[el mister]

Can anyone give a recommendation for a book to get started on 2/1?
I'm in the UK and play Acol to a general club standard - moved areas and the new club is much more of a mix of bidding systems with 2/1 popular.

Amazon.co.uk is not putting out much of a choice - 25 ways to learning 2/1 by Thurston and 2/1 Game Force by Grant and Rodwell.

http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/093946084X

http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/1894154460

Are these good places to start?

[mike777]

2/1 by Grant and Rodwell is a good place to start. It gives you a foundation.


Reading and posting questions in the forum after that will help. There are a number of UK stars that post here.

[rhm]

mike777, on 2013-January-23, 10:41, said:

2/1 by Grant and Rodwell is a good place to start. It gives you a foundation.


Reading and posting questions in the forum after that will help. There are a number of UK stars that post here.

Why need the stars be from the UK?

Rainer Herrmann

[y66]

Dan O'Neill and Karen Walker are pretty reliable sources. They both recommend the Grant book so it's probably decent as an intro.

One of the biggest surprises about 2/1 for me was discovering how many variations there are and how many people play 2/1 with seemingly no clear idea what the follow up bids mean. You will do well if you keep a list of questions to ask 2/1 partners like the one in Karen Walker's intro.

My personal favorite 2/1 resource is the Mike Lawrence Two Over One System (the software, not the book. The book is good too but even more dated than the software). I don't think you'll find a more complete discussion of 2/1 sequences anywhere, Unfortunately, nobody actually plays Mike's stuff or anyone else's stuff "as is". Perhaps this will be less frustrating for you if you keep this comment from Paul Gipson in mind:

Quote

Alex and I have been playing the same basic system for many years although it is constantly changing, and now bears little resemblance to the original Lawrence 2/1 style. One of the change factors is watching top pairs play, either live (when playing in the Summer NABC) or on vugraph on BBO, and then using or adapting their methods

.

[barmar]

rhm, on 2013-January-24, 04:30, said:

Why need the stars be from the UK?

Maybe there's a better chance they'll be able to answer questions from players who are used to Acol.

[P_Marlowe]

barmar, on 2013-January-24, 15:53, said:

Maybe there's a better chance they'll be able to answer questions from players who are used to Acol.

And they may know best, which 2/1 flavour is most commonly played in UK.

[Flem72]

el mister, on 2013-January-23, 07:01, said:

Can anyone give a recommendation for a book to get started on 2/1?

Hardy's _Standard Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century_ and _Advanced...._ are both good for 2/1, simple and less so, and for describing common conventional adjuncts. And they are written at a much higher level than the Hardy norm.

[aguahombre]

rhm, on 2013-January-24, 04:30, said:

Why need the stars be from the UK?

barmar, on 2013-January-24, 15:53, said:

Maybe there's a better chance they'll be able to answer questions from players who are used to Acol.

One of the tenets of teaching is that you start with the known and build into the unknown.
For that reason, there probably would be value in having a UK player familiar with Acol publish a 2/1 text.

Those not locked into an Acol mindset, however, would do well to pick up Hardy or Lawrence and build their own improvements like Gipson has ---standard caveat: adding something new to your system creates baggage. You might have to change as many as three or four other agreements to fit in a new toy.

[PrecisionL]

Once you are familiar with Two-over-One Game Force, there is this resource that I always review before playing 2/1 again (I am a Precision player):

TWO OVER ONE GAME-FORCE QUIZ BOOK by Max Hardy, 1993

ISBN 0-939460-74-2

[lycier]

Advanced Bridge Bidding System for the 21st century by Max Hardy,2002.





Book Description
Publication Date: April 2002
Max Hardy follows his first volume, Standard Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century, with his comprehensive second volume, including contributions by expert players Grant Baze, Marty Bergen, Fred Hamilton, Jeff Mechstroth, Mike Passell, and Eddie Wold.


http://www.amazon.co...y/dp/1587761254