- News - Pasadena Bridge Club

Instant Matchpoint Game
by Morris Jones 23 Oct '23

23 Oct '23

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from N Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> /*Office Hours*/ looks like a big hit. It's great to be able to drop in and play casual bridge. Zachary reported having five tables last Thursday! Mondays and Tuesdays, 3:00 - 5:00, the bridge club will be open for casual card play. Everyone is welcome, even non-bridge players curious about the game. This week is also the Ventura Regional Tournament. Good luck to everyone heading out to play! (I'm playing in the Bracketed Teams on Friday.) Instant Matchpoint Game The *big game at the club this week* is the ACBL's annual Instant Matchpoint Game, held all over North America on Wednesday, October 25. (There's a digital version in July, but this event is only for face-to-face clubs.) Here's how it works: Each board in play will have a printed score sheet tucked underneath. After playing the hand, North will consult the score sheet, and each pair at the table will know exactly their matchpoint award for that hand (as a percentage from 0-100). At the end of the event, everyone will receive a lovely booklet with expert analysis of each hand. This year the experts are champions (and brothers) Zach and Adam Grossack. Here's the kicker: the top score in each direction will be awarded *one full gold masterpoint*. The remaining awards are half-red, half-black, at 81% Sectional rating. There's even a chance to rank in the top pairs nationally, if you have an extremely fortunate day! Grab your partner and make a reservation for the *Wednesday Open Pairs <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/game_reservation>.* Card fee for this game will be $12, to cover the booklet and extra sanction fee. Intro to Declarer Play Saturday morning, 9:30 - 11:30, six weeks of play of the hand as declarer. In the first three classes, we'll only deal with notrump hands. The second three will be on suit contracts. First class this Saturday, October 28. (We'll skip the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.) $115 for all six classes includes the classic /Introduction to Declarer Play/, 2nd edition, by Eddie Kantar. This course is great as the next step after Bridge Basics. We'll put aside bidding and focus only on making contracts! Click here to sign up <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Novice Tuesdays 7:00 PM Bridge is a game where mistakes and failure aren't just possible, they're guaranteed! And that's true at *every level of the game*. (I made some doozies in the game I played on Sunday.) Once you embrace that fact, you're ready to succeed at bridge. The only way to play bridge (or live life) is fearlessly! Dive in with us for a real bridge game on *Tuesday evenings*. We play about 12 hands, for a quick two-hour game, and I nearly always have friendly single players seeking a partner. No sharks in the game. You don't have to know how to keep score, or the mechanics of the game. Everyone is happy to guide you through it, and delighted to have you come play. Lots of new players win their first masterpoints in the Tuesday game! Click here and let me know you'd like to play <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/game_reservation> Classes This Week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course. *Mojo's pick for this week*: Thursday's class on the takeout double. Who doesn't need another look at takeout doubles? Here are the topics this week: * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ "Practice Hands" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "Takeout Doubles" * Saturday, 9:30 AM /Intro to Declarer Play/ "Sure tricks, and establishing tricks" New on the YouTube channel: Quick vs. Slow Losers <https://youtu.be/ss1D5AZeDGk> Saturday afternoon workshop (1:00 PM): "*Opener's Rebid: Unbalanced 1-Suited Hands*" followed by a quick 12-or-so board game. Don't forget Thursday Let's have one more Thursday with *free pizza*, and make it a *club championship* game. Why not? Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Drop by for Office Hours!
by Morris Jones 16 Oct '23

