Back Cover Blurb
- Aptly described by the late Guy Ramsey as "the new, true classic of bridge", The Expert Game occupies a special place in the literature of bridge, having been hailed as one of the greatest bridge books of all time.
- Many world-famous stars have acknowledged the help it gave them on their way to becoming Grandmasters.
- Terms such as 'second-degree assumption', 'the principle of restricted choice', 'the vice', 'the winkle', and 'the stepping-stone', which first appeared in this book, are today in common use among tournament players.
Foreword
- One often hears a player say, almost as a boast, "I've never read a book on bridge". I always answer agreeably, "I can see". The truth is that bridge is a game with an intricate and varied technique which no one short of a so-far-undiscovered genius is likely to master on his own. It is significant that there are no youthful prodigies1 at this game.
- In two books that I wrote within ten years of one another, "Reese (Terence) - Reese on Play" and The Expert Game, I gave a developing account of advanced play. The first book dealt mainly with basic technique; the second filled in the picture of what a good player needs to know and proceeded from there to the more subtle effects which a skilful player is able to create.
- Happily, books on play don't date, except in the limited area of playing conventions, which, as it happens, are not featured in the present work. But while the game remains the same, standards of play naturally advance. Terms such as "second-degree assumption", "the principle of restricted choice", "the vice", "the winkle", and "the stepping-stone", which I introduced in this book, are today in common use among tournament players. I am glad, therefore, that through this edition the book will reach a new public.
Contents Part I: INFERENCE AND HYPOTHESIS
- "How could I tell?" – 9
- Discovery, Assumption, and Concealment – 22
- The Principle of Restricted Choice – 35
Part II: AROUND THE TRUMP SUIT
- Timing and Control – 41
- Putting the Trumps to Work – 49
- The Use of Trumps in Defence – 59
- Trump Tricks from Nowhere – 66
Part III: THE FIELD OF TACTICS
- Tactical and Non-Tactical Finesses – 75
- Loser-on-Loser Variations – 83
- Hold It! – 94
- Waiting Moves – 110
- Deceptive Measures – 116
Part IV: MATTERS OF TECHNIQUE
- Means of Communication – 139
- Methods of Suit Establishment – 158
- The Vice, the Winkle, and the Stepping-stone – 168
In-Page Footnotes ("Reese (Terence) - The Expert Game")
Footnote 1: This is false, but it’s interesting that Reese should claim it.
Book Comment
Hale Bridge Books, London, 1991
Text Colour Conventions (see disclaimer)- Blue: Text by me; © Theo Todman, 2026
- Mauve: Text by correspondent(s) or other author(s); © the author(s)