Source:
IBPA
The Master Point Press
IBPA Book of the Year
(Awarded at the World Bridge Series in Orlando, Oct. 1, 2018)
The Language of Bridge, by Kit Woolsey, USA
From the publisher:
Bridge is a game of communication between partners. As such, the methods of communication used in bridge – the bids we make during the auction and cards we play on defense – constitute a language. Understanding how to speak that language requires more than learning what the different “words” mean; one must know how and why to use these “words.” Like words in a sentence, an individual bid’s meaning will be augmented and amplified by the context of the auction and sequence of other bids. In order to learn to speak this language fluently, we also have to learn to think correctly.
As when we are speaking English, we use our bridge language (“Bringlish”) in the pursuit of a goal. The goal of bidding is to get to the best contract, not to follow some rules or “describe your hand.” The goal of defense is setting the contract or taking the maximum number of tricks, not telling partner what you hold or giving the “right” signal. Kit Woolsey tackles this subject in characteristic style: clear and logical analysis, supported by numerous example hands. Kit’s unique perspective on bridge offers insights valuable to players of all levels.
Other Shortlisted Candidates
Augie Boehm, Expert Hand Evaluation, 2017, 142 pp, paperback, $14.95
Fred Gitelman/Jeff Rubens, Playing Suit Combinations, 2017, 96 pp, paperback, $16.95
Eric Kokish/Mark Horton, Close Encounters: Bridge’s Greatest Matches: 1964-2001, Book 1, 2018, 262 pp, paperback, $21.95
Paul Thurston, Playing 2/1 — The Rest of the Story, 2017, 200 pp, paperback, $19.95
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