16 Oct '23

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from N Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> Fall turns out to be beautiful at the Pasadena Bridge Club. The morning and afternoon sunlight on Mt. Wilson is just grand. Drop by for Office Hours For those newly discovering the fascination of bridge, there's no substitute for playing. Playing the game helps develop your "bridge muscles." Your brain starts to recognize the patterns of the cards and internalize them. So Zach and I are *opening the bridge club on Monday and Tuesday afternoons*, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM, for casual bridge. There's no charge, just drop by and play. We can't guarantee there will be /n/ players, where /n/ ≡ 0 (mod 4), but we've already had lots of bridge played in our first week. Sure you can play online, with robots, or the typical rude internet people, but why not grab a tamale at Vallarta and play some cards with friendly people? ? Free Pizza, Thursday Open Pairs Every Thursday at 11:00 join us for 24 or so hands of bridge. For October, I'm getting pizza from Blaze downstairs. (The pizza has been getting good reviews!) Let's have a special game this Thursday. I've earned another *Upgraded Club Championship* from ACBL for recruiting members. Let's use it this Thursday. /Lots/ of extra black points. In fact, since next week is the Instant Matchpoint Game on Wednesday, we'll have a *Club Championship on Wednesday* as well (but no free pizza!). It's Club Appreciation Month. Intro to Declarer Play Saturday mornings starting October 28, at 9:30, join us for six weeks focused on play of the hand as declarer. I'm trying something new this time. My text will be the wonderful classic by Eddie Kantar, /Introduction to Declarer Play,/ 2nd edition, updated in 2019. I have great hands to play. We'll spend three weeks playing notrump, and three weeks playing suit contracts. No bidding required. It should be an ideal course for brand new bridge players, or those who just want to brush up their card play. Sign up for the full course here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>. Classes This Week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course. Here are the topics this week: * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ "Balancing and other doubles" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "Simple overcalls and advances" * Saturday, 9:30 AM /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Practice hands" New on the YouTube channel: The Dangerous Opponent <https://youtu.be/Y7guU6kSK5s> Saturday afternoon workshop (1:00 PM), we've spent a few weeks on declarer play, let's do some basic bidding topics: "*Opener's Rebid: Balanced Opening Hands*" About that Saturday 9:30 class — how often do you get to practice Stayman, Jacoby, strong opening hands, and slam bidding all at once? Here's your chance. ? Next week, Instant Matchpoint Game Make plans to play in the Open Pairs on *Wednesday, October 25*, for a very special annual event, the Instant Matchpoint Game. After the game, everyone receives a booklet that has expert analysis for every hand. There's even *one full gold masterpoin*t to be had by winning your section at the game. Also, the *Sunday Unit Game* is October 22, 12:30 PM, at the *Arcadia Bridge Center*. Drop me a note to be added to the reservation list. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Club Championship Week
by Morris Jones 09 Oct '23

09 Oct '23

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from N Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> One of the advantages of our great location in Fair Oaks Renaissance Plaza is the security. Our property management provides a security guard from early morning 'til very late. You might have noticed they like to perch just outside the club's main door — for good reason! From there they have a bird's-eye view of the whole parking area. I'm grateful to have them on duty, and lucky to have them nearby. They've been very helpful during our big events! If you see Jesus or Gabriel, give them your appreciation. Club Championship Week October is "club appreciation month" for the ACBL. We get to have two weeks of club championship games. The masterpoint awards are big, with overall awards as well as section awards. Come out to play this week and try for more black points! All games this week will be club championships: Tuesday evening, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, and Saturday afternoon. Bridge Basics 2 Starts Thursday This is the second course in the Bridge Basics series, but even folks who've been playing for years will find precious gems in this course to improve their results. *Competitive bidding* is one of the most exciting aspects of the game. In this course we'll discuss how to interfere with the opponents and work toward our best score. A theme throughout the course is preemptive bids — making safe high-level bids when our side has a big suit fit, but not much high-card strength. You'll also learn how to use cue bids to show support and strength for partner's suit. Classes meet for six Thursday evenings at 7:00. Click here to sign up! <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Classes This Week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course. Here are the topics this week: * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ "Rebids by doubler" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "Preemptive opening bids" * Saturday, 9:30 AM /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Practice hands" New on the YouTube channel: Declarer's Hold Up Play <https://youtu.be/NwTneOOrig4?feature=shared> Saturday afternoon workshop (1:00 PM): "*What are matchpoints?*" Let's look at results from a matchpoint pairs game and see how the ranking is actually determined. (Notice I said /matchpoints/ and not masterpoints. Very different things!) About that Saturday morning class — how often do you get to practice Stayman, Jacoby, strong opening hands, and slam bidding all at once? Office Hours Starting today Zach is opening the bridge club on Mondays and Tuesdays at 3:00 for no better reason than to play cards with friends old and new. Casual bridge for fun, no gambling please! ? (Or heck, if you want, take out the backgammon or mah jongg set.) Coming up ... In December the club is hosting a two-day workshop to train teachers in Audrey Grant's Better Bridge program. Bridge needs teachers! Learn all about it here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/better-bridge-tap>. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Come hang out and play bridge. New courses coming
by Morris Jones 06 Oct '23

