Why They Win [Kindle Edition]

The idea of this book is ingenious and I must say I loved playing the deals - they were really fun and instructive. I would not hesitate to recommend it to any aspiring player - Stephen Cashmore and Justin Corfield are very clear, skilled writers on bridge.

Always trying to improve my bridge game, I was intrigued by the premise put forth. Anyone can venture forth an opinion as to what makes players "better", but Mr. Cashmore decided to apply the scientific method to "prove" an answer. By pitting different skill level teams against one another, then attributing/apportioning the difference in results to Bidding, Play, Defense or Luck, he was able to more clearly identify "Why they Win". The answer was somewhat surprising (I won't reveal it here so as not to spoil the ending). The hands themselves are moderately interesting. Most were randomly dealt, but a few were "seeded" to differentiate skill levels. Another facet was that there were observers recording all the player's hesitations and every card played. There's a post-mortem by the players themselves as to their thought processes while at the table. I own a very large number of bridge books, and this one offers a unique take on the subject. The final wrapup chapter offers yet more advice on how to improve your results over and above the basic experiment. As a software engineer, I found the methodology fascinating. I highly recommend this book and in fact, have convinced several of my partners to read it!

This book examines the conundrum: why are some players more successful than others? Is it better play, better defence or better bidding? Or are they just lucky?
In order to answer the question, the authors set up an experiment. They identified 4 groups of players, each of differing ability. The weakest were club players (whom they called the Rabbits), next were the Weasels (tournament players), then the Wolves (national class) and at the top of the food chain were the Tigers (internationals. They got them to play 24 duplicate hands against each other and analysed the results, allocating or deducting points for play, defence and bidding as appropriate.
The conclusion? Surprising, certainly to me and to the authors as well. I won't spoil it for you...
This is an entertaining book, and the hands are expertly analysed by the authors. I have one or two minor quibbles with their analysis (eg is 6NT generally preferable to 6 clubs/diamonds when there is a 4/4 fit?), but most of time it all made good sound sense.
Comments made by the players in the course of the play were recorded, and some are quoted in the book. This tends to bring the reader closer to the action.
The book is unusual in that bridge books generally deal with the game as played at a high level, and although such books are valuable and interesting they don't tend to tell us, the average players, why we so often get it wrong when they usually get it right.
A very enjoyable and fascinating read. I recommend it highly.