Gary Brown’s Learn To Play Bridge  

Gary Brown is a Canadian player who now lives in Melbourne where he runs his own School of Bridge. This book, the winner of the American Bridge Teachers’ Association 2007 Book of the Year award, is aimed at the absolute beginner. The bidding style is Standard American with 5-card majors, a 15-17 point one no trump and three weak two bids – a style which is becoming more and more popular and may be considered the basic method for those who play bridge on the internet. The author also recommends limit raises, although as he does not wish to introduce a conventional two no trump or three no trump response as a balanced raise to game he rather glosses over this type of hand with what he refers to as a two-step response.

The first chapter focuses on the mechanics of the game and some basic cardplay techniques. Thereafter each chapter includes advice on further aspects of bidding, a cardplay section and also a Department of Defence (usually dealing with opening leads or signals).

There are few conventions discussed here – other than a strong 2§ opening bid and 2♦ negative response, Stayman and Blackwood are the only ones dealt with in detail. The author does not deal with transfer responses to one no trump, although my personal preference would be for a simple system of red suit transfers to be introduced to learners as early as possible.

I am also not happy about his assertion than Stayman is forbidden with fewer than nine points (facing a strong no trump) as all experienced players know that there are certain types of weak hand where using Stayman is perfectly in order – I will not dwell on this point here. However, why not teach the right way to use Stayman (or anything else) from the start rather than have to explain later in the player’s bridge development that what he was taught in the first place was not altogether correct?

Blackwood is also a dangerous convention for the inexperienced player to be taught. My own preference would be to ignore it altogether rather than teach it without the necessary warnings about misuse.

The book is written primarily for the American learner, and the system is explained clearly. However, this is a difficult book to recommend for learners in this country, as most other players new to the game will be taught some variation on Standard English (as would be the case if attending classes given by an English Bridge Union Teacher). If the Standard American type system becomes as popular here as it is in other parts of the world, or if someone wishes to learn the game and then play almost entirely online, then this would be an appropriate learner’s manual. However, it is reasonable to assume that new players will initially feel most comfortable playing amongst other players who are fairly new to the game. If nearly everyone else has learned an Acol-based system (whatever the relative merits of this) then they would probably find it hard to fit in – or perhaps even find a partner who “talks the same language”.