Winning Declarer Play

Basic bridge at its best presented in a fun and easy to read format, order both of her books together. I learned so much when I read this book that I hadn't learned from my bridge lessons (the book the instructor used)and what I hadn't picked up in my 4 years since of playing bridge. She knows how to explain so that it makes sense on how to play the hand ~ and now it feels so good to be doing it the right way! ~~ Dorothy teaches about card combinations, reading the cards, playing both no trump and suit contracts. And now I know the safety play, end play and squeeze play tooooooo. ~~ This is a book that I need a refresher on periodically, so my copy is well used.

This is an excellent book if you are new to bridge. Quite possibly the best declarer book for a beginner-level player. Everything is explained in a simplistic concise manner. Truscott does a superb job of presenting good technique succinctly. This is not an easy task as many authors spend page after page with verbose technical jargon. Another hard thing to teach through a book is how to problem solve and think about a hand. Truscott I felt succeeds in giving the reader some tools for "solving" a hand as declarer. This is far more useful than just memorizing technique.After reading this book and gaining some experience, try Mollo's Card Play Technique next.

Best book for declarer play for any level of bridge player. I have given this book to life masters (experts) and they learn something in the first five pages. I have recommended this book to at least 10 players, all partners at one time or another. Great book.

Easy to understand and a great reference for intermediate players trying to improve their game.

I bought this book because it was highly recommended by the ACBL bridge magazine. The author wrote another book, which is also excellent, Bid Better, Play Better.

This is a wonderfully well written book. I am a newer player and all these techniques make complete sense to me. I have to read it a little bit at a time. When I finally finish it – I will definitely read it again. Thanks for such a great book.

Dorothy Truscott has written two of the clearest bridge books I have ever read. They may not be great for the Life Masters, which I am not, but for those of us who enjoy playing for the fun of it, both are great books to improve our games.

I loved every chapter. The elementary parts I believe I mastered it. She makes all very clear. I need to still improve advanced plays but with this book's help, I will get there slowly.

This my favourite bridge book on declarer play. It gives you an option to lay 13 (in the 1st chapter - Suit Combinations) or 26 cards on the table and imagine you're playing it (that's how I went through the book and it was suprisingly comfortable) and then read the solution. It contains examples that appear often. I've read this book after taking few years break from bridge in order to surprise my partner with still a good declarer play and it has reminded me a lot of previously experienced.I would say the book is for everyone who is Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced because the book is very rich and explanations are easy to understand. I think the book fits best for intermediate players but also an ambitious beginner who knows all the rules can make enormous progress in cardplay but should maybe stop reading after first 4 chapters at first and digest when and how to finesse before learning how to avoid finessing (endplays). Each chapter's content is arranged in order of difficulty starting with easiest techniques and i think there's also a value in how the book is sorted into chapters where certain techniques are identified and given a name.1st part of the book - called Elementary (I have slightly changed some chapter names to highlight the topic): Chapter 1 - Suit Combinations (here you are not trying to remember how to play card combinations, it's mostly helping you to learn defining what is the exact distribution or layout you need. (but everybody thinks differently), It often says something like - You are hoping to make 3 tricks in this suit. How do you play? or - Is there any way to make 2 tricks? (maybe Ax doubleton ^_^) or - You cannot afford to lose any tricks in this suit. What is your only chance? And at the end are 7 combinations on "To Finesse Or Not to Finesse". Chapter 2 - Safety Plays (beautiful chapter, it probably starts with something like ducking the first trick of your AK7654 opposite 32 because you have 0 entries into dummy playing notrump and hope for 3-2 ^_^), Chapter 3 - Notrump techniques, Chapter 4 - Suit contract techniques.2nd part - called Advanced: Chapter 5 - Endplay, Chapter 6 - Reading the cards, Chapter 7 - More advanced techniques in a suit contract (like dummy reversal, trump endplay, ...), Chapter 8 - Squeeze play, Chapter 9 - The gentle art of deception, Chapter 10 - What are the odds?3rd part - 41 Problem hands with a score scale - I haven't done these yet ^^I definitely recommend it to somebody who wants to have a nice declarer play book and wants to slowly but surely improve or maybe prepares to read something more difficult like The Rodwell Files.

Dorothy was a geniuos. The first few chapters she walks hand in hand with the beginner and gradually takes him/her to highest levels. I have not read the newest edition, the bidding has been updated in order to fit better to newer bidding sequences. The beginner should read this book over and over again. And gradually we have a new advanced player!

I bought this on the recommendation of one of my older partners - she bought it over 30 years ago. Good advice still holds

great advice. guidance very clear. Has helped me a lot

This is a reprint with some slight modifications. "We largely eliminated the bidding sequences and revised the opening lead selection to Ace from Ace-King against suit contracts through the four level but we left the card play entirely intact. The reason for this is that Standard American bidding and defensive carding signals in 2013 are much different than in 1969 when Dorothy first published." Jo-Anne Willman, Edmonton