Dynamic Defense

by Mike Lawrence

Book Overview

An over-the-shoulder look at the most difficult part of bridge. Attempt to find the winning plays. 65 problems explained and analyzed.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0910791015
• ISBN13: 9780910791014
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Baron Barclay Bridge Supplies
• Length: 226 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Hard to imagine a better book on defense

Defense is the hardest part of bridge to master. It's also the hardest to write about, which is why there are so many books on bidding and declarer play. But occasionally someone manages to get it right. I've only found the "problems" format useful, as any breakdown into categories gives the game away: in defense recognition is well over half the battle. Victor Mollo got it right for advanced and intermediates in his. For me, "Case for the defense" was a reveleation when I read it 10 years ago. Finally here's another book that's just as good, and at a slightly higher level. Like Mollo's, Lawrence's problems have a real life feel to them, and though the division between question and answer is not as clear as in Mollo's formatl, Lawrence makes it work, and puts his more conversational style to good use in posing several key questions for some of the hands. This book is also remarkably free of the questionable solutions and the flimsy analysis that plague so many other famous authors, and are especially hard to avoid in analysing defense. I'm proud to say that when I'm playing at my very best I'll get most of these right. On a bad day, I'll probably get 90% wrong. To put it differently, every single problem is challenging and can improve how well you do around the bridge table. This book will best serve players who've been playing decent defense for a while, and have a year or two of defensive card reading at the table under their belts. But even for those that aren't quite there yet, it's a good read as it will open their eyes to how much fun they can have playing defense the right way. In short, though I've only been playing for 20 years, and reading American bridge books for 10, I'll go out on a limb a bit and say that this is one of the best bridge books ever written, on any subject.

. . . Passive Defense Has a Place, Too

As usual with Lawrence's copious writings, this one is well written, well laid out, and well presented. If you learn its contents, you'll be ready when the situation calls for Dynamic Defense. BUT remember that often simply making declarer find the necessary tricks (and taking what you have coming) will yield very good defense, indeed. So, read about active (dynamic) defense, but consider carefully the moment when you step up and defend aggressively. When active defense works, it works really well (Remember the last time you got mauled by a defensive cross ruff?). When it doesn't work, it hands declarer contracts (or equally important for duplicate pairs players, overtricks) that could not be made by other means (Did you ever lead a short suit hoping for a ruff and help declarer set up the suit before you could cash your winners?). So, learn active defense (and this book is a good starting place), but play a lot of passive defense so that you deploy active defense at the right times (and sit back leaving declarer's work to declarer at the other times).

Learn how to think on Defense

I tried reading this book when I first started playing Bridge, but it was over my head. I couldn't figure out the inferences and I put it down. Now, 2 years later, I think its a great book, just at my level. Most of the hands are straight forward, nothing crazy or advanced required. Just plain old: - Listening to the bidding - counting cards and HCP - thinking about what the lead means - thinking about what pards cards mean (signaling) - asking yourself why declarer is playing in a certain way - asking whats needed to set the contract Great intermediate level book. I wouldn't necessariloy get these at the table, but they are mostly doable with a little thought. If you find this too hard, try easier books like Bill Roots excellent "How to Defend a Bridge Hand". If you liked this book also try Kantars "Modern Bridge Defense" and "Advanced Bridge Defense". They are dry but excellent.

Improve your bridge defense

How experts think when defending. Recommended for all levels.

This book will tutor you in thinking like expert defender.

You sit, mentally, at the author's elbow while he shares pearls of wisdom on knotty defensive problems that come up frequently at the bridge table. The great merit of this book is that it doesn't just tell you what to do in a mechanical sense, it guides you in how to think and base your defense on inferences and deductions. I have read it 5 times and gained incremental benefit each time. The exposition is lucid and cogent. Get two copies and give one to your favorite partner.