Pack Alain Lévy - 2 volumes

La Logique des enchères tome 1 : 

After the success of his first book La Logique de l'entame, Alain Lévy is back with a vengeance with his triptych La Logique des enchères.

This first volume reveals the secrets of a system developed with method and passion, the Y system, signed with the point of a Y which means Lévy.

In seven chapters, it brings together the recent improvements in the language of bidding, a language that has undergone a dazzling evolution over the last twenty years. With a concern for precision that is his trademark, the author declines and details the advances in modern bridge.

At the start of this book, the 2 on 1 game forcing and its consequences, which makes the French Standard look quite old.

Then come the new major supports with the famous Mixed raise and the indispensable Reversed Minor Support. No more Roudi, welcome to the Roudy, much more efficient! Another theme to enjoy: the new framework of the 1NT opening and the double Stayman associated with it.

In passing, you will even learn a whole new way of counting your points that you will no longer be able to do without.

A complete book, which deserves a thorough reading at the end of which you will find an answer to all your questions and a solution to all your problems.

La Logique des enchères tome 2 :

The Major Fifth system was created to declare major games; it's its historical core target. And its success continues unabated. It has become established everywhere in the world—or almost.

But bridge isn't just about 4 Hearts or 4 Spades. Another area of ​​play is of paramount importance, as brand dictates: slams. In a short game, the outcome of a small slam can decide the winner. Mastering the top of the pyramid ensures a decisive advantage.

In his first volume of The Logic of Bidding, Alain Lévy provided all the ingredients to revitalize the French Standard, with his now famous System Y. He notably presents the 2 on 1 game forcing, developments after a major support, the reversed minor support, etc., all effective conventions that can constitute the first stages of the rocket that will take you to the slam.

In his second volume, the author devotes himself to the final stages of the rocket: the specific bids for naming slams. Six comprehensive and informative chapters explore this fascinating yet frightening world, which many still only approach with hesitation.

You could almost start at the end, the final chapter, which presents all the steps to take towards a slam: the necessary equipment, the control mechanism (and in particular the cardinal notion of the trigger bid), taking the captaincy, the Blackwood. Vital concepts, too often overlooked.

Nevertheless, the book is essentially structured around strong openings, with a detailed exposition of the strong indeterminate 2 (including the Two-Way), the game-forcing 2 (revisited), as well as the 2NT opening and its associated developments.

You will also find numerous pages devoted to strong rebids and developments after a 2NT rebid without a jump, not to mention the third and fourth suit forcing at the beginning of the book, one of the author's great specialties.

Like the first volume, this second opus requires and deserves a thorough reading. Don't expect to assimilate everything at once. As in haute cuisine, the art of tasting is the prelude to successful digestion.