Book Reviews

[Chamaco]

Sorry, I do not want to be unpleasant so I'll leave this thread alone after this.

 

But I feel from the latest replies that I did not explain well my ideas about the reviews of books by better authors.

 

Indeed anyone can make a review of a credited author: however in my opinion, one should be VERY careful before being harsh towards a good author, for many reasons.

Criticizing a book is one thing: but I think that beating hard on it is a different matter than a simple critique, and it requires a background at least comparable to the one of the author.

(By beating hard I refer to a plethora of Arc's posts, mostly coming from author that do not use the bidding systems or styles more common in ACBL)

 

One reason why I believe we should be careful in those critiques to well known authors is that a lot of the time we criticize things written by a better player it simply means we do not understand them.

And I think in this case we should think twice or thrice before slaughtering a book (are we really sure we understood it well ?)

 

However, that is only my opinion and I do not expect it to be shared by everybody

 

What I think is clear, though, is that IF ONE gives a bad review (not just a so and so) of a book by a "good" author ("good" = having a good credit), he cannot complain if the same (same = being judged with the same severity) happens to him (by someone reading his review).

(Of course there exist bad books and/or books that for instance have a bad layout or something like that - but this is outside the scope of my point. I refer to issues of bridge technique here)

 

A final point: I have read the book, as most that were reviewed by Arc.

 

I do not want to enter the details of the discussion (which points I think were the key of my critique to Arc's reviews) because that would only make the discussion more bitter, and indeed it is not my will.

 

I have replied a bit hard only because I received a personal message by Arc, that one really explicitly insulting.

 

However, it is not my will to be annoying, neither to Arc nor to others.

[ochinko]

Ok, put yourself in ArcLight's shoes. He likes to read, and he likes to comment on it. Who would be interested to read his comments if they knew beforehand that the comment would always be positive?

 

It became clear that he's not an expert. I, for one, think that's great, because he doesn't have to constrain himself. If he was a well known expert then a bad review could bury a book or an author.

 

I am not less interested to hear your opinion than his as long as it has some substance. Tell me why ArcLight isn't right, what did he miss, don't tell me he should say only good things about a book.

 

Nothing is more precious than an honest opinion by a peer of yours. No one expects those opinions to always be right, that would be silly. If you say that he's biased, don't expect to surprise me, everyone is biased. Let those biased opinions clash, and let the readers decide for themselves.

[Trumpace]

So in order to review a Steve Spielberg flick, the reviewer must be a world class director?

 

Or a sports writer can't criticize a ball player's bad play because the sports writer can't play pro ball?

 

Or a sportswriter can't criticize a pro coach because the writer has never even been a coach?

 

Of course not! You don't have to be an expert bridge player to effectively review a bridge book. As a matter of fact, an intermediate player may be a better judge of the writing because if the intermediate player can't understand the bridge, then the book is not well written.

 

The only concern about the review by an intermediate player is if the reviewer states bridge opinions about the usefulness of a convention or system. And even then, the old "buyer beware" rule applies.

Not really, especially if the book is titled: "Masterpieces in Declarer Play" which might require a certain level of expertise to even understand (Note: I am not saying that ArcLight does not have that expertise).

 

How do you think an intermediate would rate "Adventures in Card Play" by Ottlik and Kelsey?

 

Really, if you have to find flaws, in say, the analysis of the play of some hand, you must be pretty capable yourself.

 

Understanding what the author says, versus claiming that the author is wrong (and you being correct) really require different levels of expertise in most cases.

[ArcLight]

Actually, Masterpieces of Declarer play is not really about super hard hands, such as those found in Kelseys Adventures in Card Play. Its well suited for intermediate plus and advanced players. I just felt that some of the hands could have been better, or the clues on a few hands could have been better (I'd have rated the book higher than a B- (which is still worth reading).

 

I will eventually read Pottages companion book "Masterpieces of Defense"

 

 

I have only skimmed Adventures in Cardplay , it looks interesting and very tough. I wouldn't pan it because I can't solve those hands. Afterall, its an expert level book, and to pan a book because its above (or below) ones level is unfair.

