Bridge Courses

London Bridge Centre recognizes the need for education programs for players of all levels - from absolute beginners to advanced players. The path for beginners starts with a basic course which can then be supplemented with additional basic+ level courses. Opportunities to practice what has been learned are also available. For the intermediate and advanced player, two and four-week courses are offered on a variety of topics.

 LBC reserves the right to cancel any course if there is insufficient registration.

Bridge Basics I - A General Introduction to Bridge

 

Bridge Basics I is a general introduction to the game of bridge that includes basic terminology, bidding, and card play. This course is designed for individuals with no bridge experience or for those who are returning to bridge after an extended absence from the game.

 

Bridge Basics I will consist of 8 sessions to be held at the London Bridge Centre. The course will be taught on Saturday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. beginning April 6 and will run to May 25. 

 

Course Topics: Hand evaluation, the bidding ladder, no-trump opening bids and basic responses, minor suit opening bids and basic responses, major suit opening bids and basic responses, and dummy points. Hand play and defense will be included in each class.

 

The teacher for this course is Jane King.

 

The fee for this course is $120 plus the cost of Audrey Grant's Bridge Basics I textbook.

 

The deadline for registration is March 30, 2024. To register for this course please CLICK HERE.

 

Advancing Your Game - Part II

Advancing Your Game - Part II 

This bridge course is designed for players who have completed several bridge courses and who play duplicate bridge on a regular basis.  A variety of standard conventions will be re-introduced and fine-tuned to develop effective, competitive bridge strategies for duplicate bridge play.  Each class will include strategies for handling the opponents’ interference.  The use of good judgement will be emphasized.

The 4-week course will be taught over four weeks at the London Bridge Centre on Thursdays from 9:30 am to noon starting on May 9 and ending on May 30. Please note that Part 1 is a prerequisite for Part 2.

Lesson 1: Preempts and Strong 2 Club Openers

Lesson 2: Overcalls

Lesson 3: Doubles, Redoubles & more

Lesson 4: Competitive Auctions

For those players who are interested, private Practice & Play sessions will be offered after the completion of Advancing Your Game Part 2 for players who have taken the course.  Four hands-on play sessions using pre-set hands will specifically target topics covered in the lessons and will be played online.  Registration for these play sessions will be announced once the course commences in the spring.

Following the completion of this course, players should be more comfortable and successful competing against London’s better bridge players in the open games.

A detailed course description of the lesson topics can be found here.  

Teacher: Mary Howe

Fee: $60 plus $15 for the Student Handbook.

To register for this course please CLICK HERE. The registration deadline for this course is Thursday, May 2, 2024.

Bridge Basics II

Bridge Basics II carries on with practice in playing hands and provides an introduction to the following topics in bidding: Take-out doubles, overcalls, pre-emptive bids, weak 2 openings, and responses to each of these bidding strategies.  This is the next class to be taken following Bridge Basics I.

Bridge Basics II will consist of 4 sessions to be held at the London Bridge Centre on Thursday mornings from 9:30 am to noon starting on Thursday, June 6 and ending on Thursday, June 27, 2024. This 4-week course introduces bidding designed to help partnerships get to their best contract while making it difficult for the opponents to find their best spot.  Play of the hand and good defence will be included in each lesson.

Course Topics:

1.   Preemptive Opening Bids: Three-level pre-empts & weak two bids.

2.   Overcalls and Advances:  Simple overcalls, No Trump overcalls, Weak jump shifts

3.   Takeout Doubles & Advances:  Takeout doubles, responding to partner’s double, rebids by the doubler, Doubles that show a strong overcall

4.   Competitive Auctions:  Responding after the opponents’ takeout double and overcall, negative doubles, redoubles, and penalty doubles.

 Your teacher for this course is Mary Howe.

 The fee for this course is $60.

 To register for this course please CLICK HERE. The registration deadline for this course is Thursday, May 30, 2024. 

Fifth Chair Teaching

Are you interested in developing your bridge skills?

Several teachers from London Bridge Centre are offering small group lessons online while they sit as Fifth Chair to guide your progress. Your group will play online at a mutually agreed-upon time. Prices and the length of each session may vary slightly.  For further info please go to Fifth Chair teachers. Please contact the teacher of your choice for details.

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