Becoming a Bridge Expert

Frank Stewart

Master Point Press, 2001 - Games & Activities - 300 pages

A compendium of advice for the improving player from one of North America's best-known bridge teachers and writers. Each tip is bite-sized - 3-4 pages in length - so the reader can dip in briefly and still take away an important idea. As well as the usual sections on bidding, play and defense, the author includes much advice on the psychological aspects of the game, including how to be a good partner. Frank Stewart is one of the most distinguished bridge writers and journalists in North America, with over twenty books to his credit. A major contributor to the Official Encyclopedia of Bridge and a regular writer for the ACBL Bulletin, he is perhaps best-known today as the author of the nationally-syndicated 'Daily Bridge Club' daily newspaper column. He lives in Fayette, Alabama.

Contents

• Constructive Bidding: 9
• Know your basics cold: 10
• Is it forcing?: 19
• Choose a sensible system: 25
• Leave the exotic conventions to your opponents: 31
• When you suspect how the cards lie be bold: 38
• Before you bid visualize the play: 42
• Dont play your partner for perfect cards: 45
• Dont ignore the threat of bad breaks: 49
• Describe your hand: 52
• Support your partner: 56
• Dont be a slave to the point count: 59
• If its a misfit quit: 62
• Dont make ambiguous bids: 66
• A cuebid shows slam interest: 69
• Expert gambitry: 74
• Dummy Play: 81
• Know your card combinations: 82
• Plan before you play: 88
• Establish your side suit early: 92
• Assume your contract is makable: 95
• Consider what can go wrong: 101
• Find out what you need to know: 105
• Assume a logical opening lead: 109
• Assume the defenders plays make sense to them: 114
• Eight ever nine never? Dont believe it: 118
• With extra trumps look for an endplay: 122
• Look for the loseronloser: 125
• Run your long suit: 129
• Attack your weak suit: 132
• Let your opponents make the mistakes: 136
• The discards have a message: 141
• Competitive Bidding: 145
• Know your basics cold: 146
• Is it forcing?: 153
• When your partner strains to compete dont hang him: 158
• Dont let competition get your goat: 162
• In a competitive auction put your partner in the picture: 166
• Make your bidding farsighted: 172
• Support your partner: 176
• When you overcall weigh what you have to gain and to lose: 179
• Beware the death seat: 185
• Preempt sensibly: 187
• Dont sell out too soon: 192
• See what your partner thinks: 197
• Dont be triggerhappy: 201
• Make inferential penalty doubles: 206
• Direct the defense: 210
• let the bidding guide you: 216
• be willing to go against the book: 219
• when your partner is weak all bets are off: 222
• Give yourself a chance: 225
• Preserve your options: 229
• Cherish the ace of trumps: 233
• Count count count: 236
• Assume declarer is operating correctly: 240
• Assume your partner knows what hes doing: 244
• Make things easy for your partner: 248
• Dont give declarer an easy ride: 252
• Dont be a winner grabber: 256
• Dont get hung up on suit preference: 260
• Look for extra trump tricks: 264
• Conceal your holding: 269
• Personal Glimpses: 273
• Honor your partner: 274
• Dont be contentious with your opponents: 281
• Maintain your focus: 282
• Be all you can be: 286
• Cultivate your table presence: 291
• can bridge be taught?: 295
• Enjoy the postmortem: 298

About the author

Frank Stewart is one of the most distinguished bridge writers and journalists in North America, with over twenty books to his credit. A major contributor to the Official Encyclopedia of Bridge and a regular writer for the ACBL Bulletin, he is perhaps best-known today as the author of the nationally-syndicated 'Daily Bridge Club' daily newspaper column. He lives in Fayette, Alabama.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Becoming a Bridge Expert; Sure-Fire Tips and Secrets to Boost Your Scores
• Author: Frank Stewart
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Master Point Press, 2001
• ISBN: 1894154274, 9781894154277
• Length: 300 pages
• Subjects: Games & Activities / Card Games / Bridge; Games & Activities / General