25 Steps to Learning 2/1

An excellent reference book - clearly written, well laid out and with lots of good examples in each section

I actually learned 2/1 in the early 1990's and then started playing less and less until by the late 1990s I had given up the game. About 2 years ago an old partner coaxed me out of retirement but I started with "SAYC" again and didn't try moving back to 2/1 until recently. I had Mike Lawrence's 2/1 workbook from before, and I tried reading it but found it too disorganized and stream-of-consciousness for my taste. I'd read another "25 steps" bridge book and liked it, so I tried this one. It was clear, concise, and really easy to read .. I basically went through it in one sitting. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This is one of the best introduction book to 2/1. Each chapter has an explanation of concepts and good examples and quiz at the end of the chapter. Very easy to read for new players at this system.

I thought this book was an excellent way to learn 2/1. It started with the very basic- point count - which was a good refresher for the bridge player who has not played in a while. You can easily skip it. You learn constructive, limit, invitational, and preemptive raises. It explained the simple conventions - Bergen, Jacoby transfer, and splinter. These are routinely used in bridge auctions. It covers major and minor bids and responses. It stops short of NT opening bid, strong 2 clubs, weak two-bids. Does not cover slam bidding. But, for someone who really wants to learn the basics, it is excellent. There are plenty of exercises with explanations for each bid. Also, there are flow charts of a sort that you can easily refer to when doing the exercises.

This book continues in the excellent tradition of the "25 xxxs" by striking the right level in teaching effectively without overburdening the subject with detail. I've bought and read thru all three Max Hardy books but just didn't want to uproot my hard earned bridge knowledge to essentially start over. Thurston's book showed me that the Two Over One system is not that much different from what I've spent the last two years learning. It's not much different than learning several new conventions at the same time. My teacher swears by the precision of the Two Over One system. I'm not far enough along to testify to that but it was clear during the learning that many of the thorny problems I've encountered are much better handled with 2ov1 . Of course, there are those in-between hands that require the experience and judgement that I can only hope to achieve some day but there are far fewer of them. Yes, the inclusion of some conventions does seem like a gimmick to flesh out to the number 25 but they are useful conventions that were not included in the Seagram & Smith book, "25 Conventions You Should Learn". And yes, the quizzes are excellent and really help in the learning process. All in all, this book is certainly worth the money and time if your partnership is considering moving to Two Over One.