July 2018 - 48

Newer Players

Startup Bridge
BY LYNN BERG

lberg@cfl.rr.com

Teachers learn the most
I'm convinced that teaching bridge
has helped me become a better player. I
didn't take classes when I started playing bridge in 1960 - I was in college
and learned at the table. A decade later,
I wanted to help a small-town club to
grow, so I looked for a book and started
teaching a basic bidding class. I quickly
found out how much I didn't know:
I had no coherent, clear ideas about
the game, and I quickly had to acquire
information and structure. I did have
teaching experience (English lit on the
university level), which helped.
If you and your partner do not have
the luxury of living in an area with
an active club that encourages and
teaches newcomers, you may have to
teach yourselves. You will find, as I did,
that teaching someone else will teach
you even more. Whether it is just the
two of you or a larger study group, here
are some tips to help you get started.
⦁ Make sure that the material you use
isn't too complicated or advanced
for your current needs. ACBL's
"Bidding in the 21st Century,"
Audrey Grant's "Better Bridge," and
Jim Ricker's "Basic Bidding with
2/1" are all good places to start. You
can review any of these online to
decide where to start. The "Easybridge!" first volume would also
give you a good idea of which ideas
and conventions you should look
at first. Baron Barclay has useful
descriptions of most bridge books.

48 Bridge Bulletin July 2018

⦁ Don't be tempted to stray too soon
to sexier topics like slam bidding;
start with day-to-day bridge issues
like Stayman and transfers, majorand minor-suit raises or doubles
and overcalls.
⦁ If you are working on specific
conventions, look at ACBL's
Bridge Series "Commonly Used
Conventions in the 21st Century"
texts, any of Barbara Seagram's "25"
series, and Conventional Wisdom
on the ACBL website. Be careful
if you use Google that you aren't
accessing a British website - their
bidding is quite different from the
Western Hemisphere's. You'll find
great information on websites for
Larry Cohen, Eddie Kantar, Mike
Lawrence and Richard Pavlicek,
among others.
⦁ Get together and plan a schedule
a week or two before you actually
meet. That gives everyone time to
get the study materials and agree on
the topics. The first presenter also
needs some time to prepare.
⦁ Whatever topic you choose to start
with, plan to spend some time on it.
Begin with a basic presentation. If
you have a textbook, it will contain
exercises which you should work
through. If you are the presenter for
the topic, give yourself time to read
ahead and feel you have a grasp
of the material before you work
with your partner/group. For this

topic, at least, you are the "fearless
leader." You may like to outline the
material or prepare handouts.
⦁ If you are not using a textbook, you
should be able to find some exercises and quizzes online. ACBL has an
interactive program on basic bidding which is a good source (Click
on Learn on the ACBL webpage).
Most of the top bridge writers also
have quizzes and hands for a multitude of topics.
⦁ If your club uses hand records, all
of you should be looking for hands
which deal with your topic. Borrow a few boards and make up half
a dozen hands to practice with.
Again, the leader for this particular topic should have looked at the
hands and be prepared to talk about
the application of ideas.
⦁ Is there a more experienced player
in your club who has played your
example hands? Consult her about
what methods she and her partner
used to be successful. Perhaps have
a guest speaker.
Too many bridge players are passive;
they don't really work at understanding bridge more clearly and thoroughly.
As you take turns, you will discover
that having an organized, systematic
look at bridge problems is a great way
to improve your skills. The challenge
of teaching someone else should also
give you a new appreciation of teachers
you've had!
◾
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2018
