| Improvers' sessions (starting 2.10.24) |
The Improvers' sessions (3 hours) run from 2 October at 9.30-12.30 in All Stretton Village Hall (please use the side door). Table money is £3 which should cover venue hire and refreshment costs. You do not need to bring a partner - the set-up will work no matter how many players turn up (so long as it is plural). Nevertheless, the more the merrier; so why not spread the word and maybe offer a lift to those less mobile?
The sessions start with a short set of prepared boards (typically 4-6) played by everyone and then discussed in terms of whatever issues emerge. (I'll make sure the boards provide plenty of material for questions.) At the end of each session you can consensually specify a particular focus/topic for the following session - or leave it to me. Typical topics might include: slams; weak openings; defence to weak openings; card play; competing against a 1NT opening; Stayman and Transfers; pre-emptive bidding and defending against pre-empts; discarding and signalling; the opening lead; 4-card Majors and 5-card Majors; bidding strong (and very strong) hands; communicating with Dummy; communicating with Partner in defence; doubling (and re-doubling); 'reading' hands (not your own); counting (all sorts of counting); forcing and non-forcing bids; etc....
In addition, please feel free to raise any questions/hands/auctions from previous Bridge games (make notes!) on which you would like some clarification or suggestions.
To give you a sense of how these sessions will operate, bear in mind two universal truisms:
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In Bridge there are NO wrong bids or wrong lines of play - though there are some that are more amusing/optimistic/forgetful/inspired/demented than others. This game is about judgement and there are so many factors to consider and so many variables (and so little time) that it is nonsense to insist on one solution to every conundrum.
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We learn far more from mistakes than from successes (and if we can't spot the difference, that's where Partner chips in) so it makes perfect sense to make as many mistakes as possible. Some of us are naturally gifted in this respect.
I look forward to seeing you!
Dom Wilson
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| Defender Play: Leads, Signals, Discards |
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| Opening with 'weak' hands... |
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