New Downloads Available

If you are waiting for the Love problems they are delayed a bit.  Colin (alias Ratbert) is reviewing them and he has found some problems with them so we are waiting for him to finish so we can correct them.  It won’t be that long so stay posted.

Bob MacKinnon’s new book Bridge, Probability and Information is available for download now from www.ebooksbridge.com. In his book, Bob explains how information theory can provide some practical answers to bridge problems.  That is, some ideas that will make you a better bridge player.  There will also be free downloads are available to accompany Bob MacKinnon’s book shortly.  The supplemental material is free to everyone, however, it does some times go beyond the ideas in the book so it may not be for everyone.  But if you are interested in seeing how probability changes over time and how knowing vacant spaces (that is the number of cards in a particular hand still not placed in suits) you can make better decisions.  The download on virtual vacant spaces starts out with a diamond lead against declarer’s spade contract.  Can that help to decide which defender has the trump queen?  How does it change the odds?  There are six missing diamonds.  Suppose you can deduce that the diamond lead is from length.  How does that change the probabilities?  I seem to remember somebody once telling me it doesn’t change it because after all the defender had to lead something.  But not so.

I know that I have heard people talk about using a different point count scale and I know that I upgrade aces and kings and downgrade queens and jacks.  Bob shows a mathematicians view of point count.  How do you feel about 6-4-2-1?  Read about Opening Bids On A Different Scale.

Divisions of Sides?  This is a concept that is discussed in Bob’s book where he looks at how suits split between defenders and declarers.  So a 7-7-7-5 division of sides is the most balanced.  That is neither side has a fit of more than seven cards.  What does this mean?  Do you want to play or defend?  Bob talks a bit about this.  But if you read this article you will probably need to peak at the book to fully see how sides affect things and how you can use this concept.

The Clyde Love ebook is also available now.  I am not sure about the problems … so as we say in the office, “more Love to come.”