The first book

[Flame]

Im teaching beginners, its a group of 60+ years old, now that they know a little bit of bridge, some of them want to read a book. This book must be an easy one, should be based on 5 card M and 15-17 NT system. They know the opening bids, and on good day they remember some of the responses and even what stayman is.

Can you recoomand a book ?

[42]

Hi Flame!

I like very much "Bridge for Dummies" by Eddie Kantar for this purpose:

# Paperback: 348 pages

# Publisher: For Dummies (June 23, 1997)

# Language: English

# ISBN: 0764550152

Caren

[Al_U_Card]

5 weeks to winning bridge by A. Scheinwold is a reading room (the one with the sink) favorite..... :P

[zasanya]

Card Play Technique by Victor Mollo-Nico Gardner

[mike777]

Card Play Technique by Victor Mollo-Nico Gardner

Great book, A+ but not for a first book, please :).

[Robert]

Hello everyone

 

Harry Lambert put out several very nice books at various starting levels.

Bright yellow covers. Many cartoons illustrate 'high' points in the bidding.

It is currently in major book stores, drop by and browse and I think that you will find it to be a possible solution.

 

I love Kantars books, however, the 'beginners' book that I have from him is ony for 'advanced' or even super advanced beginners.

 

Regards,

Robert

[kenberg]

Since you say 5 card majors etc it appears that you/they are thinking of a book on bidding. I would recommend they consider a book on play, starting of course with declarer play. Kaplan's old book, something like "Contract Bridge Complete" covers both bidding and play (as the name implies) but I remember the play part as being particularly good, and moving from the simple to the fairly complex. I like Kantar a lot and the Dummies book may well be good (I haven't read it). Stewart's books I like, and I think some are at a fairly beginning level. Somehow I never warmed to the Sheinwold book but I am fine with saying that's my failing. Certainly many players highly praise it.

 

People will read what they like (I recommend Scott Torow's latest novel, Ordinary Heroes) but I would at least suggest to them that they consider reading about play rather than bidding. For one thing, bidding involves a pair while declarer play involves one person. If a reader become competent at declarer play he will be sought after as a partner, and then the two of them can take the plunge with splinters and the like. Also, unless they become decent declarers, sensible bidding will get them to many game contracts that they won't make.

 

As some Dane once said: The play's the thing.

 

Ken

[pdmunro]

Flame, I see from your profile that you are in Israel. I am not sure what books you can get there. Is there a local author who has a good book? In the USA, I think Audrey Grant's books would be the main books used for beginners. I would check out the ACBL website. In Australia, we mostly use Paul Marston's "The Language of Bidding". It has all the main bids. However when I learnt, my bridge teacher wrote his own lesson sheets, each one focusing on a central bidding topic. I think this helped to keep us coming back for the next installment.

 

My experience with bridge books - I probably have about eighty - is that I use them as references rather than reading them from cover to cover. The only books I have read completely are a couple of very simple books on play.

 

Have you tried making up a one page bidding chart? I think all beginners want to have a one page system. :-)

[macaw]

"The Fun Way to Serious Bridge" by Harry Lampert.

[realgold]

I dont know if it is published world wide but Ron Klinger's Bridge for Beginners is good in that there are exercises to do after each chapter to see if you have taken in what has been taught. Perhaps an idea for your young + pupils. Ron Klinger is an Australian and international bridge champion.

[sdoty]

Audrey Grant - "Bridge Basics 1"

Harry Lampert - "The Fun Way to Serious Bridge"

Eddie Kantar - "Bridge for Dummies" also not a bad choice.

 

I'm not a huge fan of any of them, but they're the best currently available, imo. (I haven't checked out Brock's recent 5 card major book.)

 

I wouldn't recommend the Stewart/Randall "Bridge Book" series... the material is good, but the format is a bit dense. Likewise, the older classics are classics for a reason, but I've known lots of beginners who were scared off (or bored) by having to sit and do so much straight reading. The three titles above are in a more user friendly format.

 

I'd also stay away from Silverman, but I'll admit that I'm probably a bit biased there. I'm a big believer that if the material looks nice and is well laid out the students are more likely to process it, which rules Silverman out as far as I'm concerned.

 

Michael Penick's "Beginning Bridge Complete" is okay, but not as good as the ones above. Paul Lamford's "Starting Out in Bridge" doesn't have much to recommend it. Zia and Audrey collaborated on a three book "Breakthrough Bridge" series (now published in one volume "Bridge for Beginners" under Zia's name iirc) and it's pretty solid, but you'll get the same info in an easier format in "Bridge Basics 1".

 

For card play, the absolute best title that I've ever come across for beginner/low int players is "Bridge Maxims" by Grant/Rodwell. If they can get a copy of it I -highly- recommend it.

 

For your class I definitely recommend making up 'cheat sheets' for them, outlining the basic areas of bidding (responding to 1 minor, raising opener's major, raising responder's major, etc etc), as pdmunro suggested. The shorter and sweeter the better... the idea is for them to have something that they can look at -quickly- and (hopefully) work out what they're supposed to do. Having a reference like that at each table can also be a godsend if you're running a supervised play session for several tables on your own, since (if you have an inquisitive group) it's impossible to be everywhere you're needed at once. :-)

 

Some links you might find useful:

http://www.kittycooper.com/Bridge/index.php

http://www.fifthchair.org/school/

http://www.rpbridge.net/bbtc.htm

http://www.jazclass.aust.com/bridge/br0.htm

 

Good luck!

 

Susan

[P_Marlowe]

I dont know if it is published world wide but Ron Klinger's Bridge for Beginners is good in that there are exercises to do after each chapter to see if you have taken in what has been taught.  Perhaps an idea for your young + pupils.  Ron Klinger is an Australian and international bridge champion.

Hi,

 

I dont know his 5 card mayor book, but his beginners book

for Acol is a great script for a course, ... but it is a teachers book.

 

Marlowe

[Guest Jlall]

I like the Audrey Grant stuff, but anything listed here will do.

[GeeGee]

For card play, the absolute best title that I've ever come across for beginner/low int players is "Bridge Maxims" by Grant/Rodwell. If they can get a copy of it I -highly- recommend it.

I agree. Get a copy and share it between your trainees.

 

We have a copy in the club library, and I try to get promising beginners to read it.

 

Try www.abebooks.com