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> It's been a record-setting couple of weeks at the bridge club! We've had our largest ever Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday games. We put in a new water dispenser this week. It looks a little different because the water bottle sits underneath instead of resting on top. It still produces chilled, hot, and room temperature water, but the controls take a little getting used to. The big white circle above the spout is where you press to dispense water. And to get HOT water, you have to rest your cup on the shelf and use both hands to press the "hot" and "dispense" buttons at the same time. (It's a safety feature.) Improving Your Judgment In the catalog of available courses <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>, there are two with the words "Improving Your Judgment" in the title, one for making opening bids, and one for doubles. These courses are wonderful, because they bring up how you bend the "rules" for taking action at the table. They help you to start /thinking like a bridge player/ when deciding when and what to do. When teaching new bridge players, we substitute "rules" for judgment. The rules serve to provide a scaffolding for developing judgment. With more experience (and some help from these courses) you will start recognizing when it might be a good time to break the "rules." It doesn't mean that your bridge game will instantly get better! It might mean that you start experimenting, and get some terrible results for a while. (That's when it's helpful to have (and be) a partner with a great sense of humor!) IYJ - Opening the Bidding Let's talk about how the guidelines for opening the bidding change with the situation. In this course we'll exercise your judgment and provide new guidelines that can help you with decisions about opening. We'll talk about how your seat position affects opening, when to make obstructive (preemptive) opening bids, and when to consider making a strong forcing opening. Of course it wouldn't be an Audrey Grant course without having great declarer play and defensive play tips as well! * Six Thursday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting Feb. 22 * $115 includes textbook by Audrey Grant * See the complete lesson plan here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_opening> * Click here to reserve your seat <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding Also starting on Wednesdays this week is the dynamite Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding course. It's the follow-on to Bridge Basics 1, of course, but bridge players of all levels will get new tools and insights to improve your outcomes during the auction. * Six Wednesday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting Feb. 21 * $115 includes textbook by Audrey Grant * Lesson plan here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding> * Reserve your seat <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. *Mojo's pick*: This is the first week for two courses. Not sure you'd like to take the whole course? Try one of these classes! If you decide to stay, pay the difference (and keep the textbook). Here are the topics this week: * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "Preemptive Opening Bids" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Bidding /"Opening at the One Level in First and Second Position" * Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "The Forcing 1NT" Also on tap for Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Competitive Bidding: Unusual Notrump" Coming up ... Sunday, March 3 is the *Pasadena Unit Game*, held at the Pasadena Bridge Club, and it will include the annual membership meeting for ACBL Unit 559 (Pasadena San Gabriel). We'll be electing board members, awarding players in the Ace of Clubs and Mini-McKinney races, and hosting a pizza and salad lunch! Be sure you have reservations! Space is limited to 16 tables for the bridge game. Contact Miriam Harrington to reserve your seat: (626) 232-0558, or miratpf(a)aol.com. Card fees still only $10. There's a *Sectional Tournament at Clubs* (STaC) week coming up March 18-24. The club will be hosting silver point games on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension <https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&int_class_id=66999&int_category_id=0&int_sub_category_id=0&int_catalog_id=0> web site now and available for registrations. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary