ONLINE CLASSES

2/1 Classes and Competitive Bidding Classes now Scheduled! Scroll on down to find the details!

Due to Covid-19, classes have been moved to online. Classes are still online, not so much because of Covid but because the advantages to learning online are greater – ease of location, get to play more deals in the same time frame. Covid forced us to play and learn online but lo and behold, we found out we liked it!

Cost: $20 for each two hour class per person. Classes are normally in the 4 to 6 p.m. Central Time frame but other schedules can be arranged.

YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER!
Just call (816-237-0519) or e-mail  to sign up.  Flexible scheduling for online classes.

Slam Bidding: 

Slam Class 1 & 2:  1430 Key Card, Quantitative NT, 1430 Gerber, Gerber, Control Bids, Minorwood.

Two session series – each class two hours long. 

Slam Class 3 & 4:    Cost $20 per lesson.  More practice with 1430, control bids and minorwood.

Defensive Signaling and Card Play (call or email to schedule a set of classes.) Call or email to let me know if you want me to offer this class again. Remember that defense is 50% of the game! Get better at this and your game gets a lot better!

Class 1:  Attitude and Count  online
Class 2: Suit Preference Signals  online 
Class 3: Opening Leads in Suit Contracts. online 
Class 4: Opening Leads at NT  online 
Class 5:  Discard Signals & Leading through Strength and to Weakness & Review online

BEGINNING BRIDGE CLASSES SERIES 1 – The Basics of Bidding and Play – no competitive bidding. Been a while since you played? LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT IT!

5 Sessions – 1st session is free! Try it, you’ll like it! Class is limited to 8 students to allow for more personalized instruction.

Class 1: suits, trump, notrump, counting High Card Points, counting distribution points, playing to a trick, keeping track of tricks, a little about scoring, and a start on how to make the first bid.

Class 2: More on that first bid. Opening bids of 1NT and how to respond.

Class 3: Opening bids of 1 of a Major and a start on responding.

Class 4: Opening bids of 1 of minor and a start on responding.

Class 5: More on responding to opening bids of 1 of a Major.

Competitive Bidding:

These classes are scheduled for May 31-June 21, Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. Central time.  Cost is $20 for each class, please sign up via email if you want to take any of these classes.

Class 1: One level and two level overcalls: making them, advancing them
Class 2: Opening Pre-empts and responses, Pre-emptive overcalls and advances
Class 3: How to keep competing after an overcall, including negative doubles
Class 4: Takeout doubles and advances, how to keep competing after interference caused by a takeout double

Transition to Two Over One (2/1) These classes are scheduled for April 26-May 17, Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. Central. Cost is $20 for each class, sign – up via email to let me know if you want to take a class (or classes).

Class 1: Responding to an opening Major with Support
Class 2: Responding to an opening Minor, Responding to an Opening Major without support
Class 3: More forcing responses to show support for a Major: Jacoby 2NT and Splinters
Class 4: Putting it altogether – understand when to use what!

DECLARER PLAY – Series 1 Cost $20 each class, attend the ones you can. Let me know if you want this class on the schedule!

It is highly recommended that you purchase these books by Barbara Seagram and David Bird for these classes as well as the series 2 classes coming soon: “Planning the Play of a Bridge Hand” retails for $19.95 you can order from me for $19 including any sales tax and s/h, “Declarer Play at Bridge” retails for $15.95 you can purchase from me for $15 which also includes any sales tax and s/h.

Class 1: Planning the Play in a Suit Contract – Count Losers and plan to eliminate them – 3 main ways to do that: Ruff in short trump hand, discard, finesse

Class 2: Review planning – Pay attention to entries, when to draw trump, which card to play first, loser on loser. Start on planning the Play in a NT contract. Count your winners, developing extra tricks in the safest way possible.

Class 3: More on NT Play – the hold up play, will holding up give them a chance to switch to a more dangerous suit, safe and dangerous hands, establishing a suit

Class 4: More NT play and then let’s start going deeper – double finesse, two way finesse – how to choose your direction? Plan your entries.