06 Oct '23

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 need to give people more opportunities to just play bridge," my partner Zachary said to me the other day. "Nothing takes the place of playing cards as much as you can." And then he made a remarkable offer. "Let's open the bridge club on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, 3:00-5:00 PM, for anyone and everyone to come in and play bridge. Nothing formal, just spend some time with the game. I'll be here." He didn't need to offer twice! No card fee for now, just come and play bridge. The more who come the better, of course. We always want to have a full table if we can! Jane suggested that it would be a great time to meet potential partners, or to bring a regular partner to try things and work out agreements. Let me know if you'd like to come, or if you'd just like to get reminders of our bridge "office hours." Great courses starting next Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding This is the second course in the Bridge Basics series. We discuss how the auction changes when both sides get into the bidding. If you're already playing regularly, this course will definitely level up your game! * Starts Thursday, October 12, 7:00-9:00 PM, six weeks * Full course description here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding> * $115 includes textbook * Sign up for class here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Intro to Declarer Play For "play of the hand" class, I'm switching to a favorite book, /Introduction to Declarer Play/ by Edwin Kantar, 2nd Edition, edited by Barbara Seagram. The book is a classic, fully updated, and fantastically easy to read. Like the book, the first three classes will be notrump play, and the second three suit contract play. I'm looking forward to a great fun course! * Starts Saturday, October 28, 9:30-11:30 AM, six weeks * Full course description here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/intro-to-declarer-play> * $115 includes textbook * Sign up for class here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Two Over One Game Force Two Over One Game Force (2/1GF) is the modern bidding system based on Standard American 5-card Majors with a slight tweak. The adjustment makes it easier to find slams, or a better game contract, by giving the partnership more room on the bidding ladder. While 2/1GF is only slightly different from Standard American, it does come with its own idioms to become familiar with. Along with bidding, the course has dynamite hands to play and defend. Highly recommended for club and tournament players! * Starts Wednesday, November 8, 7:00-9:00 PM, six weeks * Full course description here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/two_over_one_game_force> * $125 includes textbook * Sign up for class here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Next Bridge Introduction The next series of /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will be on Wednesday evenings, starting January 10. Look for it in the PCC Extension catalog landing in your mailbox sometime in early December. Best regards, Mojo

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Thursday open game this week!
by Morris Jones 02 Oct '23

