Mojo playing with a team at the summer nationals in Providence.

The best way to learn to play bridge

Of course you can learn to play a game from friends or family, but there's nothing like having a professional teacher in an entertaining class to get a great foundation in a game.

In the first class you'll learn the mechanics of playing a bridge hand, and much of the language of bridge: contract, tricks, trump, notrump, opening lead, following suit, discarding, declarer.

In the following lessons you'll learn the basics of a bidding system called Standard American 5-card Majors. You'll also learn techniques for winning more tricks as you play the hand or defend a contract.

To accompany the class you'll have the text and workbook Bridge Basics I - Introduction by Audrey Grant.

No bridge experience required, no partner required. If you've played a little bridge, this class is a great way to refresh your knowledge of the game.

Pick from either of two classes

Saturday mornings

• Arcadia Bridge Center, 333 N. Santa Anita Ave., Arcadia
• 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
• Six classes, first class September 10, 2022
• First class free, no obligation
• $70 for all six classes, text book included
• Pay at the end of the first class (cash, check, or credit card)
• Reserve your seat with an email or call (626) 755-5415

Wednesday evenings

• Arcadia High School, administered by PCC Extension
• 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
• Six classes, first class September 14, 2022
• Class fee $75, plus $12 materials fee (for text book) payable in class
• Advance registration required Click here to register online with PCC or call (626) 585-7608

Monday Evenings - Competitive Bidding

This is the class to level-up your competitive bidding skills, especially for club and tournament players. Learn how and when you can interfere profitably with the opponents' bids. Preemptive bidding with long combined suit fits are a theme that runs throughout this course. Discover fit-showing cue bids. Learn how vulnerability affects the score table and your decisions at the table.

• Monday evenings, 6:30 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.
• First class May 9, last class June 20 (no class May 30)
• $110 course fee
• Required text: Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding by Grant

Weekly lessons:

1. Preemptive opening bids
2. Simple Overcalls and Responses
3. The Takeout Double
4. The Competitive Auction
5. Practice hands
6. Practice hands

Tuesday Evenings - Defense

This is a dynamite 8-session class that introduces standard defense techniques used by expert bridge players. This course is especially effective when taught online. Our online tools make it much easier to visualize all of the hands at the table!

• Eight Tuesday Evenings, 6:30 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.
• First class May 10, last class June 28
• $140 course fee
• Text book ACBL Bridge Series Defense in the 21st Century 2nd Edition

Weekly lessons:

1. Opening Leads against Notrump Contracts
2. Opening Leads against Suit Contracts
3. Third-Hand Play
4. Second-Hand Play
5. Defensive Signals
6. Developing Defensive Tricks
7. Interfering With Declarer
8. Making a Plan

To enroll

To reserve a seat in class, simply send me a note telling which class you'd like to join.

I'll follow up with an invoice and a Zoom registration link for your personal class connection. I have many copies of the class textbooks available and am happy to deliver within 50 miles of Monrovia.

Important requirements for online classes

These classes are available from the comfort of your own home, using Zoom alongside a web browser connected to your personal bridge table. These are not lecture classes! You'll be expected to participate in live exercises and bridge play.

You will need a reliable high-speed broadband internet connection, and a modern laptop or desktop computer. Do not use a tablet computer for these classes. You'll want to have lots of screen space, and a good mouse and keyboard.

Your computer will need to have a microphone and camera connected and working with Zoom.

You will need to be comfortable running two or more applications on your computer simultaneously, switching between them, and adjusting their size and position on the screen as needed. If you are not completely familiar with this, please do not attempt to join these bridge classes. Computer technical support will not be available!

For examples of what it's like to join bridge class online, visit How to join bridge class and see the video appropriate for you.

I'm offering two classes for November and December, Monday and Tuesday evenings. Please see the important requirements for online bridge classes below.

Defense

This is a dynamite 8-session class that introduces standard defense techniques used by expert bridge players. This course is especially effective when taught online. Our online tools make it much easier to visualize all of the hands at the table!

