Holiday
gifts for bridge playersHoliday
gifts for bridge playersIf 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 -- ideas. See the article in the October Advocate for other new bridge titles.
Bridge books published in 2010:
Win at Bridge: A Teach Youself Guide (Beginner)
By David Bird. A beginner's guide with quick-start introductions to key principles, interactive quizzes and self-tests. The author offers additional articles on a companion website to help learners track their progress.Bridge With Bells and Whistles
(Beginner to intermediate)
By Mary Ann Dufresne & Marion Ellingsen. This book reviews basic bidding concepts, then suggests and explains refinements to help novices progress to the next level. The recommendations include several popular conventions for advancing players.
(Intermediate)
By David Bird. A good discussion of the purpose and types of defensive signals, with examples, quizzes and recommendations. Also included is an analysis of the methods used by eight world-class pairs.10 More Ways to Improve Your Bridge (Master Bridge Series)
(Intermediate)
BBy David Bird. Five of the author's tips focus on helpful conventions (Jacoby 2NT, Lebensohl and three forms of keycard Blackwood). The other five address important areas of defense and declarer play.The Pocket Guide to Bridge Conventions You Should Know
(Intermediate)
By Barbara Seagram & Marc Smith. A handy, pocket-sized summary of the popular bidding conventions featured in 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know, which is the bestselling bridge title of the last 50 years.Matchpoints Versus IMPs
(Intermediate)
By Augie Boehm. Matchpoint (pair) and IMP (team) events use different scoring systems and require different strategies. This book offers sound advice on how to develop your personal style and make successful bidding and play decisions at each form of scoring. Links to the preface and table of contents are here.New Frontiers for Strong Forcing Openings
(Advanced)
By Ken Rexford. A new approach for bidding strong hands, featuring two forcing opening bids (2C and 2D) to describe distribution early in the auction. The author discusses how to use cuebids, relays and pattern bids to reach the best contracts.
By Louis Sachar.An entertaining novel about a teenager's relationship with his uncle and his discovery of the world's greatest game. There are plenty of bridge tips and deals here and a story featuring humor, romance and mystery.
Bridge books on Kindle
-- A growing number of new and old titles are now available in electronic format for the Kindle, Amazon.com's e-book reader.
Bridge software and specialty gifts:
By Larry Cohen. Two entertaining CDs designed to test bidding, declarer play and defense. Each volume has 60 deals, all played by the author, with trick-by-trick instruction, built-in quizzes and audio narration.
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 go with your gifts.Bridge coaching tablecloth -- A favorite of party-bridge groups, this plastic-covered tablecloth is imprinted with handy bidding guides for all four players.
Queen-of-hearts non-stick baking pan -- Wilton 10-cup, cast-aluminum pan for baking bridge-themed cakes, breads and frozen desserts.
Bridge is serious hooded sweatshirt -- "Life's a game. Bridge is serious", in 100-percent cotton. Amazon offers many other bridge-themed clothing and accessory
items for men, women and babies.
Whimsical bridge watch -- A wearable work of art with hand-painted miniatures under the crystal and an Italian leather wrist band. Amazon has a wide range of other card-themed jewelry items
Duplicate boards -- A set of duplicate boards is a great gift for club and tournament players who host home games.
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 2010. Books are grouped by skill level and can be purchased at discounted prices from Amazon.com by following the links. Free shipping on orders over $25.
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.