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>
So much going on this week! Three new bridge courses starting, NAP
Qualifier games, and a new seminar series from Lulu Minter.
Let's get right to it!
Three great free seminars
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings this week, Lulu Minter will be
offering free pre-game talks at 10:00 before the 11:00 Open Pairs games.
These were a big hit last year!
Here are the topics:
* Monday, Aug. 25: "NT opening and beyond"
* Wednesday, Aug. 27: "Do's and Don't's"
* Thursday, Aug. 28: "More Do's and Don't's"
No reservations required! Just come and join the group in the classroom
at 10:00 AM.
NAP Qualifier week
This is the last week to qualify for this year's North American Pairs
district final game. The district final will be on Sunday October 26. To
play in the final, you need to qualify in an NAP Qualifier club game.
These games pay large masterpoint awards, 50% red masterpoints. The
extra $1 card fee goes to help support sending our District 23 finalists
to the national North American Pairs championships at the spring NABC in
St. Louis.
Classes Next Week
For all of our courses, you're welcome to join a single class for $25.
It's a great way to get a good bite of a subject without a six-week
commitment.
All three courses are having their first session this week.
* Wednesday, 3:00 PM, /Two Over One Game Force/ "Introduction"
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
"Preemptive Opening Bids"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/ "Play of the
Deal at Notrump"
Club Schedule for Sectional
There will be no regular club or unit games on Saturday or Sunday,
August 23-24. Instead, the club will be hosting the Pasadena Sectional
Tournament. They're holding two Pairs games on Saturday, and a full-day
Team swiss game on Sunday.
*In addition, so we can set up the club and the Community Room, Friday
afternoon social/supervised play is cancelled!*
Coming up ...
PCC Extension has published their fall catalog, including "Bridge
Introduction" on Wednesday afternoons at 3:00 PM starting October 8.
This is our first time to offer Bridge Introduction during daylight
hours! Get out the word for a big turnout.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa
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>
We have three new courses starting up at the end of August, providing
some great opportunities to level-up your bridge game.
This newsletter goes to both our News and Classes lists. If you're only
on the classes list, but would like to get the weekly newsletter, drop
me a note!
Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding
Yes, this is the follow-up to Bridge Basics 1, but it's arguably the
most powerful course in the curriculum for anyone playing in tournament
or club games. Learn how to use the scoring table to your advantage and
get your best results, taking advantage of new bidding language
available when both sides are in the auction.
* Six Wednesday evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, starting Aug 27
* $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding>
* Register for the course here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal
While the language of bidding changes quickly over time, the skills
involved in playing the deal are unchanged. The new textbook by Audrey
Grant won "Beginner Book of the Year" awarded by the American Bridge
Teachers Association this year!
* Six Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, starting Aug 28
* $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/play-of-the-deal>
* Register for the course here
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
Two Over One Game Force
Learn the patterns and idioms of the bidding system that's currently the
most popular and successful among tournament and club players at all
levels. With one tweak to Standard American bidding, you'll find
yourself better able to find the right game and better slam contracts.
/Take advantage of our daylight Wednesday class schedule!/
* Six Wednesday afternoons, 3:00 - 5:00 PM, starting Aug 27
* $130 includes textbook by Grant and Rodwell
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/two_over_one_game_force>
* Register for the course here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Classes This Week
This week we have great opportunities to practice play at two levels.
Both sessions are practice hands for their topics! These are delightful
single-session opportunities.
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/
For all of our courses, you're welcome to join a single class for $25.
It's a great way to get a good bite of a subject without a six-week
commitment.
Join us *every Saturday morning* for a free workshop at 9:30, whether
you stay for the game or not! We'll study a hand from Eddie Kantar's
/Thinking Bridge/ series. Each hand has interesting bidding, play, and
defense to learn from.
Coming up ...
The *Pasadena Sectional tournament* will take over the bridge club on
the weekend of August 23-24. That will affect the club's schedule in two
ways:
* Saturday games on the 23rd will be canceled
* Friday afternoon's social/supervised session will be canceled to set
up the tournament.
This month includes your last chance to qualify for this year's North
American Pairs District Final at the club level. All of our Open Pairs
games August 25-31 will be NAP Qualifier games.