Class details:

• Eight Monday Evenings, 6:30 - 8:15 p.m.
• First class November 1, final class December 20
• Course fee $125
• Textbook (not included): Defense in the 21st Century from the ACBL Bridge Series, available to order online or delivered free near Pasadena for $20

Weekly lesson plan:

1. Opening Leads Against Notrump Contracts
2. Opening Leads Against Suit Contracts
3. Third-Hand Play
4. Second-Hand Play
5. Defensive Signals
6. Developing Defensive Tricks
7. Interfering With Declarer
8. Making a Plan

To register:

Follow this link to Zoom to register for the class. When your registration is recorded, you'll receive your personal Zoom link for class. I will follow up with an invoice. (Each student should register separately, but let me know if the invoice can be consolidated.)

Improving Your Judgment - Doubles

This is a six-week class that will give you lots of guidelines for making and advancing takeout doubles, along with some more situations where you can use the double to compete for the contract.

Class details:

• Six Tuesday Evenings, 6:30 - 8:15 p.m.
• First class November 2, final class December 7
• Course fee $110
• Textbook (not included): Improving Your Judgment 2 - Doubles by Audrey Grant, available to order online or delivered free near Pasadena for $12.

Weekly lesson plan:

1. The Takeout Double
2. Advancing a Takeout Double
3. Doubler's Rebid and the Subsequent Auction
4. Balancing and Other Doubles
5. Practice hands
6. Practice Hands

To register:

Follow this link to Zoom to register for the class. When your registration is recorded, you'll receive your personal Zoom link for class. I will follow up with an invoice. (Each student should register separately, but let me know if the invoice can be consolidated.)

Important requirements for online classes

These classes are available from the comfort of your own home, using Zoom alongside a web browser connected to your personal bridge table. These are not lecture classes! You'll be expected to participate in live exercises and bridge play.

You will need a reliable high-speed broadband internet connection, and a modern laptop or desktop computer. Do not use a tablet computer for these classes. You'll want to have lots of screen space, and a good mouse and keyboard.

Your computer will need to have a microphone and camera connected and working with Zoom.

You will need to be comfortable running two or more applications on your computer simultaneously, switching between them, and adjusting their size and position on the screen as needed. If you are not completely familiar with this, please do not attempt to join these bridge classes. Computer technical support will not be available!

For examples of what it's like to join bridge class online, visit How to join bridge class and see the video appropriate for you.

This fall I plan to offer three valuable online bridge classes from Audrey Grant's Better Bridge.

See technical requirements below for online classes.

Sunday Afternoons - 2 Over 1 Game Force

Step up from Standard American to the bidding system most used by tournament players at all levels. One small tweak to S.A. makes it easier to discover how high and where to play your best contract. 2/1GF is especially helpful for finding slams that are difficult to find using Standard American.

• Sunday afternoons, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
• First class Sept. 19, last class October 31 (skipping Oct. 10) (six sessions)
• $110 course fee
• Required text 2 Over 1 Game Force by Grant and Rodwell

Weekly lessons:

1. Introduction to Two-Over-One Game Force
2. The Forcing 1NT Response
3. Rebids by Opener and Responder
4. The Choice between Game and Slam
5. Practice hands
6. Practice hands

Monday Evenings - Bridge Basics Refresh

How solid is your understand of Standard American bidding? Let's go back to Bridge 1 and take another look. In this class we'll revisit all of the fundamentals of the "constructive auction" in Standard American 5-card Majors, and revisit the most useful conventions to use over an opening notrump bid: Stayman and Jacoby Transfer Bids. Here's your chance to catch all those details you've already forgotten!

• Monday evenings, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
• First class Sept. 13, last class Oct. 25 (seven sessions)
• $110 course fee
• Recommended texts: Bridge 1 - Introduction and Bridge 3 - Popular Conventions

Weekly lessons:

1. One notrump opening bids and responses
2. Major suit opening bids and responses
3. Minor suit opening bids and responses
4. The Stayman Convention
5. Jacoby Transfer Bids
6. Strong opening bids

Tuesday Evenings - Competitive Bidding

This is the class to level-up your competitive bidding skills, especially for club and tournament players. Learn how and when you can interfere profitably with the opponents' bids. Preemptive bidding with long combined suit fits are a theme that runs throughout this course. Discover fit-showing cue bids. Learn how vulnerability affects the score table and your decisions at the table.

