[flytoox]

The recent discussion of standard bidding in this forum shows the need to recommend Mike Lawrence's book:

"Complete guide to contested auction".

This book, along with his complete book on overcall and many others, is a great book on contested auction.

More than half of bidding in modern bridge involves competitive auction. One case is they open and we interfere, another case is we open they interfere. The complete book on overcall deal with the first case, and the complete guide to contested auction deals with the case where we open and opponents interfere.

Most of intermeidate and advanced players can bid pretty well without interference. However, they often dont know what to do if opponents come in. Questions such as is this forcing arises again and again.

This is a cruel world, you need to fight for your food. Lawrence teaches you how to equip yourself in this book with necessary arms to pretect yourself at the bridge table.

This book includes 13 chapters. Ch1 is a general discussion of contested auction and how it might cause troulbe for you and the need of modifying 2/1 sequence.

ch2 deals with overcall at the one level. It discuss in length some general principle in contested auction. ch3 deals with overcall at the two level. After reading Ch2&3 you will know how to handle with overcall.

ch4 explains what you should do after opp's takeout double. This is a very important chapter. It tells you why sometimes it is wrong to redbl even if you hold 10+hcp when RHO doubles pd's opening bid. It also discussed Jordan Raise after pd's suit opening.

ch5 tells you how to handle when opp overcall with strong NT. ch6 discusses what to do when opp make weak jump overcall. Ch7 is about handling two suiter interference, e.g., unusual NT. ch8 is about spt dbl and rdbl. ch9 is aboout they bid after pd's resonse.

Ch10 is about the case where everybody bids. This is also a veyr important chapter. It is more about judgement, rather than convention. Nowadays everybody likes to bid. It tells you how to judge and evaluate your hand and the development of auction.

What should opener do if opps comes in but pd passes? This is the topic discussed in ch11-12.

chapter 13 discusses some unusual doubles. This helps to clarify some ambiguous auction.

Alfred Sheinwold once said about the complete book on overcalls,"if you read one bridge book per year, this should be it." I am sure he, if still alive, would make similar comments on this book.

If you havenot read it. Grab it and read it now. If you have already read it, read it again:)(I read it a few times. Smart guys on this board need read it once only)

[SandyMacG]

Question.

I used to play duplicate, many years ago, and have just returned to it. Back then we all played the Goren system. Now no one does. Why not?
Most people seem to play SAYC = Standard American Yellow Card.
First what does "Yellow Card" mean.
Second, is there a good book on this system for an intermediate player?

I'm also new to this forum. If I'm adding this question to the wrong place, please let me know.

[luke warm]

welcome, sandy.. here's a link to sayc.. hope it helps

http://www.annam.co.uk/sayc.htm

[Double !]

SandyMacG, on Jun 22 2005, 03:20 PM, said:

Most people seem to play SAYC = Standard American Yellow Card.
First what does "Yellow Card" mean.
Second, is there a good book on this system for an intermediate player?

I'm also new to this forum. If I'm adding this question to the wrong place, please let me know.

There is rarely an incorrect place to post on this forum, so welcome and post away.

SAYC actually originated around 1970-71 when the acbl came out with simplified convention cards for games where relatively few conventions were used. It was physically smaller than a regular convention card then (and now), and IT WAS YELLOW. I think I still have one somewhere around (I keep stupid things like that) - need to locate it.

[ochinko]

SandyMacG, on Jun 22 2005, 11:20 PM, said:

Question.

I used to play duplicate, many years ago, and have just returned to it. Back then we all played the Goren system. Now no one does. Why not?
Most people seem to play SAYC = Standard American Yellow Card.
First what does "Yellow Card" mean.
Second, is there a good book on this system for an intermediate player?

I'm also new to this forum. If I'm adding this question to the wrong place, please let me know.

Hi, Sandy, and welcome.

Most bridge players on the internet are from North America, I guess, almost all servers that allow online play too, so it only makes sense to have a common system that reflects what is nowadays commonly played in the USA and Canada. It is less of a problem if you play only with a regular partner, but it's still worth to know the opponents' system.

I live in Bulgaria, but have adopted SAYC not only because of online playing, but also because there is enormous amount of information about it that can be found, questions that can be asked in a forums as this one, etc.

You should see what blank stares I get at the local club most of the time when I say that I play SAYC. I stared in the same way when a senior pair explained that they play Kaplan as if it would mean anything to me

Petko

[DenisO]

Hi Sandy

In addition to the annam link (which is very good) given by Lukewarm, try a search with Google on either SAYC or Standard American Yellow Card. You'll get more than enough references

[GeeGee]

My first post.

Many of the books mentioned are out of print. I've found a really useful site for getting old books is http://www.abebooks.co.uk/

Although a UK site, it seems to have worldwide links, as I've ordered books from the USA and Canada via this site.

Geoff

[DenisO]

Another good site is Carl Ritner's ACBL booksale - I've had lots of great bargains from him over the last two years . But you need to order about 40 to 50 dollars worth if you live outside the US because of the fixed shipping cost ($11). Economics are probably different if you live in USA; site is

http://www.carlritner.com/

It's well worth a visit if you're into bridge books

[SoTired]

The "Official" ACBL Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC) system is published on the ACBL web site at ACBL Standard Yellow Card System Booklet

[ArcLight]

I've ordered many books from Carl Ritner, shipping in the US is far less than $11, even when ordering many books. He charges media mail rates which is low.

