July 2008 - 17

Reviews

of playing cards, scorepads and a couple of instruction
booklets.
While I give this a high rating for the concept and I'm
told that it works well in practice and is fun to play, I
would advise you to consult the game site http://www.
bidittle.com/ for more information.
Published by and available from the Atlantis Company, Villa Hills KY, 859-341-9329 or www.bidittle.
com. Also available from Baron Barclay Bridge Supply,
800-274-2221.

The ACBL Bridge Series
Bidding in the 21st Century;
Play of the Hand in the 21st Century;
Defense in the 21st Century;
Commonly Used Conventions in the 21st Century;
More Commonly Used Conventions in the 21st Century
By Audrey Grant, Betty Starzec and others
$19.95 each (deep discounts for teachers available)
Spiral-bound softcover
Rating: A+
Reviewed by Paul Linxwiler

Textbook solutions
Teaching duplicate bridge to new players is a daunting
task, but the ACBL Bridge Series makes the job a great
deal easier. The five-part series (formerly called, respectively, the Club, Diamond, Heart, Spade and Notrump
Series) is the premier teaching vehicle for players in
North America. Developed by some of the ACBL's top
teachers - Audrey Grant began work on the project in the
late Eighties; Betty Starzec updated it more than a decade
later - the ACBL Bridge Series thoroughly explains all
aspects of the duplicate experience to the novice audience.
Beginning with the basics - the ranks of the cards,
the definition of the trick and hand evaluation - the text
launches the student into simple bidding exercises, focusing on the "Golden Games" of 3NT and four of a major.
Whatever your views on the wisdom of teaching bidding
concepts before teaching how to actually play a hand,
the step-by-step approach in the first volume, Bidding, is
excellent.

July 2008

Exercises and sample deals are provided throughout the
entire series.
The second volume, Play of the Hand, is also very
thorough. Early chapters focus on forming a plan and
counting winners (or losers, as the case may be). There's
even a review of bidding material from the first volume to
refresh students' memories.
Defense, the third book, examines opening-lead selection, second- and third-hand play, signaling and more.
Review of previous material (bidding and play) is also
included.
Volumes four and five, Commonly Used Conventions
and More Commonly Used Conventions, give an outstanding overview of bread-and-butter conventional treatments
that all duplicate players should be familiar with.
The five parts of the series are textbooks for bridge.
Although an individual could read the texts and teach
himself the game, they are more suited for the classroom
setting.
The strength of this series is enhanced by the ancillary
teaching materials that accompany it, such as the ACBL
"Play" courses. These workbook-like texts allow students
to practice the concepts they encountered in the Bridge
Series. With the help of E-Z Deal Cards, which permit
students and teachers to set up practice deals that feature
important themes, classes can quickly tackle relevant
practice hands, saving teachers valuable time.
As with any modern, top-rate instructional publication,
this one is available online through its Internet incarnation, Learn to Play Bridge and Learn to Play Bridge II,
created by Fred Gitelman. Both the hard copy and online
forms promote the commonly accepted bidding ideas of
the Standard American Yellow Card, including a 15 to
17 high-card point range for 1NT as opposed to the old
Goren-based 16 to 18.
Full disclosure: Because I am an ACBL staffer writing a
review of a product that was created by ACBL-associated
authors, readers of this magazine should be aware of the
inherent conflict posed. In truth, however, there is nothing else even close to this body of work available on the
market. Highly recommended.
Published by and available from Baron Barclay Bridge
Supply at 800-274-2221.

http://www http://www.bidittle.com/ http://www.bidittle

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2008