[ArcLight]

Killing Defense at Bridge by Hugh Kelsey

 

 

When I started playing bridge I also started reading many bridge books. I tried reading this one when I had 5 months experience. No surprise that I found the book way too hard and put it down. I made a note in my log of books read "Too advanced. Requires reader to make assumptions as to what declarer has to set the contract."" I found that interesting as a measure of my thinking as a beginner.

 

Counting shape, HCP, and tricks is the beginning. Here the emphasis is on more than just counting, its on visualization. Declarer or pard may have some high spot that makes such and such a play dangerous or safe. Why didn't declarer or pard attack some suit, or switch suits? What is someones shape? How will the play go? Will entries be a problem? The first several hands were easier, then they got harder. There is a tough chpater on Squeeze defense (not simple ones either!) though Kelsey says its not that important as far as your game is concerned, mainly just for experts. Many of the hands are solvable if you think them through. Even if you don't get them, just the thinking and reading the clear solution will help.

 

On a few of the hands I didn't agree with the bidding and wasn't able to solve the problem. For example: with 5=1=2=5 which suit (both good suits) would you open? Back then Kelsey said ♣, today wouldn't many open Spades?

Also, with using 4 card majors, there were a few hands I wasn't sure of the shapes.

 

The book is geared towards Advanced or Intermediate Plus level players.

Perhaps some of its fame as a classic is it came out 40 years ago and was probably the first Excellent and non trivial book on defense. I rate it an A-, though others may rate it an A or A+. In any case its certainly worth reading (and rereading every couple of years).

 

 

On to More Killing Defense in a month...

[helene_t]

"Human Bridge Errors" collected and analyzed by Chthonic (pronounce "thonic")

 

Readers of Bridge World think that Chthonic is a pseudonym for Kleinman and/or Straguzzi while readers of BBF may think that it's a pseudonym for The_hog. Anyway, the robot that was developed to insult humans in general and bridge players in particular has written a modern version of "Why you lose at bridge". As such, it's a much-needed book, emphazising what matters (basic understanding of the game), rather than memorizing thousands of marginal conventions. If you are looking for a birthday present for an intermediate player and consider "Why you lose at bridge" but are worried about confusing the recipient with obsolete methods (lots of penalty doubles) and statistical superstition (mirrored shapes, wave of luck), then you should probably chose "Human bridge errors".

 

The endless stream of insults (".... machines with limited processing power, such as waffle irons and humans, .....") becomes tiresome at some point but otherwise it's a very good book. Most of the topics are what low-intermediates refuse to know while high-intermediates know but refuse to apply. There are a few controversial ideas also, for example a proposal of a radical non-standard treatment of protecting doubles. But the authors are quite explicit that this is just their opinion.

[cherdano]

Killing Defense at Bridge by Hugh Kelsey

 

(...)

 

The book is geared towards Advanced or Intermediate Plus level players.

Perhaps some of its fame as a classic is it came out 40 years ago and was probably the first Excellent and non trivial book on defense. I rate it an A-, though others may rate it an A or A+. In any case its certainly worth reading (and rereading every couple of years).

I am one of those who would give it an A+. I think the selection of hands is excellent, they all feel like everyday hands that you have seen or should have seen. I haven't read many books but this one is definitely my favorite so far.

[cjames]

This is an excellent topic, but maybe many misses it. Could it be an idea to pin it to the first page?

[ArcLight]

More Killing Defense by Hugh Kelsey

 

I think I liked this even more than the first one. Its still has some outdated bidding (such as 1NT - 2D being natural) that will cause you to miss a few problems, but other than that is excellent.

 

- A few chapters of discarding (a very important subject)

 

- A few chapters on removing declarers options (i.e. forcing him to commit to one like of play before being able to first try another)

 

- anticipating partners problems

 

Like all advanced books on defense the emphasis is on more than just counting HCP, its on visualization and figuring out how the play will go.

 

I think there were more problems (especially in the later chapters) where you had to break up potential squeezes, or if you play in such a way you will allow declarer to squeze someone. In Killing Defense Kelsey thought defending against squeezes was not just advanced but of less importance to study, compared to all the other defense related topics.

 

The book has "Intermediate" listed on the cover but I think thats rather ambitious. Not that an Intermediate wouldn't get any of the problems, rather they should work their way up to this level first.

