Play of the Hand in the 21st Century: The Diamond Series (Acbl Bridge) Spiral-bound – Illustrated, October 23, 2007

I purchsed this book during my quest for building up my skills and after reading some of the reviews. I have played bridge for over 30 years and recently felt I was getting stagnant in my play of the hand. I have several bridge books for reference, but when I read them to try to build up my skills, I was usually dissatisfied. Often the author did not fully explain why certain rules were successful. Audry Grant's system is easy to learn, goes into detail as to why a rule is suggested and gives worthwhile quizes at the end of each chapter. Even though some of the information is a review for me, I did not find that it was too basic - I enjoy refreshing my concepts and always learn something new. I will admit that some of her point count guidelines are a point or two off from the way I usually play, so I am getting used to her system in that respect. The last time I played bridge I used some of my "new Knowedge" and it worked well!

An excellent update of the ACBL/Audrey Grant book. Betty Starzec did a fine job bringing the text up to date. I would compare it favorably to Watson.Three things potential buyers might keep in mind.1. Try to get the ACBL programs "learn to play bridge" and "learn to play bridge 2". I believe they are free and would make great companions to the text.2. Even though the title and main subject is 'play of the hand', bidding and even defense are also covered. If you see this a helpful extra, good. If you see it as a distraction.....3. There are 'sample deals' that at appear to require you buy a special deck of cards made for the book, but this is not necessary. These books are clearly used by bridge teachers and in a class setting the cards would be helpful, but as a stand alone book the cards are not necessary.I have purchased the Bidding, Play and Defense titles and found them all very well written and informative for a beginner/advanced beginner.

Got this book to advance in my bridge playing, after reading Bridge Basics 1 and 2. I'm an advanced beginner. Grant's system is straightforward and easy to follow. I like the explanations for rules and the quizzes at the end of each chapter really help reinforce each lesson. The only suggestion I have is to add an index to help find answers to questions easier.I also bought Grant's Bridge at a Glance, which I love as a quick reference when I'm playing,

This is the second book of a series that are well written and have a logical way to learn bridge for a beginner. Many seasoned players have also borrowed my book and learned all sort of things that they thought they knew. I highly recommend this series for the new as well as the intermediate player.

Ordered for use in conjunction with my bridge lessons. Very informative about play strategies.

I’m learning from this book. The explanations and practice examples are very helpful.

Gd learning tool

I have been using Audrey Grant's bridge series in my classes for years. Students love 'em -- easy to read, clear explanations.I love 'em -- great example hands and plenty of exercises.These books were written before the turn of the Century -- doesn't that sound old and dated? Well, these aren't dated at all.This Play of the Hand book is ideal for the solo learner as well. No teacher needed!To keep the price down for my students, I order used books from Amazon -- and I have had no complaints. I suspect I will continue to clear used book shelves of Audrey's books for the next five years anyway -- when I get too old to keep teaching.