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>
Greetings all from the American Bridge Teachers Association annual
convention in Minneapolis this year. I'm here with 50 bridge teachers
from all over North America (and even Portugal). We're hearing talks
from notable bridge pros on materials and techniques for teaching bridge.
The ABTA also gives out annual awards for "Bridge Book of the Year" in
different categories, and certifies Master Teachers. (You can see my own
badge right there under my picture!)
ABTA also designates a Teacher of the Year. The winner this year was
Lorraine Eaglesham from Ontario, and the runner-up was Jan Weber from
Vero Beach, Fl. I felt like I had a strong application, but I'm really
delighted that we have great bridge teachers like Lorraine and Jan in
their parts of the world.
Here are the three courses that are starting up the coming week:
Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction
Here we go on a new adventure! This is the course for /non-bridge
players/ to learn the basics of the game. By the end of the first class,
the mechanics of bridge and much of the vocabulary. During the six
sessions, we'll practice analyzing bridge hands, finding extra tricks,
and introduce the the language of Standard American bidding.
* Six Wednesday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting July 15
* Enroll for $85 to PCC Extension, plus $15 materials fee for book
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/bridge-basics-introduction>
* Register for the course here
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/connect/ClassInfo/ClassInformation?int_class_…>
Improving Your Judgment - Doubles
In /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/, we introduce the concept of
the takeout double. Most newer players miss opportunities to use the
double call to their benefit, and this class gives you lots of practice
in doubling in different contexts. We also learn guidelines for
advancing partner's double, and potential rebids by doubler. As always
there are great "play of the deal" puzzles and defense tips as well!
* Six Wednesday afternoons, 3:00 - 5:00 PM, starting July 15
* $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles>
* Register for the course here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions
There are a handful of bidding conventions that are the most useful and
ubiquitous for helping partnerships discover HOW HIGH and WHERE. We'll
study Stayman, Jacoby Transfer Bids, strong hand openings, and slam bidding.
Pasadena Bridge Club's resident wizard Zachary Vedro is instructor for
this course.
* Six Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, starting July 16
* $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/popular-conventions>
* Register for the course here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
More tidbits ...
If you're waiting for a daylight (or semi-daylight) session of Bridge
Basics 1, we have one in the fall catalog for PCC Extension. It'll be on
Wednesday afternoons starting October 28.
Don't forget you can always drop in for a single session of any course
for $25. Each class usually stands along fairly well, and I try to keep
the topics visible on the front of the web site
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>.
For the full novice/intermediate program at the club, including
workshops, games, and casual bridge, see the schedule here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/schedule#novice>!
Hope to see you soon at the bridge club!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa, Susan
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>
Greetings from Minneapolis! Jane and I arrived Sunday night, and we'll
be attending the American Bridge Teachers Association annual conference
Monday through Wednesday.
Yesterday at the conference I introduced Robert Todd for his
presentation. This morning at 11:00 I did a presentation of my own. I
showed the teachers how I do the Saturday morning workshops using the
hands from Eddie Kantar's "Thinking Bridge" collection. It seemed to go
really well.
One of the players last Saturday morning suggested, "Maybe you should
just keep that to yourself and have it be our own special thing." Naaah,
but duly noted!
On Wednesday morning they'll announce the winner of the Teacher of the
Year award. I'll have my fingers crossed, and let you know!
Lulu Minter seminar July 20
Monday, July 20, we're holding a special game in memory of Rosario
"Charo" Holdo. The game will be free of charge, and scored as an
"Upgraded Club Championship." The unit is graciously providing a Mexican
lunch from Vallarta. It's going to be a bit longer game than usual, so
plan to stay later! (We may postpone the "Workshop with Zachary.")
Lulu Minter will be offering a seminar on "Defense Topics" at 10:00
before the game! I've reserved the Community Room down the hall, so
there will be plenty of room for people to attend before our game
starts. Lulu says that Charo was one of his favorite students.
