Play of the Hand in the 21st Century: The Diamond Series

by Audrey Grant, Betty Starzec

This is the 2nd in the American Contract Bridge League's series of bridge books for beginning and advancing players. Successfully used by students and teachers for over 20 years, this edition has been updated to reflect current standards for playing bridge. This book concentrates on the play of the hand (making a plan, promoting winners, finessing, trumping losers, etc.). The initial bidding concepts are reviewed and Jacoby transfers and slam bidding are introduced.

Genres: Reference, Games, Nonfiction

390 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 1999

Reviews

[Nancy Burkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

As these were written as an instructional series, I will review them together (Bidding, Play of the Hand, and Defense). As a beginner bridge learners, my husband and I started with these three. They are well written, easily followed and quite instructive. I especially enjoyed the first two, but got bogged down by the third (Defense) and couldn't finish it (a rare thing for me). I wonder if it would be better read after much more practice and playing of the game to pull the quite detailed explanations together. I would have also liked it if each had a well-organized index in the back to allow one to find concepts more easily in these reference books. The back appendix is a definition of terms, but there is no organization of the concepts and we found ourselves having to work hard to locate for review parts that were relevant with our play. Nonetheless, the authors are clearly good instructors and I'd recommend these to new players.

[David Abernethy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first eight chapters present the basics of play of a hand in contract bridge, using numerous examples which reinforce learning of the subject matter. I rate the book at four stars due to the final chapter on Jacoby transfers, which sets out an easily understandable, comprehensive listing of possible bidding sequences using transfers.

[Ninetailedkat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bridge is hard!!!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time I read

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent practical textbook on the basics of how to play a hand of bridge once the bidding process is already complete and someone has won the bid.

For the past two years I have been taking bridge classes and learning how to play bridge. Before I read Play of the Hand in the 21 Century, I read Bidding in the 21 Century. Play of the Hand in the 21 Century is the second book in the ACBL series. Beginnng bridge players should start with the first book in the series, Bidding in the 21 Century. You have to know how to bid before you can play your hand well.

The American Contract Bridge League ( ACBL) is the primary bridge organization in the United States. These two books offer expert advice.

My current Arizona bridge teacher Shawn Warren used Bidding in the 21 Century as a textbook for her eight week class on Bidding. Next Shawn used Play of the Hand in the 21 Century as a textbook for her eight week class on Play of the Hand.

Both books provide explanations, step by step examples, guiding principles, exercises with answers on the next page, and chapter summaries. Even if you have no bridge teacher to provide lectures and practice, these books provide excellent tools for teaching yourself bridge.

If had only enough money to buy one of these books, I would buy the Bidding book. It offers a full discussion of how to bid, and touches briefly on how to play the hand you’ve been dealt. Play of the Hand does the opposite: it touches briefly on how to bid, and then thoroughly discusses play of the hand. Topics include counting winners and losers, developing tricks through promotion and length, finesse, ruffing (trumping) losing cards, discarding losers, watching out for transportation from declarer’s hand back and forth to dummy’s hand, Jacoby transfers, etc.

There are at least two more books in this series written by Audrey Grant: Defense and Conventions. I have not read either of them.

I highly recommend reading Play of the Hand in the 21 Century. But first read Bidding in the 21 Century.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am learning how to really bid, and why. Amazing what a difference knowing the rules can make.

It would be helpful if in the quiz section, they gave more detailed explanation, especially on the problems that are borderline in bidding.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book on the play of the hand. My only complaint is all the typos and alterations that our instructor gave us to manually enter in the text to reflect current day Bridge p;ay and bidding conventions.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear concise instruction for bridge players.

[Betty]

Book Two in the ACBL series

[Greg Fanoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just the very basics, but it was the first book I read when I was starting to play and I found it immensely helpful. Would recommend it to anyone just getting into the game.

[Nancy Yagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but overly wordy

[Sophie Brookover · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solidly useful title for newish bridge players.

[Vicki]

Highly recommended. Great reference book. I read books 1, 2 then this one which is 4 and I'm now going to start on book 3 on Defense. This 4th book after 1&2 really works.