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| Better Hand Evaluation MrBridge, £14.20 inc. p&p from The Bridge Shop. Tel: 020 7486 8222 Each month seems to see at least one more bridge book published and while this may all appear very laudable it must be increasingly more difficult to think of a new angle. So well done to Bernard Magee, a teacher of some repute who, I am sure, has realised through his dealings with improvers the need to impress upon the student the necessity to be more flexible when assessing the worth of a hand than merely counting the points. The book is divided mainly into two parts, the first dealing with auctions where no fit is found and the second when a trump fit has been uncovered, whether in a major or a minor suit. Maybe there is not too much extra to say about no-trump bidding because such bids are by their very nature limit bids, and they can be learnt by rote and practice. However, when it comes to auctions where a trump fit has been established, much more sophistication is needed because distribution takes over from high-card points. This is introduced by reference to the Losing Trick Count. Now I know as a teacher myself two things about teaching the LTC: (i) all students love it, but (ii) they apply it blindly and indiscriminately. Magee understands this very well and spends three chapters on the subject, telling you when you have to massage the figures to arrive at a more realistic appraisal of the hand's worth. Look at the following layout:
As Magee explains, a lazy first count gives West 5 losers and therefore thoughts of game, but you have to deduct a half-loser for the dubious spade holding and another half-loser for the lack of aces. To go for game when you have six losers you need to have some positive aspect to the hand, usually a fifth trump, and here there is nothing, making caution a stand-out decision. There is a very persuasive chapter on minor-suit bidding. This differs in quite a fundamental way from its big brother as most of the time when a minor suit is agreed, the contract ends up in no-trumps anyway. This is hardly ever the case when the majors are involved. There are also sensible words spoken on the subject of trial bids, what they are and when you should use them, and the things you should be considering when you are trying to determine whether you have a 'good' or a 'bad' 13-count. Each chapter ends with a quiz and the answers are given in much detail to make sure the point has been rammed home. (All of the examples given suit the methods being discussed perfectly, I noticed with a wry smile, but that is the prerogative of the teacher.) This book is intended for post-improvers and does the job incredibly well, I thought. The ideas are clearly presented and the finished product has a quality-feel about it, and is very good value for money. Dave Huggett |
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