Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
I challenge any other bridge club in the country to top our program for
student and novice bridge players! The full schedule starts up on
Monday, March 3.
We've added another session for social/supervised bridge on Friday
afternoons, as well as another class session on Wednesdays from 3:00-5:00.
The new class session should help meet a demand for daytime classes for
students who don't want to drive at night!
The full student/novice schedule is now available on the web site:
https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/schedule#novice
We're now taking reservations for the Monday workshop, Wednesday class,
and Thursday novice game. No reservation required for Tuesday/Friday
social/supervised play.
New courses starting this week
Introduction to Defense
The best class for exploring the logic of a bridge deal, and
learning to work with your partner to win as many tricks as possible
on defense.
* Six Wednesday evenings starting Feb. 26, 7:00-9:00 PM
* Cost $120 includes textbook by Eddie Kantar
* Single classes available for $25
* Full description and lesson plan
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/intro-to-defense>
* Register for the class
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Improving Your Judgment - Doubles
Most newer players miss discovering good opportunities to use a
takeout double. Experienced players know the double as the most
flexible and useful call in the bidding box.
* Five Thursday evenings starting Feb. 27, 7:00-9:00 PM
* Cost $100 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Single classes available for $25
* Full description and lesson plan
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles>
* Register for the class
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Next week (March 3-8)
*The new student/novice schedule starts!* Plus ...
Wednesday morning seminars with Lulu Minter
Join the first Wednesday morning session at 10:00 AM for this free
presentation by Platinum Life Master Lulu Minter.
Get some insights to how he continues to dominate club games with Fredy!
Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions
Our first Wednesday afternoon class will be Popular Conventions from
3:00-5:00 PM.
* Six Wednesday afternoons starting March 5, 3:00-5:00 PM
* Cost $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Single classes $25
* Full description and lesson plan
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/popular-conventions>
* Register for the class
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Coming up ...
Our next *Sectional Tournament at Clubs* will be the week of March
10-16. We'll be offering silver point games every day that week! Card
fees will be $13 to cover extra sanction fees.
*Save the date* for our next *Robert Todd* seminar: Sunday, March 30,
all day. We're starting to take reservations for the event. This is a
first class bridge seminar. Robert features a bidding topic in the
mornings, and a card play topic in the afternoon. The seminar fee will
be $90.
The next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ class starts Thursday, April
3. It's open for registration at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>.
If you get the PCC Extension catalog in your mailbox, you'll find our
class listed!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Learn and play bridge!
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Zachary and I have taken some time to revamp our afternoon schedule,
weekdays from 3:00-5:00 PM. It's all about students and newer players!
We're going to continue with casual social supervised play sessions
Tuesday and Friday. We're adding a special workshop with Zachary on
Mondays, new class sessions on Wednesdays, and an official novice 0-20
bridge game on Thursdays.
New classes are starting at the end of February and beginning of March.
See the descriptions below!
March will also feature *free Wednesday morning bridge seminars* by
Platinum Life Master Lulu Minter, and a full day seminar on Sunday March
30 by the amazing *Robert Todd*.
*To enroll in any of the classes* below you can use the form here:
https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment
Weekday 3:00-5:00 schedule:
* Monday starting March 3, Workshop with Zachary
* Tuesday March 4, Social Bridge, Jon and Susan
* Wednesday March 5, Bridge Basics 3 Popular Conventions
* Thursday March 6, 0-20 Novice Duplicate Bridge
* Friday March 7, Social Bridge, Mojo and others
Would you like to help host social bridge on Tuesdays or Fridays? Please
drop me a note!
Introduction to Defense
This six-week course on defender play will cover the essentials of
defense, helping you work with your partner to win as many tricks as you
can.
* Six Wednesday evenings, 7-9 PM
* Starting Feb 26
* $120 includes textbook by Eddie Kantar
* Full details and lesson plan
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/intro-to-defense>
Improving Your Judgment - Doubles
Let's go into depth on the many ways you can use the takeout double to
compete in the auction.
* Five Thursday evenings, 7-9 PM
* Starting Feb 27
* $100 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Full details and lesson plan
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles>
Popular Conventions
Daytime class! Join us on Wednesday afternoons to study the most useful
and popular bridge conventions: Stayman, Jacoby Transfer Bids, Strong 2♣
Openings, and Slam Bidding.
