Stayman Auctions

Stayman Auctions
Author: Barbara Seagram
Publisher: Master Point Press
Total Pages: 76
Release: 2004
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 9781894154840

Each book in this series allows players to learn a new convention, then practice using it either on their own or with a favorite partner.

The Weak Notrump

The Weak Notrump
Author: Andy Stark
Publisher: Master Point Press
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2006
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 9781894154697

All North American players are taught to play using a strong notrump, but that is not the way of the rest of the world. Even in North America, weak notrump systems, or even Kamikaze notrump systems, are becoming more common. This book discusses the advantages and disadvantages of playing a system with a weaker notrump opening, and shows how the 1NT range impacts the rest of the bidding system. Even those who have no interest in converting to a weak notrump range still need to know how to play against weak notrump systems. For them, the book includes advice on effective competitive methods.

Jacoby Transfers

Jacoby Transfers
Author: Barbara Seagram
Publisher: Master Point Press
Total Pages: 84
Release: 2004
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 9781894154857

Each book in this series allows players to learn a new convention, then practice using it either on their own or with a favorite partner.

The Notrump Zone

The Notrump Zone
Author: Danny Kleinman
Publisher: Master Point Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2004
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 9781894154703

Notrump openings, and the constructive auctions that follow them, are two of the most neglected areas in bridge literature. Following on from his popular articles in the ACBL Bulletin, Kleinman discusses the principles behind notrump bids and rebids in a variety of situations, emphasising the ideas and concepts rather than attempting to teach a series of rigid rules. A must for any duplicate player.

Beginning Bridge

Beginning Bridge
Author: Barbara Seagram
Publisher: Master Point Press
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2008-06
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 9781897106334

Written for complete beginners, this book is based on material that Barbara Seagram uses in her own classes to introduce hundreds of new players to the game every year. The book will take readers to the point where they can enjoy a social game with friends or begin to explore their local bridge club.

Partnership Bidding

Partnership Bidding
Author: Mary Paul
Publisher: Master Point Press
Total Pages: 100
Release: 1994
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 9780969846109

"In Partnership Bidding, Mary Paul (one of the World Bridge Federation's leading master point holders) reveals the partnership techniques used by the world's best players to prepare for competition. By working through the questionnaire in this book with your partner, you will be able to refine your bidding system, select conventions that suit your style, define your defensive carding agreements, and give your game that winning edge. All players from intermediate to advanced who are serious about improving their game will learn from this unique workbook."--Back cover.

The Optimal Modified 2/1-Club System

The Optimal Modified 2/1-Club System
Author: Neil H. Timm Ph.D.
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2022-03-23
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1698711379

My goal for “The Modified Optimal 2/1-Club System” is to show how to use the Optimal Point Count (OPC) method of hand evaluation developed by Patrick. Darricades in his book “Optimal Hand Evaluation” (2019) to improve the dialogue between two players to achieve an optimal bridge contract. The primary objective is to demonstrate how to apply the new system approach to contract bridge by illustrating a more accurate method of hand evaluation whether you play 2/1, Standard American (SA), Acol or Precision, among others. The Two over One (2/1) Game Force bidding system was an improvement over the SA System that has been in effect and played by bridge players for many years. Many claim that the advantage of the 2/1 system allows the partnership to know that game is possible with only a single bid provided one has 13+ points. As we shall see for suit contracts it is only true if the opening 2/1 bidder has 15 points, not 12/13 points since 25/26 points do not result in game whenever a singleton in one hand finds “wasted honor points” in partner’s hand. Yet, most 2/1 conventions call for 13+ High Card Points (HCP). Another flaw of the 2/1 approach is the fact that opening 1-level suit bids have a wide bidding range (12-21). To eliminate this flaw, the principles of Pinpoint Precision with 1*= 18+ points and new responses associated with a new and improved hand evaluation method. A major flaw of most Strong Club opening bids is that they are based solely on HCPs with opening bids of 1*=16/17+ HCP. To correct these flaws among others, the search for a better hand evaluation method and a better bidding system has been unrelenting. Hand evaluation methods have been popularized by Milton Work, Charles Goren, Marty Bergen, and Petkoy Zar, and others. All falling short when applied to the commonly used “dialogue” bidding systems. The Optimal Point Count (OPC) method of hand evaluation corrects the many flaws of prior hand evaluation methods when applied to any bidding system. In this book many “traditional/standard” bidding practices that do not help to show suit fi t and distribution are to be avoided or re-defined. Splinters and mini splinters which show the location of voids and singletons to help locate wasted honors, the XYZ bidding convention, cue bidding, and new bids for the investigation of game and slam are among the cornerstone conventions reviewed in this book. Newly defined 2 and 3-level bids to show hands with 6/7+card suits are defined to prevent the opponents from finding their optimal contract and to improve upon difficult bidding sequences using traditional bidding strategies. The evaluation of one’s Offense to Defense Ratio (ODR), why many well-known bidding sequences must be avoided, and an analysis of several old “standard” bridge laws/rules are reviewed to show why they need not be used to improve one’s judgement if one employs the OPC method.

The Daily Telegraph Easy Guide to Acol Bridge

The Daily Telegraph Easy Guide to Acol Bridge
Author: Patrick Jourdain
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2005-04-19
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 9780713489712

Acol bidding is the most popular system in the UK and is used by the majority of players throughout the country. Because it uses a weak no-trump opening and a minimum of conventions, it's a great way for beginners to learn how to bid with confidence.

Bridge the Gap to Better Bidding

Bridge the Gap to Better Bidding
Author: Jack Wynns
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 684
Release: 2022-08-26
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 1665566833

This book is intended for intermediate and advanced players and is designed along the lines of a convention card. Each subject (No Trump, Majors, Weak Two Bids, etc.) gets its own chapter. Within each chapter each topic gets a page of text along with examples and a quiz. Most intermediate players have a working, but incomplete, knowledge of the various topics. This book will fill in the blanks, add new ideas to your bidding arsenal and significantly improve your bidding skills.

The Precision Diamond Bridge Bidding System

The Precision Diamond Bridge Bidding System
Author: Ken Casey
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2019-06-19
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 1796041297

The Precision Diamond system provides a solution to the flaws in the Standard American bidding convention (SAYC). There are 6 notable features of my bidding system. The 1st feature is the ability of the responder to show his 5-card major suit immediately using the Casey-Jacoby Transfer. The 2nd feature is that Precision Diamond permits the opener to show his points within a 2p range from 16-21 points using the Casey Shift and the Strong 2 opening. The 3rd feature is the ability of the overcaller to show his 4-card major suit immediately by assigning 1NT to show 4s. The 4th feature of Precision Diamond is the ability of the Keycard-Asker in a slam contract to ascertain whether the opener has the trump queen using the Casey RKC method. The 5th feature is the ability of the opener to show keycards, including the trump queen, at the 4-level in the case of a minor suit slam attempt using Minorwood. The 6th feature is the ability of the opener to find a slam with a minor suit fit using the Casey Minor Rebid convention.