Compact guide introduces basics to beginners, offers sophisticated strategies to experienced players. Book One presents every facet of bidding and playing. Book Two explains how and when to deceive opponents, communicate information to partners, and more. Glossary defines over 160 major bridge terms.

"INTRODUCTION, by Samuel M. Stayman"
FOREWORD
BOOK ONE THE FUNDAMENTALS
PART 1: BIDDING
1 The Nature of the Game
    Following suit
    Trumps
    The game of whist
    Old-fashioned bridge
    Auction bridge
    Contract bridge
    Scoring
    Points for making contract
    Points for setting contract
    Bonus points
    A sample rubber
2 The Value of Your Hand
    The point count
    Counting your long suits
    Points needed for game and slam
    Rules to remember
3 The Opening Bid
    How many points to open?
    Which suit to bid?
    Choice of 4-card suits
    Opening with 1 notrump
    Rules to remember
4 Responding to Partner's Opening Bid
    Responding to 1 notrump
    Responding to a suit bid
    New suits forcing
    The 1 notrump response
    Raising opener's suit
    Table of minimum responses
    Jump responses
    The Jump in notrump
    The jump raise
    The jump shift
    Rules to remember
5 Opening Bidder's Rebid
    After a raise
    "Minimum, strong, or maximum opening?"
    After a 1 notrump response
    After a new suit response
    After a jump response
    Review quiz
    Rules to remember
6 Placing the Final Contract
    Where and how high?
    Example auctions
    Rules to remember
7 Slam Bidding
    Slam invitations
    The Blackwood convention
    Rules to remember
8 High Opening Bids
    Opening two-bids
    Responding to two-bids
    Responding to 2 notrump
    Opening bids of three or more
    Requirements for three-bids
    Responding to three-bids
    Four-bids and five-bids
    Rules to remember
9 When the Opponents Open the Bidding
    Overcalls and doubles
    The overcall
    Suit requirements
    Point-count requirements
    When partner overcalls
    The takeout double
    Penalty and takeout doubles
    Requirements for a takeout double
    Responding to partner's takeout double
    Rebidding after you have doubled
    Example auctions
    Other defensive bids
    Jump overcalls
    Double jump overcalls
    1 notrump overcalls
    The cue bid
    Rules to remember
10 Competitive Auctions
    After an enemy overcall
    The free response
    The penalty double
    The free rebid
    After an enemy takeout double
    The redouble
    Minimum responses
    Quiz
    Competitive bidding
    Rules to remember
PART 2: THE PLAY OF THE CARDS
11 How to Win Tricks
12 High-Card Tricks
    Drawing trumps
    Which honors first?
    Honors that are not quite high
    Rules to remember
13 Finessing
    Leading toward an honor
    Leading toward separated honors
    Finessing by leading an honor
    Rules to remember
14 Winning Tricks with Trumps (Ruffing)
    Rules to remember
15 Long-Card Tricks
    Which suit to set up
    Rules to remember
16 Planning Your Play in Suit Contracts
    Long-card or ruffing tricks?
    When to draw trumps
    Rules to remember
17 Planning Your Play in Notrump
    The race to set up suits
    The percentages
    Rules to remember
18 Defending Against an Enemy Contract
    Through strength?up to weakness
    Leading to a trick
    Opening leads against suit contracts
    Which card you lead
    Opening leads against notrump
    When partner leads
    Finessing against dummy
    Signaling to partner
    When the opponents lead
    Splitting your honors
    Covering honors
    Rules to remember
BOOK TWO THE FINE POINTS
FOREWORD
PART 1: BIDDING
1 The Value of Your Hand
    The standard system
    Counting for distribution
    Quick tricks
    Honors in long or short suits
    Positional value
    True value of the honors
    Point count with sense
2 Opening Bid and Opener's Rebid
    Staying low with a minimum
    Raising partner's suit
    "The "short club"
    The reverse
    Third- and fourth-hand opening bids
3 Responses and Responder's Rebid
    Choice of 4-card suits
    Responder's reverse
    Forcing with new suits
    Responding as a passed hand
    The Stayman convention
4 Slam Bidding
    Slams bid on power
    Asking for aces
    Blackwood
    Roman Blackwood
    Gerber
    When not to ask for aces
    Cue bidding
    "Slams based on "fit"
    Grand slams
    Asking for kings
    The grand-slam force
    The odds
PART 2: COMPETITIVE BIDDING
5 When the Opponents Open the Bidding
    The unusual notrump overcall
    Requirements
    Responding to the unusual notrump
    Over an enemy unusual notrump
    The weak jump overcall
    Simple or jump overcall?
    Responding to a jump overcall
    Defense against 1 notrump opening bids
    The overcall
    The double
    The Landy convention
    Defense against preemptive opening bids
    Overcalling the preemptive opening
    Doubling the preemptive opening
    Doubles and overcalls in fourth set
    The Fishbein convention
    Other actions over three-bids
    Over opening four- and five-bids
6 Sacrifice Bidding
    Whether to sacrifice
    When you side opens with a three-bid
    Sacrificing against a slam
    When the opponents sacrifice
    The forcing pass
    Freak hands
7 Part-Score Bidding
    Enemy part scores
    Your own part score
    Opening the bidding
    Responding
    Slam bidding
    Against competition
8 "Balancing" Bids"
    When an enemy one-bid is passed
    After partner reopens
    Rare reopening bids
    Other balancing auctions
    Whether to balance
9 Penalty Doubles