Seminar Program Autumn 2025

The seminars will run on the 2^nd & 4^th Saturday’s of the month, starting on 27^th September & finishing on 13^th December.

The “lesson” part of the seminar will last for around 45 minutes, followed by practice hands to reinforce the learning.  The seminars will last about 2.5 hours and will have a tea break in the middle.

Seminar 1 – 27^th September 2025 – Declarer Play in Trumps

This seminar will be suitable for all except absolute beginners.

As the lesson programme will start the following week this will be an excellent revision session for all returning students, as well as useful for all current players.

The critical concepts of how best to play a contract in a trump suit will be covered, in particular;

Finessing or playing for a missing honour to drop

Trump management

Safety plays

Seminar 2 – 11^th October 2025 – Defending against Suit Contracts

Again this seminar will be suitable for all except absolute beginners.

It seems sensible to follow a look at declarer play in a trump contract with how to defend a trump contract – we do defend twice as often as we’re declarer.

We’ll cover opening leads & the key element of how we work together with our partner by signalling. Also covered will be the different way we play against pre-emptive bids & slam contracts.

Seminar 3 – 25^th October 2025 – Crowhurst/Checkback Stayman

This seminar will be useful for all who have studied at improver (year2) level – including the current improver students – or are regular duplicate players.

One of the weaknesses of the Acol system is that sometimes we don’t know if our partner has opened the bidding with a 5 card major or just a 4 card major. Checkback Stayman is one way we can overcome that weakness if our opening partner’s rebid is 1NT. Crowhurst is a similar system which also helps show the strength of the openers hand.  The use of this system allows us to often end up in a 4©/ª contract with a 5:3 fit when without it we would be in an inferior 3NT contract.

Seminar 4 – 8^th November 2025 – The Principle of Fast Arrival

All bridge players & students would benefit from understanding this principle, although beginners might struggle with some of the examples.

The development of the Acol bidding system over the last few years/decades has been influenced by a couple of factors, one is the use of computers to determine the probability of success of the bidding options & the other is the increasing use of this principle. A simple explanation of this principle is when weak get to your final contract quickly with minimal bidding, a pre-emptive opening is a good example of this, whereas when you’re strong have a good “conversation”  - the use of Jacoby 2NT is an example of this. Understanding this principle is very useful.

Seminar 5 – 22^nd November 2025 – Forcing 2NT

This very much follows on from the Crowhurst seminar, but more advanced players would benefit from attending even if they haven’t attended the Crowhurst seminar.

The use of Forcing 2NT is another example of the principle of fast arrival & like Crowhurst is also beneficial to find better (than 3NT) 4©/ª contracts with a 5:3 major suit fit.

Seminar 6 – 13^th December 2025 – Puppet Stayman

Anybody who plays “normal” Stayman would benefit from the seminar.

This continues this term’s bidding theme of identifying a 5:3 major suit fit after a No trump bid – again aimed at finding 4©/ª contracts when they will be better scoring than 3NT contracts.