For all of these reasons, we expect the bridge club to be completely
full that day. As of right now, there are 11 tables reserved. We will
probably reconfigure the club to hold 19 tables, so it will be a little
crowded.
No classes this week
We have a great new lineup of courses starting next week, July 15. I'll
be sending an email with all the details in the next couple of days.
/Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ is starting up on Wednesday evening,
July 15. If you know someone who would like to attend, have them
register with PCC Extension at this link
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/connect/ClassInfo/ClassInformation?int_class_…>.
Coming up ...
The week of July 21-25 will be NAP Qualifiers. (The Monday game will
/not/ be an NAP game, but an upgraded club championship instead.) Win
50% red points, and earn your "Q" for the the District Final game on
October 4.
Best regards
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa, Susan
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>
We had a great couple of weeks of NAP Qualifiers and Club Championship
games at the club! There are still a couple of Club Championships to
take advantage of at the Friday and Saturday open games.
*How about the 4th of July?* We're planning to open the club for our
regular schedule. I'll host the morning 299er game with the workshop at
9:30. Zachary and I will be there for the afternoon game at 1:00 PM.
The Pasadena Unit Game hosted by our local bridge unit will be held as
usual on July 5.
Traditionally we find that games held on holidays tend to be pretty well
attended. For those who don't have holiday plans, a bridge game can be
its own kind of celebration!
*Play with joy, humility, and good humor.* That's the club motto, from
right there on the front page of our web site
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/>. In some ways, this is the gist of the
Zero Tolerance Policy which we announce before each game and event.
Once in a while we need to remind ourselves of just what this means. If
you've never read the actual text of the policy, please do so! It's
posted on the web site at this link
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/zero-tolerance>. The document is
structured for tournament play, but applicable to bridge clubs as well.
We expect all of our players to abide by this policy, including its
penalties, so it's worth giving it a read! While enforcing zero
tolerance is truly the most difficult part of our job, it's also cited
by players as one of the best features of the Pasadena Bridge Club.
Rosario Holdo game July 20
We all mourn the loss of Rosario "Charo" Holdo who passed away a few
weeks ago. Many of us will be at the memorial service this Saturday,
June 27, at 11:00. (Cabot & Sons Funeral Home, 27 Chestnut St, just a
few blocks from the bridge club.)
Rosario's son Erik has made an extraordinary offer in honor of his
mother. He will be paying the card fee for those who want to play in a
memorial game at the bridge club.
To honor the memory of Charo, we'll be hosting a game in her honor on
Monday, July 20. There will be no card fee, and we are limited to 16
tables. The game will be an "Upgraded Club Championship," with its big
masterpoint awards.
Make your reservations as soon as you can on RSVP. This game may very
well reach our capacity!
Classes This Week
Our classes are best in the context of a full course, but they also
stand alone very nicely. If you can't take a full course, you can always
drop in for a single class on any topic for $25.
This week we have three courses that are wrapping up with their final
sessions. For 2/1GF and Competitive Bidding, that means "practice
hands," which might be the best use for a single visit I can think of.
For Defense, it means "second hand play" which is also a dynamite
single-class topic.
Here are this coming week's individual classes:
* Wednesday 3:00 PM /Introduction to Defense /"Second Hand Play"
* Wednesday 7:00 PM /Two Over One Game Force /"Practice Hands"
* Thursday 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding /"Practice
Hands"
The Saturday morning 9:30 workshop is on as usual, with another great
hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. (Attend the workshop
for free, even if you don't play in that morning's game!)
Coming up ...
On July 15 we'll start up with three new courses. I'll tell you all
about them next week!
I'll be traveling to Minneapolis on July 5th to attend the American
Bridge Teachers Association convention. I have a nomination and
application for "Teacher of the Year." I'll let you know how it goes!
Then I'm looking forward to a few days of great bridge play at the North
American Bridge Championships with Dawn Lee. Back home on the 14th.
