Perfect Gift For Student, Teacher, Partner Standard Bidding with SAYC By Ned Downey and Ellen ‘Caitlin’ Pomer

Ned Downey (Hawaii) and Ellen Pomer (Toronto) are experienced bridge teachers and partners in the Bridge Forum web site. Ned is a bridge teacher, director and club owner. Ellen is well-known on the Internet under her handle Caitlin, and regularly writes for various magazines on Internet bridge.

What is Standard Bidding?

This is an increasingly hard question to answer, but the proliferation of bridge on the Internet in pickup partnerships makes it imperative that someone does so. Perhaps the most popular natural system for the hundreds of thousands of online players worldwide is the Standard American Yellow Card, or SAYC. In this book, for the first time, SAYC is fully described and explained. This will be an invaluable to aid to anyone wanting to learn and understand SAYC, or anyone who simply knows the basics and is eager to fill in the missing pieces in their repertoire.

How to Order

Check www.amazon.com or, for Canadians, www.indigo.ca OR contact your local bridge supply house.

Those who have difficulty with any of the above options, email Caitlin at elizacaitlin@bridge-forum.com.

What People Are Saying About
Standard Bidding with SAYC

A few months ago someone asked me to recommend a good, up-to-date book on standard American bidding. I couldn't think of one … This book fills therefore not a gap in the market but a gaping hole.

- Julian Pottage, expert player and author

This very readable and useful book does an excellent job of documenting the current "standard" bidding system. The popularity of on-line bridge and the potential for playing with a partner who is a complete stranger makes the need for a standard definition that much more relevant

- Cleveland Plain Dealer

As co-creator of the Roth-Stone system, I am aware how important bidding agreements are. I also watch Caitlin teach SAYC and she is a great teacher! I know that this book will provide a great source of information for all SAYC players…

- Al Roth,
ACBL Hall of Fame member and author

Online bridge is here to stay, as is the Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC). Acclaimed teachers Ellen “Caitlin” Pomer and Ned Downey do a great job of explaining what SAYC is all about.

- Marty Bergen, 10-time National Champion and popular author

As an online bridge teacher and expert player, I urge all current and aspiring SAYC players to purchase this book NOW.

- Yoram “Gur” Bavli

As a Bridge Forum teacher who has the pleasure of working with Caitlin and Ned, I heartily endorse their book. I work with many clients online, often teaching SAYC. I know that not only my students, but anyone wanting to know what SAYC really is will benefit from their comprehensive, easy to read book. I also enjoy their historical anecdotes as they explain the evolution of SAYC and the many conventions which are part of the system.

- Mike “mytmoss” Moss

This book is just right for a person like me who is making the transition from social bridge to playing on the internet. The book has a great balance between principles and examples, depth and breadth, and the just use of judgment vs. sticking to the rules. Add in some nice history, good use of humor, and a clear writing style, and you have a great tutorial and reference book.

- Paul F. “potts” Dubois

SAYC - a standardized, universally-agreed bidding system - is a great idea, and nowadays, with the proliferation of online bridge and frequent pickup partnerships, it's potentially more useful than ever. Unfortunately (and amazingly) there hasn't until now been a single, definitive 'SAYC' text. Caitlin and Ned have made a fine job of remedying this… Basically, any two players who have read this book should be able to agree 'SAYC' and, without further discussion start playing - which is what SAYC was all about in the first place.

William “Athene” Frisby

The book provides more than just a SAYC reference – it explains the thinking and logic behind hundreds of bidding sequences in a clear, concise language and it supports those explanations with many sample hands. Standard Bidding with SAYC is a great book for both teachers and students of this widely-used system. I recommend it highly!

- Mitch “mitche” Edelman

Standard Bidding with SAYC is a wonderful resource for bidding according to the Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC) system. . . (it) provides much more than the summary you'll get from the ACBL website. Twenty chapters cover topics including Notrump Opening Bids, Responding to 1NT, Responding to One of A Major (including Jacoby 2NT), Reverses, Fourth Suit Forcing, Overcalls, Doubles, the Negative Double, Slam Bidding, and even Leads and Carding. Numerous examples are discussed in a manner that makes it clear that judgment can be a factor in your choice of action. , Standard Bidding with SAYC provides me with information on standard bidding that fits into my basic lessons nicely. SAYC... is the accepted bidding system for online play and also a very good start for duplicate bridge players. As well as providing great reference material, the book can be used as a text for a course (or - more likely - courses) in SAYC.

- Pat Harrington, American Bridge Teachers' Association

Standard Bidding with SAYC most definitely should be part of the libraries of those, like me, who are fans of Standard American.

Zampino

Look for Caitlin or athene online at either Bridge Base Online or OKBridge for lessons or supervised play.

Write elizacaitlin@bridge-forum.com for information on lessons or supervised play groups