Students are /already enrolling/ for the *next Bridge Basics 1 course*,
starting October 8, on Wednesday afternoons at 3:00 PM. This is our
first time to offer the course on a daylight schedule! Click here to
register
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
for the course with PCC Extension.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa
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>
Jane and I had a wonderful trip to Philadelphia. The ABTA convention
went well, and it's always fun to play in the Summer NABC. The second
week of the Summer nationals includes the Youth NABC, and many of the
junior players come early to spend the week playing in the open games.
Unfortunately I had to return Tuesday evening to spend my Wednesday at
Kaiser getting my first treatment for lung cancer.
I'll never know what caused it, and I was never a smoker. Since my
pneumonia last year, we've been watching for it to clear up and it never
did. A biopsy confirmed it, and we started on a plan.
It's a non-small cell adenocarcinoma, and they got all the genetic
markers they could for tailoring the chemo and immunotherapy. It's a
common variety, and the PET scan gave no signs that it's spread to any
lymph nodes so far.
I have three days of combined chemo/immuno therapy, each separated by
three weeks of down time. The only side effect I've experienced so far
is a bit of fatigue, and all the literature encourages me to get
exercise and stay active during this period.
(There is the fact that my white cell and platelets counts will be
depressed during this period. I'd very much like to urge you to stay
home from the bridge club if you are not feeling well! I will be wearing
a mask when I'm working, and I appreciate your understanding!)
After that, I get a lobotomy! By that I mean they'll take out the lowest
lobe of my right lung. 🙂 That will require a few weeks of recovery.
It's going to be an interesting adventure. The tech they have now is
amazing. The expectation is that the treatment and surgery will be
"curative."
In the meantime, I'm very lucky to have Zachary, Lisa, and Susan to help
cover games and classes. Lisa and I will be covering for Zachary over
the next couple of weeks while he visits his dad who's going through
something very similar.
Classes Next Week
For all of our courses, you're welcome to join a single class for $25.
It's a great way to get a good bite of a subject without a six-week
commitment.
We have two courses in progress: /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ on
Wednesday evenings, and /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ on
Thursday evening. Here are the sessions for next week, August 6-7:
This week's classes:
* Wedesday 7:00 PM, "Practice Hands" /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/
* Thursday 7:00 PM, "Slam Bidding and Blackwood" /Bridge Basics 3 -
Popular Conventions/
Join us *every Saturday morning* for a free workshop at 9:30, whether
you stay for the game or not! We'll study a hand from Eddie Kantar's
/Thinking Bridge/ series. Each hand has interesting bidding, play, and
defense to learn from.
Coming up ...
Last chance to qualify for the North American Pairs District Final will
be all of our Open Pairs games Monday-Saturday, August 25-30.
PCC Extension has published their fall catalog, including "Bridge
Introduction" on Wednesday afternoons at 3:00 PM starting October 8.
This is our first time to offer Bridge Introduction during daylight
hours! Get out the word for a big turnout.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa
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>
It was /grand/ seeing so many of our players doing well at the Bridge
Week Regional! We had some big rank changes. You can have a great time
perusing the results on ACBL Live here
<https://live.acbl.org/events/2507114>.
Our *Bridge Basics 1 class* filled very quickly with 25 students
attending on Wednesday evenings.
If you're interested in helping out new bridge students, I have a couple
of things: I always need three people to be on standby to help fill an
empty seat at a table. You basically become another student in the
class. Recent class students are the best for this!
I'm also interested to know if anyone would be interested in hosting
practice sessions with Bridge Basics 1 students. (Jane Winer has been
doing this to great effect over the past year!) The ideal time is
probably a weekend morning, but almost any time can be made to work.
Again, someone who recently attended the class is a perfect host.
New courses start this week!
Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 we'll start /Improving Your Judgment -
Doubles <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles>/. Thursday
evening at 7:00 starts /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/popular-conventions>/. Follow
either of those links for a complete lesson plan and course description.
To save your seat in either new course, visit the class enrollment form
here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>. Each
course meets for six weeks, and comes with a great textbook included
with the full course.
Royal STaC This Week
This week the clubs in District 23 (Los Angeles County) will all be
playing the same hands, and pooling their results in a Sectional
Tournament at Clubs (STaC).
This one is the variety called a "Royal" STaC. At the end of the week,
The ACBL will convert all of the masterpoints into 25% black, 25% red,
25% silver, and 25% gold masterpoints.