 

I rate it an A, though probably Arend will rate it an A+ :)

[ArcLight]

The Extra Edge in PLay by Terence Reese & Julian Pottage

 

I read and reviewed this book about 2 years ago. I didn't think it was anything special (I think I rated it a C or C-). I may have been disappointed because I had

just read some excellent books by Reese and this wasn't as good. In other words my expectations were too high. Perhaps as I've read more books and gained experience I have come to appreciate some of the techniques more.

 

I just reread the book and liked it more the second time. Some of the hands were not so good, but there were a number of interesting hands / techniques. Things like how to play 2 suits that both offer finesses, or partial eliminations, or unusual ducking plays.

 

I am upping my rating to B-

[ArcLight]

The Only Chance by Eric Jannersten

 

There are 83 bad contracts (usually due to some bad split like 4-1 or 5-0) and you have to visualize what layout you need to make the contract. The layout is realistic, not requiring a 6-0 split or 5-1 with a stiff King.

You have to make some assumptions, like the hand with the master trump not being able to ruff in before the 3rd round of clubs allowing you to discard a loser.

A nice assortment of problems.

 

There are a few squeezes, but most problems just require planning , counting, and visualization. An excellent book for all you over bidders at the Intermediate plus or higher level.

 

Eric Jannersten was a Swedish expert who wrote a number of excellent books, though they are probably not well known.

 

Winning Pairs Technique

Card reading; the art of guessing right at the bridge table

Find the Mistake

Play safe -- and win

The Best of Bridge

 

I haven't read his book on Precision.

 

He has another book "With Open Cards" that has 100+ Double Dummy problems. They are tough! They are mostly small and grand slams involving some weirdo squeeze. Its definitely for Advanced players.

[pokerbids]

/Five Weeks to winning Bridge - Alfred Sheinwold

 

I read this all those years ago and heaven knows if it is still available. But it was so good I havent forgotten its simple lessons in years. Book is for the beginner and is divided into 35 days and starts by day 1 telling you how to deal. Day 35 is advanced squeeze techniques. Simple and effective for the person who wants to learn but even average players would benefit from the lessons after day 25 or so. Style of writing was very good.

[mike777]

The Backwash Squeeze & Other Improbable Feats, Edward McPherson, 2007,23.95$, 340pp.

Level=General Interest

Grade=B.

 

A newcomer's journey into the World of Bridge. There are no deals, bidding or play quizzes only the narrative of Mr. Mcpherson's visit to the world of Bridge. He retells all the old and famous stories of bridge, how bridge was invented and his visits to local bridge clubs and a national tourney.

 

He has long and interesting interviews with Hamman, Zia, Robson along with a few comments from and about the forum's own Justin L. The book is written for people who cannot tell a heart from a diamond but bridge players will enjoy rehearing the old war stories and seeing how bridge is viewed from a newcomers' eyes.

[Gerben42]

Virtual European Championship, Part I / II by Krzysztof Martens

 

Both volumes contain 170 declarer play problems, Bridge Master style. Most of them are Level 3 and better and I think this book is useful for anyone between Advanced and World Class. The presentation is simple but effective, I think.

 

One of the best books to learn advanced declarer play in my opinion, simply by playing the tough hands.

[ArcLight]

>Virtual European Championship, Part I / II by Krzysztof Martens

 

I found this link to buy it:

http://www.martensuniversity.com/pl/111/5/...hip_part_2.html

 

(part 1 is on the next page) 20 Euros for the book, 13 for a PDF

 

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

Recently Read Books

 

Things Your Bridge Teacher Won't Tell You - Romm, Dan

The first third of the book was good. Focusing more on table presence. Teh other 2/3 was not of any interest as it covered his opinion of conventions and/or modifications to them. Overall C+

 

Bridge Master vs Bridge Amateur - Horton, Mark

Some good hands that are misplayed. The author shows the "common" way of playing a hand, and then the safe and correct way an expert would play it.

I found it hard to use the book because all 4 hands are exposed so you have to cover 2 hands so as not to ruin the problem in acs eyou try and solve it before just reading the solution. I felt the bidding section was too simple. This book is more geared towards low intermediates, though they wont solve some of the hands.

The hands are a raqndom assortment, not focused on any family of problems.

