Karen's Bridge Library

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For Beginners

The basics -- Lessons on how to play bridge

Introduction	Which suit to respond?	Defensive play
Bridge glossary	Responder's bids in competition	Declarer Play: Forming a Plan
Opening 1-bids	Responding to 1NT	Declarer Play: Establishing Tricks
Basics for responder	Overcalls & takeout doubles	Declarer Play: The Finesse
Bidding "cheat sheet"	The reverse by opener	Declarer Play: Simple Odds
Opening 2-bids (strong)	The rest of the auction	Rubber-bridge strategy
Opening 3-bids	Forcing & non-forcing bids	Quick tips to improve your game
Opening 4-bids	Slam bidding
Hand evaluation	Opening leads

Learning to play bridge -- How to get started, and get better		Bridge for Beginners and Beyond A self-teaching guide to good bridge for beginning and intermediate players. Updated & expanded 16th edition
Why play bridge?	Developing your "card sense"
Group classes & self-teaching	*FREE* Learn to Play Bridge software
On-your-own activities to build skills	Web links to good sites for learners

For Advancing Players

Lessons and convention summaries -- For experienced beginners and intermediates

Balancing over 1-bids	Weak two-bids	Roman Keycard Blackwood
Balancing over other auctions	Negative doubles	"Law" of Total Tricks
New Minor Forcing	Jacoby transfers	Lebensohl in 1NT auctions
Bidding over opponents' preempts	Jacoby 2NT major-suit raise	Lebensohl over weak two-bids
Opening lead strategies	Drury convention	Lebensohl over reverses
Trump leads & lead conventions	DONT convention	Negative freebids (5 parts)
5-level decisions	Soloway-Style Jump Shifts

Duplicate bridge

IMP (teams) strategy	Matchpoint (pairs) strategy	Web links for duplicate players
Discover the Fun & Challenge of Duplicate -- a booklet on duplicate play, scoring, customs & strategies. PDF format

For Intermediate to Advanced Players

Advanced bidding conventions and treatments

2-over-1 Game-Force System	Opener's Jump-Reverse	Strong Jump Shifts (3 parts)
Forcing Notrump Convention	Defenses to 2-Suited Overcalls (3 parts)	Your 2C Bidding Structure (4 parts)

Default agreements (originally published in the ACBL Bridge Bulletin)

Was that a cuebid? Parts 1-4

Was that a penalty double? Parts 1-3 Parts 4-6 Parts 7 & 8

More articles from the ACBL Bridge Bulletin -- Troubles with Redoubles, Negative Freebids, Opening Leads, 12 Habits series

For Players of All Skill Levels

District 8 Advocate newsletter -- Bridge features, Solvers Forum column & Midwest bridge news.
Published bi-monthly by ACBL District 8. Archive of previous issues & Solvers Forum columns.

District 8 Online -- Homepage of District 8 of the American Contract Bridge League (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri)

Bridge Bulletin article -- On bridge and basketball

Flashes of brilliance -- Bridge feats & fun (all true) from my favorite partners & team-mates

The one that got away	If I had bid hearts ...	Sometimes, pessimism pays off
Toby and the Passion Coup	Count, count, count	The Obvious Solution (a bridge poem)
A rare trump squeeze	A nightmare on opening lead	Concentration (another bridge poem)
The missing redouble cards	Never put down an 8-card suit in dummy	Bridge & poker (interview with Barry Greenstein)

Bridge books and software

Bridge Bookstore -- Recommendations and reviews of good books for beginner, intermediate and advanced players, with links for discounted purchases from Amazon.com

Newest bridge books

Gifts for bridge players -- Bridge software packages, game supplies, clothing, jewelry and other specialty gifts

Bridge for Beginners and Beyond -- A self-teaching guide and class textbook

"Learn to Play Bridge" software -- Teach yourself to play with these free programs from ACBL

Travel links for bridge players -- Online booking sites, ACBL club directories, tournament calendars, bridge vacations

Online clubs -- Links to multi-player bridge games on the Internet

Try a free week of OKbridge

Free online bridge & Vugraph

Download a free demo of the leading bridge software

Bridge in Champaign-Urbana IL

Bridge at Ginger Creek -- Champaign-Urbana's community bridge center Club calendar & game results Club photo album

Local bridge lessons

Illini Regional Tournament -- May 25-31, 2010 (Memorial Day), Hilton Gardens & Homewood Suites, Champaign IL

And some personal stuff . . .

A brief photo album A tribute to my first bridge teacher

Christmas letters, travelogues & photos:

England 2001 Ireland 2003 Scotland 2004 France 2006 Hawaii 2006

Links to my online courses at Parkland College: English 102 Advertising 121

For when the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name,
He marks -- not that you won or lost -- but how you played the game.

-- Grantland Rice

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