Declarer Play – Series 2

Next series of classes: call or email to let me know you want this offered again.

Class 1: More on drawing trumps and more on the dangerous hand

Class 2: More on the hold up play, useful in a suit contract as well as NT. Combine your chances.

Class 3: Gathering information before choosing the suit to try to establish.

Class 4: Counting the hands to give you a clue – counting distribution, counting HCP. Don’t take a finesse that is sure to lose.

DISTURBING OPPONENTS NOTRUMP – let me know if you want this class offered again!

Class 1: We’ll start by learning the DONT (Disturbing Opponent’s NoTrump) convention and how to advance partner’s overcall.

Class 2: We’ll talk more about how to overcome that overcall if we are the NT bidding pair. We’ll do that with some simpler techniques – if you want to get more complicated sign up for the Lebensohl classes.

Class 3: A brief intro to some other overcalling NT conventions, after seeing a few you can pick your favorite!

Reverses – what are they, when can you, should you use them?

Two hour class – online, flexible scheduling!

Lebensohl Class Series:

Class 1: Over natural 2 level bids
Class 2: Over 2 suited bids
Class 3: Over 3 level bids
Class 4: Responding to a double of a weak 2 and responding to a reverse

NEW MINOR FORCING: 2 sessions. Cost $20 per lesson. Call or email if interested in my scheduling this class again. What is it? When do I use it? Why do I use it? What do I need to have in my hand to use it? How does my partner answer me when I use it? They answered me, now what do I do?

DOUBLES!

Doubles Class is a four session series,

Class 1: Take out Doubles and Doubles as part of a sandwich NT

Class 2: Negative Doubles – you may think you understand this double, but do you?

Class 3: Lead directing doubles and Lightner doubles

Class 4: Responsive doubles, Support doubles (and redoubles)

Online supervised play for groups of just 4.  We play for one hour online. The morning sessions are at 10:45 Monday through Thursday. Cost is just $3.50 to me.    To sign up, call or email me.  I send you a Zoom link so we can talk while playing the deals online.    You pay me via Paypal,Venmo, credit card or a check.  We can work out those details when you sign up.

General Class Information

Rates:  

$120 minimum for two hour class-Classes can be formed at any time.  A minimum of 8 students per class allows me to teach with the regular cost for each student of  $15 per each  2 hour lesson.   Classes of 4 students can be arranged but the cost increases to $30 per student per lesson for the smaller class.  Additional costs may be included to cover the cost of instructional materials. If you’re interested and a class is not in the schedule to fit your needs, get some friends together and form your own class.  Just call (816-237-0519) or e-mail  to set it up.

Supervised Play is available on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday and some Mondays of most months. Check out Supervised Play.

Back to Face to Face classes! Hopefully you’ll be joining me again on Tuesday afternoons at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park in the spring. Sign up by calling The JKC Heritage Center, Phone (913) 327.8000 See my online classes for a description.

Kids Bridge

Oh, the people you’ll meet!

What is Kids Bridge?

I give the younger students a place to play bridge with others who are just starting out as well.  All the players have completed at least a beginning set of  lessons.  The purpose is to give them the opportunity to practice and to speed up their play.  It is free!  You just need to sign up ahead of time.  Parents are welcome to stay and watch!  Call 816-237-0519 or e-mail to sign up and get directions.  This is usually held in my home, unless the numbers signing up require a larger space.  We hope to continue this starting some time in 2023.  After building up speed, for those who are comfortable with the idea, we plan to go play at some of the Duplicate Bridge Clubs in the area.

Week Long Residential Youth Bridge Camp July 30-Aug. 4, 2023

This camp is organized by the Youth Bridge Education Organization (YBEO). You can find out more details about the camp at bridgeisfun.org. The camp is open to rising 6th graders to rising 10th graders. Covid vaccinations required.