*Registration is open* for the /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/. It will
meet on Wednesday evenings starting July 15. Click here to register for
the session
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
with PCC Extension.
Best regards
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa, Susan
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>
June kicks off the club-level qualifying for the annual North American
Pairs tournament.
This is one of two "grass roots" tournaments held each year that
culminate in champions in each of four different experience flights.
(The other is the Grand National Teams.)
The first round of the tournament begins at clubs. Clubs can designate
games during June July and August to be NAP Qualifier games. The
masterpoint awards for these games are really big, and are 50% black /
50% red masterpoints.
Players who finish in the top 50% of their strat will be "qualified" to
advance to the district final. (The district final date has not yet been
announced.) The top players in each flight of the district final will be
invited to represent District 23 at the Spring NABC in Dallas, and
receive some reimbursement for travel expenses!
At the Pasadena Bridge Club, we'll be holding three week-long
opportunities to qualify for the District Final — one week each in June,
July, and August.
Our first opportunity is this coming week. All Open Pairs games the week
of June 15-20 will be NAP Qualifier games. The strats for each game will
be Open/3000/750 based on the highest masterpoint holder of the pair.
Card fees for these games will be $13 (or a punch plus $1).
If you're interested in competing in the North American Pairs, it's
worth reading the "Conditions of Contest" at this link
<https://web2.acbl.org/documentlibrary/play/NAP/CoC.pdf>. Sarah
Deschenes and I represented District 23 in Flight A of the event earlier
this year in St. Louis. It was a great time!
Classes This Week
Our classes are best in the context of a full course, but they also
stand alone very nicely. If you can't take a full course, you can always
drop in for a single class on any topic for $25.
Here are this week's individual classes:
* Wednesday 3:00 PM /Introduction to Defense /"Signals against notrump"
* Wednesday 7:00 PM /Two Over One Game Force /"The choice between game
and slam"
* Thursday 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding /"The
competitive auction"
The Saturday morning 9:30 workshop is on as usual, with another great
hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. (Attend the workshop
for free, even if you don't play in that morning's game!)
Coming up ...
Registration is now open for the next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/
session. It will meet on Wednesday evenings starting July 15. Click here
to register for the session
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
with PCC Extension.
*Next week at the bridge club* all Open Pairs games will be Club
Championships. Lots of points, no extra charge!
Best regards
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa, Susan
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>
At the Pasadena Bridge Club our course catalog has seven courses, from
/Bridge Basics 1/ to /Two Over One Game Force/.
We have three sessions at the club that are dedicated to class work:
Wednesday afternoon at 3:00, Wednesday evening at 7:00, and Thursday
evening at 7:00.
In each of those three sessions, we usually cycle through the seven
courses in order, so there's usually something for every level of
player, and every course should come up three or four times a year.
The courses make up a sequence of learning, and always work best having
had the experience of playing games of bridge at the club. Once you have
some playing experience, you can really take any course in any order you
like.
Revisiting any of our courses is an amazing experience. There's so much
detail in all of our topics, seeing the material a second time is like
peeling away another layer of the onion.
Here are the three courses that are starting up the coming week:
Introduction to Defense
This is the fifth course in the catalog, following Bridge Basics 4 -
Play of the Deal. In this course you will learn how to work with your
partner to take as many tricks as possible on defense. It's a great
class for helping to visualize where the missing high cards are when you
can't see them!
* Six Wednesday afternoons, 3:00-5:00 PM, starting May 27
* Course fee $120 includes textbook by Eddie Kantar
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/intro-to-defense>
* Register for the course here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Two Over One Game Force
This course introduces probably the most successful bidding system in
the world for club and tournament play. By making a small tweak to
Standard American bidding, it often simplifies finding the right game
contract or explore for slam. In this course you'll learn some of the
patterns and idioms that come with 2/1GF, and be ready to play. This
course includes some of the best play-of-the-hand lessons in the catalog
as well!
