Learning to Play Bridge? First Rule – Read Bridge Books

Yes, folks, it is called reading.  Not Tweeting or Posting or Tagging.  Reading.  Remember that?

Learning to play bridge is like learning a new language; the language of Bridgese. You, therefore, need to speak it and read it.  Speak it by playing the game of bridge with fellow learners and read books on learning the basics and then progress to beginners’ bridge books, so that you can understand the sometimes mind-bogglingly difficult processes of the game. You cannot learn it overnight and you need to learn it at your own pace.  Some will do it at a snail’s pace and others will cotton-on faster.

One Card, One Hand, Play …And Repeat. Then Read a Bridge Book.  Repeat.

Establish what works for you.  I found that too many “learn to play bridge books” confused the issue for me, but my fellow learners of the game had many books and they still refer to them all.

Whatever tricks your fancy.

I Wish I Could Say Start at The Beginning and End at The End.  There Is No End, But There Is a Beginning. The Beginning Is A “Learn to Play Bridge Book”.

And a good book on learning to play bridge at the start will set you on the path to bridge redemption. Do some research online.

For Learning to Play Bridge and Beginners Bridge Books Here Are Some That I Have Come Across:

• Gary Brown’s Learn to Play Bridge [Brown] – Digital Edition.  I love the fact that many books these days give you an option on a digital version and this one I think is great. It is for those who have never played the game before.  The teaching is in short and easy steps. You can download the first few chapters online and see for yourself.
• Bridge Basics (Klinger).  This is a classic for beginners covering the basics of bidding, play and defence in bridge.
• Beginners’ Bridge (Browne) A guide to learning bridge for the novice and then to complement this one:
• Beginners Play (Browne). An introduction to card play, fundamental principles of declarer play and defence, finessing etc. Great for me are the illustrations, examples of hands and the quiz section.
• Bridge Book Volume 1. For Beginner Players (Steward/Baron). This assumes that you are a complete novice and covers the basics.

Bridge Books Will Tell You That Bridgese is a Language of Few Words. It Is Not Like Learning English or Cantonese.

The many books on bridge out there will allow you to slot in where you think you are in the bridge learning academy. A good bridge player will follow the premise that the learning of bridge does not stop; there is no end.  New bridge books for beginners and first-time learners of bridge are constantly being published.  Do yourself a favour and follow what is new on the bookshelves as new techniques in the teaching of learning to play bridge are being developed all the time.

And remember that you will never stop learning.  As in life, I suppose.