Bridge Website Reviews 2012 … One of Many

This year I am going to try to review a lot of sites.  This is because there is such a wealth of bridge sites available.  As such, most reviews will be short. However, I do take the time to have a good look at each site. I am going to rate sites as follows:

1. Don’t miss this.  Lots of useful content (5 stars)
2. Good site.  Useful content  (4 stars)
3. Worth a look if you are interested in the topics on the site (3 stars)
4. Limited interest (2 stars)
5. Needs work (1 star or less)

Sites will be tagged with one or more tags (most websites will have more than one).  Tags will relate to the nature and level of the content.

Sites reviewed in this post:

Site Review: Bridge Bum ( a reference site)

Rating:

Bridge Bum is a personal website authored by Jeff Tang.  The website was begun in 1999 with the idea of describing bridge conventions and included bridge articles and interviews.

Appearance: I like the look, it is a nice clean modern look with lots of buttons to allow you to easily navigate the website.  

Content: A long list of conventions.  Each one is clearly described with examples.    I especially like the See Also section which shows you similar alternative conventions.  I chose to look up the Staveley Wriggle (A new one for me!)  It is one of the many conventions used as a runout when the opponents double 1NT for penalty.  I like the idea that pass is natural (and weak?) and that redouble is strong and for play.  You can read about the rest of the convention on his website. A “wriggle” in the UK means an escape or runout.  

Under the bidding principles heading: CRIFS (from Larry Cohen) which is a method of making a borderline decision about when to open on a borderline hand in fourth seat.  If you want to know more you will have to look–but I will say that if I am ever playing against Larry and he has to make a fourth chair decision about whether to open or not, I will discover if Larry has overestimated me or underestimated me.  

Bridge Bum features articles on a variety of topics including a small number of interviews.  Read the article “If Chess Was Played Like Bridge” to find some thoughts on why bridge is dying in America.

Tags: Bidding, Conventions, Personal Website, Interviews, Card Play, Ethics

Level: Advanced, Expert but something for students at lower levels

Site Review: Mr. Bridge (a commercial website, primarily)

Rating:

This UK based site sells books and videos (mostly their own, written by Bernard McGee, the son of the owner) and bridge holidays. There is a free online newsletter, Bridge Weekly, with minimum content. But the gems are the last 30 back issues of his monthly magazine.  There’s a lot of advertising, but the ads are clumped together so you can move quickly to some good articles with topics such as: Heather Dhondy on preempting; a quiz (and lots of articles) by Julian Pottage; questions and answers on laws and ethics; and so on.  If you live in the U.K., you could order this magazine.  It is nice that it is now available for the rest of us.

Topics: Card Play, Ethics, Current topics, Problems, Magazine

Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced (somewhat for Experts)

Site Review: World Wide Playing Card Museum

Rating:

While not strictly a “bridge” website, this is a work of love for Alexander Sukhorukov of Moscow.  Alexander has been a Russian bridge player since 1975 and was publisher of Bridge in Russia until 2008.  Now he has devoted all his time to this wonderful collection of cards.  All the cards are for sale or trade and other collectors can list their trade for free on the site.  

The design of this site is not that great but the collection of cards is huge.  You can’t imagine the size, scope and depth of this collection.  I would have liked a bit more explanation but I enjoyed looking at many of the cards anyway.

Tag: Playing Cards

Level: Mainly interesting to playing card collectors

Site Review: Clairebridge (personal website of Claire Martel)

Rating:

Note: Clairebridge can be viewed in French or English

I believe this is the third time I have reviewed this website and readers will know I think it is terrific.  There is a lot of content.  Much of this content is links to documents, websites, interviews, and so on, carefully organized by Claire with lots of pictures. The site covers a lot of territory including bidding practice, laws, conventions to declarer, bridge players and stars, bridge teaching, articles and more.  I was surprised to find a number of links to my own blogs on some of the pages (naturally I clicked on them and quite enjoyed reading them)!  Some highlights for me included: a heated debate between two top players on whether women are as good at bridge as men (from English bridge 2010); an interesting utility to generate bridge hands, and a great list of new bridge blogs to read.  It’s all here.  Clairebridge is visual, it is amusing, but most of all, it is a gateway to the world of bridge on the web.  I love it.

Tags: Links, Photographs, Articles, Bidding Systems, Blogroll, People, Psychology, Ethics, Bridge Books 

Level: All