This book is about only one thing. Shortness, singletons or voids. It’s impossible to overestimate the value distribution plays in bidding accuracy. High cards are nice; anybody can bid games and slams when the high cards are falling out of their hands onto the table. But usually those results don’t get you very far. It’s usually an average or maybe just above. You don’t win bridge tournaments that way. The pairs who bid games and slams on less and who accurately stay out of bad games and slams, those are the winners. When the ‘room’ is in 3NT scoring +460 or +490 and you are in six diamonds scoring +920, then come and tell me about it. I’ve tried to cover the different ways a player can ask or tell about shortness. The book is divided into chapters on offense and defense. There are diff erent ways to do things in bridge. I’ve presented a system I’ve learned from some of the best. You may prefer something else. Whatever works, great. I want to give you some things to think about and suggest solutions. There are lots of ways to do things in bridge. This is one way. I hope you fi nd it helpful at the table.

James Marsh Sternberg, MD

2021; paperback

ABTA Award-Winner

Outstanding Collection – Advanced Intermediate was won by Dr. James Marsh Sternberg and Danny Kleinman for ten books published in the past year (AuthorHouse Publishing). Titles by Sternberg are:
Playing to Trick One: No Mulligans in Bridge
When Michaels Met The Unusual
Reversing the Dummy
Shortness: A Key to Better Bidding
Zero to 300: A Bridge Journey