Overall its fair, C+.

 

Hand Reading in Bridge: How to Improve Your Card Play- Roth, Danny

A book for advanced players as this involves technique, counting, and visualization. Some good hands, and also some hands where the carding doesn't follow the methods used on other hands (i.e. not signaling, or some implied suit preference). On a couple of hands I felt the bididng was not what I'd expect fopr the actual hand and it made it impossible to solve the problem.

I give it a B for advanced players.

 

False cards - Mike Lawrence

Solid coverage. I like that he gives a frequency of how often certain families of false cards come up, rather than justs lists lots of false card situations.

Good intermediate level book. A-

 

Step by Step Deceptive Defender Play Rigal, Barry

Step by Step Deceptive Declarer Play Rigal, Barry

2 decent books, for intermedaite level players. Covers lots of examples. Takes a while to go through all thje defense examples and think about them.

Both are good. Solid B.

 

Off-Road Declarer Play - unusual Ways to Play a Bridge Hand Bird, David

Excellent. Good selection of various techniques. Nothging crazy.

I rate it an A for Intermediates and Advanced

 

Great Hands I wish I had played Brock, Sally Raymond Brock

Like Reese - Over the shoulder - quite good - good thought and visualization thought. Some hands might not have been analyszed perfectly. Challenging.

I rate it a B.

 

Two-Minute Bridge Tips Stewart, Frank

Solid collection of declarer play problems, with some bididng problems on the side

Solid B.

 

My Bridge And Yours Stewart, Frank

Like "Play these hands with me" involving advanced card reading. Some of the bidding is very conservative

A-

[ArcLight]

Masterpieces of Defense by Julian Pottage

 

Good book for advanced Intermediates and above. Goes beyond teh single count the winners/losers,HCP, and shape. Visualization is emphasized. How will the play go if I duck? What does pard need to set this? The last chapter is on defense against squuezes and endplays and was quite good.

 

Many of the problems I missed I thought I should have found the solution for.

Definitely worth reading.

 

I think I liked it better than Pottages other books (Defefend these hands with me, and Masterpieces of Declarer play) though they are also good.

[CarlRitner]

Thanks to all, but especially to ArcLight, for these great reviews.

 

 

Carl

 

ACBL Library Bridge Books

[mike777]

The Jack of Hearts, Don Von Elsner, 188pp., 1968.

Grade=B

Level=All

 

Reread this after several decades. A fast, fun pulp fiction read. Bridge Bum, ladies man and yes a secret agent, will Jack Winkman, save the world, get the girl and even more importantly win at bridge? Bridge hands feature real life bridge players from the sixties.

[ArcLight]

Play Safe and Win - Eric Jannersten

 

I reread this after first reading it ~2 years ago.

The focus is on card play technique and asking yourself "What can go wrong".

 

Very few squeezes, most hands are just solid intermediate level hands that are frequently butchered. Elimination plays, timing, communications. Maybe a trump coup.

 

1. what is my objective? I need 10 tricks and have 11, should I give up an over trick to cater for a bad split somewhere?

 

2. what can go wrong. The contract is cold if trumps are 3-2 and unmakable if 5-0, how can I handle a 4-1 split?

 

3. there are 2 lines of play, which is better.

 

 

Good solid coverage. I think its very worthwhile for all Intermediates and lower. I think (low) advanced players will benefit from these hands.

 

 

Eric Jannersten has a number of good books. Car reading, find teh mistake, the only chance, Winning pairs technique. With Open cards is more on squeezes.

[pclayton]

Here's most of what I've read since Nashville:

 

Card-by-Card by Roy Hughes. 90% of the hands in this are great and will test you. Its a little disappointing that some of the hands are set up like "you are playing rubber bridge against..." only to find out that the hand appeared in another publication. Still, you willl appreciate the level of detail of some of the hands, which are reminicent of Spotlight on Card Play by Darvas. (B+)

 

Swiss Match Challenge by Jeff Rubens. I'd seen most of these hands before since they have all appeared in the Bridge World, so many of the themes weren't new to me. Stil, I love the format and 8 hands in a row is a nice, manageable number to analyze and its enjoyable to score these as if you played a real swiss match. ( B )

 

