AUTUMN WORKSHOPS STARTING 7th September

CONTACT Jean at jeandwbridge@btinternet.com or call 07792 024 643

BRIDGE FOR BEGINNERS

TARGET

People who would like to learn contract bridge with a view to playing at club level.

OBJECTIVE

Following the course conclusion, participants can expect to be able to play “gentle duplicate” (mentored) sessions then move, when ready, to full club play.

METHOD

14 x 3-hour in-person weekly workshops.  

• Interactive teaching – presentations, discussion and in-class exercises with handouts.
• Except for first workshop, mentored playing practice.
• “Homework” – reinforcement exercises.
• “HELP” – out-of-session questions answered by email or phone.   

TIME AND PLACE

Monday afternoons 2,30pm to 5.00pm.
Held at Offham Village Hall. 

MINIMUM CLASS SIZE – 4 people.

COST – £150 / for all the workshops.

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CONTENT

1. Introduction to Duplicate Contract Bridge.  START AT 3.00PM

• We have four players … two pairs … one pack of cards
• What is a “hand”?
• What is the “contract”?
• What is “bidding”?
• What is ACOL?
• What is a “trick”?
• Declarer, Dummy and Defence
• How do we score?

2. Hand Assessment 

• High Card Points
• Shape
• Intermediate cards
• Winners
• Rule of 20 (for deciding whether or not to open)
• Losing Trick Count (mostly for raising partner’s suit)

3. The Opening Bid 

• Intro – types of bids (opening, response, rebid)
• Intro – bidding categories
• Opening 1NT (balanced)
• Opening 1 of a suit 
• Opening two-suited hands
• Opening 4-4-4-1 hands

4.  Responses

• Responding to an opening 1NT with a balanced hand
• The Stayman convention
• Responding to an opening 1NT with a weak unbalanced hand
• Responding to an opening 1 of a suit with a suit raise
• Responding to an opening 1 of a suit with a balanced hand
• Responding to an opening 1 of a suit with a new suit

5. Opener's Rebids 

• When to pass and when to bid
• Rebids after a NT response to an opening 1NT
• Rebids after a weak takeout response to an opening 1NT 
• Rebids after a Stayman response
• Rebids after Opening 1 of a Suit

6. Basics of Declarer Play

• Intro - take a breath
• What do you know?
• Counting winners and losers
• Making a plan
• Drawing trumps
• Establishing a suit
• Some DON’Ts

. The Contested Auction: Overcalls 

• When to compete
• 1NT overcall
• 1 of a suit overcall
• Sequences after the overcall

8. Declarer Play: Finessing 

• Finessing intro
• When to finesse
• Direct finesse
• Indirect finesse
• Deep finesse
• Ruffing finesse
• More DON’Ts

9. The Contested Auction: Doubles

• The takeout double
• Double of opening 1NT
• Penalty doubles

10. Pre-emptive bidding 

• Weak 2s
• Responses to weak 2s
• Weak 3s
• Responses to weak 3s
• Opening 4s
• Weak overcalls
• Handling opponents’ pre-emptive bids

11. Bidding Strong Hands 

• Opening 2C and responses
• Opening 2NT and responses
• Stronger balanced hands
• Stronger unbalanced hands

12. Playing Defence 

• Basics
• Defence against NTs
• Defence against suit contracts
• Leads
• Discards
• Signals

13. Jacoby Transfers 

• How to use Transfers properly
• Responses to Transfers

14. Reaching a Slam

• Risk and Reward
• Slams in NTs 
• Blackwood 
• Trial Bids
• Cue Bids 

AT FIRST SESSION OF “GENTLE DUPLICATE”

How duplicate bridge is played

• The competition
• Scoring and penalties
• Using boards and bidding boxes
• Rules and etiquette
• Alerts and Announcements
• Role of the Director
• Role of Dummy
• Role of North
• Playing against the room