CD: COMPUTER DEFENSE
By: Paul Linxwiler
Originally Published in The American Contract Bridge
League BULLETIN, May 2000
Eddie Kantar Teaches Modern Bridge Defense was named the 1999 American Bridge Teachers’ Association Book of the Year, and for good reason: it’s one of the best primers on the topic of defense in bridge literature.
How do you top something like that? By releasing an interactive, CD-ROM version of the book.
For educational purposes, it’s tough to beat interactive software. It allows the reader to focus on sections he’s interested in, it prompts the reader to answer important questions and it quizzes the reader to test for comprehension.
The graphics are excellent. The software by Bridge Base replicates at-the-table action by showing the cards played from each hand during the deal.
The text guides the reader through the nuts and bolts of defensive techniques. There is nothing fancy here. In the quizzes, Kantar continually asks the reader, “Which card do you lead?”, and then explains why the reader’s answer is right or wrong. This product focuses on the process by which good defenders make their decisions.
I liked the book, but given the choice I’d choose the CD version without reservation.