Card fees for the open games will be $13 this week, or one punch from a
card and $1 extra.
Classes This Week
For all of our courses, you're welcome to join a single class for $25.
It's a great way to get a good bite of a subject without a six-week
commitment.
This week's classes:
* Wednesday 3:00 PM, "The Takeout Double" /Improving Your Judgment -
Doubles/
* Wedesday 7:00 PM, "One notrump opening bids and responses" /Bridge
Basics 1 - Introduction/
* Thursday 7:00 PM, "The Stayman Convention" /Bridge Basics 3 -
Popular Conventions/
Join us *every Saturday morning* for a free workshop at 9:30, whether
you stay for the game or not! We'll study a hand from Eddie Kantar's
/Thinking Bridge/ series. Each hand has interesting bidding, play, and
defense to learn from.
Coming up ...
We have a very special game on *Wednesday July 16*, the Summer Instant
Matchpoint Game. Get assigned your matchpoints at the table with each
hand. I think there is a full gold point available for winners in that game!
This month I'll be traveling to Philadelphia from July 19 through 29.
I'll be presiding over the annual convention of the American Bridge
Teacher's Association (ABTA) and playing for a few days at the North
American Bridge Championships. I usually grab some of the teachers to
play in sessions at the tournament.
July 21-26 will be our second NAP Qualifier week. Come play for 50%
black 50% red masterpoints, and get your "Q" qualifier to compete in the
district final for the North American Pairs!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa
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>
"The Longest Day" fundraiser event on June 21 was a great success! The
tip jar for additional contributions was very full at the end of the day.
We collected about $380 in the tip jar, and the bridge club is rounding
up for a $500 contribution to Alzheimer's, in addition to the extra card
fee contributed by the ACBL.
We have some great course sessions starting up for the summer! I know
it's a time when folks might plan vacations or other travel, but if
you're around, it's a great time to level-up your bridge game!
Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction
Our introductory bridge class is offered through PCC's Extension
program. The students register through PCC Extension (Pasadena City
College), but attend the class at the Pasadena Bridge Club.
We have another great turnout for the course! There's still room if you
have friends or family interested in learning to play our favorite game.
* Wednesday evenings 7-9 PM, starting July 2
* Six classes, skipping July 23
* Course fee $85, plus $15 for the textbook
* Register with PCC Extension at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions
Learn the bidding tools and language most useful for playing games in
the club or anywhere: Stayman, Jacoby Transfer Bids, strong 2-club
openings, and slam bidding.
* Thursday evenings, 7-9 PM, starting July 10
* Six classes, skipping July 24
* Course fee $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Register at this link
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Improving Your Judgment - Doubles
This course is all about takeout doubles - making them, responding to
them, and figuring out where to go from there.
The takeout double is easily the most flexible and powerful call you can
make at the table. New players need to hunt for them and use them more!
This course will help you do that.
* Wednesday afternoons, 3-5 PM, starting July 9
* Six classes, skipping July 23
* Course fee $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Register at this link
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Classes This Week
There's only one class being held this week, but it's a doozy!
On *Wednesday July 2 at 3:00 PM*, I'll be hosting the final class in
Introduction to Defense. The class is on *"second hand play,"* how to
think about the card you play immediately after declarer leads from
their hand or the dummy. Aside from opening leads, it's probably the
easiest place to make the wrong choice!
Join the class on Wednesday for $25 and improve your defense in two hours!
STaC games July 7-12
For all Open Pairs games Monday through Saturday we'll be participating
in the District 23 "Royal STaC." This is an event where the masterpoint
awards are converted to 25% each black, silver, red, and gold points.
Our open games will be combined with other open games in the district
for big overall awards. All of the clubs will be playing the same hands
at each session. Card fee will be $13 for that week.
Closure for regional
In honor of the July 4th holiday, and the Bridge Week Regional in Long
Beach, the bridge club will be *closed Thursday July 3 through Sunday
July 6*. Zachary, Lisa, and I will be in Long Beach playing in the
tournament. Hope to see you there!
Coming up ...
We have a very special game on *Wednesday July 16*, the Summer Instant
Matchpoint Game. Get assigned your matchpoints at the table with each
hand. I think there is a full gold point available for winners in that game!
This month I'll be traveling to Philadelphia from July 19 through 29.