• Tuesday evenings, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
• First class Sept. 14, last class Oct. 26 (except Sept. 28) (six sessions)
• $110 course fee
• Require text: Bridge 2 - Competitive Bidding by Grant

Weekly lessons:

1. Preemptive opening bids
2. Simple Overcalls and Responses
3. The Takeout Double
4. The Competitive Auction
5. Practice hands
6. Practice hands

To enroll

To reserve a seat in class, simply send me a note telling which class you'd like to join.

I'll follow up with an invoice and a Zoom registration link for your personal class connection. I have many copies of the class textbooks available and am happy to deliver within 50 miles of Monrovia.

Important requirements for online classes

These classes are available from the comfort of your own home, using Zoom alongside a web browser connected to your personal bridge table. These are not lecture classes! You'll be expected to participate in live exercises and bridge play.

You will need a reliable high-speed broadband internet connection, and a modern laptop or desktop computer. Do not use a tablet computer for these classes. You'll want to have lots of screen space, and a good mouse and keyboard.

Your computer will need to have a microphone and camera connected and working with Zoom.

You will need to be comfortable running two or more applications on your computer simultaneously, switching between them, and adjusting their size and position on the screen as needed. If you are not totally familiar with this, please do not attempt to join these bridge classes. Computer technical support will not be available!

For examples of what it's like to join bridge class online, visit How to join bridge class and see the video appropriate for you.

Our last in-person bridge class from 2018!

PCC Extension is offering two bridge classes from Audrey Grant's acclaimed Better Bridge curriculum this fall.

All classes are offered on Wednesday evenings at 7:15 in person at Arcadia High School

Bridge — Introduction

This is the starting place! This class is designed for people who have never played bridge. You'll learn the mechanics and vocabulary of the game, and start on the journey to becoming a competent bridge player. You'll learn the basics of card play as declarer and defender, as well as the fundamentals of Standard American bidding to reach the best contract with your partner.

• Five weekly sessions, Wednesday evenings 7:15 to 9:15 p.m.
• First session: Wednesday, September 15, 2021
• Course fee: $69 plus $12 material fee for the course book Bridge Basics 1 - An Introduction by Audrey Grant
• Follow this link to register at PCC Extension

Bridge — Popular Conventions

These classes will give new bridge players a solid grounding in four of the most popular and most useful bidding conventions in modern bridge: Stayman, Jacoby Transfer Bids, strong artificial opening bids, and conventions to help you stay out of bad slam contracts.

• Five weekly sessions, Tuesday evenings, 7:15 to 9:15 p.m.
• First session: Tuesday, October 20, 2021
• Course fee: $69 plus $12 material fee for the course book Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions by Audrey Grant
• Follow this link to register at PCC Extension

RealBridge from the UK - see and hear your table mates while playing bridge!

While we have some Tuesday evenings free between PCC classes, let's get together for some relaxed bridge with a lesson following.

• Five Tuesday evenings 7:15 - 9:15, March 23 - April 20.
• 12 hands (about 90 minutes), followed by hand review and lesson by Mojo on Zoom
• $9 for a single session, or $40 for all five
• No director, no masterpoints, no pressure

Here's what you need to participate:

• A reliable broadband internet connection
• A Mac or Windows laptop or desktop with camera, speakers, and microphone
• Alternatively: RealBridge is known to work with an iPad using Safari

Before joining the game, test your camera and microphone here on the RealBridge web site.

To sign up, contact Mojo. I'll invoice you for the games you want to play.

Dragon helps with most bridge classes.

Enjoy eight Sunday afternoons studying and practicing declarer play! Learn the timeless techniques experienced players use to develop extra tricks in trump and notrump contracts.