The best place to look for books is the following search engine:
http://www.campusi.c...ind/default.asp

I have used it to buy well over 100 books of all types.

------------------------------------------------------------------

A very nice book on Squeezes is
Bridge Squeezes for Everyone by David Bird.
Its clear and covers many types of squeezes with many hands. I found it far superior to Clyde Loves book (Bridge Squeezes Complete). Each chapter teaches a different type of squeeze with problems at the end.
The only "knock" I have on the book is you know exactly what type of squeeze is needed in a problem (because of the chapter headings).

I rate it an A-, and will eventually read it again.


(Eventually I want to read Kelseys 4 volume set on Squeezes and also Terence Reeses book - Squeeze Play Made Easy)

[Double !]

ArcLight, on Jul 2 2005, 10:16 AM, said:

(Eventually I want to read Kelseys 4 volume set on Squeezes and also Terence Reeses book - Squeeze Play Made Easy)

definitely recommend Reese-Jourdain: "Squeeze Play Made Easy"

darned good book

maybe not as good, though, as Ben's soon-to-be-released material?

[helene_t]

Test your Bridge Play, Vol II, by Kantar

100 excercises in declarer play. What I like is that the problems are given in more or less random order, that is, not according to theme or difficulty. That means that when solving the problems you have to keep both your eyes open, you can't make inference like "this is section 4 so it must be about partial elimination".

The problems are not awfully difficult, I think the level could be rated as low intermediate. But the themes are most varied, including deception ("Which card should you play against strong opponents? And which against weak opponents?").

It is generally assumed that overtricks are not important and that opponents lead 4th best against notrump contracts. Those assumptions should have been stated explicitly, I think, since it will often not hold true.

I would like a similar booklet about defense. Recomandations, anyone?

[P_Marlowe]

ArcLight, on Jul 2 2005, 10:16 AM, said:

Bridge Squeezes for Everyone by David Bird.
<snip>
I rate it an A-, and will eventually read it again.

Hi,

I agree, this book is really a great introduction into squezzes,
... belonging into the category "everyone" myself, after reading
the book, I was able to understand squezzes and execute my
first one on the table, it needed some help from the opponents,
but that's ok.

Looking at the book as an introduction, I would rate it A.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[ArcLight]

Kantar has puzzle books on defense such as Defend With Your Life (supposed to be very hard, at least thats what Kantar told me in an email),
A New Approach to Play and Defense, has 50 defense and 50 declarer problems. I read it and liked it.

[ArcLight]

How good is the pamphlet
The Forcing Pass in Contract Bridge by Eddie Kantar in 1983?
Where can I get a copy? (I searched Google and a book search engine for rare books and came up with nothing)

[mike777]

The complete Book on Takeout Doubles by Michael Lawrence, 1994.
Grade=B+

I reread this book after 10 years. Basically 2 sections in the book, making a double and responding to the double.

Responding to the double is grade A-. This part is clearly written and excellent.
Making the double and what it means is grade B. I always found making a double and what it means a very difficult topic. Mike attacks it and clears up some areas but this subject is still cloudy.

[ArcLight]

Match Point Bridge by Hugh Kelsey 1970.

This is an advanced/advanced intermediate level book. Nothing on conventions, and simple bidding systems. The emphasis is on how to understand and play match points.

He starts out explaining the concept of the theoretical best contract for both sideds, called par. If you screw up in the bidding, abd don't reach (or exceed) the par contract you will do poorly.

Next, try and ascertain what the field will do. If they will try for an over trick, you must also make this play. If you are in a different contract, you may have to take a risky play to make up for it. Or hope the field goes down on an obvious finesse.

There are sections on defense, leads, sacrafices, deception, and contesting the part score. There are many hands (not double dummy) to go through and figure out what to do.

I found the book difficult, but a very rewarding book to read.
I rate it an A.

[MickyB]

I know little of Kelsey's book, but I understand that Woolsey's Matchpoints is the book to read on this topic - I found it to be excellent.

[ArcLight]

>I know little of Kelsey's book, but I understand that Woolsey's Matchpoints is the book to read on this topic - I found it to be excellent.

I have heard this too. Thats why I'm reading all the other books first (Ron Klingers "100 Duplicate Tips", Edgar Kaplans "Duplicate Bridge", Kay&Silidor&Karpin "The Complete Book of Duplicate Bridge"), to give me a solid background.

I find that I miss a lot if I read "THE" book on a subject without having much background. I'm saving the best for last. I'm not worried that I'll have to unlearn anything, as none of these books contradicted each other.

[mike777]

Contested Auctions, Lawrence, 1992
Grade=A

Mike's usual clear and enjoyable style of writing.

Just reread this after more than 10 years. Excellent and highly recommended.
2 parts I really enjoyed:
1)Wonderful discussion of 2/1 bids in contested auctions. In general forcing but does not promise a rebid. Many hand examples of good and bad points to this approach.
2) Jump rebids by opener in contested auctions to steal the hand.