Your instructor for 2/1GF will be our own wizard Zachary Vedro.
* Six Wednesday evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, starting May 27
* $130 includes textbook by Audrey Grant and Eric 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>
Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding
This may be the second course in the catalog, but it's also a course
that's effective for players with quite a bit of game experience. Here
is where you will learn to think like a bridge player, and see what
kinds of decisions will affect your score on every hand. /This is a
great course to revisit!/
* Six Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, starting May 28
* $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>
More tidbits ...
/Our next session of /*Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction*/will be held on
Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM starting July 15./
You can always drop in for a single session of any course for $25
The novice/intermediate program at the Pasadena Bridge Club is going strong!
The reason we're learning this game is so we can enjoy playing it! If
you're new to games at the bridge center, your *best first game *is held
on Thursday afternoons at 3:00 PM. We play about 12 hands for about two
hours, hosted by Susan Kane.
We have a great Tuesday evening game hosted by Lisa Walker, starting at
7:00 and finishing by 9:15.
Our Saturday morning novice/intermediate game is a special event
including a free 20-minute workshop at 9:30 followed by a game that
finishes by 12:15, hosted by Mojo.
Hope to see you soon at the bridge club!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa, Susan
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>
As of this writing our club sits at #30 in North America among
face-to-face bridge clubs. I couldn't be more proud!
Our novice/intermediate games continue to grow. Seven-table games are
pretty common on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. The Thursday
afternoon game is frequently drawing 5-6 tables.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Pasadena Unit Game this past Sunday was dedicated to the memory of
Rosario "Charo" Holdo, who passed away last week. Charo was a beloved
presence at the club, and I miss her tremendously.
Special Classes: Opening the bidding
We have a course in the catalog that we haven't taught for a while,
/Improving Your Judgement: Opening the Bidding/. I'm extracting the
first two classes from this course for a special two-night event.
For experienced players, opening the bidding is not as simple as
counting to 13 points. The best opening strategy changes with your
seating position relative to the dealer. There are times when you should
open with fewer, and times when you shouldn't open with 13!
On two Thursday evenings, May 14 and 21, we'll get into the details with
some guidelines that adds important nuance to opening the bidding.
We'll focus on the one-level opening bids. The first night will cover
opening in first and second seat, and the second we'll examine opening
in third and fourth seat.
If you're playing in duplicate games at the club, I highly recommend
this course! There are no other prerequisites. It will change your
opening bid decisions for the better.
* Thursdays, May 14-21, 7:00 PM
* Attend both classes for $40, or $25 individually
* Register here!
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Upcoming Course Schedule Set
Here are the upcoming courses starting the week of Memorial Day.
* Wednesday afternoons: /Introduction to Defense/, May 27
* Wednesday evenings: /Two Over One Game Force/, May 27
* Thursday evenings: /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ May 28
I'll have a new class email later this week with more details for the
"class" email list as well.
Here's where you can find out
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses> about all of our courses.
Classes This Week
Our classes are best in the context of a full course, but they also
stand alone very nicely. If you can't take a full course, you can always
drop in for a single class on any topic for $25.
This week's classes are particularly perfect for drop-ins. Each of the
topics is having a "Practice Hands" session. If you've been through the
course, it's a great opportunity for some focused practice on the course
topic!
Here are this week's individual classes:
* Wednesday 3:00 PM /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/ "Practice Hands'
* Wednesday 7:00 PM /Improving Your Judgement - Doubles /"Practice Hands"
* Thursday 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction /"Practice Hands"
The Saturday morning 9:30 workshop is on as usual, with another great
hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. (Attend the workshop
for free, even if you don't play in that morning's game!)
Coming up ...
We've set dates for the next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ session.
It'll be on Wednesday evenings starting July 15.
