YNM: More Bidding Basics

Are you tired of learning/teaching bridge from a cookbook? Tired of memorizing how many points you need to bid this or that? Do you have trouble determining if you have a minimum, medium or maximum hand and what you are supposed to do if it fits in a particular category? Then Yes, No or Maybe is what you need.

This is a series of three textbooks and companion workbooks for beginning bridge students. The series uses a logical paradigm for making bidding decisions by formulating two basic questions: ‘Do we have a fit in a major suit?’ and ‘Do we want to be in a game contract?’ All partnership bidding after an opening bid or intervention is guided by the answers (Yes, No or Maybe) to these questions and some fundamental bidding guidelines.

In More Bidding Basics the student learns about balancing, several conventions (Stayman, Jacoby transfers, negative doubles, fourth suit forcing, new minor forcing), strong opening bids, preemptive opening bids and overcalls, game tries, slam bidding (direct, Blackwood, Gerber, control bidding) and opening the bidding in third or fourth chair. The ‘Yes, No or Maybe’ philosophy is carried through into these somewhat advanced bidding scenarios. With regard to slam bidding, a new question is posed: “Do we want to be in a slam contract?”

I only wish that such a book had existed when I was starting out.

Barbara Seagram

Author of 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know