Opening Leads In Bridge

This is a comprehensive treatment of the most important single aspect of contract bridge - the opening lead. The advice is presented by the use of illustrated games, backed with the reasoning behind each move.

Winning Notrump Leads was a ground-breaking and very well-received book that used the power of computers to determine which opening leads work best against a variety of auctions at notrump. Using enhanced software, the authors now turn their attention to suit contracts. They generate millions of random deals, retaining those that match the chosen auction, for example 1S-2S-4S. By playing these deals automatically against each of the 13 possible opening leads from a given hand, they are able to discover which lead is most likely to beat the contract (also the best lead at matchpoint pairs). The authors provide insightful commentary to each result, answering timeless questions such as: When should I lead a trump? When is a doubleton a good opening lead? Should I lead differently against a partscore? Should I make an aggressive or a passive lead? Should I lead an ace against a small slam? Which leads work best against a grand slam? By using the number-crunching computer power available nowadays, there is no longer any need to rely on general opening-lead guidelines passed down by our ancestors. We think you will be surprised by many of the discoveries made during this investigation! DAVID BIRD (top) and TAF ANTHIAS were contemporaries at Cambridge University, both reading mathematics. They carried out research and development on software systems for over 30 years at IBM's UK Laboratories. In the 1970s they formed a successful bridge partnership, winning a number of national events. David is now one of the world's top bridge writers with 116 books to his name. Taf moved on to the USA, where he became a vice president of Cisco Systems. They have joined forces on this ground-breaking book.

"Thinking about learning bridge but don't know the basics? Want to be able to play a social game? Collings need to know? Bridge starts from scratch to teach you how to play and enjoy the ever popular game of bridge."--Back cover.

Covers leads, signaling, second- and third-hand play, and discarding, and includes practice hands and quizzes.

"It's generally accepted that defense is the most difficult part of the game. Audrey's latest book takes a look at defending against notrump contracts with a focus on the opening lead and how it impacts the subsequent defense. The book covers: the oldest maxim, fourth highest from longest and strongest...and why it has stood the test of time; when to lead partner's suit...and which card to lead; why you should avoid leading the opponents' suit...and what to do if you can't; what to lead from a sequence...and why it matters; when to lead the 'top of nothing'; when it's time to 'take the tricks and run'; there are 16 practice deals. The book is for the advancing player."--Publisher's description.

The most comprehensive book ever written on opening leads. Almost every situation imaginable is presented with a wealth of examples from world championship play.

No trump contracts provide the nuts and bolts of bridge card play. Without a trump suit lurking in the background, where small cards can pop up unexpectedly and ruff your winners, the play is simplified and becomes all about the correct handling of the suits. This does not imply that no trump play is easy--far from it. There are difficult decisions to be made all along the line: should you take a finesse? which is the danger hand? when is it right to hold off? In this groundbreaking book, renowned bridge author David Bird helps you to answer these questions and to comprehend the reasoning as to why certain decisions are taken. Each independent principle is thoroughly examined and the reader is then invited to test their own understanding of the concept by answering a number of puzzles typical of those that arise in practical play.

"The opening lead is often the most crucial of the 52 cards played in any hand, and often the success or failure of a contract depends on it. However, the opening leader has less information to go on, being able to see only his own hand when making the choice. The additional information which must be used to indicate the choice of lead is the auction, which invariably gives extra clues from both the calls that were made and the calls that were not."--Back cover

Did you ever notice how the bridge experts always seem to know where every card is? How their finesses always seem to succeed? How their guesses are nearly always perfect? This book won't teach you to play quite that well, but it will introduce you to some very simple techniques that the experts use on play and defense. As declarer or defender, counting the hand is the one thing that will help you the most. But how do you keep track of all those cards? This book will show you how - explaining the tricks of the trade, and helping anyone who can count to thirteen to become a much better player. Full of practical examples of how to apply the information you get from counting, this book is sure to improve your game.