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Killing Defence At Bridge (MASTER BRIDGE) Paperback – 19 Jul 2001

by Hugh Kelsey (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 4 customer reviews
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Product details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Peter Crawley; 3Rev Ed edition (19 July 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0304357774
  • ISBN-13: 978-0304357772
  • Product Dimensions: 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 409,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Book Description

One of the all-time classics of bridge, revolutionary when first published and as relevant now as it was then.

About the Author

Hugh Kelsey will always be remembered as one of the all-time great bridge writers and analysts. He was the author of more than 50 outstanding bridge books and was the bridge advisor and editor for the Master Bridge Series from its foundation.

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Customer Reviews

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Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsHard going!
By Justin on 30 Aug. 2001
Format: Paperback
Kelsey focusses mainly upon counting the hand out & drawing the correct inferences from that.
Many of the auctions in this book appear very dated, as do some of the signalling methods. However, the material which is covered is of the highest quality.
The weaknesses of this book are very clear. It contains a huge chapter on squeeze defence, all of it focussing on relatively obscure double squeeze positions. The author prefers to give a lot of complex examples rather than a few simpler ones. Advanced is one thing, obscure is quite another, and I feel that a number of the hands in this book wander into 'obscure'.
If you have already read & enjoyed Eddie Kantar's books 'Modern Bridge Defence' and 'Advanced Bridge Defence', then this book will add to your knowledge and skill. If not, READ THEM INSTEAD. 'Killing Defence At Bridge' is certainly not an effort to give you a thorough grounding in the basics...
For serious players only!
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe format is not boring. My approach was to make a real effort ...
By Iris - Merseyside on 17 May 2016
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
My copy has just fallen apart - so have re-bought. The book is appropriate for experienced beginner to advanced student of the game.

Chapters cover a range of different areas but the focus is counting and the contexts in which counting can be used at the bridge table. Kelsey discusses the importance of counting points, hand patterns and tricks (he also suggests rehearsing hand patterns above counting sheep - which may be taking it a little far - particular if you are going to mumble them to yourself at the same time). It is a book which should change your approach at the bridge table immediately and should have an impact on almost every hand that you defend.

Hands are studied one at a time, usually one per page and the reader invited to come up with a solution prior to reading Kelseys' analyses. The format is not boring. My approach was to make a real effort to solve each problem and view it as a 'problem book'. Once studied you will find that you have a much clearer idea of what you are trying to achieve at the table and the hazards to your defence. You will certainly find yourself more aware of the need to switch suits and the warning signs in bidding and dummy.

Personally I think it is a much better book than Kantar's more recent treatise on defence and easier to read.

Warning - your partners defence is about to become a lot more irritating!
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3.0 out of 5 starsGood material but dry as a crisp
By J. Terry on 26 May 2008
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This book is a classic example of how good thinking does not necessarily make good teaching material. Obviously Hugh Kelsey knew his stuff and the logic is crystal.

But ye Gods what an unbelievably boring format, which basically consists of ... hands. An incessant and steady bombardment of them. No periodic themed discussions to break up the repetition, no sparky wit to keep you from dozing, no light relief in the form of asides about the bidding or the wider game. The lack of such things does not make the book more focused: it simply renders it more difficult to learn from.

Ok I realise that this book was written back in the 60s when writers/publishers perhaps weren't so aware of how to get the most out of a reader. But what one shouldn't allow is that a book should be boring because it deals in detail.

Although the technique is spot-on, I'm afraid that reading this nowadays is a laborious and rather joyless exercise.
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5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent!
By C. Burton on 20 Nov. 2006
Format: Paperback
Hugh Kelsey was one of the best of all teachers of what is important in the play of the cards at bridge, and especially in defence. This book is a series of problems which, if approached in the right way, are usually solvable. If you fail to solve a problem, Kelsey will draw your attention to the defective reasoning you employed, or the inferences you missed. You learn by thought and practice - surely the best way. I love this book, and come back to it about once per year, hoping to do better than I did the last time around! For anyone who likes hard study under a hard taskmaster, this book will not fail to improve your game and you will most certainly enjoy the learing experience.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)

Amazon.com: 4.3 out of 5 stars 11 reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars 11 Oct. 2016
By T Gillman - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Best book written on defense. Must have in your duplicate bridge library.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Bridge defence, but not for beginners 19 Dec. 2004
By Jill Malter - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Paperback
This is a book for good defenders. If you don't defend well, you need to learn how to defend before you read this.

Kelsey teaches you to practice defending well. And that means counting to 13, over and over and over again. And it helps. If you are indeed a good defender, this will help make you a very good defender.

The 15 pages on opening leads helped me more than the rest of the book combined. Right after reading the chapter, I played in a bridge tournament. Declarer had bid both majors and dummy had picked hearts, a suit I held A-x in. I immediately led the low heart, stopping declarer from ruffing spades while maintaining control, and setting the contract. It was almost exactly the hand Kelsey had shown on page 61!

That's the good thing about this book. There's plenty of examples that are very similar to what you'll find in actual play. It improved my defensive play noticeably.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Necessary for the Advancing Bridge Player 18 April 2008
By J. M. Lawniczak - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Paperback
This classic bridge book is a must for every serious bridge player who wants to advance to the next level. It is not for beginners, and even intermediate players could find its concepts a bit too advanced. But for the bridge player who is seeking to reach the expert or near expert level, it is required reading. It focuses on the hardest aspect of bridge play, defense. The theme throughout is that counting the number of cards that declarer and partner hold in the four suits is a requirement for good defense. The hands are excellent examples of how to do this. The book is well written and interesting. It is one of the top bridge books of all time.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic for player wanting to advance 27 May 2008
By Robert Keith Gargus - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Paperback
This book is what took me out of the novice ranks to the advanced. Most of the experts and world class players I know will tell you the same thing. Defense being half the game is vital to a good well rounded player.
Set up in a match format, the narrator has the mis?fortune to defend on every hand. Kelsey, widely regarded as one of the best bridge writers ever, sets the play and poses a problem for you to solve. They will seem tough, especially to beginners. But as you solve them you are on your way to much higher levels of play. I am a very high level player now, but I still enjoy revisiting this classic on occasion.
Note: If you aspire to high level tournament play, this is an essential.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Advanced book 26 July 2007
By B. Einhorn - Published on Amazon.com
Format: Paperback
There are many very good books on Defense. This is still one of the best. A nice set of topics and problems. A few of the problems use bidding that wouldn't be mainstream today and thus are less likely to be solved.

The book focuses on visualization, rather than preventing a Criss Cross Squeeze (though there is a chapter in squeeze defense).
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