/Also/ our friend of the club and up-and-coming bridge player Tyler
Slamkowski (best bridge name ever) teaches music at Saugus High School
in Santa Clarita. His three guitar orchestras (around 50 students each!)
will be performing on Monday and Tuesday, May 18 and 19, featuring many
interesting music genres. Drop Tyler (tyler.slamkowski(a)tutamail.com) or
myself a note and we'll set you up.
Best regards
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa, Susan
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>
This past Thursday evening we started a new session of /Bridge Basics 1
- Introduction/, our six-week course for non-players to learn bridge.
The course is offered by PCC Extension (Pasadena City College) and
appears in their catalog.
When we opened the club, I negotiated an agreement with PCC to hold
Bridge Basics 1 at the Pasadena Bridge Club, where their students would
be well served by our comfortable environment. (Previously the classes
were held in a history teacher's room at Arcadia High School. It was a
spooky place in the dark after hours!)
I set a limit of 28 students for the course. When this session was
filled a couple of days before the first class, I offered to clear the
waiting list, and added five students for a total of 33. One dropped out
shortly after, leaving 32.
Imagine my surprise when all 32 enrolled students appeared before class
time, in their seats, ready to learn at 7:00 PM! I'm looking forward to
our second meeting this week on Thursday evening!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This past month our great friend of the club and Grand Life Master Becky
Clough lost her long time life and bridge partner Roger. They are
holding a Celebration of Life on Sunday, April 26.
When you visit the bridge club, you'll find a poster on the bulletin
board with more details. If you plan to attend, please honor the request
on the poster to RSVP.
Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal
We have new courses under way for this session of classes. /Improving
Your Judgment - Doubles/ has met for one session on Wednesday evenings,
and /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ is underway on Thursday evenings.
Our third course this session is /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/,
starting this Wednesday (tomorrow) April 8 at 3:00 PM.
Here's the lesson plan
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/play-of-the-deal>, and if you'd
like to join in, reply to this email and let me know.
Next Course Schedule Set
We've set dates for our next session of courses, with three favorites
starting the week following Memorial Day.
* Wednesday afternoons: /Introduction to Defense/, May 27
* Wednesday evenings: /Two Over One Game Force/, May 27
* Thursday evenings: /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ May 28
I also have a two-week opportunity on May 14 and 21, Thursday evenings,
for a two-session course on Opening the Bidding. These two sessions will
add some guidelines and subtlety to your decision to open the bidding
that you won't hear anywhere else. I'll have more information as the
dates approach.
Here's where you can find out
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses> about all of our courses.
Classes This Week
Our classes are best in the context of a full course, but they also
stand alone very nicely. If you can't take a full course, you can always
drop in for a single class on any topic for $25.
Here are this week's individual classes:
* Wednesday 3:00 PM /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/ "Play of the
Deal at Notrump"
* Wednesday 7:00 PM /Improving Your Judgement - Doubles /"Responding
(Advancing) Takeout Doubles"
* Thursday 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction /"One Notrump
Openings and Responses"
The Saturday morning 9:30 workshop is on as usual, with another great
hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. (Attend the workshop
for free, even if you don't play in that morning's game!)
Coming up ...
*Let's have some Club Championship games! *April 20-25 all Open Pairs
games will be Club Championships, paying lots of extra black
masterpoints and featuring "overall" scoring. Best of all — no extra charge!
I'm planning to keep the new Bridgemate III scoring terminals. The
players have been giving positive feedback. For me the deciding factor
is that they appear to cut down on the number of scoring errors that
need to be corrected.
We've set dates for the next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ session.
It'll be on Wednesday evenings starting July 15.
Best regards
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa, Susan
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're turning over the bridge courses for all three of our dedicated
class periods in a week or two. Here's what's on tap.
It's always a treat to be starting a new session of /Bridge Basics 1 -
Introduction/, this time on Thursday evenings. As of this writing, the
course is nearly full with 20 students enrolled. While we certainly have
room, I set a maximum of 28 for this course.
