Holiday gifts for bridge players

If you're still looking for gifts for your friends and relatives who play bridge (or who would like to learn), here are some more new -- and recommended -- books. See the article in the  October Advocate for other recently published titles.

Bridge books published in 2008:

Bridge for Dummies (Large-print edition)  (Beginner)
By Eddie Kantar. This easy and humorous introduction to bridge is now available in a new hard-cover format with large type. The revision also features updated information on the latest bidding techniques and an expanded section on playing bridge online. The original version was named 1997 Bridge Book of the Year.

Slam Bidding Made Easier        Better Slam Bidding with Bergen  (Intermediate)
by Marty Bergen. Two new titles that are as entertaining as they are educational. Slam Bidding is a 240-page volume (hardcover) that covers hand evaluation, conventions and expert agreements that will improve the accuracy of slam auctions. Better Slam Bidding is a companion workbook with detailed instruction on hand evaluation, more conventions and partnership checklists. 

Frank Stewart's World of Bridge  (Intermediate)
By Frank Stewart. This popular author offers another well-written book with excellent advice. Stewart shares his opinions and observations on the current state of bridge, then guides the reader through hands designed to increase your understanding and appreciation of the game. His "over-my-shoulder" style provides good insight into the way experts view the bidding and play as they develop.

Kindle titles:  Party Bridge,  Marvin's Defensive Card Play,  Bridge Squeeze Refresher,  The Ambiguous Diamond  (Intermediate to advanced)
By Marvin French. Four new books that are auto-delivered to Kindle, Amazon's wireless reading device, each for $4.00 or less.

Roman Keycard Blackwood: The Last Word  (Advanced to expert)
By Eddie Kantar.  The fifth edition of the definitive book on the convention used by almost all serious players. Revised and updated, this new version contains leading-edge ideas and is full of examples, quizzes and practice hands. A must for the tournament player.

Divine Intervention        Miracles of Card Play    (General interest)
By David Bird. The long-awaited reprints of two of the author's best titles, featuring clever stories about the bridge-playing monks at St. Titus Monastery.

Clubbed to Death  (General interest)
By Shirley Presberg. A bridge murder mystery with a backdrop of blackmail, affairs, divorces and plenty of bridge action, set at a national tournament in Florida. 

Duplicate Bridge at Home   (All levels)
By Mark Horton and Fred Gitelman. Deals, matchpoint scoring and hand analyses for playing duplicate-style bridge sessions at home.

Games, magazines and software:

Learn to Play Bridge I & II are two self-teaching software programs that make great stocking stuffers for anyone who wants an easy introduction to the basics. Best of all, both are totally free from ACBL. You can download them from the link above (both setup programs fit onto one CD) and give copies to everyone on your list. Print out copies of ACBL's quick-start How to Play Bridge page to accompany your gifts. 

The ACBL Bridge Bulletin magazine subscription, which comes with an ACBL membership, is a great gift for new-to-duplicate players. Cost for 12 monthly issues of the magazine and a one-year membership is $35.

aBRIDGEd game (Beginner) is a box game that's as close as you can get to "real" bridge, without the complexities of bidding. The set includes special, color-coded cards and simple rules that can be learned in 20 minutes. It's a fun introduction to bridge-style card play and bidding principles for children and adults.

Bridge Baron 19 is the newest update of one of the top-rated and most skilled bid-and-play software programs on the market. It features seven sophisticated levels of play, plus a deal generator, double-dummy solver, ACBL tournament deals, challenge hands, flow-chart bidding tutorials and a wide range of conventions. Winner of five World Computer Bridge Championships. Available for Windows and Mac.

Need more ideas? You'll find other books and gift suggestions on these shopping pages just for bridge players:

Karen's Bridge Library Bookstore features short reviews of recommended bridge books, along with an updated listing of the newest books and software (published in 2008). Books are grouped by skill level and include direct links for purchase at discounted prices from Amazon.com.

The Holiday Shopping Page on the above site offers ideas and links for a wide range of bridge-themed gifts, including clothing, jewelry, bakeware and glassware, party accessories, software packages, electronic games, magazine subscriptions and other specialty gifts.

Great Bridge Links offers a full directory of specialty products and online shopping sites for bridge players. You'll find links to unusual and hard-to-find gifts here, along with some special discounts.