Test your Timing by Hugh Kelsey. My copy disappeared many moons ago. If you aren't familiar with the themes, these problems can be pretty tough, but usually after the hand you'll say "why didn't I think of that"? (A)

 

Matchpoint Defense by Jim Priebe. I thought his "Thinking on Defense" had hands that were concocted. There's no central theme to Matchpoint Defense and the hands are pretty basic. ( C)

Right through the Pack by Robert Darvas, et al. Absolutely brilliant and I reread it about once a year. My 2nd favorite book behind Adventures in Card Play. (A+)

 

Logical Bridge Play by Kelsey. Required reading for any serious player. I've read this at least 15 times just to remind myself of the themes. As a result most of the hands are memorized, but I still enjoy it. (A)

 

Matchpoint Tricks by Axelsen / Dam. Best new book I've read in several years. The themes were new and they were very helpful. Many of the themes are deceptive in nature. You'll have a new arsenal of tools the next time you sit down at the table (A+)

 

Step-by-Step - Deceptive Play in Bridge by Rigal. A big disappointment to me. Many of the themes were old hat and seemed geared to the intermediate player. If you want some better ideas about deceptive play, try Matchpoint Tricks. ( C)

[mike777]

Thanks for the review Phil, I have read almost all of these except the Darvas and Axelsem books which I just ordered based on your recommendation.

[ArcLight]

Master Play in COntract Bride by Terence Reese

 

Great Intermediate plus level book on card play technique. A good set of hands (unfortunately double dummy) on a variety of topics suh as: trump control, timing, communications, deception, finessing, loser on loser. Nothing simple else it wouldn't be in this book. Some of the hands were blown in high level competition.

 

Nothing you haven't seen before, just a good set of hands. If you are interested in card play technique you will enjoy this, plus you can probably find an inexpensive copy since its 47 years old (and still good)

 

================================================

I pretty much agree with Phil Claytons assesment of the books he listed.

 

I greatly enjoyed all the Kelsey "Test Your XXXX" (I finally own them all!) :)

 

The Darvas book is very clever and well written in addition to having great hands.

 

I've Owned Card by Card, just haven't gotten to it yet, probably early next year.

[CarlRitner]

Master Play was also released under the title The Expert Game.

 

This book was featured in the summer book survey in the ACBL Bulletin and as such, there is quite a demand for this title(s). It has not been reprinted for some time.

 

 

Carl

 

ACBL Library Used Books

[mike777]

Bridge Master versus Bridge Amateur. Mark Horton. 2007. 183pp. $18.95

Grade=B-

Level=Intermediate

 

A collection of deals where the Amateur plays or bids the hand and then the Expert plays or bids the same hand. The reasoning is given for the option chosen by both.

A fast, enjoyable read.

[kenrexford]

A good friend of mine, Ken Eichenbaum, has just reissued an updated version of a book that he wrote years ago called "Bridge Without a Partner."

 

His book is hysterical, covering a large number of deals that you will be hard-pressed to believe were real, but they did happen in real play. The deals are analyzed by an extremely gifted semi-pro who actually played most, if not all, of these hands while employed to do so.

 

The original version created some stir years ago, because it was viewed as disrespectful to the "imaginary" client. The newer version tones down some of the perceived mockery. IMO, the original version was perfectly fine; it just may have threatened some folks who did not want their clients, or perhaps I should use the new term "students," thinking that their foibles might make it to print. Some may still object because of that perception. I look at the deals as amazing analysis of how wildly divergent our views may be on a single deal and how to cope with impossible scenarios. Games that seem hopeless can be made. Alternative actions in the bidding may solve unexpected future problems. Besides, some of the most interesting play and defense problems could never come up unless partner added some "unique" theory to the auction or to their side of the defense.

 

For those with a sense of humor, an A.

 

Ken Eichenbaum is self-publishing this book and has authorized me to post his address. I'm not sure if I can post his contact info per the rules here, but in case it is OK:

 

Ken Eichenbaum

280 Powell Road

Powell, Ohio 43265

 

If that did not work, send me an email.

 

He is charging $17.50 if domestic (postage and handling and tax already included). If international (outside of the U.S.), make that $25.00 U.S. and he will again cover all of the shipping and handling and tax.