Two other great courses are starting soon too, read on!
Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction
This course is designed to introduce non-players to the "king of the
card games" in a way that's amazingly fun and still gives a peek into
the depth and fascination of the game that seems endless.
* Six Thursday evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, starting April 2
* $85 paid to Pasadena City College Extension
* $15 "materials fee" for the award winning textbook
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/bridge-basics-introduction>
* Register for the course here
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal
Improve your ability to win all the tricks you can as the declarer in a
contract. It's all about planning! Learn to identify many of the
patterns that enable developing extra winners or eliminating losers.
The textbook won /Book of the Year/ in 2025 from the American Bridge
Teachers Association.
* Six Wednesday afternoons, 3:00 - 5:00 PM, starting April 8
* $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/play-of-the-deal>
* Register for the course here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Improving Your Judgment - Doubles
Most newer bridge players overlook opportunities to use the /double/
call to compete in the auction. This course will improve your ability to
recognize opportunities for a takeout double, and provide some structure
to the bidding and decisions that come after.
IYJ Doubles will be taught this session by our resident wizard Zachary
Vedro on Wednesday evenings.
* Six Wednesday evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, starting April 1
* $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Full lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles>
* Register for the course here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Coming up soon ...
We'll have a brief gap between class sessions in late May. On *Thursday
evenings, May 14 and 21*, I'll be offering a special two-session course
on *Opening Judgment*.
You might feel like you know all you need to know about opening the
bidding, but you can improve your judgement and your results by taking
into account your seating position in the auction. Your decision changes
when you're in 1st or 2nd seat, vs. being in 3rd or 4th seat. You might
be bidding when you should pass, and vice versa!
I'll have details in the next class newsletter.
We've also set our dates for the next Bridge Basics 1 session this
summer. It will be on Wednesday evenings this time, starting July 15.
Check out our full schedule of events for novice and intermediate bridge
players: https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/schedule#novice
By the way, I just put some effort into reconciling our RSVPBridge
player list with the newsletter subscription list. If you hadn't
intended to receive the newsletter, please drop me a note or use your
mail client tools to unsubscribe, and please pardon the inconvenience.
Thank you!
Hope to see you soon at the bridge club!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa, Susan
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 Mojo in St LouisI had a great week in St. Louis. Sarah and I
played for six days. It was a mix of pair and team events, 298 bridge
hands total for the week! We came home with 25 gold points and some
great new and renewed friendships.
*Do you have a guest room* that might be available? I'd love to find
someone interested in hosting Robert Todd for one night on Saturday
evening. I'll buy us dinner. 🙂
Silver point week
One of the requirements for the rank of Life Master is to earn at least
75 "silver" masterpoints. Silver points can only be won at sectional
tournaments which are usually hosted by ACBL bridge units. This week you
can win silver at our club games!
All of our Open Pairs games, Monday through Friday at 11:00, plus
Saturday at 1:00, will be pooled with other clubs in Los Angeles County
for a Sectional Tournament at Clubs (STaC).
It takes about a day for all of the overall awards to be compiled. I'll
have a link on the web site for the overall results when they become
available.
Card fees for the STaC games will be $13. Stratification for the overall
awards will be Open/2500/750.
Robert Todd
/Robert Todd as one of the celebrity speakers in the Novice /
Intermediate program at the 2026 Spring NABC in St. Louis./
Robert Todd Seminar
We have a great turnout for Robert Todd's seminar on Sunday, March 15,
but there's still room for a few more!
it's worthwhile to spend a full day with Robert's insightful way to
think about bridge hands. I had the pleasure of seeing him as one of the
celebrity speakers at the St. Louis NABC last week.
The session will begin at 9:00 AM, and we'll be done at about 3:30 PM.
The full day is $90.
* Morning: Responder's Rebids
* Afternoon: Doubles of Many Kinds
Grab a copy of the flier here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/sites/default/files/fliers/RobertTodd2026-PB…>.