I'll be presiding over the annual convention of the American Bridge
Teacher's Association (ABTA) and playing for a few days at the North
American Bridge Championships. I usually grab some of the teachers to
play in sessions at the tournament.
July 21-26 will be our second NAP Qualifier week. Come play for 50%
black 50% red masterpoints, and get your "Q" qualifier to compete in the
district final for the North American Pairs!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa
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>
All the feedback I've received so far has been positive on the addition
of "Opening Lead" to the game results. While we can't capture the
auction and play of the hand in club games currently, being able to see
the opening lead chosen is a pretty big deal.
NAP Qualifying
The first stage of the North American Pairs begins at local clubs, with
games that qualify players to the district final. These are also great
games for masterpoint awards and competition.
This week is the first of three weeks of NAP qualifier games at the
Pasadena Bridge Club. (There will also be games in the third week of
July and August.)
I'm expecting players from around Los Angeles to make the trip to
Pasadena to get their "Q" for the district final, hoping to move on to
the nationals! Card fees for the open games will be $13 during NAP
Qualifiers.
The Longest Day
ACBL clubs support the Alzheimer's Association every year with games and
activities for The Longest Day benefit. We're planning to hold our games
on June 21, very close to the actual longest day of the year.
The Saturday morning and afternoon games will both be Alzheimer's
benefit games. Card fees will be $13, and our charity games always come
with enhanced masterpoint awards!
Closure for regional
In honor of the July 4th holiday, and the Bridge Week Regional in Long
Beach, the bridge club will be *closed Thursday July 3 through Sunday
July 6*. Zachary, Lisa, and I will be in Long Beach playing in the
tournament. Hope to see you there!
Classes This Week
If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop
in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course.
This week's classes:
* Wednesday, June 18, 3:00 PM /Introduction to Defense/ "Signals
against notrump contracts"
* Thursday, June 19, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
"Practice Hands"
Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand
from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand
teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense.
Our next classes will be /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ on
Wednesday afternoon, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introductio/n on Wednesday
evening, and /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ on Thursday
evenings. More about those next week!
This fall in October we'll be offering /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/
during the Wednesday 3:00 PM class session. Our first daylight offering
of the class! It could turn out to be popular.
Coming up ...
/Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will start up again on Wednesday
evening, July 2. The course is open for registration now, through PCC
Extension. You or your friends can register online at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>.
Next week: Club championship games! All of the open games will pay extra
masterpoints, and no additional card fee.
And finally, believe it or not, there will be a bridge tournament right
next door in the community room by the bridge club! Our good friends at
the ABA are holding a "Grade A" Tournament on July 18-20, Friday through
Sunday. I'm really looking forward to having their event nearby and
pledged any assistance I can in terms of supplies and help. Welcome them
to the neighborhood! I'll post their flier on the bulletin board.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa
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>
Liza Billington brings an interesting story from playing bridge in Santa
Cruz, CA, this past month.
She reported that the club turns on a feature in the Bridgemates that
lets you *record the opening lead* for every contract. The opening leads
appear in the game results for each hand. For an example see the game
results from one of their games at this link
<https://my.acbl.org/club-results/details/1243431>.
I'm going to try it at a game this week, and see what you all think. I
think it'll be fun. Choosing an effective opening lead is one of the
most important factors in improving your game results. Let me know if
you have an opinion!
Zachary is taking a family vacation next week June 8, so Lisa and I will
be covering the games and workshops on the schedule.
Special games coming in June
*North American Pairs Qualifying games*: We'll be holding games for one
week each in June, July, and August. This month the games will be Monday
through Friday, the 11:00 AM Open Pairs, June 16-20. NAP games pay big
points as well as qualify players to the NAP District Final. Card fees $13.
*The Longest Day Benefit for Alzheimer's*: Saturday, June 21, our novice
game and Open Pairs games will be part of the annual "Longest Day"
benefit held in June every year. Games pay big masterpoint awards, and
the extra card fee goes to benefit Alzheimer's Association.
*Club Championship games*: All games the week of June 23-28 will be Club
Championship games. These come with no extra card fee, but pay lots of
extra points, almost equivalent to a Unit Game, with overalls awarded.
Classes This Week
If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop
in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course.
*Mojo's pick* for this week: Thursday evening's class in Competitive
Bidding can have a dramatic effect on your game results. We'll introduce
negative doubles (also called responder's doubles), and talk about how
things change when the auction becomes competitive.
