In July, my hubby and I traveled out of the country to find more and better teaching material for the local players. I was especially interested in the ABTA (American Bridge Teachers Association) convention. We went two days early so that I could attend the teacher convention before the national tournament started. It was a thrill to hear the people whose books and articles I read. I listened to lectures by Julian Laderman (the best at simplifying squeezes), Audrey Grant, Zia Mahmood (funny!), Jerry Helms, Eric Rodwell, and Jeff and Ginny Schuett. You may not have heard about those last two, but they were excellent teachers and willing to share their expertise with us. I have wanted to put together a lesson on card combinations for a long time, but always got stuck because it seemed so complicated. Jeff and Ginny shared a seminar lesson about this topic and did a great job teaching us how to teach it. They gave us permission to use the material if we gave them credit.

So, I am doing a series of lessons on card combinations. I started the series last Wednesday on capturing the Jack. Wednesday, August 2, I will continue with Queen capturing. I’ve learned a lot from Audrey Grant and Jeff and Ginny about the ” cards on the table” approach. We practice the concept with examples of cards all laid out and ready to analyze and then play a few hands to put it all together.

I am passionate about teaching bridge. I hope players will come on August 2 and August 30. If you missed the first lesson, it will be easy to catch up. I will give you the lesson you missed. Jeff and Ginny charge $50 each for their seminar. I am offering you much of the same material at no charge. 5:45 at Country Inn and Suites. Improve your bridge game with free lessons! What a deal!