuring reporter/bridge player Wendy Winchester investigating
murders at bridge clubs in Rosalie, Mississippi.
Encyclopedia
of Card Play Techniques
By Guy Leve. Originally published in France in 2005, this comprehensive volume
describes and classifies hundreds of card-play tactics, from simple finesses
to complex squeezes. Each technique is explained in detail and illustrated
with an example deal.
Richelieu
Plays Bridge
Samurai
Bridge
By Robert MacKinnon. Unusual bridge novels with historical settings. The
well-written narratives offer compelling characters, clever plotting and many
excellent bridge hands.
Bridge
My Way
Around
the World in 80 Hands
By Zia Mahmood. Entertaining (some find them overbearing) exploits of one of
the world's most flamboyant bridge players.
The
Backwash Squeeze and Other Improbable Feats
By Edward
McPherson. "A newcomer's journey into the world of bridge", this entertaining
book chronicles the author's learning process and his experiences at his first
tournaments. It includes interesting interviews and anecdotes, bridge history
and an overview of bridge rules.
By Victor Mollo. Highly entertaining and very
clever stories about the bridge adventures of the Hideous Hog and the
eccentric characters of the Griffins Club. Every title matches the
quality, humor and energy of the original.
King
of Hearts
Death
Takes A Hand
Grand
Slam
Doubled
in Spades
By Susan Moody. Something different for mystery lovers, these cleverly
plotted, entertaining British mysteries feature the exploits of
"circumferentially challenged" bridge instructor Cassandra Swann. King
of Hearts is also available in
hardback.
Most are out of print, but you can find used copies on Amazon.
Bridge
at the Cranmer Club
By Adam Parrish. An entertaining account of a night at the local bridge
club. Includes many instructional hands.
The Devil's Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age
By Gary Pomerantz. A thoroughly researched account of the 1929 murder of John
Bennett, who was shot by his wife, Myrtle, after he mangled the play of a 4S
contract. The story includes many anecdotes and an ensemble of 1920s
characters, including Ely Culbertson and Fightin' Jim Reed, the U.S. senator from Kansas City who successfully defended
Myrtle at trial.
Bridge Behind Bars
By Julian Pottage. A bridge novel set in a prison, with unusual characters and
many interesting deals.
Tickets
to the Devil
By Richard Powell. Published in 1968, this is one of the first -- and funniest
-- bridge novels. The story offers clever humor, sexual liaisons, bridge hands
and even new bridge systems ("I play the Hoffmeister Notrump") as it
follows quirky characters at a national tournament. Out of print, but used
copies are available.
Death by Contract
Clubbed to Death
By Shirley Presberg. Fast-paced murder mysteries set
at bridge tournaments and featuring plenty of bridge action.
Takeout
Double: A Bridge Mystery
Double
Elimination: A Bridge Mystery
By Jim Priebe. Intriguing mystery novels featuring bridge-playing
detective Art Fraser, who finds that bridge is intrinsic in solving the
cases.
Bridge at the Top: Behind the Screens
By
Samantha Punch. Interviews with some of the leading experts and most intriguing
personalities in the bridge world. They share their views of what it takes to
become a top player and each offers his or her favorite bridge tip.
Killer Lead: A Duplicate Bridge Club Mystery
By Bill & Sheryl Riley. A murder mystery set in the small town of
Alpine, Alabama, where all the suspects play bridge.
The Cardturner
By Louis Sachar. An entertaining novel about a teenager's relationship with his uncle and his
discovery of the world's greatest game. There are plenty of bridge tips and
deals here and a story featuring humor, romance and mystery.
Entertaining Bridge: Social Bridge at Home
By Caroline Salt. The focus is on party bridge with minimum conventions.
Includes recipes for bridge parties.
Bridge Mix: the Bridge cartoons of Charles M. Schulz
By Charles M. Schulz. A compilation of the late cartoonist's bridge-themed
cartoons, many featuring Snoopy and other Peanuts characters.
For
Love or Money: The Life of a Bridge Journalist
By Brian Senior, Mark Horton & Omar Sharif. Two of the world's top bridge
journalists take you behind the scenes on the international bridge circuit.
The book is packed with fascinating character studies, great stories, humor
and lots of hands.
By David Silver. Five gems packed with challenging
hands and witty satire. The bridge deals are fascinating and unusual, but the
emphasis here is on humor, and Silver is a master at telling a funny story.
World
Class: Conversations with the Bridge Masters
By Marc Smith. Fascinating interviews with 26 of the world's top
players. The interviews feature personal background on how they started their
careers, their best and worst bridge memories, their views on the future of
our game, and lots of their favorite hands. You'll find ideas here to help you
improve your game.
Enterprising Bridge Tales: The Original Stories
Enterprising Bridge Tales: The Next
Generation
By
Marc Smith. Bridge hands and stories set in the 24th century. The Star Trek theme features Captain Quirk and First
Officer Sprock as their team competes in a universe-wide championship.
The
Bridge Bum
By Alan Sontag. A reissued version of the author's 1977 book about his life as
a bridge professional. It has a light-hearted (sometimes hyper) style, funny
stories and interesting insights about how to play your best.
How
to Play Bridge with Your Spouse (and survive)
By Roselyn Teukulsky. This updated and expanded version of the author's
original title offers a humorous look at the challenges of playing bridge with
a wife, husband or Significant Other. It includes many entertaining,
well-analyzed hands.
Bridge at the Breakfast Table
By Paul Thurston. A collection of bridge columns originally published in
Canada's National Post
newspaper.
The
Great Bridge Scandal by Alan & Dorothy Truscott
Story
of an Accusation by Terence Reese
Reprints of two books that present both sides of the "Bridge Scandal of
the Century" from the Buenos Aires world championships.
The
New York Times Bridge Book
By Alan & Dorothy Truscott. This hardcover, subtitled "An Anecdotal
History of the Development, Personalities and Strategies of the World's Most
Popular Card Game", makes a great gift for any bridge player. It's a
unique collection of stories, trivia, gossip and famous hands that show how
our game has developed over the past 75+ years.
North of the Master Solvers Club
By Frank Vine. A collection of the late author's witty essays, articles and
short stories, most originally published in The Bridge World magazine in
the 1980s. Named 2009 Book of the Year by the International Bridge Press
Association.
Webster's Bridge
By H. T. Webster and
William Johnston. Long out of print, this new paperback is a collection of
Webster's clever and insightful bridge cartoons, originally published in the
New York Herald Tribune from 1932-45. They're accompanied by humorous
articles by Johnston, who offers “unsolicited advice on how not to play bridge.”
Under
the Table: The Case Against the Blue Team
By Avon Wilsmore. An investigation into the decades-long charges of cheating
leveled against the Italian Blue Team. The writer analyzes the controversial
hands and explains how the cheating was finally exposed in 2015.
Bridge
at the Enigma Club
By Peter Winkler. A bridge novel that relates the main character's new partnership
with a mysterious woman and her methods for using encrypted, but legal signals.
Secrets Your Bridge Friends Never Tell You
By Cathy Winkler. An entertaining commentary on the ups and downs of playing bridge and the
journey of progressing from beginner to expert. The author offers advice about a
wide range of issues, from how to find and keep partners to playing with your
spouse to hiring pros.
The Lone Wolff: Autobiography of a Bridge Maverick
By Bobby Wolff. A candid account of the bridge life of this world champion and
former president of the American Contract Bridge League.
Back to top
Back
to Karen's Bridge Library
