Want to Learn to Play Bridge in 20 Weeks?

Need to Brush up on Winning Card Play Techniques & Modern Acol Bidding?

This is a new course, offered by Perth Bridge Club, to enable you to play confidently in the club environment.

Of interest too if you play some bridge but want to raise your game!

It will be intensive, stimulating and great fun!

Interactive presentations teaching card playing skills and modern Acol bidding will enable you to play practice hands each week. Supporting lesson notes plus stimulating homework quizzes (delivered by e-mail), flashcards and directed reading will help you retain newfound knowledge between lessons. In addition, you will be encouraged to attend Weekly Supervised Play sessions which will build upon weekly lesson topics.

(Acess to, and comfort with the use of, the Internet and email essential) 

The course fee includes associate membership of PBC for one year, giving access to its extensive library and teaching CD collection. 

A four week free trial of No Fear Bridge, an online teaching and practice play site, and 25% discount on initial membership is also available to participants.

The course will appeal to everyone who enjoys the challenge posed by card games or other games of strategy and skill.

When: Classes will be held on Monday afternoons 2.00 - 4.30 pm by Liz & Gill

Term 1: 10 weeks x 2.5 hours beginning 19^th September 2016

Term 2: 10 weeks x 2.5 hours beginning 16^th January 2017

Additional weekly supervised practice play sessions following weekly lesson topics will be held on Thursday afternoons 2-4 pm.

Where: All held at Perth Bridge Club, 49 King Street, Perth, PH2 8JB.

Cost: £100 per term payable in advance.

Contact: For an application form and more information please contact 

Sue Dawson at susanshell@btinternet.com or on 01828 633239

(Also, see Course Outline below)

*Classes are also being offered on Monday evenings at Perth Bridge Club 7-10 pm with mid lesson refreshment break.

All applications for the evening course must be made via Perth College UHI. Contact The Admissions Team pc.admissions.perth@uhi.ac.uk. Tel No 00845 270 1177

Subject to sufficient interest, Supervised Play sessions may also be offered on evenings or at weekends.

♣ ♦ ♥ ♠   Course Outline   ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣  ​

Term 1: 10 weeks beginning 19^th September 2016

1. Introduction. Bridge and Minibridge.  (Scoring is a thread through the entire course)

2. Declarer play in NT. Counting sure tricks. Establishing tricks by force of high cards, establishing a long suit and the principle of finessing. Leading towards unsupported honours. Playing high cards from the short hand first to unblock. Opening leads in NT

3. Declarer play in Suit contracts. Counting losers. Types of losers and how to deal with them. Drawing trumps and when to delay drawing trumps or stop drawing trumps. Discarding losers. Principles of ruffing. Loser on loser play. Opening leads in Suits.

4. More on Card Play and Communication. Second Hand Plays Low (or Not?) When to cover an honour with an honour. Count and Suit Preference signals.

5. Defence - Opening new suits. The Discard signal. More declarer card play in NT, ducking to establish the work suit, ducking to sever defence communication. The danger hand and how to cope with it.

6. Opening Bids at the One Level. Responding to Partner’s opening bid.

7. Responder’s Limit Bids. Supporting opener’s suit or bidding No Trumps. Opener’s rebid in response to limit bid.

8. New Suit Bids by Responder. Which suit to bid. Rule of 14. Opener’s rebids after change of suit response. Second suit bidding above and below the barrier.

9. Balanced Hands. Bidding No Trumps. Invitational and game response bids when balanced. Transfer bids and Stayman looking for major suit fits.

10. Responder’s Rebids.

Term 2 : 10 weeks beginning 16^th January 2017

11. Recap & Hand Evaluation Beyond HCPs. Losing Trick Count (LTC) and when to use it. Lengths, Intermediates, Sequences [Living In Sin]. Points in Partner’s or Opponents suits. Suits bid by LHO or RHO etc.

12. Competitive or Interference Bidding 1: Suit Overcalls. Suit overcalls. Suit Quality Overcall Test (SQOT). Bidding to the level of the fit. Length before points. Unassuming Cue Bid (UCB) for support to three level [3+ cards and 10+ HCP support]. Coping with Overcalls.

13. Competitive or Interference Bidding 2: Making a INT Overcall: 1 NT Overcalls and Replies. Coping with Overcalls. Penalty Doubles (X) of 1NT Opening bid and 1NT Overcalls. Transfer and Stayman conventions not used after suit overcall or X of any NT bids.

14. Pre-emptive Bids.  Rationale – disruption of opponent’s fit finding capability. Three Weak 2s. Responder’s pre-emptive bidding to level of fit.  2NT response for strong hands. Features convention. Opening 3 and 4 of a suit.

15. Takeout Doubles. Shortage in opponent’s suit, Opening points and Support in unbid suits.  Takeout doubler’s partner’s limit bid responses. Cue bid of opponent’s suit when 2 majors of equal strength. Takeout Doubler’s rebid. Takeout doubles without a shortage. TOX then bid.

16. Negative Doubles and Penalty Doubles. Negative Doubles after opponent’s overcall, Doubles of NT contracts, Doubles of sacrifice bids, Lead directing doubles of conventional bids.

17. The Opening Lead Revisited. What suit to lead. Taking the auction into account.

18. Strong 2 Bids: Opening 2NT balanced 20-22pts. Responder’s Bids including Stayman and Transfers. NT Slam Investigation using Quantitative 4NT

19. Strong Bids: The 2C Opening Conventional Bid: Strong unbalanced or balanced; Game Force Bid, Suit Slam Investigation using Blackwood.

20. Tournament.