Bridge Camps Without Tents
During the late spring, summer and early fall, I travel to various locations to teach what are usually three-day courses. Typically, each day features a lesson from 10:00-12:00, lunch from 12:00-1:00, and another lesson from 1:00-3:00 (so everyone can still fit in eighteen holes of golf!). The sixth session features deals on the topics covered.
In each lesson, I give an instructive preamble that lasts around 30 minutes, then we play at least six prepared deals on that subject.
Everyone also receives a booklet with copious notes that includes lesson notes and the example deals with bidding and play analysis.
My primary aim is that everyone has a fun time while improving their bridge.
This is the present schedule:
May 22 to 24 and May 28 to 31 (morning only): Rolling Rock Club in Laughlintown, PA. The first week is refresher, the second more advanced and this year covering two-over-one game-force. You may attend one series or both.
July 8 to 10 (morning only): Highlands Falls Country Club and Cullasaja Club, Highlands, NC. I am sharing the lessons with Augie Boehm. We are teaching one day in each club, then drawing straws for the last half day, when we are both covering slam bidding.
August 31 to September 2: The Greenbriar Club, White Sulphur Springs, WV.
September 17 to 19: Louisville Country Club, Louisville, KY.
September 23: Chicago Women's Athletic Club, Chicago, IL.
September 24 to 26: Indian Hill Club, Winnetka, IL.
E-mail me for further details. Click on the Contact button.
Christmas Competition
As mentioned in the March 23 column, Craig Cordes of Baton Rouge, La., had the best entry to my latest Christmas Competition.
Here are the other people who got the first question correct: Hugh C. Brown of McCormick, S.C.; Dave Dexter, Madison, Wisc.; Julie G. Dorsey of Farragut, Tenn.; Brian Gilbert of Irvine, Steve Hollingsworth of Ridgeside, Tenn.; Calif.; J. Jacobson of Glen Ellen, Ill.; Stanley Lipnick of Naples, Fla.; Jack Lochrie of Farmington Hills, Mich.; Jesse Martak of Fruitland, Md.; Albert Rice, Santa Cruz, Calif.; Jeff Stopford; and Shantanu Rastogi from Lucknow, India.
Well played!
E-Mail Problems
If you have sent me an e-mail recently, I have probably not seen it. I have only been able to get those e-mails for one day in the last two weeks. There is a problem with my server that has forced me to change the e-mail address. So if you sent me something since October 14, please resend it. Many apologies for any inconveience this may cause or has caused.
Theme Weeks
Some weeks, my columns are on a particular theme. In case you would like to find them, here are the themes covered in the columns available at the moment:
01.04.10-01.09.10: using your trumps with effect
04.12.10-04.17.10: defense against notrump contracts
04.19.10-04.24.10: defense against suit contracts
05.10.10-05.15.10: eight ever, nine never
05.24.10-06.05.10: being a tough defender
06.07.10-06.12.10: being a tough declarer
07.19.10-07.24.10: weak and pre-emptive jump overcalls
07.26.10-07.30.10: countering weak and pre-emptive jump overcalls
08.01.10-08.06.10: defensive possibilities
11.08.10-11.13.10: maintaining trump control
11.15.10-11.20-10: defenders undermining declarer's trump control
01.17.11-01.22.11: declarer is faced with two possibilites, mostly at trick one
01.24.11-01.29.11: third hand is faced with two possibilities at trick one
01.31.11-02.05.11/02.07.11-02.09.11: should dummy play low, middle or high at trick one?
02.21.11-02.26.11: help-suit game-tries
02.28.11-03.05.11: help-suit game-tries in competition and slam-tries
03.14.11-03.19.11: finesses
03.21.11-03.26.11: more about finesses, particularly with relation to the opponents' bidding
04.04.11-04.09.11: takeout doubles with strong hands
07.11.11-07.16.11: opening leads
07.25.11-07.30.11: bidding captaincy and partnership bidding discussion
09.05.11-09.10.11: watching spot-cards
12.12.11-12.17.11: basic signaling
12.26.11-12.31.11: competitive bidding
04.09.12-04.14.12: active or passive defense
04.16.12-04.21.12: various defensive techniques
06.25.12-06.30.12: key spot-card plays
07.02.12-07.07.12: key honor-card plays
08.20.12-09.01.12: difficult bidding problems
Alder Transfer Preempts
To find out about the transfer preempts that I devised back in 1972, click on this link:
Alder Transfer Preempts. These opening bids have two big advantages: they right-side contracts and they are hard to play against.
Responses to a One-Notrump Opening
To see my comments about responding to one notrump with various basic methods (no transfers, transfers only into the majors, and four-suit transfers), please click on this link:
Transfers.
Balanced Hands — What Ranges and Why?
To read my discussion of balanced-hand ranges, please click here:
Balanced-Hand Ranges.
The Losing Trick Count
For further details about the Losing Trick Count (mentioned in the columns for September 19 and 20, 2003), please click on the link here:
The Losing Trick Count.
To contact me by e-mail, please click on the Contact box to the left.
I am particularly happy to receive deals suitable for the column. If you submit one, please give (if possible) the dealer, the vulnerability, the auction, the play, and the names of the key players. Also, indicate if you would prefer your name not to be given in the column.
I prefer deals with an instructive point, especially in the play, not wild layouts that come down to guesswork.
Good luck with bridge and life!