* Six Wednesday afternoons, 3-5 PM
* Starting Mar 5
* $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Full details and lesson plan
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/popular-conventions>
Bridge Workshop with Zachary
Join us every Monday afternoon from 3:00-5:00 for a fun and intense
bridge workshop in Zachary's inimitable and charming style!
You'll get to play the hands that were played in the Monday Open Pairs
session, compare your results with the best bridge players in Pasadena,
and learn from Zachary how you might be able to improve your score.
One of our specialties is working with partnerships to improve your
communication.
The Monday workshops will be $10 each, with reservations kept in
RSVPBridge. If you already have an RSVP Bridge account, log in to RSVP
bridge <https://rsvpbridge.com/>, click on the "My Clubs" icon in the
top ribbon, find "Workshop with Zachary" and add yourself to the group!
(Or just drop me a note and I'll do that.)
Free Lulu Minter Seminars
Before *every Wednesday in March* (and one in April) Lulu Minter will be
hosting a *free* bridge workshop before the morning game at 10:00 AM.
Lulu is a Platinum Life Master. If you've played against him at the
bridge club, you know that Lulu and his partner (and son) Fredy are a
formidable partnership!
Drop in and learn some of his secrets for playing the game! Here is the
topic list:
* March 5 - Counting
* March 12 - Leads and Signals
* March 19 - Rule of 11
* March 26 - Rule of 7
* April 2 - Q&A - Open Forum
Robert Todd Seminar
Sunday, March 30: Full day seminar with the amazing Robert Todd. See the
event flier here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/sites/default/files/fliers/2025-03-30-robert…>.
* Morning session 9:00 AM: Hand evaluation + re-evaluation.
* Afternoon session 1:00 PM: Compete when they open
Join the full day for $90, or one session only for $55. Register here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>.
Saturday Morning Workshop and Game
Described as *one of the best deals at the bridge club*, every Saturday
morning at 9:30, we have a workshop hand from Eddie Kantar's "Thinking
Bridge," followed by a 15-board novice/intermediate bridge game (0-300).
Finished by 12:15.
Make your reservations on RSVP Bridge <https://rsvpbridge.com>, or just
reply to this email to join in!
Next Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction
This course is the starting point for anyone thinking of trying our
fascinating game! The course is part of the PCC Extension catalog, but
meets at the Pasadena Bridge Club.
Our next course series begins on Thursday evenings, April 3, 7:00-9:00 PM.
You can register for Bridge Introduction at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>,
and be sure to pass it along to your friends!
Rest assured, we will also be offering a session of Bridge Basics 1
during the new Wednesday afternoon 3-5 period in a few months!
Mojo, Jane and Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
We live and die by the elevator in our lobby. When it goes out of
service, I'm always amazed at how many of our players who have a
difficult time getting around manage to make their way up the stairs.
Granted, they're good stairs, with excellent hand rail spacing for
climbing and descending safely, but it's not ideal to have to use them
every day!
I'm told that we're dependent on a parts shipment that should arrive
Wednesday or Thursday, and hopefully we'll elevating again soon.
Change in course schedule
Alas, the textbook for /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Bidding/
has gone out of print, and new copies are no longer available. (I still
have about four on the shelf.)
I'm replacing IYJ - Opening in the schedule with another great class,
/Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/. This is a fantastic class for new
players who need more practice and refinement for takeout doubles in all
kinds of situations.
IYJ - Opening is still a really great class, with or without the
textbook. It adds detail to the opening bid decision that you won't find
in any other course, as well as having great hands for bidding and playing.
Afternoons for novice players
Zachary and I are not only making plans to revive the 3:00-5:00 PM time
period at the club, we're planning to expand it.
On Mondays, we want to offer a more intensive session we're calling the
"Bridge Workshop with Zachary." It's an ideal session to take advantage
of Zachary's unique style and insight to improve your partnership
communication and card play.
Tuesday and Friday will be a resumption of casual bridge targeted
specifically to our student players. We want to provide a comfortable
place for absolute n00bs to develop their bridge chops. The goal is not
to make the /best/ bid or the /best/ play, but to discover the rhythms
of the game and have fun playing it. We have Jon Fuhrman, Susan Kane,
Melanie Moran, and others lined up to host.
Wednesday is going to be a formal class session, from our regular course
catalog. I plan to offer Popular Conventions (Bridge Basics 3), Play of
the Deal (Bridge Basics 4), and Introduction to Defense as the first
three courses offered on Wednesday afternoons. I think it will be a
popular time for folks who don't want to be out at night.
