The Bridge Teacher for Your Information
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A NEWSLETTER FOR TEACHERS THE BRIDGE TEACHER For Your Information ABTA Annual Convention. It’s time to make your plans to attend the ABTA’s annual convention this summer in Washington DC, July 21-24. We had a great time in DC in 2002 and expect to have just as much fun this year. You won’t want to miss it. Check out the details and sign up Spring Edition • April 2009 today at www.ABTAhome.com. Updated TAP at the Washington NABCs. If you are attending the summer NABCs and you haven’t earned look your continuing education credit by taking the updated TAP program, now’s the time. The TAP will be held on the first Saturday, Sunday What’s and Monday of the tournament for the convenience of teachers attending the ABTA Inside … Convention. Contact Dana ([email protected]) to sign up. Online Teacher Listings. Many of you have filled out an application and are listed at ACBL’s Find a Teacher web site. We have sent out an e-mail to those who are listed asking that you let us know if you are not teaching. We want the teachers at Bridge Nerds and this site to be only those who are ready, willing and able to offer bridge lessons when Bridge Lingo ............... 2 contacted. If you aren’t currently listed and would like to be, fill out the form at the ACBL web site (http://fs3.formsite.com/acbl/form142291791/index.html), e-mail it to Full Service Lessons ....... 3 us and we’ll do the rest. Lots of teachers are getting students from this site, so why not you? Teaching Kitty Cooper SBLS Teacher Manual. This booklet provides 16 lesson plans for Two-Over-One .........4–5 school bridge and has been updated to compliment the Bidding in the 21st Century text. It can be downloaded free at: http://www.acbl.org/teachers/schoolBridge.html Another Step Forward (scroll down the right hand column). For Bridge Spam E-mails. Recently many of us have received e-mails from various parties Online: Skype ............. 6 in Nigeria and other countries claiming that they have a daughter coming to the US who wants to learn to play bridge. These emails are 5KB and fit the pattern of all the Update on Youth Bridge . 7 “spam” messages we receive from overseas. Simply delete them. Top Ten Tips ................... 8 Bridge Nerds and Bridge Lingo by Lynn Berg Knowing a bit of the history of the game Did you know that Sam Stayman didn’t can help you get ideas across to your invent but rather popularized the basic students. Being aware of the off-putting convention we all use? George Rapee and confusing effect of terminology can was the actual inventor. And Lebensohl help you untangle its mysteries. was not invented by the well-known pro of the same name; in fact, I’ve heard AMERICAN CONTRACT Have you ever wondered how bridge BRIDGE LEAGUE conventions and terminology evolved? that he doesn’t even like the bid! And 2990 Airways Blvd. who would think that the British system Memphis TN 38116 Sometimes it’s obvious, like Jacoby Transfers being developed by Oswald called Acol is not some interesting www.acbl.org Jacoby, but he’s not the Jacoby of the acronym but just the name of the street currently popular Jacoby 2NT slam try in where a bridge club was located. the majors—that’s his son, Jim Jacoby. (continued on page 2) Bridge Nerds and Bridge Lingo (continued from page 1) Let’s say that you want to were lowered by most players—the answer which said, “I opened light.” introduce the idea of splinters. This good ones first, and the rest of us That’s not the style today. Point is one of the few conventions known eventually. Then the idea of 2 as out that Drury now appears in the to have been invented by a woman, the only strong bid came along, Major Suit box on the convention Dorothy Hayden Truscott. She allowing us to preempt at the two card. Today 2, and for some called it “an unusual jump in a short level in the three other suits. Which players also 2, shows a limit raise suit to show trump support and a do we get more: huge hands within in partner’s major. The “reverse” good hand.” That’s a lot to put on a trick of game, or hands with less part (oh, don’t you love bridge nerd a convention card, so the popular than opening values and six card lingo?) is that repeating the major is name developed (I don’t know by suits? the weak statement, and any other whom). These little facts will help fix This excursion into bidding bid, including 2, shows a better the idea for the students. history will prepare your students hand. Then there’s the teaching for the scary act of bidding at the Anecdotes about the development nightmare of the term “weak two.” two level with 10 points. You can of conventions will help your Needless to say, students find the make the same point with weak students remember what you’re idea of a weak bid daunting and jump overcalls. The name is scary, teaching. (Read Eric Murray’s scary. So don’t call it that. Call so introduce it along with six-card story about the Drury convention it a “six card preempt.” I usually preempts. Tell your class that they being invented primarily because introduce this concept with bridge can also make a jump overcall (leave he kept opening Yarboroughs history. Over the 49 years I have out that word weak) to preempt the when playing with Doug Drury and been playing bridge, two bids bidding and deliver a clear message they kept getting bad boards at have changed a lot. We used to to partner about their hand. http://www.acbl.org/play/in-their- open “strong twos” in all suits, Reverse Drury is another own-words.php.) If your students and most of us played the bids as unfortunately named convention, are older players, maybe a group game forcing. But we didn’t get to since few of today’s new players who learned years ago and are use these bids very often, and so ever heard of old-fashioned Drury. returning to the game, you will also the requirements for making them The history be validating their memories of of the Drury what the game used to be like. You convention should recognize and acknowledge might help how much bridge has changed. You your students will also be showing your mastery get it straight. of the game with your knowledge Originally 2 of its history. And you will reassure was used by your students when they find the the partner of terminology difficult if you give them a third seat ways to help remember. opening in any Note: There are more suit to ask if anecdotes in the “In Their Own partner had Words” series of articles that opened light. you can access at the ACBL This was in the web site at: http://www.acbl. days when all org/play/in-their-own-words. opening bids php. Use the drop down menu promised four to see the various conventions card suits. 2 featured here. was the cheap 2 Full Service Lessons by Marti Ronemus in limited games, we’re glad to hear University. This is our most advanced them discussing and learning. What offering. We include a single-subject they discover themselves is of course workshop, and a 12-board game the most valuable knowledge of all. using hands that illustrate the subject. Our next type of lesson is the We also have lunch. It runs from 9 a.m. to 1-1:30 p.m. So, you ask, why am I looking so tired “Bidding Quiz,” which runs about these days? And why am I muttering 25 minutes to a half-hour, pregame. The only way for a small teaching to myself so much? It’s because our We have eight hands with partially staff (there are 2-1/2 of us) to handle club teaching program has gotten completed bidding sequences on this explosion is to have access to completely out of control. How this the board. We then discuss “what great material. And we do. next” in the bidding. We try to happened, I’m not sure, but we kept First, heartfelt thanks to the ACBL. have a central theme, like Negative adding lessons and workshops. And The Education Department has Doubles, Reevaluations, Help Suit so this is what my week looks like. dozens of workshops and lessons for Game Try, whatever. The emphasis us. I’ve used them all and sleep easier We have four types of lessons is on visualizing the unseen hands in because of them. Next, I’m lucky we give each week, plus monthly the sequence to help decide “what enough to have many workshops from “specials.” next.” Again, we encourage the Pat Harrington. Great stuff with great Three of our games begin with an players to find examples of similar hands. And of course I’ve thanked “Aerobic Warm Up” hand. This is an sequences in the game they play Eddie Kantar in print and person for interesting hand we’ve either played after the lesson. This is primarily for his fabulous hands. at the club in the previous week, our intermediate group. But the heart of our lessons is the something from Eddie Kantar’s And now we get into workshops.