This week's classes:
* Wednesday, June 4, 3:00 PM /Introduction to Defense/ "Opening Leads
against Trump Contracts"
* Thursday, June 5, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
"The Competitive Auction"
Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand
from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand
teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense.
Coming up ...
The big Bridge Week regional in Long Beach starts on Monday, June 30. At
this time we're planning to close the bridge club on Thursday and
Friday, July 3 and 4. We may also close on Saturday July 5. (I'm not
sure if the Unit Game will be held on July 6.)
/Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will start up again on Wednesday
evening, July 2. The course is open for registration now, through PCC
Extension. You or your friends can register online at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>.
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>
It's looking to be a great summer at the Pasadena Bridge Club.
Partnerships and teams are starting for form up for the annual "Bridge
Week" regional in Long Beach starting on June 30.
Meanwhile we have some great games at the club, a new course starting up
on Wednesday afternoon, and the summer session of /Bridge Basics 1 -
Introduction/ is open for registration.
Introduction to Defense tomorrow!
Good defense wins games. In this course, you'll develop insights into
how suits are distributed around the four hands, and how to hold
declarer to the minimum number of tricks they're entitled to.
Review all of the "bridge maxims" for defender play and, more
importantly, learn when you must not follow them!
* Six Wednesday afternoons, 3:00-5:00 PM, starting May 28
* $120 includes textbook by Eddie Kantar
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/intro-to-defense>
* Click here to save your seat
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> (pay at
the club)
Enrollment open for Bridge Introduction
There seems to be a lot of interest for this summer's Bridge Basics 1
course. The next session will be starting in about five weeks, on
Wednesday evenings starting July 2.
This class is run by PCC Extension (Pasadena City College), so the
enrollment is managed by PCC.
Pass this one on to your friends! There's plenty of room, but I try to
keep the class to 28 students.
The class meets for six Wednesday evenings, starting in about five
weeks, on July 2. To register with PCC online follow this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>.
Gold Points this week
The ACBL is gifting the local clubs with a dusting of gold masterpoints
for the second half of this week.
Our Open Pairs games Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, will have 25% of
their masterpoint awards converted into Gold points. The amount will be
normal club game amount. (It's possible even the novice games will get a
sprinkling of gold too. We'll see!)
No extra card fee for this event!
Classes This Week
If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop
in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course.
This week's classes:
* Wednesday, May 28, 3:00 PM /Introduction to Defense/ "Leads against
Notrump Contracts"
* Thursday, May 29, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
"The Takeout Double"
Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand
from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand
teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense.
Coming up ...
We don't yet have a plan for club opening during the Bridge Week
regional, but I'm hoping as many of you as possible will go play in Long
Beach. Let me know your plans!
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>
It's time for some new classes to start up! The next three weeks will
see the start of three great courses for your consideration.
We just completed a great session of /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ on
Thursday evenings. We'll follow it up with /Competitive Bidding/,
/Popular Conventions/, and /Play of the Deal/ every six weeks in succession.
Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding
/Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ will be held on Thursday
evenings starting May 15.
This is the second of the Bridge Basics course series. If you're already
playing games at the club, /this is the course/ (along with Defense)
that will probably have the most impact on how well you do in the results.
If you're new to bridge, this is the course that starts to show how
fascinating the game can be, with strategy and close decisions on every
side. You'll add vocabulary to your bidding language, and tools to get
to the best score.
* Six Thursday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting May 15
* $120 includes textbook
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding>
* Click here to save your seat
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> (pay at
the club)
Improving your judgment - Opening the Bidding
This course title is one of the "stealth" offerings of the curriculum.
It's easy to think that there's nothing new to discuss about making the
opening bid, but there are many surprising subtleties and judgment that
experts use to modify their choices when opening the bidding.
You'll learn guidelines and recommendations in this course that you
won't hear anywhere else. And of course, being an Audrey Grant course,
it includes great declarer and defense exercises.
This course does not come with a textbook! (There was one, but it has
since gone out of print.) The value in the course is still there. I've
decided to continue offering it at a slight discount.