Here are the weekly topics:

• Making a plan
• Developing tricks - promotion and length
• Developing tricks - the finesse
• Eliminating losers - ruffing and discarding
• Watching out for entries
• Watching out for the opponents
• Managing the trump suit
• Putting it all together

This is an online interactive course using Zoom for class discussions, and a virtual bridge table where you will play actual hands and experiment with card play. Required for this course:

• A reliable broadband internet connection
• Strongly recommended: A Mac or Windows laptop or desktop computer
• Alternative: A smartphone for Zoom, plus a tablet or laptop for the virtual bridge table
• See this page to experience joining a bridge class online

The class is accompanied by the textbook Play of the Hand in the 21st Century. You may acquire the textbook:

• Direct from Mojo for local delivery around Pasadena for $16
• From Amazon.com at this link

Here is the schedule:

• Eight Sunday afternoons, March 21 through May 9, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
• Course fee for Play of the Hand: $150 (textbook not included)

Included with the class, barring technical difficulties, is a full recording of each class, available for download or viewing, for personal use only!

When we first learn to play bridge, we learn to count our high card points, add in distribution points. If the total is 13 or more, then we should open the bidding — that is, make the first bid in the auction at the 1 level.

Later when we start playing in formal or informal groups, we discover players opening 12 point hands, or even weaker! What's the deal?

There are indeed subtleties to deciding whether to open and what the opening bid should be. This course addresses those subtleties with effective guidelines and great practice deals that touch on all aspects of bridge.

This is an online, live, interactive bridge course. We will meet online using Zoom, and you will practice playing at a virtual bridge table with other students.

• Six Sunday Afternoons, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., starting Feb. 7
• $110 plus $12 for the course textbook Improving Your Judgment 1: Opening The Bidding by Audrey Grant
• Enroll using the contact form here, specify that you want to join the Opening The Bidding course.

Here is a list of the weekly topics:

• Opening at the one level in first and second position
• Opening at the one level in third and fourth position
• Obstructive opening bids
• Strong opening bids
• Practice hands
• More practice hands

How better to spend New Year's Eve than playing bridge online? I put out the call for a bridge game that would be just for fun -- no sanction, no director, no masterpoints. We would use RealBridge, the platform from the UK which integrates audio and video into the bridge table.

Many of us have been missing team games. It's my favorite format for duplicate bridge, and by far the best way to hold a game with an extreme range of bridge experience.

RealBridge does a beautiful job of team game support. They offer round-robin, swiss, and head-to-head (knockout) formats. Their one current failing is that an odd number of teams requires one team to sit out a round. Every round is played in a "barometer" style, with all teams playing the same boards at the same time -- which inherently limits the ability to support a three-team round-robin in a larger game.

I was confident that we might get enough players for six tables, and for a while thought we might have eight. A few players asked to join very late in the process. By New Year's Eve afternoon I had six tables and four extra standby players who might have been able to join.

When game time came around, it took a lot of extra time for a few players to get connected. One player was attempting to connect from Australia, and simply could not reach the RealBridge servers in the UK for some reason. Having a few players on standby meant we were able to have one of them fill in at the last minute.

One of the advantages of playing in teams of four is that it can accommodate players with huge differences in bridge experience. Most of my players had regular partners, but not established teammates. For nearly all of the teams I was able to match up a very experienced pair with a relative newcomer pair. Our players ranged from "learned to play this year" to Sapphire Life Masters.

I created a list of teams and set up six tables. As players logged in to the game, they were able to join their teammates at a table. The audio and video function was mostly seamless. Everyone was able to chat while we waited for the game to come together.

In dealing with connection and player issues, I had to rearrange one or two players. We were finally able to get started about ten minutes late, at 8:10 or so.

I had set up a round-robin team event so each team would play against each other team. We played five rounds of four boards each. Scoring is instantly available of course, and at the end of each round teammates would join up at their home table for a few minutes of postmortem.

This was a casual game, so the time on the clock was pretty relaxed. We finished up the game at about 11:00. What a great way to spend New Year's Eve at home!