To reserve a seat, drop me a note
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/contact_the_bridge_club>!
Classes This Week
Our classes are best in the context of a full course, but they also
stand alone very nicely. If you can't take a full course, you can always
drop in for a single class on any topic for $25.
Here are this week's individual classes:
* Wednesday 3:00 PM Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions "Strong
opening bids"
* Wednesday 7:00 PM /Introduction to Defense /"Signaling against notrump"
* Thursday 7:00 PM /Two Over One Game Force/ "The choice between game
and slam"
The Saturday morning workshop is on as usual, with another great hand
from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series.
Coming up ...
The next session of /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ is scheduled for
Thursday evenings starting April 2. Here is the link to register
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
for the course through PCC Extension.
Best regards
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa, Susan
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>
Early Tuesday morning Jane and I will be flying to St. Louis for the
spring North American Bridge Championships.
On Wednesday (and maybe Thursday!), Sarah Deschenes and I will play in
the North American Pairs Flight A tournament representing District 23.
We're definitely underdogs in the event. Neither of us has much
experience at playing in tournaments at this level. It isn't a national
championship, since the event is capped at 6,000 masterpoints.
As Woody Allen famously said, "90% of life is showing up." We're showing
up for this one, and open to all possibilities.
After the NAP event, we'll pick up teammates and play in more events for
a few days of intense bridge.
I'll be back a week from Tuesday, and Zachary and Susan Kane will be
filling in for me at the bridge club.
Robert Todd seminar
On *Sunday March 15* we're proud to host Robert Todd for his third year
in Pasadena. Robert is one of my mentors as a teacher. His background as
a former math professor seems to enables him to explain bridge concepts
in a way that makes complex things easier to understand. He truly
improves your ability to think about bridge, rather than memorizing rules.
Mojo, Robert, Jane
These seminars are "multi-level." His talks are accessible to newer
players, and valuable to experienced players as well. They're also fun
and entertaining!
The morning session topic is *Responder's Rebids*. As he says,
"Responder's Rebid is where things often start to fall apart."
The afternoon session is on *Doubles of Many Kinds*. "We'll discuss
several different types of doubles and see when and how they are used."
Attend the full day for $90, starting at 9:00 AM, and finishing up by
3:30, with a 90-minute lunch break.
Grab a copy of the seminar flier at this link
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/sites/default/files/fliers/RobertTodd2026-PB…>.
Drop me a note to reserve your seat as soon as you can!
Club championship week
Let's play some club championships! All Open Pairs games this week,
Monday through Friday at 11:00, Saturday at 1:00 PM, will be club
championships.
That means beaucoup extra masterpoints, and "overall" awards as well as
N/S and E/W awards. Still $12 card fee!
STaC week coming in March
In the second week of March, let's compete against the other clubs in
District 23 (LA County) for silver points. This is our first "Sectional
Tournament at Clubs" for 2026.
All masterpoint awards at the club will be the coveted silver
masterpoints, required for the Life Master rank. In addition, the
various club results will be combined for overall results that could be
huge.
More details in the next newsletter. Plan to play in an Open Pairs game
March 9 through 14.
Classes This Week
Our classes are best in the context of a full course, but they also
stand alone very nicely. If you can't take a full course, you can always
drop in for a single class on any topic for $25.
The Wednesday afternoon class "Popular Conventions" will be dark this
week and resume next week when I return from St. Louis.
Here are this week's individual classes:
* Wednesday 7:00 PM /Introduction to Defense /"Opening leads against
trump contracts"
* Thursday 7:00 PM /Two Over One Game Force/ "The 1NT Forcing Response"
The Saturday morning workshop is on as usual, with another great hand
from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series.
Coming up ...
The next session of /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ is scheduled for
Thursday evenings starting April 2. Here is the link to register
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
for the course through PCC Extension.
Best regards
Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa, Susan
