Oxford Students’ Bridge Association
Beginners’ Lessons 2009
Overview
Sarah Cochrane (sarah.cochrane@worc.ox.ac.uk)
Paul Hunter (paul.hunter@comlab.ox.ac.uk)
This course of seven lessons is designed to bring you quickly to a level where you can
understand how to play the majority of Bridge hands that you will be dealt at a standard
club evening. The time available is very short compared to most English Bridge Union
(EBU) courses (probably less that a quarter of the teaching time) and will therefore focus
on the most important aspects of the game.
We will focus on simple card playing technique and the basics of the Acol bidding
system on which the vast majority of systems played in the UK are based. Whilst all
Bridge players are constantly learning the intricacies of the game, even 40 years after
they started to learn, a mastery of the basics will allow you to develop your skills as you
go along whether you aspire to be a serious competition player or a social Rubber Bridge
player.
It is important to remember that the best way to develop as a player is to actually PLAY
SOME HANDS!!! Listening to me talk for hours on end will be of no use unless you try
out what you learn, so I will try to keep the teaching to a minimum to maximise the time
you spend with the cards. Even so, time will be limited and I urge you to get together
and play Bridge (in the bar on a Sunday evening was one of my favourite times). Early
on you might not be able to deal with every hand that comes up, but thinking about WHY
you can’t deal with those hands will help your development. If any hand comes up that
you don’t know how to deal with, feel free to e-mail me for advice.
Do try to to enjoy the game! That is why millions of people across the world play it.
Don’t get upset if you make a mistake – there isn’t a player in the world that doesn’t!!
Most importantly, Bridge is a partnership game – a moderate player who knows how to
© Rob Richardson 2005 (Cambridge University Bridge Club)
treat their partner progresses further than a great player who does not.
Lesson Plan
The seven sessions available will be divided (roughly) along the following lines. It
would help if you can attend all the lessons as there will not be time to recover the old
material, but I will send out fairly detailed notes after each lesson which you will be able
to read through. You may not yet understand every term I use below, but you should by
Lesson 2.
Lesson 1. Basic aspects of the game. Minibridge (a slimmed down version of Bridge).
Simple hand evaluation (is your hand good or bad?). Card play technique as declarer and
defence. The trick taking power of hands. The value of long suits. Suit vs. no trump
contracts.
Lesson 2. Simple natural bidding theory and basic Acol. Opening and responding to
1 NT. Bidding Game, Partscore or Slam. Signing off, inviting and Game forcing. Limit
bids.
Lesson 3. Opening 1 of a suit. Which suit to open? Responding with support for partner
or by bidding NT. Limit vs. unlimited bids. Re-evaluation of hands based on knowledge
of partner’s hand.
Lesson 4. Responding to 1 of a suit openings without support for partner. Forcing and
non-forcing bids. Openers rebids. Preference bidding and choice of suit.
Lesson 5. Strong bids – 2 level openings in suits or NT. Artificial bids (strong 2C) and
responding. Pre-emptive bidding – value of long suits.
Lesson 6. Competitive bidding. What to do when your opponents bid and you want to.
Value of good suit fits. Hand re-evaluation. Card play based on information available
from the auction.
Lesson 7. Introduction to conventional bidding. Stayman and Blackwood conventions.
© Rob Richardson 2005 (Cambridge University Bridge Club)