02 Oct '23

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from N 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 great busy day on Sunday! For the North American Pairs District Final we had seven tables each in Flight A and B, and five tables in Flight C. Everyone found something good for lunch. (Sushi from Vallarta Market? Yes!) Special thanks to Stephen Licker, Robert Jennings, Ron Lu, and Toban for spending some time at the club and helping out with the event. Thursday Open Game Starts October 5, 11:00 AM, Open Pairs, 24 boards, and free pizza lunch this Thursday! We'll take a short break at 12:00 for pizza. Drop me a note to reserve a seat. Bridge Scoring Notation "What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?" "What do you mean? African or European swallow?" "I don't know that! Aaaauughhh!" -- the Troll from /Monty Python In Search of the Holy Grail/. In the US, since I started playing and recording scores with a pencil on a traveler, we always referred to the result of a contract by either how many tricks it made, or how many tricks it went down. For instance: 3SN+5 (three spades by north making five). For manually computing the score, this provides a mental shortcut. I could compute the trick score: 5 x 30 = 150 plus the partscore bonus for 200 total. But in Europe, and I suppose most of the rest of the world, that score would be noted as 3SN+2. Mentally I would have a tiny extra step ((3+2)*30). If there were no overtricks, it would be noted as 3SN=, rather than the American form, 3SN+3. For Bridgemates, I have an option to use "American" or "European" scoring notation. I've noticed that ACBL's "Live for Clubs" is currently using European notation for results. The Common Game is doing the same thing. Maybe this was be an outgrowth of quarantine, when we all had to play online, and most of us played on Bridge Base Online. All of the notation there is in European format. In US tournaments, the Bridgemates are still set to American format, where you'd key in "making 5" rather than "+3". As long as that's true, I'll keep it the same in the club. It will be a slightly jarring change if they make it. So what do you think? Is the American scoring format to be scrapped? It's an interesting discussion! Classes this week Drop in for a single class! Most of our sessions are small groups with opportunities for lots of personal attention. It's just $25 for an almost-private lesson. Note Slam Bidding and Blackwood on Saturday. :) * Wednesday 7:00 PM /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ "Advancing a takeout double" * Thursday 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Practice Hands" * Saturday 9:30 AM /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Slam Bidding and Blackwood" Saturday Workshop and Game 1:00 PM /to be announced/ ($10 for workshop and short game!) YouTube mini-lesson this week <https://youtu.be/E82cytO4DhY>: "Entries (2 of 2)" Learn about ducking plays. Coming up ... October is Club Appreciation Month. Let's have some club championships, with lots of extra masterpoints! We'll start with the week of October 9. Sunday October 8 we have a Pasadena Unit Game at the club. Drop me a note for a reservation. 12:30 PM start time. We have a very special game on Wednesday, October 25, the Instant Matchpoint Game. More about that later. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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A little help tomorrow ...
by Morris Jones 30 Sep '23

30 Sep '23

Hi all, Tomorrow is a big day at the club. I'm hosting the North American Pairs district final. I'm going to be assisting the director in the community room down the hall from the club. If anyone were available to drop in for a while to help do errands at the club, it would be a big help. I'll need someone to do things like make coffee, restock food, keep the break room tidy, and run any other errands we might need. You might get to kibitz some really good bridge players as well. All the best players from LA County will be here competing to go to the national championship. :) Best regards, Mojo -- build message Morris "Mojo" Jones mojo(a)PasadenaBridgeClub.com https://PasadenaBridgeClub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> Pasadena Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>

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Improving Your Judgment - Doubles starts this week
by Morris Jones 25 Sep '23