SUMMER 2023 LESSONS

June 2, 9/July 7. 28/Aug. 4,11

Mo-Kan Bridge Academy is offering youth lessons and supervised play on Friday Mornings in conjunction with their duplicate game.   They will offer a 45 minute lesson from 9:30 to 10:15, snack break until 10:30, and then continuing lesson/supervised play until noon.  Any students the teacher deems ready for duplicate play may play in the duplicate game from 10:30 until about 1 for no additional charge if they wish, instead of playing in the supervised play until noon.  Cost is $5 per student ages 8 and up!  Adults are welcome to join the lessons for the same $5 as long as they bring a youth to learn too!  Any adults switching to the duplicate game will need to pay an additional $3.  This essentially gives the adults the lesson for free if they wish to play in the duplicate game.  Sign up ahead of time is required and Covid restrictions will be in place as required at the time – so masks recommended for non-vaccinated individuals!  No need to attend every session -Mo-Kan will provide instruction at your skill level!  Absolute beginners welcome.  See the 2023 summer flyer or check out the Mo-Kan Bridge Academy website.  

PLAY DUPLICATE WITH ME AS YOUR PARTNER

I will play duplicate with you at a local club. The cost for this varies from free to $35, as follows: Kid prices: First 4 times I play with you, I’ll pay my own entry fee. Next 4 times I play with you, you’ll need to pay my entry fee. Playing with you time # 9 and above, you pay my entry fee and $35.

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SPRING 2023 Youth Lessons

Youth Lessons and Play to be held at The Bridge Studio, 7115 W. 95th St., Overland Park, KS  Sunday afternoons from 1 to 3:30 p.m.  Presented by Mo-Kan Bridge Academy.

Dates:  April 23, 30 and May 7,14,21

These lessons are for any youth, age 8 to 18. You don’t have to know any bridge at all to start!   Cost is just $5.  Adults are welcome to attend for the same $5 if they bring a youth with them!  To sign up call or email Kathy Rolfe.  Not required to attend all the lessons, just sign up for the ones you can.  We cancel by the Saturday evening prior if we have no registrations for the next day’s class.  See the Spring 2023 Flyer here.

These kids had some fun in the spring 2022 Youth Lessons.

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FALL 2019 HOMESCHOOL School Bridge Tournament

Playing hard in their end of class pupil game! Five Tables of kids ranging in age from 8 to 17!
And the winners are: Sophia & Clare with a 79.92% game, (1st Overall & 1st EW)! Miles & Joseph came in 2nd overall (1st. NS) with a 57% game.
3rd overall (2nd NS) with a 56.64% game, some of our youngest players Lucy & Charlie!
4th overall (2nd EW) with a 52.83% game, Isabella & Theresa

Hear why bridge for kids is fun for a lifetime, from one of our newest life masters., Brian Zhang.

A new Youth Bridge organization. Youth Bridge Association, run by youth to teach youth!

Playing Lessons

Think about playing online with me in a playing lesson while we’re all stuck at home!  I also have once a day, online supervised play during this period.  We play for an hour at 10:45 Monday through Thursday, Central time.  Call or email to find out about that.  Cost for that is just $3 per person, to me.  

I will play with you online in a 12 board tournament.  This includes a 15 minute phone call going over the convention card prior to the tournament followed by up to 20 minutes going over hands after the tournament.  Cost for this online play is $15 plus my entry fee.  Email, call, or text to set up a time and I’ll meet you online!  An 18 board tournament is $25 plus my entry fee.  

I am happy to provide a lesson by playing with you. For adults with fewer than 1000 masterpoints, this means that I will meet with you for up to 1/2 hour before playing time to go over our convention card. I will play with you, noting the bidding sequence and leads as we play. I usually refrain from making too many comments during the actual playing time. I will then stay and go over some of the issues that occurred during the session, looking at hand records if available, for up to 1/2 hour. The cost for this playing lesson service is my entry fee and $35, or schedule a set of 3 lessons for just $90.

For adults with 1000 masterpoints or more, I am happy to play with you for free if I can fit you into my schedule!

For high school age students and younger please see my scheduled rates on the Kids Bridge page.