There are three structured courses, each of about 30 lessons of two hours usually spread across two terms of about 12 weeks followed by a short term of five or six weeks.  There are lessons for:

Beginners          Who may be completely new to the game      

Improvers          Who either may have completed the Beginners course or
                           may have some suitable experience of having played bridge 

Developers        Who wish to build further upon their bridge skills and tools

For all new students, the first class is offered as a free taster before entering into the further commitment of time and expense.  Otherwise, the fee for each term becomes due on  the first lesson and upon receipt students are provided with a copy of the printed EBU text relevant to the course at no further charge.

Bridge is essentially a social game and lessons are conducted in a way that is designed to be friendly and enjoyable. There are breaks for refreshment and students are encouraged to meet outside the formal classes to play bridge and to develop their skills and experience.  There is also an active Learn & Play Group that meets regularly.

The first four weeks of the course are spent playing MiniBridge, which provides an easy but effective introduction to the way in which the cards are played before starting upon the process of bidding.  These first few weeks might be omitted by those who have had previous experience of playing whist or solo or similar trick-taking games.  During the weeks that follow, the whole of the Acol system at the Foundation level is covered, along with tuition upon card play., so that by the end of the year students would be suitably equipped to:

• Bid and play the majority of hands likely to be encountered
• Keep score, at Duplicate, Chicago or Rubber bridge
• Observe the basic laws and etiquette of the game
• Enjoy playing with friends if not yet having the confidence to play at a club.

The Improvers course starts off with a thorough review of the bidding system with an emphasis upon understanding how it all fits together.  Much time is spent on card play before examining the need for further embellishments of the basic bidding system, many of which are in popular use, such as:

• Protective bidding
• Negative doubles
• Weak twos
• Red suit transfers
• Losing Trick Count
• Cue bids
• Splinter bids

By the end of the year the student will have a thorough grounding and understanding of the game and will be confident in being able to play with a newly met partner in a Duplicate competition.

The main Developers course of about 30 lessons dwells partly upon technique for the improvement of card play, for both declarer and defence, and partly upon further refinements of the basic bidding system as well as looking at tactics for Teams or Pairs.

There are four further structured courses available, each of 10 lessons, on the following topics:

• Brush up your bidding
• Polish up you play
• Develop your defence
• Competitive bidding

Further short course or single lessons are available by arrangement on a variety of topics.

Participation in the Learn & Play Group is open to anyone wanting to gain experience of playing Duplicate bridge under gentle cconditions.  The aim is to enable players to gain confidence and to build up their speed of play such as would allow them to play at one of the many bridge clubs in East Kent without embarrassment.

The group has been in operation since July 2015 and attendance has been sufficient to support play at between five and nine tables.  It has always been possible to find a partner for the unaccompanied player.  Play starts promptly at 7pm (so arrive 10 or 15 minutes earlier) and usually ends before 10pm, having played 15 to 18 boards.  There is a break for refreshment.  Sixteen hands are pre-prepared, of a mixed variety of type and difficulty, together with an accompanying note on the bidding and play of the hand.  A printout of all 16 hands and the notes on bidding and play may be taken away afterwards.  The results are displayed, usually by noon the following day, on this website.

The group meets on alternate Mondays, starting in 2016 on Monday 4th January, at the John Baker White Memorial Hall in the village of Lower Hardres.  The charge for each session is £6 per player.

It is requested that players new to the group give notice of their intention to attend before coming.