25 Sep '23

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from N Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> Last week I suggested that I'd talk about scoring notation this week. But no! I'm pushing it to next week, because ... NAP District Final Oct. 1 We have another major event coming up at the bridge club. On Sunday, October 1, we'll be hosting the District 23 North American Pairs Finals. (The event belongs to the district, but it's worth writing about.) The North American Pairs is a big deal! It's one of two "grass roots" competitions held annually by the ACBL. (The other is the Grand National Teams.) The district final is really three finals: one each for qualifiers under 500 masterpoints, 2500 masterpoints, and Open. The qualifiers will be divided into three separate two-session games. The top four finishers in each flight (three in Open) will be invited to represent District 23 (Los Angeles County) at the Spring NABC in Louisville, KY. The top finishers also receive some travel reimbursement to make the trip! You may have qualified for the District Final by playing in a specially-designated club game, either at our club, another club, or one of the VACB clubs on Bridge Base Online. Those games are played in June, July, and August. Check the list here to see <https://web2.acbl.org/documentLibrary/play/NAP_Qualifiers/NAP_D23.htm>, and if you're there, pick up a partner who also qualified and make a reservation for the district final! All of the information about the District North American Pairs Final is collected on the website here <https://nap.bridgemojo.com/>. If you plan to compete, I highly recommend reading the Conditions of Contest for the tournament. Improving Your Judgment - Doubles This course is guaranteed to improve the way you find and use the red X card from the bidding box. Level-up your game with your partner! First session Wednesday evening at 7:00, meeting for six classes total. Not sure? Try the first one for $25, and upgrade to the full class if you like it. Here is the lesson plan <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles>, and here's where you can sign up <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>. Classes this week Single classes are always available for $25. This week's offerings: * Wednesday 7:00 PM /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ "The Takeout Double" * Thursday 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Practice hands" * Saturday 9:30 AM /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Strong Opening Bids" Saturday Workshop and Game 1:00 PM "Notrump Play: Making A Plan" Coming up ... Next week (October 5) will be our first Thursday Open Pairs game at 11:00 AM. I'm buying pizza! Rally up your favorite partner and come play. There are lots of great updates to RSVPBridge <https://rsvpbridge.com> that I'll be taking advantage of, especially for managing bridge courses. And in December, the Better Bridge Teacher Accreditation Program <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/better-bridge-tap>. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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"We had a revoke!"
by Morris Jones 18 Sep '23

18 Sep '23

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from N Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> Dealing with a revoke We've all been in the situation where someone at the table failed to follow suit on a trick. (I've never done that! <cough> Yes I have.) This is known as a "revoke" or "renege." There are a few things to keep in mind when you notice a revoke: * When attention is called to it, call "director, please!" (But not if you're dummy!) * If you are dummy and you notice it /you must not say anything!/ (If I'm dummy, I adjust the card for that trick in my trick record to the side slightly, so I can come back to it.) * The offender can correct their revoke if it's caught before /they or their partner/ plays to the following trick. * Once the revoke is established, it can not be corrected! * You /may not inspect/ any previously played cards except as required by the director, When I'm playing, if I notice an opponent renege on a trick, I offset that card slightly in my trick record, so after the hand we can go back and establish what happened, with the director present. If you notice an opponent revoke, you don't have to say anything! Make note of the trick, keep playing, and let the director apply the laws at the end of the hand. Improving Your Judgment - Doubles The takeout double is the most powerful and useful call in bridge. No one can dispute that! Are you not doubling enough? Sign up for the six-week course on Wednesday evenings starting Sept. 27. Each week we'll look at more detail of doubles and how to think about them, both from the doubler's seat and their partner's seat. As with all of the Audrey Grant courses, there are always great hands with play and defense lessons to be had as well. Here is the lesson plan <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles>, and here's where you can sign up <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>. Classes this week Drop in for a single class! Most of our sessions are small groups with opportunities for lots of personal attention. It's just $25 for an almost-private lesson. (Never quite true for Bridge Basics 1. It's a big class, but it's a great refresher.) This is a good week to brush up on your Jacoby Transfer Bids! * Thursday 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Minor Suit Opening Bids and Responses" * Saturday 9:30 AM /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Jacoby Transfer Bids" Saturday Workshop and Game 1:00 PM "Notrump Play: Finesses of Many Kinds" ($10 for workshop and short game!) YouTube mini-lesson this week <https://youtu.be/iBiRZBf5wwU>: "Entries (1 of 2)" (There's also a funny blast from 2021 about playing online and what might happen after pandemic!) Coming up ... Today I got a preview of some features Brenda Egeland has been adding to RSVPBridge to better support bridge courses. It'll be a great management tool for me and the students! Remember Thursdays? October 5 we'll have our first Thursday 11:00 AM Open Pairs. Games are in RSVP to reserve now! Next week I want to talk a little about bridge scoring notation. (American or European?) Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Upcoming Bridge Courses
by Morris Jones 12 Sep '23