Thursday we're going to add an official duplicate bridge game
specifically for new players with fewer than 20 masterpoints. It will be
a short game of about 12 boards.
The Monday and Thursday events will have reservations and pre-payments
available on RSVP Bridge. Partnerships are encouraged, but friendly
partners always available for those "looking."
There are a lot of students of the game who would rather not attend
evening classes. I gave up Saturday morning classes to offer the popular
"workshop and game" on Saturday mornings. I'm considering offering a
course series, perhaps on Wednesday afternoons.
I dare say that this, along with the Saturday morning workshop and game,
will be a more extensive program specifically for newer players than I
know of at any other bridge club.
We're still finalizing the starting schedule and fees for each of the
offerings. In the next few days I will publish a starting schedule. We
won't be able to start every session on March 3, but I'll let you know.
Bridge Classes This Week
Each week I'll post the topics for the Wednesday and Thursday classes.
Anyone is welcome to join a single class for $25 without purchasing an
entire course.
This week's offerings are both "practice hand" sessions. They're a great
opportunity to drop in and practice the class topic.
This week's classes:
* Wednesday, February 19, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive
Bidding/ "Practice Hands"
* Thursday, February 20, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/
"Practice Hands"
The next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ class starts Thursday, April
3. It's open for registration at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>.
If you get the PCC Extension catalog in your mailbox, you'll find our
class listed!
I'll send a separate email with information about our new classes
starting next week, "Introduction to Defense" and "Improving Your
Judgment - Doubles."
*Save the date* for our next *Robert Todd* seminar: Sunday, March 30,
all day. We're starting to take reservations for the event. This is a
first class bridge seminar. Robert features a bidding topic in the
mornings, and a card play topic in the afternoon. The seminar fee will
be $90.
Coming up ...
March *Wednesday morning bridge talks* with Lulu Minter!
Lulu will be offering a series of free Wednesday morning chalk talks at
10:00 AM before the Wednesday Open Pairs game at 11:00. He has a series
of five seminars. I'll be sending an email with all the information
about his talks and upcoming classes in the next day or two.
Our next *Sectional Tournament at Clubs* will be the week of March
10-16. We'll be offering silver point games every day that week! Card
fees will be $13 to cover extra sanction fees.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
We had a bit of an adventure this past week when our internet provider
couldn't get the WiFi router back up after attempting a "factory reset."
We had to do without for a few days, getting by on my phone hot spot. On
Tuesday they a tech finally figured out the problem and got us back online.
Meanwhile, the emails from ACBL about "glitter points" this week have
proven true! All of our open games this week have been awarding 25% gold
masterpoints. We have a few more games, and they've been well-attended
all week. (The bigger the game, the bigger the masterpoint awards.)
What's cool is that there's no extra charge for these games. :)
Plans taking shape for afternoons
The 3:00-5:00 PM time period is a great opportunity to open the bridge
club for new players. We're formulating plans to open the club during
those hours again, but with a slightly different offering.
There are a lot of students of the game who would rather not attend
evening classes. I gave up Saturday morning classes to offer the popular
"workshop and game" on Saturday mornings. I'm considering offering a
course series, perhaps on Wednesday afternoons.
There is also an opportunity to host a sanctioned two-hour duplicate
game limited to players under 20 masterpoints. We're considering
Thursday for those.
On Monday and Tuesday (and perhaps Friday) we're looking for individual
"hosts" who would shepherd new player casual bridge sessions. Several
host candidates have spoken up, and there should be a good pool of
experienced players to draw from.
Let me know what you think, and hopefully we'll have a more concrete
schedule soon!
Bridge Classes This Week
Each week I'll post the topics for the Wednesday and Thursday classes.
Anyone is welcome to join a single class for $25 without purchasing an
entire course.
This week's offerings are both "practice hand" sessions. They're a great
opportunity to drop in and practice the class topic.
This week's classes:
* Wednesday, February 12, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive
Bidding/ "Practice Hands"
* Thursday, February 13, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/
"Practice Hands"
Our *next two courses are in a bit of flux*. I just learned that the
textbook for "Opening the Bidding" is out of print and no longer
available. And I need to offer a "Popular Conventions" course. I'll be
updating the schedule for new courses later this week.