* Six Wednesday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting May 21
* $110 for the course
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_opening>
* Click here to save your seat
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> (pay at
the club)
Introduction to Defense
This course (along with competitive bidding) may have more beneficial
effects on your game results than any other. You will learn how to
visualize the layout of cards in a suit when you can't see your
partner's hand. Learn to work with your partner to take as many tricks
as you can on defense.
The textbook for the course is the delightful "Introduction to Defense"
by Edwin Kantar, recently revised and updated by Barbara Seagram. All of
Eddie's trademark humor and clear straightforward lessons are in full
effect.
This is the next in our Wednesday afternoon series! Perfect for bridge
students who'd rather not be out at night.
* Six Wednesday afternoons, 3:00-5:00 PM, starting May 28
* $120 includes textbook
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/intro-to-defense>
* Click here to save your seat
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> (pay at
the club)
Novice/intermediate program
The Pasadena Bridge Club has what I believe is the best weekly program
for new players in the country. We have informal "supervised play"
sessions, workshops for more in depth practice, and bridge games
specifically for newer players
See the full novice/intermediate weekly schedule here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/schedule#novice>.
Coming up ...
Our next session of /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will be on
Wednesday evenings, starting July 2.
As usual it will be followed insequence by the next few Bridge Basics
courses. Let your friends know!
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>
*If you've never been an ACBL member*, and you're playing in games at
the club, it's free and easy to become a member and get your own player
number. Much like joining the USGA as a golfer, and having them track
your handicap, the ACBL will keep track of your progress in bridge as
you climb the ranks. (They also have a great monthly magazine and lots
of activities!)
To get your free guest membership, visit our web site
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>, find the menu
and select Resources, then look for the "ACBL Guest Membership" link. Or
never mind all that, and just click on this link
<http://my.acbl.org/membership/join?guest=X&club=277210&teacher=8202249>
to get your free ACBL Guest Membership.
Of course you can just buy a full membership, but I recommend this path.
It comes with a massive discount ($29 instead of $59) on your first year
of full membership!
When you get your new player number, drop me a note so I can add it to
the database at the club!
Stardust week
This one snuck up on me and I didn't get it on the calendar! But after
asking, I learn that everyone wants gold points, no matter what.
So all open games this week (M-F 11:00, Sat 1:00) will be Stardust
games, paying regular club masterpoints, but converted to 25% gold when
the game is uploaded to ACBL.
Card fees for the Stardust games will be $13.
Thursday afternoon novice 0-100
Effective immediately the Thursday 3:00 PM Novice Pairs is open to all
players with fewer than 100 masterpoints. We'd love to have a few more
folks come to play!
The Thursday afternoon game is typically 12 hands, and should always be
complete by 5:00 PM. It's a great place to start experiencing real
duplicate bridge with other students and novice players. Come earn your
first (or twenty-first, or 99th) masterpoint!
Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding
/Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ will be starting on Thursday
evenings on May 15.
This is the second of the Bridge Basics course series. If you're already
playing games at the club, /this is the course/ that will probably have
the most impact on how well you do in the results.
If you're new to bridge, this is the course that starts to show how
fascinating the game can be, with strategy and close decisions on every
side. You'll add vocabulary to your bidding language, and tools to get
to the best score.
* Six Thursday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting May 15
* $120 includes textbook
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding>
* Click here to save your seat
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> (pay at
the club)
Classes This Week
If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop
in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course.
*Mojo's pick* for this week: Wednesday evening, practice two over one
game force auctions. It's a treat to get to practice only hands
involving 2/1GF or the one notrump forcing bid!
This week's classes:
* Wednesday, May 7, 3:00 PM /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/
"Handling the Opponents"
* Wednesday, May 7, 7:00 PM /Two Over One Game Force/ "Practice Hands"
* Wednesday, May 8, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Practice
Hands"
Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand
from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand
teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense.
Coming up ...
For those of you in our eastern realms, nearer Ontario, or willing to
travel, *Tom Lill has a game on Saturday, May 10,* starting at 10:00.
He's having a full day of bridge, with two sessions! He had a
cancellation and is looking for a player to fill out the last table. If
you'd like to play, drop me a note and I'll forward it along.
Later in May we have more "Go local!" glitter points:
Monday through Wednesday, May 19-21 all regular open club games will
award 25% silver points.
Thursday through Saturday, May 29-31 all regular open club games will
award 25% gold points.
No extra charge! Just a little "glitter" from the ACBL for the local clubs.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
