Polish Up Your Play
About the course
WHO
is it for?
This is a refresher course, for experienced players who have become a bit rusty on some of the details and would like to fill in the gaps. It is for anyone who ever finds yourself wondering “Should I try that finesse? What’s the best way to play it?” or “I want to lead a spade, but which one should I lead? Why does it matter?”
It is also for Learn to Play Bridge graduates from previous years who want to refresh your memories and expand your knowledge.
If you have a regular partner, you may want to take the course together. The guidance about defending will help you to communicate with each other – legally! – through the cards that you play.
WHAT
will I learn?
I hope that the course will be a mixture of things that you already know, things that you have half-forgotten, and things that are new to you. It should help you to play more confidently and successfully, both as a declarer and as a defender.
Declarer Play
- Planning – counting winners and losers and choosing the best strategy
- Using the tools in your toolbox – promotion, length, ruffing, and finessing
- Drawing trumps – when to draw them at once and when to wait
- Managing communications – unblocking, ducking, holding up, planning entries
Defending
- Making the opening lead – choosing the right suit and card; sending messages to your partner
- Playing in second and third hand – which card to choose and what to play next if you win
- Discarding – which cards to keep and which ones to discard
- Playing detective – interpreting the cards that your partner plays; who has what?
HOW
will I learn it?
You’ll have weekly face-to-face lessons and you’ll use resources on this website.
Every week, you’ll prepare for the lesson by downloading, printing and studying notes from the website and by watching a short video. So you’ll need a computer or tablet (a phone’s screen is too small) and a printer – or a friend who’ll let you use theirs.
You’ll come to a lesson every week, where we will discuss the notes and video and you’ll bid and play with other students. I hope that we’ll all have fun together.
Afterwards, you can practise playing the lesson’s deals on the website, and try quizzes to test yourself. The more you work at it, the more you’ll learn.
Whenever and wherever else you play, you can put into effect what you have learned and come back to the next lesson to talk about how it has gone.
WHEN,
WHERE
and
HOW MUCH?
The lessons will be from 9.15 to 11.30 on Tuesdays, from 29th September to 8th December 2026.
They will be in the Christ Church Scout and Guide Hut in Long Lane, Aughton.
The course will cost a one-off fee of £5 plus the standard U3A Bridge Group charge of £1 per session.
How can I
SIGN UP?
Not yet!
I plan to advertise the course to all U3A bridge group members in late June.
If you would like to find out more about it before then, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.