The next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ class starts Thursday, April
3. It's open for registration at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>.
If you get the PCC Extension catalog in your mailbox, you'll find our
class listed!
*Save the date* for our next *Robert Todd* seminar: Sunday, March 30,
all day.
Help support wild fire victims
Our great friend of the club Jonathan Penzner has been volunteering
tirelessly with a worthy organization, the Pasadena Community Labor
Center. They have been providing food, water, medical supplies, hygienic
products, and other necessities to people affected by the wild fires.
They're accepting monetary donations at their web site
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/lafires2025 and also accept in-kind
donations of things such as trash bags, toilet paper, first-aid
supplies, and diapers. (Clothing is not required.)
The job center is very close to the bridge club at 500 North Lake Ave.
Coming up ...
Zachary, Jane and I are looking at ways to spruce up the "hospitality
room" to make it more inviting, and have a lot more storage. It's not
really a back room, and needs to mesh better with the rest of the club.
(Plus we need more storage space!)
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Jan Wickersham is looking for a carpool to the sectional in San Juan
Capistrano on Feb. 22 & 23. If you're planning to attend and could give
her a ride, please drop me or her a note. Thanks!
Mojo
--
build message
Morris "Mojo" Jones
mojo(a)PasadenaBridgeClub.com
https://PasadenaBridgeClub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Pasadena Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
A year or so ago Zachary recognized the need for our new bridge students
to have a time to drop into the bridge club and practice playing bridge.
He had a chunk of time available in his afternoons, and "Office Hours"
was born.
Most large bridge clubs have some sort of "social/supervised play"
session. I've played social bridge at Honors in New York, and the Andrew
Robson club in London. They would give you a rubber bridge score card
and leave you to it. But there was always a host (or a few) who you
could call on when you were stuck on a hand.
It's arguably the most important service offered by a teaching bridge
club. Without it, there is no comfortable transition from classes to
full duplicate bridge games.
With Zachary stepping back, it's a good time for us to take a look at
what works and what doesn't for Office Hours. Let's give it a reboot.
One thing to realize is that there's an audience for players of some
experience who aren't interested in duplicate bridge games. This group
doesn't always mix well with newcomers who are learning the game. For
one thing, the Zero Tolerance policy provides for score penalties for
bad behavior, but in an unsanctioned game there is no structure for
that. Being kind to partner and other players may be the most important
skill to develop.
It's mandatory that we offer something for our new players who are
working out their "bridge muscles" for the first time. I don't believe
we're going to be in a position to offer purely social bridge. Everyone
who drops in needs to expect that they will be seated with players who
are just learning the game. (We'll leave that as self-defined.)
I know that we'll be looking for a small army of volunteer bridge
players who support this mission and want to provide our new players
with a safe and comfortable place to practice playing bridge.
Now is the time to speak, whether you're a player in Office Hours
bridge, or someone who has played a while and wants to support the
newcomers. Please drop me a note.
Office Hours will be closed for February, and we'll see what we can work
out in March.
Bridge Classes This Week
Each week I'll post the topics for the Wednesday and Thursday classes.
Anyone is welcome to join a single class for $25 without purchasing an
entire course.
*Mojo's pick for this week*: Wednesday "The Competitive Auction" really
puts together the language of competing for the contract and preemptive
bidding. ("Negative (or Responder's) Doubles" are part of this class.)
This week's classes:
* Wednesday, February 5, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive
Bidding/ "The Competitive Auction"
* Thursday, January 23, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/
"Play of the Deal in Trump Contracts"
In addition, every Saturday morning at 9:30 we offer a mini-workshop
featuring a fascinating bridge hand from Eddie Kantar's "Thinking
Bridge" series. In each hand you'll discover how all of the clues you
need to find the right contract, the best opening lead, successful play
or defense, are all right there when you notice them!
The Saturday morning workshops are free and open to all, whether or not
you stay to play in the novice/intermediate bridge game at 10:00.
The next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ class starts Thursday, April
3. It's open for registration at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>.
If you get the PCC Extension catalog in your mailbox, you'll find our
class listed!
*Save the date* for our next *Robert Todd* seminar: Sunday, March 30,
all day.
Coming up ...
February 10-16 is going to be interesting! All club games will be
awarding "glitter points," part black part other colors. I'm sure you'll
be getting email from Bronia and ACBL about that!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
