Test Your Bridge Play

Vol 2 includes 115 declarer plays is designed to raise you to the intermediate range for declarer play. This book, issued after vol 1, is better organized than vol 1. The hands in volume 2 were specifically written to improve your play after you have learned the basic and low intermediate plays in such books as Bird's, Seagram's and Smith's books such as "Planning the Play," "Bridge: 25 Ways to Take More tricks," "No Trump Contracts," "Bridge Technique Series," and "25 Bridge Myths Exposed." Also helpful prior to Vol 2 would be Kantar's books "Introduction to Declarer Play," and "Topics in Declarer Play" or "Monster Book of Basic Declarer Play" by Huggett and Cashmore. If you do well in Vol 2, you could get Vol 1 and the new book, "Take all your Chances at Bridge," by Kantar. Simultaneously with Vol 2, you could be reading the new book "A Bridge to Inspired Declarer Play," by Julian Laderman.

this book is very good --- a challenge to all bridge players -- I have enjoyed being challenged

Most books provide puzzles, tricks, and gimmicks - things that don't come up in months of play. Far superior to his companion book: Test Your Play - Volume I, this book not only teaches proper techniques, but reinforces them several times throughout the volume! This book is not for experienced or advanced players unless your declarer play is the weak link in your arsenal. Each problem shows you how to assess your holdings, evaluate your assets, recognize your liabilities, learn from the auction, and plan your attack. There are no tricks or misdirection. Every problem demonstrates a BASIC technique in competent declarer play that every player who wishes to succeed at this game needs to know. Students ask me constantly which books they should read to learn how to become a better declarer. Without hesitation, this is the book I tell them to go out and buy. I've handed out probably a half dozen or more copies of this book from MY OWN library. I'm frequently buying more to replace the ones I give away. Want to learn to become to decent declarer? Do what I tell my students to do: Study this book. Do every problem. When you are finished, do them all again! Keep doing them until you get EVERY ONE RIGHT EVERY TIME! This is not an unrealistic expectation. There are 115 problems, and nearly all top players would get 115/115. Don't try to run before you can walk. Once you get to the point where each problem in this book presents no challenge, then you are ready to start studying more advanced topics like throw-ins and squeezes. There are plenty of good books on the market for things like that. This book is exceptional in that you can learn something USEFUL right away. As a bridge teacher, I can't recommend this book highly enough.

By far the easiest of Kantars books of problems. I did miss a couple, but in general these problems are geared toward low/intermedaiet level players. Some types of problems: - making assumptions about where cards are in order to make the contract - using the Rule of 11 to deduce things - some routine counting of the hand via discovey plays Its a good book for intermediates. For others it wont be challenging. Don't worry, Kantar has other great books with much harder problems.