DAILY BRIDGE CLUB
“A good teacher instructs; a better teacher explains; a fine teacher demonstrates; an exceptional teacher inspires.”
— educational wisdom Having taught bridge before I began writing, I know that no teacher, no matter how knowledgeable and charismatic, can turn people into bridge players in 16 hours of class time. A teacher can impart a few basic ideas — some bidding structure and simple techniques of play — but a teacher’s primary task must be to inspire. If he can show students why we find bridge an exhilarating, compelling game, they may decide it’s worth pursuing in earnest.
When I taught students past the beginner stage, I tried to go past rules and introduce logical thinking. I hoped they would see where the true attraction of the game lies.
In today’s deal, East responds two diamonds to West’s double. South likes his game chances enough to jump to three spades, and North thinks enough of his ace to raise. South wins the first club with the king and leads the king of trumps: five, three, ace. East returns a club. When South takes the ace, how should he continue?
The missing trumps will usually break 3-2, so South might take the queen next. But the auction changed the odds. West inserted a vulnerable takeout double with a flimsy hand: at most 12 high-card points and no aces. He surely has a distributional hand to compensate for his minimum high-card values.
If South is willing to back his reasoning, he will lead a heart to dummy and return a trump to his nine. He will lose a diamond and a heart but make his game. South dealer
Both sides vulnerable