12 Sep '23

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> Great courses starting soon! We have three great bridge courses starting in the next few weeks. Our courses are geared toward working adults and students, and offered on Saturday mornings plus Wednesday and Thursday evenings. With each of our courses, you will be able to practice the hands from class at home using just your internet browser! Here are the courses that are starting up next: Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions Saturday Mornings, starting Sept. 16 This course covers the most popular and valuable bidding conventions. You'll learn Stayman and Jacoby Transfer Bids for responding to notrump openings. We'll also cover very strong opening hands, and slam bidding, including the Blackwood and Gerber conventions. * Six Saturday Mornings, 9:30 - 11:30 * $115 includes textbook * Click here for the lesson plan <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/popular-conventions> * Click here to enroll <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Improving Your Judgment - Doubles Wednesday Evenings, starting Sept. 27 The takeout double is the most powerful and useful call in the bidding box. Refine your understanding of takeout doubles, your role as advancer (when your partner doubles), and rebids by the doubler. We'll study many borderline decisions to help improve your judgment. * Six Wednesday Evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 * $115 includes textbook * Click here for the lesson plan <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles> * Click here to enroll <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding Thursday Evenings, starting Oct. 12 This is the followup course to /Bridge Basics 1/, but it's dynamite for experienced club players as well. You'll learn ways to compete in the bidding to maximize your score and do better on more hands. We'll practice preemptive opening bids, overcalls, the takeout double, and the negative (responder's) double. Find out what a cue bid means! * Six Thursday Evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 * $115 includes textbook * Click here for the lesson plan <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding> * Click here to enroll <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Our next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ series will be offered on Wednesday evenings starting January 10. (I always offer the Bridge Basics series 1, 2, and 3 sequentially for a given class session.) Best regards, Mojo

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We had a sectional!
by Morris Jones 11 Sep '23

11 Sep '23

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from N 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 amazing to see our little club hosting a major tournament. This is our third hosting of an event, and by far the largest in attendance. For the first time, we took advantage of the Community Room down the hall from the bridge club, where we have room for 12 additional tables, for a total of about 30 (without squeezing too much!). We hosted four full sessions of bridge, with 96-1/2 total tables over the weekend! Our biggest session was on Sunday afternoon with 18 tables in the Open Pairs, and 7 tables in the 499er Pairs. Full results from all of the Sectional games <http://live.acbl.org/events/2309379> can be found here. New signs! It took us a while, but we finally have professional signs on the lobby door and over the club main doors. Lobby glass door sign Main door sign Director table set up for the Sectional. Notice the new signage! Classes this week Anyone is welcome to drop in for a single session of any course for $25. Here are the topics at this week's classes: * Wednesday 7:00 PM *Defense* "Making a plan" * Thursday 7:00 PM *Bridge Basics 1* "Major Suit Opening Bids and Responses" * Saturday 9:30 AM *Popular Conventions* "Stayman" Saturday workshop and game "Developing Tricks in Notrump." On our *YouTube channel this week*, "Sluffing Losers <https://youtu.be/-V-QTCeqteY?feature=shared>" (The Defense class is a great one to drop in for. We have eight hands to practice defending, using all the basic principles of defense.) Teacher training coming up Become an accredited Better Bridge teacher! We're hosting a two-day seminar by Denise Hoffman on Thursday-Friday December 21-22. By completing the seminar you'll be recognized as an accredited teacher by the ACBL, and eligible to be listed in the teacher directory. It's a great credential to present to organizations like college extension programs. September /Bridge News/ The monthly newsletter for District 23 is available at this link <https://www.bridgewebs.com/acbl23/CurrentNews.pdf>, and I'll have it on our bulletin board this week at the club. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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